From the Lusty Wanderer to the Naturalist Nomad. Just like there is no one-size-fits-all type of anything, so too is there no such thing as a one-size-fits-all when it comes to travel books. These days, the type of traveler someone is is a question of more than “hmm, Fodor’s? Lonely Planet? Or Rick Steves?” when it comes to travel planning, learning, and storytelling.
If you have a traveler on your list, especially the type you really never see except for maybe holidays (because, you know, they’re off traveling), then this list is for you. From the well-seasoned and salty veteran, to the nubile newbie, there’s a book for everyone, both eBook and traditional paper variety.
1) The Lusty Wanderer – The Sex Lives of Cannibals (J. Maarten Troost)
2) The High-Tech Traveler – Hammocks and Hard Drives: The Tech Guide for Digital Nomads (Dave Dean) Of www.toomanyadapters.com
3) The New and Confused Traveler – An Innocent Abroad (John Berendt); World Stompers : A Global Travel Manifesto (Brad Olsen). Of www.bradolsen.com
4) The Travel Know-it-All – Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel (Rolf Potts). Of www.rolfpotts.com
5) The “Trying to Find Myself” Traveler – Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul (Jack Canlfield and Mark Victor Hansen; In the Shadow of the Buddha: One Man’s Journey of Discovery in Tibet (Matteo Pistoni)
6) The “No Strings Minimalist” – No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering (Clara Benson). Of www.clarabensen.com
7) The “Lone Wolf” Adventuress – Tracks: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback (Robyn Davidson); Go Your Own Way: Women Travel the World Solo (Faith Conlon); What I was Doing While You Were Breeding (Kristin Newman) Of the hilarious www.theotherkristinnewman.com
8) The Naturalist Nomad – A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Bill Bryson); The Last Nomad: One Man’s Forty Year Adventure in the World’s Most Remote Deserts, Mountains and Marshes (Wilfred Thesiger).
9) The “You Probably Haven’t Heard of it” Hipster Explorer – Off Track Planet’s Travel Guide for the Young, Sexy, and Broke (Freddie Pikovsky, Anna Starostinetskaya) Of www.offtrackplanet.com
10) Voyaging Virgins – The Rough Guide First-Time Around The World (Doug Lansky).
11) The Classic Adventurer – The Innocents Abroad (Mark Twain), A Moveable Feast: The Restored Edition (Ernest Hemingway), Travels with Charley in Search of America (John Steinbeck).