9 Inspiring Books to Pack in Your Suitcase

From the same author of Jurassic Park comes Travels, a personal documentation of Michael Crichton's jaw-dropping global adventures. From swimming with mud sharks in Tahiti to exploring the Mayan pyramids, this memoir's sure to fuel every reader's wanderlust.

Aubrey Johnson, 27, is going blind in less than eight weeks, but she denies her fate on a trip around the world with her childhood friend Jeff in Blue Sun, Yellow Sky. Eventually, Aubrey learns to face her fears, which leads her to discover a deeper meaning to life.

YA romance fans, you'll adore Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. It tells the story of soon-to-be high school senior Amy and the cross-country road trip she takes after her father dies in a car accident. Along for the ride is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend, and sparks fly between the two soul-searching teens.

In the early '90s, young visionary Christopher McCandless cut ties with his wealthy family, donated $25,000 to charity, and burned the rest of the cash in his wallet. Inspired by Jack London and John Muir, he embarked on a journey across America, never losing sight of the end goal: Alaska. Into the Wild is a deeply moving tale of travel, society, and discovery.

College grad Rachel Friedman doesn't live life on the edge — until she buys a ticket to Ireland on a whim, finds a free-spirited friend, and voyages to three continents in a year. The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost will inspire cautious readers to embrace their inner freewheeling travelers.

A terrible accident forces couple Tegan and Gabe to reclaim life after loss in Come Away With Me. Inspired by their Jar of Spontaneity, the two experience new things in Europe, Asia, and more. They find, however, that grief follows wherever they go, and acceptance comes out of the blue.

Before he became a beloved children's book author, Roald Dahl was a World War II pilot, and before that, he was an employee with the Shell Oil Company in Tanzania, Africa. Dahl's autobiography Going Solo is action-packed and colorful — much like his fiction.

In The Edge of Never, 20-year-old Camryn Bennett hops on a Greyhound bus with nothing but her phone and purse, leaving behind the only life she's ever known in North Carolina. Along the way, she meets a mysterious and handsome stranger, who persuades her to give in to her deepest desires. But the stranger's harboring a secret of his own — and it may ultimately ruin the relationship they've fostered.

Author Peter Mayle moves in to a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in Lubéron, France, where he, his wife, and his two dogs must adjust to a vastly differing lifestyle. A Year in Provence will whisk you away to the natural pleasures of the remote French countryside.