Books are a man's best friend. Since childhood we have had our favorites that have teleported us to those quintessential landscapes where going in person seemed like a distant dream. As we grew up, the genre of books changed and the places in our bucketlist grew longer. The fascinating ways in which an author describes the place, an artefact, the food, locales etc, you cannot help but simply close your eyes and venture to those mountains, valleys, forests and what not.
Here are five books we found that will inspire the traveller in you to backpack and leave on a trail
1- On The Road by Jack Kerouc
The book chronicles Jack Kerouac's years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady. As Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac's love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make 'On the Road' an inspirational work of lasting importance.
2- Wild by Cheryl Strayed
The book traces Cheryl Strayed's solo journey through the thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State. Told with suspense, style and humour, 'Wild' powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of a young woman going ahead against all odds on a journey that healed her amidst the madness and depression.
3- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni
The novel is set against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, it follows 12-year-old Amir who is competing in a kite-fighting tournament on the day of the invasion. The events of the invasion lead to Amir leaving for America, and years later his search for redemption leads him back to Afghanistan, now under Taliban rule. Khaled Hosseni's amazing storytelling ability will pull you into the story and have you look back up only when you finish reading the last page of the book.
4- The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares
Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bridget are best friends living in the same small American town since childhood. The year they turn 16 is the first time they have separate plans for the summer but the girls are determined to keep in touch. Tibby buys a pair of jeans in a second-hand shop and the girls discover that the trousers magically fit each of them perfectly, despite their different figures and heights. They hit upon a wonderful plan of sharing the jeans throughout the vacation. Thus begins the most memorable summer vacation of their lives.
5- Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This gripping novel takes a look at the true story of Chris McCandless, a young American whose corpse was discovered four months after he began hiking in the Alaskan wilderness. The author's vivid narration digs into the dangers of exploration and is a fascinating warning against facing nature alone.
Youngster's pick their one favorite book that inspired them to travel...
'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown fascinated me a lot and it made me want to visit the Louvre and the Crystal pyramid and roam the streets of Paris, sit in cafes and drink coffee. This dream was finally fulfilled this summer. Also, I’d like to visit Italy and the Vatican, which I hope to later on in life.
Yastika Biswas, class XII, Amity International School, New Delhi
One of the books that has greatly inspired me and bought the sense wanderlust into me is 'The Journey To River Sea' by Eva Ibbotson. It is an award-winning novel. This beautiful book is about the Amazon and the wonders of the rainforest. It has inspired me to travel to many forest areas whenever I get the chance to go for a vacation. My dream is to travel & live in the Amazon and explore what I read from the book. It has also created in me, a yearning to travel the world and visit all the deep, dark and mysterious forests and uncover the secrets it holds.
Samiksha Manoj, class X, AMM Matriculation School, Chennai
J R R Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy has manifold adventures gleaming with the excitement and the anticipation of a quintessential fantasy novel series. However, the book that inspired me to travel more was not a part of the aforementioned trilogy, it was its prequel: The Hobbit. The Hobbit is a classic children’s novel filled with multitudinous adventures of an introvert being, Bilbo Baggins. The novel is a reflection of the qualities of curiosity and courage with the characters exploring new lands and cultures along with their friendships blossoming by the side. As a child, the ingenuity of this book led me to not only read 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, but also to explore new spaces and cultures.
Pranay Shah, class X, Singapore International School, Mumbai
A book I read in class IX really interested me in the concept of travel. It is called “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead. It is based on the concept of time travel, it spoke to me in a philosophical manner. It speaks of how at one moment, we are only capable of doing one thing but if we travel through time we are open to a whole new world of possibilities. Just like that when we travel, we are exposed to various new emotions and perspectives of our world.
Ishani Pant, class XII, The Heritage School, Kolkata
One book that made me want to travel was 'Alex Rider'. This series is all about spying and action. It made me want to travel because the story reaches out to all the exotic locations on the planet like Australia, England, the Amazon, the Siberian coast etc. The story vividly describes all these locations. This has increased my love for travel.
Neel Mulay, class IX, Greenwood High, Bengaluru
The book that made me want to travel was 'The Chronicles Of Narnia' series. I wanted to travel to Narnia and to places filled with snow, try out horse riding and experience the bliss of carrying a sword. The book made me want to travel to places where I could try out so many things to challenge my fears, and ultimately meet an Aslan who'd help me win over the world. The writing style of CS Lewis made visualise what I read, and what a beautiful world I can live in.
Harini MS, class XI, Nagarjuna Vidyaniketan, Bengaluru
The distant mountains with their mysterious aura have always been enchanting for me. But reading Ruskin Bond's classic books have made me see hills in a very different light. Their serenity, their grandeur. Living in the mountains, with the mesmerising beauty of nature, his life seemed so beautiful. It made me really wish that I could travel to that place and stay there forever, get lost in the hills maybe. The way he describes nature reminds one of the forgotten harmony between man and nature. His heart warming accounts have given way to an ardent desire, to visit Dehradun. His book 'The blue umbrella' is very close to my heart.
Sanjula Gupta, class XI, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Chandigarh