Sometimes, for whatever reason — be it financials, career, or, ahem, a global pandemic — we find ourselves unable to venture off to the various destinations, near or far, inhabiting our travel bucket lists. In these times there is little we can do other than dream of the myriad places we wish to experience firsthand, and things can get depressing.

But there is another way to travel to lands we haven’t yet traversed, without ever leaving the four walls that make up our homes. Books offer us gateways to lands both real and imagined, allowing us glimpses of coal-covered Rust Belt towns in the heart of America, the beauty found in Australia’s back country, the wintry wonder of the northern reaches of Japan, and so much more.

If you find yourself in need of immediate escape, give one of these a look:

1. ‘Wild’ by Cheryl Strayed (2012)

After losing her mother at age 22, author Cheryl Strayed decided to venture off to conquer the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own. She walked more than a thousand miles from the Mojave Desert in California all the way up to Washington State. “Wild“ tells the true tale of her healing journey, explaining, in her own words, how she went “from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail.”

All Things Wanderful contributor Melissa Smith first introduced me to this book with a heartfelt post about loss, grief, and growth back in October 2018.

2. ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ by Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1995)

First introduced to me in the form of the 2004 film, “The Motorcycle Diaries” is a memoir by the infamous revolutionary figure Che Guevara, detailing his travels throughout the South American continent as a young 20-something with his friend Alberto Granado.

Written in 1952 — before Che became the Che he is remembered as today — the book follow’s Guevara and Granado’s journey from Buenos Aires, Argentina, into Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and destinations further north, revealing along the way how Guevara’s worldview was transformed by the many social injustices he witnessed.

3. ‘Green Hills of Africa’ by Ernest Hemingway (1935)

If you’re an animal lover you may want to stay away from this one. “Green Hills of Africa” is a nonfiction work by Hemingway that rehashes he and his wife Pauline Pfeiffer’s month-long travels around the Serengeti in December 1933, as Ernest tried his hand at hunting Africa’s big game.

Divided into four parts, the landscape described in the book is that of the Lake Manyara region of Tanzania. “Green Hills” was later re-released alongside his wife’s personal journal, which provides an in-depth behind-the-scenes perspective.

4. ‘Vagabonding’ by Rolf Potts (2002)

Think you don’t have enough money or time to travel? Rolf Potts will be able to convince you otherwise. His 2002 book “Vagabonding” is all about mustering up the courage to put your regular life on hold and going out to discover and experience the world on your own terms. Chock-full of valuable insights, memorable quotes, and a ton of useful information, Potts’ book can provide you the motivation you need to “just do it.”

5. ‘Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes’ by Alastair Humphreys (2014)

Sort of on the opposite end of the spectrum from “Vagabonding,” this collection of mini adventures by Alastair Humphreys is out to prove that you don’t need to go far to experience the thrills of travel. Rather than nudging readers toward dropping everything and setting out on a grand adventure, “Microadventures” promotes the idea of the weekend warrior.

Filled with anecdotes about tidy, little trips in his native U.K., Humphreys’ book provides a map for those seeking adventurous opportunities without traveling halfway around the world. (It’s also not a bad idea to check out some of Humphreys’ other travel-related books.)

6. ‘A Walk in the Woods’ by Bill Bryson (1997)

Travel writer Bill Bryson brings us along on his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail in this autobiographical novel that was made into a movie starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte just a few years ago. “A Walk in the Woods” chronicles Bryson’s attempt to reacquaint himself with America after spending a couple decades in England. Combining descriptions of natural beauty along the trail, which runs 2,100 miles from Georgia to Maine, with humor and history, the novel makes for a fun read while also making a case for conservation.

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All right, and here comes the point in time where you might accuse me of being off my rocker, because the book I’m about to tell you NOT to read is considered not only a classic, but a seminal, generational masterpiece of the travel writing genre. What book am I talking about? Well, friends, that would be “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac (1957).

Now, before I go any further, allow me to preface this by saying that I can totally appreciate “On the Road” for the generation-defining work that it was and is. It captures, in 350 pages, just what the beat and countercultural movements were all about, and it deserves its accolades in that regard. But why does it have to be such a slog to read through?

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was painful trying to thumb my way to the finish line, but it seems to me there are several junctures where things could have come to an end and the mission still would have been accomplished with just as much panache — if not more! Instead, Kerouac continues on in his rambling way, and by the time I actually finished the thing, my reaction was more along the lines of “Thank goodness that’s over,” than “Wow, what an amazing work of art.”

Maybe if I’d read the book 50 or 60 years ago, it would have hit me just as hard as the critics out there who love doting on it. Perhaps I could say the same even if I’d read it 30 or 40 years ago. But that isn’t the case, and here in the 21st century, I simply wasn’t that enraptured.

-LTH