{"id":28763,"date":"2014-02-28T10:42:07","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T16:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=28763"},"modified":"2018-03-05T11:41:53","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T17:41:53","slug":"best-travel-memoirs-and-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2014\/02\/best-travel-memoirs-and-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 travel memoirs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"travel<\/p>\n

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Pack one of these great travel memoirs for some destination inspiration, or just to make a long flight go by faster. These adventure books will take you from Julia Child’s culinary calling in France to the baboon-filled jungles of Kenya and beyond. Looking for a great beach for these great reads? We can help with that, too. Check out our “shore thing” vacation deals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail<\/em> by Cheryl Strayed<\/strong><\/p>\n

If your copy of Eat, Pray, Love has fallen apart from repeated readings, Strayed\u2019s memoir of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after the death of her mother and a divorce might be right up your alley. The journey in Wild is more emotional than physical, although the book is filled with suspense as Strayed navigates the wilderness as an inexperienced hiker.<\/p>\n

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2. I\u2019m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after 20 Years Away<\/em> by Bill Bryson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bryson has a talent for teasing out the idiosyncrasies of a place and lovingly pointing out how absurd we all are, no matter where we\u2019re from or where we\u2019re visiting. In this book, he turns his humor on his home country.<\/p>\n

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3. In a Sunburned Country<\/em> by Bill Bryson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of Bill Bryson\u2019s many travel memoirs, his book detailing his trip through Australia stands out as exceptionally funny and warm-hearted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. My Life in France<\/em> by Julia Child<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like many of Bryson\u2019s books, Julia Child\u2019s memoir is partly a fish-out-of-water story. But it\u2019s also the tale of a how middle-aged woman with no cooking skills fell in love with France, found her vocation, and became The French Chef.<\/p>\n

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5. Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven<\/em> by Susan Jane Gilman<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two girlfriends graduate from college and head into the heart of communist China looking for adventure. As their surroundings become increasingly unsettling, Gilman realizes that her friend may be losing touch with reality, and soon they\u2019re running for their lives.<\/p>\n

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6. A Primate\u2019s Memoir: A Neuroscientist\u2019s Unconventional Life Among the Baboons<\/em> by David Sapolsky<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a primatologist, traveling through the jungles of Kenya is just another day at the office for Sapolsky. For those of us with more mundane jobs, however, his book is a fascinating and funny look at the people, places, and primates of Africa.<\/p>\n

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7. Assassination Vacation<\/em> by Sarah Vowell<\/strong><\/p>\n

You might not think that a travelogue about the visiting the sites of the first three presidential assassinations would be much of a hoot, but it totally is. Vowell loves history and does a fantastic job connecting the events of the past with the present.<\/p>\n

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8. The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey<\/em> by Ernesto \u201cChe\u201d Guevara<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before he was a symbol of Communist revolution and the face on those ubiquitous t-shirts, Che Guevara was a 22-year old medical student traveling through South America with his friendAlberto. It\u2019s a coming-of-age story with special significance, knowing the impact that Che would go on to have on the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9. Around the Bloc: My life in Moscow, Beijing, and Havana<\/em> by Stephanie Elizondo Griest<\/strong><\/p>\n

As an aspiring foreign correspondent, Griest set off for Russia at 21 to learn the language and explore after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This trip led to a four-year, 12 country tour of the world\u2019s Communist countries. This memoir is both a journalistic look at Communism in the 90s and a memoir of Griest\u2019s coming of age far from home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump\u2019s Search for the Happiest Places in the World<\/em> by Eric Weiner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not unlike Griest, Eric Weiner spent lots of time in war-torn countries as a foreign correspondent for NPR. Curious about the other side of the story, he decided to visit the happiest countries on earth to see how they got that way. Weiner visits Switzerland, Qatar, Thailand, and several more countries to explore how a place can make you happy.\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pack these incredible true stories of travel and adventure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":28854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"United States","latitude":"37.09024","longitude":"-95.71289100000001","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 travel memoirs | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pack one of these great travel memoirs for some destination inspiration, or just to make a long flight go by faster.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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