During these past few months of quarantine, people have taken to using movies, shows, and books as a means to satisfy their wanderlust. Books are particularly wonderful pathways to adventure and fun, and many of us have taken some of our best trips through their pages. If you're stuck under lockdown with a case of the travel bug, don't worry, we've got you covered!
Take a virtual trip with these 5 wanderlust-inducing classic books:
1. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
A lot may have changed since John Steinbeck wrote Travels with Charley in the 1960s, but there's something absolutely timeless about this travel book. In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck documents a lengthy road trip across America with no one but his trusty French poodle, Charley, for company. Steinbeck writes about racial hostility he witnesses, the characters he meets, and the intense loneliness he experiences as a solo traveler looking for the quintessential American experience.
2. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Is anyone else dreaming of a beach holiday in the French Riviera, or is it just me? Tender is the Night is one of Fitzgerald's best, but also most underrated works. This novel follows a stylish American couple who fall in love with a beautiful young actress while on holiday. Tender is the Night looks closely at the dynamics of marriage, and the lengths many of us will go to for love. As with any Fitzgerald novel, you shouldn't expect a happy ending, but you can still enjoy the exotic setting and imagine yourself spending sun-kissed days with your toes buried in the sand, too.
3. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
You probably are already familiar with the premise of Moby-Dick without ever having read it. This beast of a book is, after all, one of the most talked about works of literature ever written. Basically, a man becomes obsessed with an elusive, vicious white whale, and sacrifices everything in pursuit of his ambition. You can't go wrong with a man vs. nature epic adventure on the high seas. And if you'd like something pretty to look at while you read it, check out our beautiful Moby-Dick poster created using the words of Melville's book!
4. The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson
The Rum Diary may not be Hunter S. Thompson's most popular book, but it's definitely one of his most wanderlust-inducing. It follows the mishaps and misadventures of a journalist who moves to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a job. He spends very little time actually working, and a lot of time getting caught up in drunken brawls, love triangles, and other such shifty situations. Thomspon's book captures perfectly the aimlessness of a particular kind of expat; the type who moves to a tropical location with a belief that life will be easier, only to discover the opposite.
5. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's A Moveable Feast is a love letter to Paris in all her strange, romantic, and breathtaking colors. This book is an autobiographical account of Hemingway's years in Paris, when he was still in the early stages of his writing career and something of a starving artist. Familiar characters like Gertrude Stein and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald make appearances amongst the pages of this book. And, even better, you get watch the seasons pass in Paris and walk its streets with one of history's most iconic writers.
What books do you like to read when wanderlust strikes? Share your favorites in the comments!