Meet Some of the Best Travel Writers
Great travel writing can make a distant place feel immediate, reveal the character of a culture and turn a journey into a story worth remembering. The writers featured here have done that in very different ways, through humor, adventure, history, cultural observation and deeply personal accounts of the road.
Travelreads’ list of the best travel writers span generations and styles. Bill Bryson brings wit and curiosity to almost every journey. Paul Theroux is known for long overland travels and sharp observations of the people and places he encounters. Jan Morris wrote some of the most evocative portraits of cities and countries in modern travel literature, while Freya Stark became one of the defining travel writers and explorers of the 20th century. Dervla Murphy brought an adventurous, independent spirit to decades of journeys across Europe, Asia and Africa, while contemporary writer Kapka Kassabova explores borders, memory and identity through richly atmospheric writing about place. Pico Iyer continues to expand the genre through thoughtful writing about culture, identity and movement between worlds.
There can never be a definitive list of the best travel writers, but these authors have produced books that continue to shape travel literature and inspire readers to see the world differently.
Bill Bryson is one of the best-known travel writers, celebrated for his humor, curiosity and sharp observations of people and place.
Paul Theroux is a celebrated travel writer known for immersive journeys, sharp observation and literary storytelling.
Jan Morris was one of the great travel writers of the 20th century, celebrated for elegant portraits of cities and countries around the world.
Anthony Bourdain - the culinary adventurer whose vivid storytelling and genuine curiosity inspired millions.
Dervla Murphy was a pioneering travel writer known for adventurous journeys and an independent spirit.
Freya Stark was a groundbreaking British explorer who wrote dozens of books on her travels in the Middle East.
William Dalrymple is a Scottish writer famous for his book In Xanadu and his love of the history and culture of India.
Pico Iyer is a British-born essayist with many travel books on crossing cultures and globalization.
Sara Wheeler is a British travel writer known for thoughtful, literary accounts of remote places, including Antarctica, Chile and Greece
Kapka Kassabova is an acclaimed travel writer known for atmospheric explorations of borders, memory, and identity.
Jon Krakauer is a best-selling American non-fiction adventure book author and mountain climber.
Lola Akinmade Åkerström brings a global perspective to travel through writing and photography shaped by more than 70 countries.
Richard Grant is a British writer with books on some dangerous exploration and his move to rural Mississippi.
Tim Cahill is a leading adventure travel writer, with many collections of funny articles and essays.
Redmond O'Hanlon is an adventurous and funny British explorer who loves dangerous trips into wild jungles.
J. Maarten Troost is a Dutch-American travel writer known for his irreverent accounts of life in the South Pacific.
Writers and Editors Who Shaped Modern Travel Writing
Don George
Don George is one of the world's most renowned travel editors, with an illustrious career spanning major publications. He served as the Global Travel Editor for Lonely Planet Publications and as an Editor-At-Large for National Geographic. George's expertise is evident in his editing of nine acclaimed travel anthologies and his own work, including The Way of Wanderlust, his own collection of travel writing. His contributions to the field have garnered numerous awards and recognition. Additionally, he co-founded the prestigious annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference, further cementing his status as a leading figure in travel literature.
Lavinia Spalding
Lavinia Spalding is an American author and editor known for her work in travel literature. She has served as the series editor for The Best Women's Travel Writing, an annual anthology that showcases compelling narratives written by women about their journeys and experiences around the world. Under Spalding's editorial guidance, this collection has become a respected platform for female travel writers, helping to amplify their stories and contribute to the broader landscape of travel writing. She leads writing workshops around the world and is well known for her own book Writing Away, a Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler.
Conversations With Some of the Best Travel Writers
A Sense of Place, by Michael Shapiro
Michael Shapiro's A Sense of Place provides an intimate and revealing glimpse into the minds of renowned travel writers through thoughtful interviews conducted in their personal spaces. By meeting writers on their own turf—in home offices, favorite cafés, and cherished retreats—the physical environments themselves become part of the narrative and offer insights into the creative process.
The book features an impressive roster that includes the acerbic Paul Theroux, whose decades of travel literature have defined the genre, and the beloved Bill Bryson, whose humor-infused observations have made travel writing accessible to millions. But Shapiro casts his net wider, also including pioneers of the travel guidebook industry such as Arthur Frommer, whose revolutionary approach democratized international travel for everyday Americans. By exploring the perspectives of both narrative travel authors who craft atmospheric journeys through prose and practical guide creators who provide the nuts and bolts of exploration, Shapiro presents a remarkably diverse array of voices that have collectively shaped modern travel literature.
For aspiring travel writers and devoted readers alike, A Sense of Place is both an instructive masterclass and an inspiring celebration of a genre that continues to help us see the world—and ourselves—with fresh eyes.
Great Writers Inspired by Travel
Some of the world’s most celebrated novelists and nonfiction writers have also produced memorable books shaped by travel, place and discovery. Giants of American literature like Mark Twain with The Innocents Abroad, John Steinbeck with Travels with Charley, and Ernest Hemingway with The Sun Also Rises drew heavily from their globetrotting experiences. Their narratives often explore themes of wanderlust, self-discovery, and the human odyssey. This fascination with travel extends beyond the classics; even contemporary bestselling author Michael Crichton documented his worldwide adventures in his memoir Travels, demonstrating the enduring allure of exploration in literature.
The writers featured here are only part of the story. Explore our staff picks for more of the best travel books, or discover exceptional travel writing collections that bring together some of the genre’s most memorable voices and journeys.
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