These Travel Books Will Help You Plan The Best Solo Trip Ever

Traveling the world can be a fulfilling, life-changing experience. Or it can be a nightmare. Doing some research and study on “how to” travel well can help lead you more towards the best trip possible, and steer away from the frustrations of booking bad flights, overspending or focusing on the wrong things when on the ground in another part of the world.

The following books have helped to shape my budget-friendly travel practices that have allowed me to see the world on little income to “comfortable” income, with plenty of adventure, new friends, and delightful eats along the way.

Beginning with the blog by Matt Kepnes, or “Nomadic Matt,” I started picking up some distinctive travel hacking ideas specifically geared toward my travel to Machu Picchu in Peru. However, the book “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day” added the missing pieces for me on concepts regarding smart banking, specific budget-setting, and cheap airline travel. Thanks to this book, the blog by Nomadic Matt, and my own ingenuity, I was able to make the trek to Machu Picchu for less than $1500, with a total of 3 weeks in Peru. While the book is a little old at this point (2017 was the latest edition I can find), the principles remain solid. I come back to this book every time I plan an overseas trip for a refresher course.

You might also know Scott Keyes from his incredible newsletter that helps you find deals on flight. Formerly, the newsletter went by Scott’s Cheap Flight, but now publishes under the title Going. As it turns out, Scott also wrote a book on turning that one annual vacation into three. The book helped me better understand financial strategies for travel applications, finding cheap fares, and, ultimately, take more trips, thanks to small airports, planning my travel timelines well and challenging conventional travel planning methods. Enjoy Take More Vacations in physical, ebook, or audiobook format.

While not a “to do” sort of book, The Art of Travel can really help you examine the whys and wherefores of travel. For those specifically conscious of sustainable travel and making the travel experience truly valuable, this book is golden. I’ve used the vivid imagery and beautiful prose as a launching point for thought as I plan my own travel, helping to ensure my reasons for traveling are beneficial and not destructive, encouraging and uplifting, instead of an “ought to” sort of trip.

If you’re like me and love all the unique spots you’ve traveled to more than just hitting the highlights of well-known destinations, Atlas Obscura’s An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders will help you get there. The destinations of off-the-beaten-path joys and hidden gems helped me find some of my favorite experiences, like the Glowworm Caves in New Zealand. Grab the book at least a few months before your next trip so you can find the best outings and destinations as you plan.

For my fellow hiking enthusiasts, Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die will be your guide to “where next?” The unique destinations offer great hiking tracks for every hiking level, from casual strolls taking you village to village in Japan or hefty climbs in Rwanda. If you’ve got hiking buddies, even better – you can make these destinations your bucket list for the next several years, hitting up some of the most incredible hiking spots in the world, both famous and lesser known.