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Books That Take You Somewhere - Recs from a Travel Advisor
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items This list combines two of my favorite things: traveling and reading. I’m a travel advisor, which probably explains why I’m drawn to books where place and destination are part of the story. These are some of my very favorites. I hope they take you som...
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This is a beautiful memoir, with Italy deeply woven into the story. Tender and transformative. I think you’ll love it.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke ...
My favorite Emily Henry book (likely because I’m a travel advisor 😄). Friends-to-lovers, lots of travel, and the kind of story that makes you want to book a trip with someone you love.
People We Meet on Vacation: Henry, Emily
Not a traditional travel book, but it absolutely belongs here. This story moves through time and place in a way that will leave you breathless. Romantic, melancholy, and surprisingly transportive.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
A memoir about reinventing your life through long-term travel, curiosity, and openness to the world. It’s honest, inspiring, and the kind of book that makes you rethink what’s possible — and where you might go next.
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living Large
A tender, bookish novel where books are prescribed like medicine. One to savor slowly.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
This isn’t a travel book, but you’ll feel completely transported. The imagery is vivid and the marsh writing is incredible — the landscape, and the story, linger long after you finish.
Where the Crawdads Sing: Reese's Book Club
A fun, escapist read set against a tropical backdrop. Not deep travel writing, but the setting does its job — beachy, light, and perfect when you want to be somewhere sunny for a few hours.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Eat, Pray, Love A classic for a reason. Italy, India, and Bali are deeply woven into the story, and each place shapes a different chapter of her journey. Thoughtful, transportive, and one I’ve returned to more than once.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search
Not a traditional travel book, but deeply rooted in place. Inspired by the Japanese practice of spending intentional time in nature, this one makes you want to slow down, step outside, and be somewhere quieter. Calming, thoughtful, and different from...
Forest Bathing: How Trees Help Health & Happiness
This one really transports you to Wine Country. Vineyards, family dynamics, and that specific California feeling of sun, space, and complexity. One of my favorite Laura Dave books, and very much about place as much as story.
Eight Hundred Grapes: A Novel: Dave, Laura
Italy is central here — Capri, summer, and the feeling of being somewhere beautiful while figuring things out. Emotional, transportive, and a great armchair escape if Italy is calling your name.
One Italian Summer: A Novel by Rebecca Serle
A journey on foot where landscape and solitude do the work. Less about going somewhere new, more about what happens along the way.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
A memoir about living in Paris and slowly falling for the city — the food, the streets, the daily rituals. It feels immersive and very real.
Paris in Love: A Memoir: James, Eloisa - Books
Not a travel book, but completely immersive. This one drops you into 1970s LA and the music world — it feels like stepping into a different time and place.
Daisy Jones & The Six: Reese's Book Club Novel
Summer on Long Island — beach towns, long days, familiar routines, and the feeling of being back somewhere that holds memories. Coastal, nostalgic, and quietly transportive.
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan