Some people like to think “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
Personally, when it comes to actually traveling, I 100 percent disagree. I don’t actually enjoy flying, riding a bus or train, or riding as a passenger in a car. This gets rough when traveling long distances. Thankfully for me, my longest plane ride was only nine hours — but I always tend to get stuck in some nasty layovers where there’s too little time to leave the airport, but too much time to be complacent about just waiting.
So to occupy my travel time, I do what’s fairly normal – I read.
I’ve compiled a list of 6 of my favorite books that I’ve read while traveling.
1. A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson
This is a book I regularly read before a camping trip or one where I’ll be spending a lot of the time outdoors.
I love the very straight forward humor tied into his adventures of hiking the Appalachian Trail.
I’ve had the experience to hike a small part of the Appalachian Trail (in the Smokey Mountains) so I can relate to some of his stories.
2. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Not an overly difficult read, and yes it probably is aimed more towards young adults and teenagers, but this is a great series when you’ve got a long trip and want to be able to knock some books out of the way.
I read the series over a trip where I spent a couple days traveling by bus.
It’s a cool story with a lot of action, and if you’re a fan of the movies, the books will help you understand things more.
3. Spartan Up! – Joe De Sena
I’ve read this book the last four times I’ve ridden on planes.
It’s a fantastic read especially if you want to better your physical self and your life in general.
It’s a book I’m recommending from the world of Obstacle Course Racing, but it’s a book that will definitely want to you make yourself be a better person. While
being this better person, you’ll feel much better about yourself!
5. 
4. Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand
A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, this is a book that you can now catch in a movie (it opened in theaters on Christmas Day.)
It’s a fantastic story of how a former Olympic Athlete survives through some of the most difficult situations throughout World War II.
It can be difficult to read, just because of all of the things that this man went through, but it’s such an inspirational story.
5. Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
If you’ve ever fantasized of leaving everything behind and just living in the wild this one’s for you.
A must read for those who love the outdoors, reading about this man who just leaves it all behind to live “au natural” will leave you wanting to go exploring for yourself.
6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
One of my all time favorite books, it’s part of a series that will have you into it every little bit of the way.
It’s a bit ridiculous as it follows a fairly boring man named Arthur Dent as he travels throughout the universe after his planet, Earth, has been destroyed.
It’s a fun read that will have you addicted from start to finish.
I personally have read all of the books in this series in two different languages.
What’s your favorite book to read while traveling? Please scroll down and leave your answers below in the comments!
This post was written by Lauren Youngerman, a student at the University of South Florida studying international business with a focus on Spanish and Info Systems.
She is a member of her school’s sailing team, and also works as a sailing coach at a nearby club.
Lauren is an adventure seeker who has had the opportunity to live abroad in both Brazil and Nicaragua, as well as to being a part of the U.S. Army.
Having just completed a social media internship for VentureTime Travel, Lauren seeks a career in marketing after graduation. Learn more about Lauren’s work experience via her LinkedIn profile.
We agree with Lauren; we loved to read when we travel and try to ensure that there are always several books to read downloaded and ready in our iPads. If you need any reading materials, just click on the links with these books (affiliate) or go over to the iBookstore widget on the right-hand column of this blog.
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