books on the travel industry

12 Must-Read Books About the Tourism Industry

Tourism Economy

Tourism technology, tourism marketing, tourism industry.

With hundreds of books about the tourism industry, you might find it hard to decide which one to read next . The tourism industry books cover a wide variety of topics. The best way to find an interesting read is to choose one that addresses the topic that you find interesting .

To help you, we put together a list of must-read books about the tourism industry. Below you can find relevant information about every book we included, such as a short description, ratings, price, and why you should read it.

It’s always interesting to look at tourism as an economy. The following books will help you expand your knowledge of the tourism economy.

Sustainable Tourism Supply Chain Management

Author: Sudhanshu Yoshi

First edition date: Release scheduled for October 1, 2022

Number of editions: 1

Goodreads rating : N/A

Amazon rating : N/A

Price on Amazon : Pre-order price $149.99

While scheduled for release in 2022, you should have your eyes on this book. The author is focused on sustainable supply chain management and sustainable tourism management in general . The book offers in-depth explanations of the aspect of the supply chain that continuously becomes more complex with every passing year. 

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it’s the first book that provides a comprehensive analysis of the effects policies and strategies have on the sustainable tourism supply chain . 

Things we don’t like : If you are not familiar with the concepts of sustainable tourism management, you might find this book hard to read, as it assumes that you have an extensive background in this field.

Tourism Policy and Planning: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Author: David L. Edgell, Jason R. Swanson, Ginger Smith, Jason Swanson, and David L. Edgell Sr.

First edition date: May 1, 2018

Number of editions: 3

Amazon rating : 4.3/5

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $173.27, Paperback $52.85

The book explains the connection between tourism policies and strategic tourism planning. The authors explain in great detail the entire tourism policy process and how it affects planning on all levels, including local, national, and international. 

Why we chose it : The book is perfect for people interested in the tourism policy process, and the latest edition addresses some new interesting topics such as terrorism and sustainable tourism. It also introduces new case studies. 

Things we don’t like : While the book addresses many concepts of policies and strategic planning, it is still considered an introduction, rendering it less valuable for experts on the subject. 

Travel Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis

Author: Harold L. Vogel

First edition date: January 15, 2001

Number of editions: 4

Goodreads rating : 3/5

Amazon rating : 3/5

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $97.31, Paperback $99.99

The book closely examines all components of the travel sector, such as marketing, hotels, airlines, tourism, theme parks, and cruise lines. It provides reviews, historical performance, and analysis of every sector , making it a must-read for travel professionals interested in the financial aspect of their operation.  

Why we chose it : We chose this book because the author regularly publishes new editions with updated information. For instance, the latest edition analyses the impact big data, emerging technologies, and pandemics have on the tourism sector. 

Things we don’t like : The book is a comprehensive guide for travel companies interested in improving financial performance and marketing. It addresses complex concepts from the start, so it’s not beginner-friendly.

Transforming Travel: Realizing the Potential of Sustainable Tourism

Author: Jeremy Smith

First edition date: December 19, 2017

Goodreads rating : 4/5

Amazon rating : 4.5/5

Price on Amazon : Paperback $30.75

The author features the success stories of the most innovative travel business across the world . The book is all about the benefits of sustainable tourism, and the common challenges travel companies and hotels face when deciding to go sustainable.

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it enables you to gather deep insights from the case studies. There are also very interesting stories from pioneers and thinkers in sustainable tourism . The book also helps readers discover the most efficient ways to promote sustainable tourism even in emerging economies.

Things we don’t like : While the book highlights some successful examples of sustainable tourism, the examples are somewhat outdated, and the book deserves a 2nd edition to bring new best practices to light. 

As one of the fastest-growing sectors, tourism heavily relies on various technologies. Here are the books that cover tourism technology.

How Robots Can Bring Positive Emotion: To Travelers

Author: John Lok

First edition date: January 27, 2022

Price on Amazon : Paperback $14.62

The future of AI use in the travel sector is now. This book explains the key role of AI and Big Data in the tourism industry . It enables the readers to truly understand the impact of emerging technologies and how they can help organisations predict shifts in the target market and changes in consumer behaviour. 

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it is a rare find in the Books About Tourism Industry category. The book tackles some of the most exciting implementations of AI in the sector, such as building positive customer experiences and emotions.

Things we don’t like : While the book enables the readers to understand the importance of using AI and big data to create positive experiences, it doesn’t showcase case studies and positive outcomes of implementing AI and big data. 

An SPSS Guide for Tourism, Hospitality, and Events Researchers

Author: Rahul Pratap Singh Kaurav, Dogan Gursoy, and Nimit Chowdhary

First edition date: December 15, 2020

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $155.58, Paperback $44.95

The book provides everything a reader has to know about SPSS, a statistical analytics software, to undertake analysis of data at any scale. The book helps readers identify the best statistical method for specific research and delivers step-by-step instructions.

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it’s the first book that enables researchers in the field of tourism to use big data to identify patterns and trends and draw actionable insights. 

Things we don’t like : The book provides highly technical knowledge, and unless you have data scientists or analysts on your team, you won’t be able to make much use of it.

Tourism Information Technology

Author: Pierre J Benckendorff, Zheng Xiang, Pauline J Sheldon

First edition date: November 14, 2017

Goodreads rating: N/A

Amazon rating: 4.6/5

Price on Amazon: Paperback $53.42

Tourism Information Technology outlines all the challenges of using technology in the tourism sector. It goes through various information technology use cases in the travel sector. It covers tech used in destinations, airlines, accommodation, and travel intermediaries. 

Why we chose it: We chose this book because it’s organized to reflect the stages of the traveler’s journey. It outlines how travelers interact with technologies during the decision-making process.  

Things we don’t like: The book is intended for students, and we don’t like that it also focuses on outdated technology solutions which you have to go through to discover the modern technologies in use today. 

Advances in Tourism, Technology and Systems: Selected Papers from ICOTTS20 Vol 1 and 2

Author: João Vidal de Carvalho, Álvaro Rocha, Pedro Liberato, Alejandro Peña

First edition date: November 16, 2020

Amazon rating: N/A

Price on Amazon: Hardcover $14.60

This book is a collection of research papers presented at ICOTTS 2020. The research paper covers various topics ranging from information technology use in tourism in general to the digital transformation of the tourism business. It also outlines a few studies on how big data and robotics changed the sector.

Why we chose it: The researchers presented at ICOTTS provide valuable insights into technology use in tourism . It’s one of the best resources to stay tuned to the latest technology use cases, best practices, and outcomes.

Things we don’t like: This is not a classic book which makes it harder to consume, especially for readers not used to skimming through research papers.

In case you want to find out more about tourism marketing, the following books will help you learn and discover interesting facts and strategies.

Marketing Tourist Destinations in Emerging Economies

Author:   Ishmael Mensah, Kandappan Balasubramanian, Mohd Raziff Jamaluddin, Gina Alcoriza, Vanessa Gaffar, and S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh

First edition date: November 28, 2021

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $169.99

The book helps readers identify and understand the risks that can derail tourism in emerging economies. More importantly, it offers marketing strategies and best practices that businesses in the hotel industry and hospitality industry can use to flourish in emerging economies . 

Why we chose it : The countries with emerging economies can leverage tourism as an economic generator. We chose this book because it provides practical marketing advice to travel industry organizations in emerging economies .

Things we don’t like : The book is focused on destination and crisis management and marketing during pandemics. Readers that are familiar with these concepts might find the book a less valuable read.

Marketing Handbook for Health Tourism

Author: Irving L Stackpole and László Puczkó

First edition date: February 18, 2021

Goodreads rating : 

Amazon rating : 4.1/5

Price on Amazon : Paperback $48.50

Marketing Handbook for Health Tourism provides actionable insights for destination managers and health, wellness, and medical service providers . It also features examples and practical advice to health tourism professionals who want to attract more travelers and establish themselves as trustworthy service providers. 

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it offers practical advice to niche audiences. Given that health tourism is becoming popular, knowing what to do and how to do it is very important if you want to stay competitive. 

Things we don’t like : While the book offers case studies and practical advice, there is still more ground to cover, and health tourism organizations might need more data to make informed decisions.

Future of Tourism Marketing

Author:   Seongseop (Sam) Kim and Dan Wang

First edition date: June 15, 2021

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $164.34

Future of Tourism Marketing is a comprehensive read tackling the topic of digital marketing tools used in the tourism sector . The book outlines the most recent advancements in information technology and how they impact the marketing strategies for businesses in this vertical.

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it even addresses the use of emerging technologies such as AI, VR, GIS systems, and robots in tourism marketing.

Things we don’t like : The only thing we don’t like about this book is its price point which is quite high compared to some other titles on our list.

Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality & Events: A Global & Digital Approach

Author: Simon Hudson and Louise Hudson

First edition date: August 9, 2017

Goodreads rating : 4.33/5

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $158.55, Paperback $58.54

Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality & Events: A Global & Digital Approach addresses two major topics. First, it emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the shift in tourism demographics. And it follows by addressing modern tourism marketing strategies and the value of personalized messaging and offers .

Why we chose it : We like that the authors shared their personal experiences and insights while also providing relevant tourism marketing case studies and outcomes.

Things we don’t like : We didn’t like that authors often disclose tourism marketing theories but don’t provide more data such as diagrams and tables to support their claims.

If you are interested in reading books covering various topics in the tourism industry in general, you will find the following titles quite interesting and engaging.

The Meaning of Luxury in Tourism, Hospitality & Events

Author: John Swarbrooke

First edition date: January 24, 2018

Goodreads rating : 5/5

Amazon rating : 4.6/5

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $76.20, Paperback $49.67

As the title suggests, this book takes a closer look at the concept of luxury . It takes readers across the tourism industry globally. Its focus is on the concept of luxury in the industry and how it changes the sector . It also takes into account sustainability challenges and technological innovations as factors that change the concept of luxury.

Why we chose it : We chose this book because it features a dozen case studies, thus helping the readers truly understand the impact of a wide range of factors on luxury in tourism . 

Things we don’t like : Given that the book mainly focuses on case studies, you might find it hard to go through in one go.

The Elephant Tourism Business

Author:   Eric Laws, Noel Scott, Xavier Font, and John Koldowski

First edition date: December 23, 2020

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $12.88

This book is for people involved in elephant tourism, which is a dominant sector in many countries, including India. It brings into perspective the improvements organizations can make to enhance tourists’ experiences of elephant tourism. The book also outlines the marketing strategies elephant tourism organizations can use to efficiently promote activities. 

Why we chose it : This book provides a better understanding of the elephant tourism business, and it’s the only one of its kind published in recent years. Given how important this tourism sector is in some countries, we decide to include it as it addresses several key aspects of elephant tourism. 

Things we don’t like : Many sections of the book are written for veterinarians and policymakers, making finding chapters relevant to tourism organizations somewhat hard. 

Tourism Theory: Concepts, Models, and Systems

Author:   Gui Lohmann and Alexandre Panosso Netto

First edition date: December 19, 2016

Price on Amazon : Hardcover $107.05, Paperback $63.12

This book addresses tourism as a field of study. It covers all essential aspects of tourism, ranging from concepts and disciplines to market analysis and marketing. The book also addresses the most common multi-destination travel patterns and high-season destination management. 

Why we chose it : This must-have book covers everything you need to know about tourism theory. We decided to add it to our list because it’s one of the most complete books on this subject. It makes finding relevant information easy thanks to encyclopedic cross-referencing. 

Things we don’t like : Although quite big, the book is only an introduction to tourism theory, and readers will need to explore other resources to get additional context to better understand some concepts. 

The Good Company

Author: Robert Girling

First edition date: March 28, 2012 

Number of editions: 2

Goodreads rating : 4.5/5

Price on Amazon : Paperback $6.32

The Good Company is a book that features successful companies that are overcoming environmental challenges by implementing emerging technologies. It also highlights the aspects that make a good company and why giving back to the community is essential. 

Why we chose it : Although it’s not tourism industry-specific, we decided to add this book to our list because organizations in the tourism sector can play a vital role in making our planet better. This book can help tour operators and hotel owners build better companies for their employees, consumers, and society as a whole.

Things we don’t like : The book features in-depth key studies of companies making the planet a better place, but the companies included are from the manufacturing and service sectors. There isn’t a single example of a company from the travel industry.

While there are many books about the tourism sector, the 12 we included in our list are definitely must-read books in 2022. We made sure to add books that address fairly different topics and provide insights into the best practices and developments in the industry . Since you might have specific needs and preferences, you should choose a book that can help you find the answers you are looking for .

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Cristóbal Reali, VP of Global Sales at Mize, with over 20 years of experience, has led high-performance teams in major companies in the tourism industry, as well as in the public sector. He has successfully undertaken ventures, including a DMO and technology transformation consulting. In his role at Mize, he stands out not only for his analytical and strategic ability but also for effective leadership. He speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. He holds a degree in Economics from UBA, complementing his professional training at Harvard Business School Online.

Mize is the leading hotel booking optimization solution in the world. With over 170 partners using our fintech products, Mize creates new extra profit for the hotel booking industry using its fully automated proprietary technology and has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue across its suite of products for its partners. Mize was founded in 2016 with its headquarters in Tel Aviv and offices worldwide.

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100 Best Tourism Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best tourism books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

Fast Food Nation

The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Eric Schlosser | 5.00

Richard Branson Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. (Source)

Carl Honoré This book again pulled together a lot of things I was hearing about in a journalistic, methodical, rigorous fashion. I found it a very alarming read, but also a reassuring one. One of the charges leveled at those who sing the praises of slowness is that we can get tarred with the brush of new ageism or airy fairyness. I’m not at all from that school. I’m a journalist and rigorous, and I know that... (Source)

Barry Estabrook Eric Schlosser takes apart a single fast-food meal and shows not only how it affects our health but also how the people who serve it to you are treated. He also looks at how the people in the slaughterhouses working with the cattle are treated, and so it shows you the true picture of the all-American meal – burgers and fries. (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

Anthony Bourdain | 4.76

Eric Ripert I love that Tony’s world in the kitchen was filled with pirate-like renegades when mine was peopled with regimented professionals. How eye-opening and entertaining to read about the other side! (Source)

Jon Favreau Great book. (Source)

Jason Kottke This book is 18 years old but aside from some details, it felt as immediate and vital as when it came out. What a unique spirit we lost this year. (Source)

Setting the Table

The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

Danny Meyer | 4.67

Chip Conley One of the best books on hospitality ever written. (Source)

Noah Kagan A few months ago, I was drinking a Noah’s Mill whiskey (cute) with my good buddy Brian Balfour and talking about life... During the conversation, we got on the topic of books that changed our lives. I want to share them with you. I judge a book's success if a year later I'm still using at least 1 thing from the book. (Source)

Julie Rice We did a lot of reading [this book] at SoulCycle. (Source)

Smuggler's Cove

Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki

Martin Cate, Rebecca Cate | 4.60

Brian Hoffman Great book https://t.co/nLO9g6cLCj (Source)

Barbarians at the Gate

The Fall of RJR Nabisco

Bryan Burrough, John Helyar | 4.59

Scott Kupor @JPHampstead @TimParksauthor Barbarians is a great book. Hope you enjoy mine! (Source)

Bogdan Iordache There are quite a few good business books on technology, and I'll list below some I find to be a good starting point. Personally, I like biographies a lot and I mostly read biographies of dead people, because those are the most honest ones. So because the computer age is still very young, there won't be a lot of biographies in my list. (Source)

Bill Liao The human world occurs in language so best get good at it! (Source)

Desert Solitaire

Edward Abbey | 4.56

Robert Macfarlane Abbey is full of passion, fury and contempt – a fiery fighter to shake up the sometimes over-tranquil atmosphere of nature writing. (Source)

Hari Kunzru He has a deep love for this place and he’s amusing to read because he’s such a strong personality. His writing is extraordinary. (Source)

The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism

Elizabeth Becker | 4.53

Eating Animals

Jonathan Safran Foer | 4.53

Louise Gray It’s a really powerful book and I know many people who it has made vegetarian. (Source)

The Art of Travel

Alain De Botton | 4.49

Emily Thomas It’s a thoughtful account of de Botton’s engagement with artists about travel. He focuses on painters and novelists with a view to asking what light they can shed on why we travel, and picking up titbits from them for our own travels. One of my favourite examples he discusses is Edward Hopper. (Source)

The Market Gardener

A Handbook for Successful Small-Scale Organic Farming

Severine Von Tscharner Fleming | 4.45

Don't have time to read the top Tourism books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

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• Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.

Salt Sugar Fat

How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Michael Moss | 4.43

Sharon Hayes @novenator @andrewmarsh6 @williamorr2110 @EmmaKinery Fat alone doesn't cause obesity. Excess calories do. This is science. There's a fantastic book called "Salt Sugar Fat" that looks at what the food industry does to get consumers hooked. (Source)

The Fish That Ate the Whale

The Life and Times of America's Banana King

Rich Cohen | 4.39

Ryan Holiday The book sucked me in completely. The subject, Samuel Zemurray, is fascinating and compelling. The writer has a voice that is utterly unique. Since reading this book, I have explored all of this further: I studied Zemurray (whose house was not far from mine in New Orleans and still stands) and am using his story in my next book. I interviewed the author, Rich Cohen. And I read his other books, am... (Source)

Benjamin Spall I loved The Fish That Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen. Not only is it a fascinating story, Cohen's writing is a reminder of just how great non-fiction writing can be if you truly care about it. (Source)

Andrew Wilkinson @BrentBeshore Love that book. (Source)

Slow Travel and Tourism

Janet Dickinson, Les Lumsdon | 4.38

Excellence Wins

A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise

Horst Schulze | 4.36

How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Howard Schultz, Joanne Gordon | 4.34

Ron Conway Story of his return to Starbucks, and the success of the company in a tumlutuous economic time in history. (Source)

Meehan's Bartender Manual

Jim Meehan | 4.34

Bitter Brew

The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer

William Knoedelseder | 4.33

Holistic Goat Care

A Comprehensive Guide to Raising Healthy Animals, Preventing Common Ailments, and Troubleshooting Problems

Gianaclis Caldwell | 4.32

The Tourist Magnet Formula

Transform your Hotel or Resort into a fully-booked tourist attraction using modern, practical Digital Marketing tools

Andrei Tiu | 4.31

The National Parks

America's Best Idea

Dayton Duncan | 4.30

Destinations of a Lifetime

225 of the World's Most Amazing Places

National Geographic | 4.30

Optimize YOUR Bnb

The Definitive Guide to Ranking #1 in Airbnb Search

Daniel Vroman Rusteen | 4.30

The Professional Chef

Culinary Institute of America | 4.29

Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease

Robert H. Lustig | 4.29

Sunshine Paradise

A History of Florida Tourism

Tracy J. Revels | 4.29

The Fashion Business Manual

An Illustrated Guide to Building a Fashion Brand

Fashionary | 4.28

Grinding It Out

The Making of McDonald's

Ray Kroc, Robert Anderson | 4.28

Aj Joshi @brianadgey Great book 👍🏼 very inspiring (Source)

A Small Place

Jamaica Kincaid | 4.28

One Day at Disney

Meet the People Who Make the Magic Across the Globe

Bruce Steele | 4.27

The Darker Side of Travel

The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism

Richard Sharpley and Philip R. Stone | 4.26

Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet

Environmental, Business and Policy Solutions

Megan Epler Wood | 4.26

In-N-Out Burger

A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules

Stacy Perman | 4.26

The Last Season

Eric Blehm | 4.26

Moon Anchorage, Denali & the Kenai Peninsula

Don Pitcher | 4.26

A Room with a View

E.M. Forster | 4.25

Hind Makki A Room With a View. The book is great. The movie is better. https://t.co/Q8E0KXD4kj (Source)

A History of the World's Most Liberal City

Russell Shorto | 4.25

Be Our Guest

Perfecting the Art of Customer Service

The Disney Institute and Theodore Kinni | 4.25

Vagabonding

An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Rolf Potts, Timothy Ferriss | 4.24

Joel Gascoigne Travel is something we've found to crave and seek out within the team, and the fact we're set up as a distributed team gives us all a lot of freedom to explore the world. Vagabonding is one of the best books out there to think about travel in a whole new way. Rather than going to places for just a few days and cramming in seeing all the sights, it suggests that if we can we should spend weeks or... (Source)

Principles, Practices, Philosophies

Charles R. Goeldner, J. R. Brent Ritchie | 4.24

Frommer's Maine Coast

Brian Kevin | 4.23

Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2

More Amazing Clones of Famous Dishes from America's Favorite Restaurant Chains

Todd Wilbur | 4.23

The Golden Arches in Black America

Marcia Chatelain | 4.23

Ida Bae Wells I remember sitting in absolute awe the 1st time @DrMChatelain talked abt this book she was writing on McDonalds, race & black capitalism. It was uncovering the story of something you see everyday but think little about, revealing hidden history in the best possible way. Excited! https://t.co/5uXRRpgd5Y (Source)

Matt Garcia The story of how black entrepreneurs used the predominance of fast food in their communities as an economic development opportunity is brought to light by this book. Chatelain looks at entrepreneurs who take fast food franchises and retrofit them as employment sources and gathering spots for their communities. She talks about how McDonald’s becomes a place, not just of wealth for some black... (Source)

Goodnight Brew

A Parody for Beer People

Karla Oceanak | 4.23

Travels in the New Global Garage Sale

Adam Minter | 4.22

Rafat Ali Anyone in B2B or business media, want to learn how to make your subject and writing interesting and big picture, read this. Certainly the most interesting book I have read in a while. https://t.co/gXHdAHBnA2 https://t.co/MfUXyXWNa6 (Source)

The Man Who Fed the World

Hesser Hesser | 4.22

Bill Gates Norm Borlaug is one of my heroes—and Leon Hesser’s biography is a fascinating account of Borlaug’s life and accomplishments. This is a story of genius, self-sacrifice, and determination. Borlaug was a remarkable scientist and humanitarian whose work in agriculture is rightfully credited with saving the lives of over a billion people. (Source)

A New Theory of the Leisure Class

Dean MacCannell, Lucy R. Lippard | 4.22

Tourist Season

Carl Hiaasen | 4.22

The Art of Natural Cheesemaking

Using Traditional, Non-Industrial Methods and Raw Ingredients to Make the World's Best Cheeses

David Asher and Sandor Ellix Katz | 4.21

Tourism 1 Student's Book

Robin Walker, Keith Harding | 4.19

Assassination Vacation

Sarah Vowell | 4.18

Dark Lord of Derkholm (Derkholm, #1)

Diana Wynne Jones | 4.18

Pour Your Heart Into It

Highbridge | 4.17

Yaro Starak There were also more traditional books or businesses I read about, like the biography of Starbucks. It’s really more the biography of the CEO, Howard Schultz, a lot about him growing the Starbucks brand. Since I spent a lot of time writing in Starbucks cafés, that was an important company to me. (Source)

Jilliene Helman I really, really like company biographies. They're just kind of the style of book that I've gotten really into. [...] I've read the Starbucks CEO book. (Source)

The Castle on Sunset

Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont

Shawn Levy | 4.17

Chris Jacobs LAX ➡️ JFK... A chance to turn some more pages in this fantastic book. I love reading about Hollywood History and the Marmont is legendary. See ya soon NYC! 🍎🍎🍎 #chateaumarmont @ Los Angeles, California https://t.co/zmfOEoKnHP (Source)

Bourbon Empire

The Past and Future of America's Whiskey

Reid Mitenbuler | 4.17

Feeding You Lies

How to Unravel the Food Industry's Playbook and Reclaim Your Health

Vani Hari | 4.16

The Food Truck Handbook

Start, Grow, and Succeed in the Mobile Food Business

David Weber | 4.16

Introduction to Tourism

Leonard J Lickorish, Carson L Jenkins | 4.15

Seeds of Deception

Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating

Jeffrey M. Smith | 4.15

Miranda Bay

Susan Tarr | 4.15

The Case Against Sugar

Gary Taubes | 4.14

Vinod Khosla Not surprising but explicit description of the American psych on sugar and fat by the sugar industry. I would not have believed this much influence is possible. (Source)

Restaurant Success by the Numbers, Second Edition

A Money-Guy's Guide to Opening the Next New Hot Spot

Roger Fields | 4.13

Gregoire Jacquet After being in the business for many years, I thought I knew everything, but working with Roger showed me how much more there is to know. Restaurant Success by the Numbers contains the know-how you’ll need to open and run a thriving restaurant. If you want to succeed in the restaurant business, read it! (Source)

Frommer's Easyguide to New Orleans 2019

Diana K. Schwam | 4.13

Uncommon Grounds

The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World

Mark Pendergrast | 4.13

Tim Kaine My two favorite birthday gifts—Chiefs Super Bowl t-shirt from my parents and book about the history of coffee from Anne! https://t.co/Ub3D6ck1Vk (Source)

A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals

Sarah R. Labensky | 4.13

The Tourist Gaze 3.0

John Urry, Jonas Larsen | 4.13

Moon Coastal Maine

With Acadia National Park

Hilary Nangle | 4.13

Drawn to the Dark

Explorations in Scare Tourism Around the World

Chris Kullstroem | 4.11

Roadfood, 10th Edition

An Eater's Guide to More Than 1,000 of the Best Local Hot Spots and Hidden Gems Across America

Jane Stern | 4.11

The Business of Hospitality and Travel

Roy A. Cook, Cathy H. C. Hsu, et al. | 4.11

The New Gold Standard

5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

Joseph Michelli | 4.10

Cambridge International as and a Level Travel and Tourism Coursebook

Sue Stewart, Fiona Warburton, et al. | 4.09

Tourism Operations and Management

Sunetra Roday, Archana Biwal, Joshi Vandana | 4.09

Hosts and Guests

The Anthropology of Tourism

Valene L. Smith | 4.09

Tourism in National Parks and Protected Areas

Planning and Management

Paul F J Eagles, Stephen F McCool | 4.09

What's Love Got to Do with It?

Transnational Desires and Sex Tourism in the Dominican Republic

Denise Brennan | 4.09

Handbook of Medical Tourism Program Development

Developing Globally Integrated Health Systems

Maria K. Todd | 4.08

The Last Call

Brad Thomas Parsons | 4.08

I’m no angel, and he’s definitely no saint. We’ve crossed paths on the way to hell, and now he thinks we’re going to enjoy the rest of the ride together...

I said no. He said yes. I turned him down. He kicked in my door. He told me to stay. I ran as far as I could. I hate him. He adores me. I’m crazy. He’s worse. I want to leave. He won’t let me go. I’m a bitch. He loves me anyway. He’s...

I said no. He said yes. I turned him down. He kicked in my door. He told me to stay. I ran as far as I could. I hate him. He adores me. I’m crazy. He’s worse. I want to leave. He won’t let me go. I’m a bitch. He loves me anyway. He’s a killer. I don’t really care. He says I’m strong, beautiful, talented. I say he’s lying. He’s doing everything he can to make me believe it. I’m doing everything I can to resist him. He fights and f*cks as hard as I do , and now...I think I might like him too.

Dark Tourism

Malcolm Foley, John Lennon | 4.08

Heads in Beds

A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality

Jacob Tomsky | 4.08

Going International

English for Tourism Student's Book

Keith Harding | 4.07

Ecotourism and Sustainable Development

Who Owns Paradise?

Dr. Martha Honey PhD | 4.06

Grand Hotel Europa

Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer | 4.06

An Introduction to Tourism and Anthropology

Peter Burns | 4.06

Devil's Bargains

Tourism in the Twentieth-Century American West

Hal K. Rothman | 4.06

The Business Of Tourism

J. Christopher Holloway, Neil Taylor | 4.06

Ice Cream Social

The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry's

Brad Edmondson | 4.05

Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism

James C. Makens | 4.05

Construyendo Xperiencias

Customer Experience, la clave para generar rentabilidad y diferenciación

Rodrigo Fernandez de Paredes Alegria | 4.05

Branding India

An Incredible Story

Amitabh Kant | 4.04

Marketing for Tourism, Hospitality & Events

A Global & Digital Approach

Simon Hudson and Louise Hudson | 4.04

Secret Formula

The Inside Story of How Coca-Cola Became the Best-Known Brand in the World

Frederick Allen | 4.03

Michel Houellebecq, Frank Wynne | 4.03

Tourism Planning

Basics, Concepts, Cases

Clare A. Gunn, Turgut Var | 4.01

Servsafe and CPFM Study Guide 2019

Food Manager Certification

Miller Test Prep | 4.01

Tourism Management

Stephen J. Page | 4.01

The Beginner's Guide to Cheese Making

Easy Recipes and Lessons to Make Your Own Handcrafted Cheeses

Elena R. Santogade | 4.01

So You Want to Start a Brewery?

The Lagunitas Story

Tony Magee | 4.00

An Integrated and Sustainable Development Approach

Edward Inskeep, Edw Inskeep | 4.00

Competitive Identity

The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities and Regions

Simon Anholt | 4.00

Voyeur (Voyeur, #1)

Gay Talese | 4.00

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• Sustainability in Tourism a Multidisciplinary Approach This ebook is available in full-text online . Today travel and tourism have evolved beyond an annual trip to the seaside. The age of mass tourism, whilst making travel affordable for all societal groups, has also created environmental problems on both a micro and macro level. A key question is therefore how can tourism be made more sustainable? Under the broad umbrella of sustainable development, this book examines sustainable tourism by taking into account factors such as media, business profitability, educational inclusiveness, political and community needs, medical tourism and aspects of sustainable labeling and marketing. Furthermore, each author offers perspectives on methods that industry and governments might employ to create more sustainable practices and policies.

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The best travel and tourism reading list

Having a travel and tourism reading list is important, whether you are a teacher, a student, or a tourist.

The key to success is knowledge. And where better to look than books? Having a travel and tourism reading list is a great idea whether you are a student, an entrepreneur or a travel enthusiast.

In this article I have outlined a number of essential and recommended texts covering a range of travel and tourism-related topics. These are the perfect additions to any travel and tourism reading list.

The first list is intended for travel and tourism students and teachers. The second list is useful for people working in the tourism industry, especially those who run their own business or who are managers. The third list offers practical guidance for travellers. The final list provides my recommendations for leisurely reading that will inspire your wanderlust!

Tourism: Principles and Practice

The business of tourism, tourism: a modern synthesis, worldwide destinations: the geography of travel and tourism, the geography of tourism and recreation: environment, place and space, the escape industry: how iconic and innovative brands built the travel business.

• Travel Agent Training: How to become a Home Based Travel Agent” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Travel Agent Training: How to become a Home Based Travel Agent
• Optimize YOUR Bnb: The Definitive Guide to Ranking #1 in Airbnb Search

How to Start and Run a B&B

The small business start-up workbook: a step-by-step guide to starting the business you’ve dreamed, the idea in you: how to find it, build it, and change your life, travel the world on $50 a day, the responsible tourist, the family travel handbook, the camper van bible, your money or your life, bush craft 101, travel anywhere (and avoid being a tourist): travel trends and destination inspiration for the modern adventurer, eat, pray, love, down under: travels in a sunburned country, how to be a family, sand in my bra, without you there is no us, first they killed my father, sihpromatum – i grew my boobs in china, the alchemist, travel and tourism reading list: your recommendations, my travel and tourism reading list.

Below you will find a list of the best books in the business. Not got a huge budget? Not to worry! Abe Books is a great website selling discounted second-hand books- just use the search option to see if they have what you’re after. Otherwise, I have no doubt you will find your books on Amazon.

Academic-based tourism texts

The reading material needed for each travel and tourism course will differ slightly. However, there are some key tests that are largely relevant for the majority of programmes. Below, I have outlined some of the key texts

This is the ultimate beginner’s guide for any travel and tourism student and is on almost every university travel and tourism reading list.

This book covers all of the core travel and tourism management subjects and the explanations are clear and easy to understand.

There are multiple editions, so if you’r budget is tight, opt for an older copy to save a few pennies!

This book is an essential text for students of tourism management or travel and tourism.

It provides background theory and research that is easy to understand. It also has lots of relevant and current case studies.

The world is changing and evolving quickly and the tourism industry must keep up.

This book looks at the modern-day issues that are effecting the travel and tourism industry. It examines new and emerging markets and disruptive technologies such as the sharing economy , low cost airlines and e-travel. It also includes current debates on sustainable tourism , future jobs in travel and tourism and generational marketing.

Every travel and tourism reading list should have a geography-based element, because geography is such an important part of travel!

This book is great because it explores the concepts of tourism demand and supply for a comprehensive range of destinations and every country worldwide.

This book is essential reading for any travel and tourism student!

Another geography-based text, this book combines management theory with a range of geographical case-studies around the world.

Practical tourism management guides

There are some really handy tourism management guides on the market at the moment. These are perfect for those who are considering a career in travel and tourism or for people who are looking to climb the career ladder.

If you are thinking about starting up your own business in the tourism industry then these books are must-haves! The tips and advice given in these texts are invaluable- they will help to save you time and make you money!

Here are my recommendations-

The travel and tourism industry is fun and dynamic. And there are endless opportunities to businesses: travel is a hugely competitive, multi-million pound industry and marketers of all sectors can learn important lessons from it.

From mass tourism to business tourism to specialist tourism, there are some fundamental principles to setting up and running a business in the tourism industry.

This book presents an expert view of travel marketing and branding (and loads of helpful advice), focusing particularly on how travel has been transformed for both consumers and providers since the beginning of the 21st century.

Traditional travel agents are fast becoming a thing of the past. High street stores are exchanged for home-based working. Many of the big travel agencies (Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly, Monarch to name a few) no longer exist. There have never been so many opportunities to work online and to be your own boss as there are right now. The evolution of the internet and the reduction in competition means that the marketplace is wide open. But being an online travel agent isn’t something you can do without any training! This book teaches you the fundamentals of setting up your businesses and how to be successful. Optimize YOUR Bnb: The Definitive Guide to Ranking #1 in Airbnb Search

Want to get rich quick? Airbnb could be the way to go!

There are plenty of people who are making decent sums of money each year from Airbnb. But it is a competitive market and if you want to succeed, you need to know how!

This book is written by Danny, who claims to be the best in the world at Airbnb. His book teaches you how to optimise your listing, leverage tools to automate your workload, undertake interior design without paying premium rates, navigate the slow season and identify and solve guest issues.

Owning a B&B is the dream of many…but where do you start?

This book teaches you all the basics in order to run a successful bed and breakfast business. It looks at types of customers, financial tools, preparing your home, marketing your property and managing profit.

Whatever business you are considering running/starting, the small business start up workbook will help you to be successful.

This practical and comprehensive workbook is packed with real-life case studies and practical exercises, checklists and worksheets, it provides a step-by-step guide to researching and formulating your business ideas, planning the right marketing strategies, and managing a team that will drive your vision forward with you.

Whilst not specific to tourism management, this book is a great addition to any travel and tourism reading list.

Do you have an idea in you? A hobby, a project, a product … something that could change your life? The Idea in You will help you to formulate a business plan and turn your idea into a reality.

Travel tips and advice

If you love travelling then you will love these books, which offer heaps of helpful travel tips and advice. I’ve read lots of these types of books and consolidated a list of my favourites below.

Not everyone travels on a budget, but most of us can’t resist saving money and getting a great bargain!

Matt Kepnes is one of my favourite travel bloggers. Specialising in budget travel, he has put together this brilliant guide on how to travel the world without breaking the bank. He offers some really helpful tips and advice from how to find the best bargains to using air miles to avoiding paying bank fees abroad.

Travel takes us to see wonderful places around the world, but sadly, it also helps to destroy those places.

This book is a fantastic guide which teaches you how you can offset the damage caused by travelling and help the local communities, economies and environments that you visit.

By being a sustainable tourist , you will feel better about your travels and help to preserve the places that you are visiting for future generations.

Travelling as a family has created my most special and favourite memories. My kids get so much out of travelling- after all, travel is the best education, so they say!

But travelling with small kids isn’t always easy. You need to adapt your travel habits and revise plans to suit the children. Your luggage will double in size. You will experience issues and dramas that had never crossed your mind pre-kids.

This book is great because it gives plenty of tips and advice about how best to travel with kids. A must-read for any avid travellers who are planning to start a family soon and for families who are yet to embrace life on the road.

Ever dreamed of travelling in a camper van? What an amazing experience, huh! But, there is a lot to learn if you’re going to do it properly…

Martin Dorey, acknowledged camper van expert and presenter of BBC2’s ‘One Man and His Campervan’, delves headfirst into the nitty gritty of camping and camper vans in this book, which makes a perfect addition to any camper glovebox.

In this book he covers four main areas of-

-Owning and living day to day with a camper van (LIVE)  – Cooking and eating in your camper (EAT)  – Sleeping in your camper (SLEEP)  – Keeping you and your van going (REPEAT)

Whilst this book is not directly about travelling, it does provide invaluable tips about how to manage your money. And more money=more travel, right?

This book is 5star rated on Amazon. It covers getting out of debt, developing savings, reordering material priorities, living well for less, resolving inner conflicts between values and lifestyle, saving the planet while saving money and much more.

If getting out and about amongst nature is your thing then you will love Bushcraft 101. Whether you’re the next Bear Grylls or trying your hand at glamping, there are many helpful tips and tricks in this guide.

Written by survivalist expert Dave Canterbury, this guide is based on the 5Cs of Survivability-cutting tools, covering, combustion devices, containers, and cordages. This guide teaches you the most important survival skills to use in a range of outdoor contexts.

Whilst I fundamentally disagree with the title (if you are travelling for leisure then you ARE a tourist , no matter what you do- and there is nothing wrong with that!), this book does offer some pretty handy tips.

This book presents a range of stories and anecdotes to help teach you how to make the most out of your travel experiences, get off the beaten paths and have a deep and meaningful experience.

Books to inspire wanderlust

Whether you are looking for a good holiday book or some night time reading, there is nothing better (in my opinion) than a book which inspires your inner wanderlust!

I personally love to snuggle up in bed on a cold winter’s evening when my next trip away is a distant dream and immerse myself in the adventures of others. Here are some of my favourites that I have read over the years. Some of these pop up on most ‘must read’ travel lists and others are lesser-known books that I have come across on my travels.

Alex Garland’s, The Beach, has a lot to answer for!

This is is one of the most popular travel books of all time and one of my all-time favourites. It is also the reason for the occurrence of overtourism in Maya Bay, Thailand and its subsequent temporary closure.

The Beach, later made into a film starring Leonardo Dicaprio, is based on the [once] pristine beach in Maya Bay, Thailand . When people started reading about this perfect, unspoilt beach , they bagan to flock there in their hundreds and thousands. Fast forward a decade or two and the area was filled with litter and flora and fauna dying. The beach has been closed to tourists to allow for rejuvenation in 2018 indefinitely.

Despite the current state of ‘The Beach’, the book itself is a fantastic read. It details the search for unspoilt lands and the life that these backpackers live when they find them. It is an absolute must-read for anyone who has caught ‘the travel bug’!

Another one of my favourites is Eat, Pray, Love. This book has also been made into a film , starring Julia Roberts. I am a massive fan, so much so that I think there was a time in my life when I watched this film at least twice a week!

Eat, Pray, Love documents a woman’s journey through Italy , India and Bali. On a journey of self-discovery (as many of us are during our travels at some point or another), this book takes you with her on an emotional and philosophical level.

Whilst this book may resonate more with women than men (my husband certainly isn’t a fan!), it is well worth a watch and will definitely spark some inner wanderlust!

Bryson’s Down Under is one of the best travel books I have ever read. I have vivid memories of starting to read it whilst laying in bed in my hostel in Sydney and finishing it shortly after I left Australia whilst in the Gili Islands .

This book is funny and informative- two criteria to make an excellent read! I learnt so much about Australia in this book, from the history of colonialism in the area to what life is like in the outback. This book really complimented my travels and helped to me to understand and appreciate what I was seeing and experiencing so much more.

If there is one book that you MUST read when travelling down under, it’s this one!

If, like many parents, you are nervous about travelling with your kids then read this!

How to be a Family is a funny memoir of a family round the world trip. It shows that travelling with kids doesn’t have to be stressful or cost the earth.

This one’s for the girls! Sand in my Bra is a hilarious collection of tales from females who have travelled all over the world from Alaska to Zanzibar. It’s a light-hearted read that will be sure to make you laugh. And I definitely have a few stories of my own that could be added to the collection…

This book gives you a sneak peak into a place that you will likely never travel to- North Korea . OK, so there are a few tours to the country but these are completely inauthentic , heavily censored and somewhat dangerous (one step wrong and you’re in a North Korean prison for the rest of your life…).

This book is a real page turner. It tells the story of Suki Kim, who travels to North Korea as an English teacher to learn about her heritage and culture . This book provides insights into the world’s most secretive country, many of which will shock you.

I definitely recommend this book if you plan to visit South Korea. No trip to Korea is complete without a trip to the DMZ and this book gives you some excellent background knowledge before you go.

I was sold this book by a street seller as I got off a bus upon my arrival in Cambodia. Prior to reading this book I knew little about the Khmer Rouge regime and about the country that I had just arrived in.

Whilst this book has many moments which are sad and scary, it really enabled me to develop a thorough understanding of the horrors that were suffered just three decades earlier. Yes, you can read guidebooks and information plaques, but hearing it through the words of a child who has lived through this time is something pretty special.

This is a book that I am currently reading at the moment and I am loving it so far! I grew my boobs in China is the story of a family’s four year backpacking adventure, as told by teenager Savannah Grace. Initially unimpressed to be dragged away from her school and her friends, Savannah ended up having what literally became the adventure of a lifetime.

Wild is another example of a popular travel book that has subsequently been made into a movie .

Whilst this isn’t my personal favourite book or movie, it is hugely popular around the world, which is why I included it in this list.

Wild is the story of Cheryl Strayed who set off on a journey to walk 1100 miles along the west coast of America alone. Bearing the grief of her mother’s sudden death and her crumbled marriage, she embarks on a spiritual journey fro lost to found.

The last book on my travel and tourism reading list is the Alchemist.

The reason it’s last is because I haven’t actually managed to finish it. Personally, I found this book a little slow going and I just haven’t managed to find the motivation to finish it yet…. having said that, many others have! In fact, I think I may be the only person in the world who doesn’t absolutely love this book!

The Alchemist is included on almost every list of recommended travel books I have ever read… which is why I have included it here. It might not be to my taste, but it could be to yours!

To finish off this article, I would love to ask for your suggestions of essential travel and tourism reading. Whether it’s a textbook, a how-to guide, fiction or non-fiction, please let me know what is missing from my travel and tourism reading list! You can use the comments box below.

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A traveler reads whil​e floating in the Dead Sea.

18 Inspiring books to gift travelers this holiday

From novels to cookbooks, these travel page-turners are sure to please everyone on your list.

All the #instatravel posts or Tripadvisor reviews can’t take the place of a gorgeous photo book or a compelling travel tale that you can get lost in. These 18 new books will inspire wanderlust, shine a light on a corner of the world you might not have known about, and help you explore more deeply once you are there. You’re sure to find something for a favorite traveler on your holiday list—or for yourself.

Cooking in Iran: Regional Recipes and Cooking Secrets , by Najmieh Batmanglij

News headlines don’t often show the side of Iran that fills the appetizing pages of Batmanglij’s latest cookbook, packed as it is with some 250 recipes and 400 photographs. The Tehran-raised, Washington, D.C.-based Batmanglij traveled 10,000 miles throughout her home country to trace the roots of traditional Persian dishes, document the bounty of local markets, and cook with local chefs, from saffron-rich Khorasan province to the famed wine region of Shiraz.

Basque Country: A Culinary Journey Through a Food Lover’s Paradise , by Marti Buckley

An Alabama chef who has lived in San Sebastián, Spain , for more than eight years, Buckley evokes the spirit of the Basque people through cultural insight and classic recipes. Travelers can recreate tasty bites such as salt fish croquettes or gâteau Basque.

Let’s Eat France! , by François-Régis Gaudry

This six-pound compendium of everything French cuisine is a light-hearted collection of recipes (from mayonnaise to cassoulet); tips (best gastronomy museums, a guide to wild berries); a tour of the country via its breads, wines, and signature dishes; and anecdotes on star chefs from Julia Child to Daniel Boulud. [ Discover the chocolate capital of France. ]

Cuban Flavor: Exploring the Island’s Unique Places, People, and Cuisine , by Liza Gershman

With its tropical Caribbean setting, Cuba has always been rich in a variety of fruits and the bounties of the sea. But the country’s complex history has often meant shortages in food, fuel, and other resources. This photo-filled cookbook celebrates Cuban culture and the people behind the food, capturing a resilience, which, as Gershman writes, “perfumes every savory dish.”

Photo Books

Spectacle: rare and astonishing photographs , by national geographic.

The more than 200 images that animate this coffee table book are divided into chapters titled Chaos, Surprise, Beauty, and Awe. Nearly all of them are bound to spark a #travelgoal, from the tree-root-tangled temples of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, to the sculptures of the annual Burning Man festival, in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. [ These photos prove how wild Burning Man really is. ]

In the introduction to this stunning photo book, National Geographic staff photographer Mark Thiessen writes: "Each shot took planning, commitment, dogged determination, and sometimes dumb luck … and a little bit of magic.”

Born to Ice , by Paul Nicklen

Born and raised on Baffin Island, in Arctic Canada , award-winning National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen has long had a love affair with polar regions. This substantial keepsake photo book captures the lives of leopard seals, whales, walruses, polar bears, penguins, and narwhals, and is infused with the urgency Nicklen feels about preserving a beloved landscape that is rapidly disappearing.

Paris Echo , by Sebastian Faulks

With chapters titled after Paris Métro stations, this twisty story told through two narrators—an American academic researching World War II Paris and a teenage Moroccan immigrant—is at heart a love letter to Paris’s historic streets and odd corners, tourist attractions and flaneur-inviting neighborhoods. [ Read more about people-watching in Paris .]

Where the Crawdads Sing , by Delia Owens

This best-selling, Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick immerses readers in North Carolina ’s coastal marshlands while telling a tale that’s part murder mystery, part coming-of-age narrative. You’ll fall in love with the main character, abandoned 10-year-old Kya, who learns to survive amid the blade grass, palmettos, and cattail lagoons.

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What We Were Promised , by Lucy Tan

Although with less designer-name-dropping than the Crazy Rich Asians series, Tan explores similar themes of class, newly acquired wealth, and family tradition in her novel set in Shanghai. After achieving success in the U.S., Lina and Wei return to China as wealthy expats but life amid Shanghai’s high-rises and shopping malls isn’t what they expected, particularly when Wei’s long lost brother comes back into their lives.

Little , by Edward Carey

This curiosity-filled novel about the life of Madame Tussaud is enlivened with old-timey illustrations by Carey himself. Set in the years before and during the French Revolution, diminutive Marie moves to Paris after being orphaned and becomes assistant to a doctor who makes wax models of body parts. A must-read for anyone who’s ever visited Madame Tussauds wax museum in London or any of its other 20 outposts around the world. [ Madame Tussaud used beheaded politicians to create her original waxworks . ]

RELATED: 14 Epic Libraries Around the World

Arctic Solitaire , by Paul Souders

Souders’ quest to photograph polar bears led to this memoir detailing a series of solo, accident-prone adventures piloting a 22-foot boat through Arctic waters. The search for the iconic animal takes Souders from Hudson Bay up to Repulse Bay, in northern Canada , stopping at Inuit villages along the way. [ Here's how people live in the Arctic. ]

To Shake the Sleeping Self , by Jedidiah Jenkins

We might have heard this story before—young man quits job and his prescribed life and hops on a bike for a long-distance adventure (this time from Oregon to Patagonia) to find himself. But this memoir stands out for its frank honesty about the author’s emotional journey, as someone struggling with his evangelical Christian upbringing and his sexual identity. “I am on this bike, on my spirit quest,” he writes. “This is where people have revelations.”

Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Life in Contemporary Palestine , by Marcello di Cintio

Traveling through the West Bank, into Jerusalem , across Israel, and into Gaza, Di Cintio reveals life in contemporary Palestinian territories through the lens of its authors, books, and literature. He meets writer Maya Abu-Alhayyat at Café Ramallah, smoking a nargileh under a poster of Elvis. He finds the cultural hub of Gaza at the Gallery Café, where he chats with theater impresario Jamal Abu al-Qumsan. Throughout he finds “no life undarkened…by conflict” but also “no life wholly defined” by it either.

Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road , by Kate Harris

With a lifelong “mad longing for a world without maps,” Harris undertakes an epic cycling adventure along the Silk Road. She marvels at the Mars-like landscape of the Tibetan Plateau, indulges in calorie-dense khachapuri adjaruli (cheese and egg-filled bread) in Georgia , and interviews government ministers about wilderness conservation in Tajikistan .

Go Find: My Journey to Find the Lost—and Myself, by Susan Purvis

What’s it like to be lost, really lost? Purvis has been there, both physically and emotionally, but this memoir recounts how she found her way back to her true self, with the help of a Labrador retriever she names Tasha and trains in search-and-rescue in the avalanche-prone mountains around Crested Butte, Colorado .

Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains , by Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent

Despite suffering from panic disorder (a malady she says she shares with Charles Darwin), the intrepid Bolingbroke-Kent sets off on a solo adventure across a lesser-known part of India , Arunachal Pradesh. Her travelogue sensitively captures the history, landscapes, and people of this isolated, mountainous state.

The Library Book , by Susan Orlean

For those of us for whom libraries are a travel destination, Orlean’s latest book is on our holiday wish list. Consummately curious, Orlean delves into the case of the 1986 fire that devastated the Los Angeles Public Library, the largest library disaster in U.S. history. Who started it? Why? Woven throughout, we learn about the compelling—and quirky—history of libraries in general.

The Immeasurable World: Journeys in Desert Places, by William Atkins

They may seem dry and lifeless, but desert landscapes, as fans know, are far from monochrome. Atkins journeys to eight of the world’s great deserts, following the trail of Wilfred Thesiger in the Empty Quarter of Oman, volunteering with an immigrant-aid non-profit in the Sonoran desert, and visiting the church of St. Antony in Egypt ’s eastern desert, one of the oldest monasteries in the world.

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The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2019

What to read when you’ve been bitten by the travel bug

Jennifer Nalewicki

Travel Correspondent

Sometimes its nice to take a digital detox from skimming your Instagram feed of others people's travels and instead bury yourself into a good book. And in 2019, authors in the travel category did not disappoint. From a photographer who braved the Great Plains to chase storms while others sought shelter to a journalist who embarked on a 45,000-mile trek via train that circumnavigated the globe, these books will take you on a series of journeys that will not only provide you with new insight into the world we live in, but perhaps also inspire you to get out there and explore places that you've only seen on your computer screen.

Literary Places

Any author will attest that setting plays a significant role in any plot line. In fact, oftentimes a locale becomes as central a character to a story as the protagonist. Take for instance New York City’s Central Park lagoon populated by ducks that captures Holden Caulfield’s attention in The Catcher in the Rye or the arid plains of La Mancha in Don Quixote . In her new book, author and travel journalist Sarah Baxter explores these and 23 other literary locations around the world, bringing them to life with engaging prose and hand-drawn illustrations that will inspire you to revisit your favorite novels—or maybe even book a flight.

Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet

Have you ever wondered what lies underfoot? As a curious teenager, Will Hunt did just that and discovered an abandoned subway tunnel running underneath his Rhode Island home. Now, years later, he set out to explore some of the many abandoned subway stations, mines, caves, catacombs, bunkers, tombs and other subterranean sites pockmarking our planet. His first-person expeditions, tied together with deep dives into each place’s history, bring to life corners of the globe that often go unnoticed, including a 35,000-year-old mine that he explores with an Aboriginal family in Australia's outback.

Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000-Mile Adventure

With her rucksack bursting at the seams and her fiancé in tow, journalist Monisha Rajesh set out on a 45,000-mile trek around the world that left many of her closest friends and relatives scratching their heads in disbelief. But over the course of seven months and 80 train rides that circumnavigated the globe, the duo embarked on an adventure of a lifetime, starting in western Europe and linking to Russia, Mongolia, North Korea, Canada, Kazakhstan and beyond. In the pages of her latest book on train travel (she previously penned the book Around India in 80 Trains ), Rajesh captures the passing countryside outside her train window and shares the stories of friendship and camaraderie she builds with fellow passengers. So why travel by train instead of faster modes of transportation? In her words , "Trains...take the traveller into the nooks and crannies of a country and into the heart of its people."

Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World

In a time where GPS has become the de facto mode of navigation, author and journalist M. R. O’Connor takes a step back to explore other means of finding our way throughout history. She explains everything from the spatial orientation found deep inside the hippocampus of the human brain to migration patterns of various species on both land and sea. Interviewing neuroscientists, anthropologists, biologists and other experts throughout the world, she creates a compelling argument for how navigation has given us not only humanity but topophilia, or a strong sense of place. The book, writes Bianca Nogrady of The Sydney Morning Herald , "sounds a clarion call for us to put down our smartphone, step outside, and experience our surroundings in the way ancient humans did—before we lose the ability altogether."

Great Cities Through Travelers' Eyes

Edited by bestselling history book author Peter Furtado, this anthology captures 38 of the most fascinating places in the world through the eyes of explorers across the millennia, including the Greek geographer Strabo, Anglo-Italian explorer Freya Stark, Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo and others whose names are both recognizable and not. The massive volume resurfaces travelers’ tales exploring cities—Beijing, Cairo, Rome and more—across six continents. One such example is Catherine Wilmot, an Irish traveler who visited Berlin in 1803 and offers a colorful depiction of the German city's still relatively new Brandenburg Gate, which she describes as "a grand triumphal arch, ornamented on top by four bronze colossal horses...." The book dives deeper into a single place than your typical guidebook, giving insight into the look and feel of different places during various times throughout history.

Fierce Beauty: Storms of the Great Plains

Storms can be both harrowing and beautiful, and photographer Eric Meola opts to focus on the latter. With more than 100 atmospheric photographs of tornadoes, dust storms, lightning and other weather phenomena, Meola's new book captures the allure of wild weather, and his own experience as a storm chaser in the Great Plains. In August 1977, Meola photographed Bruce Springsteen on a gravel road in Nevada, under the dark clouds of a brewing storm, shooting the image that graces the cover of the musician's album The Promise . Being so close to the powerful storm inspired Springsteen to write " The Promised Land ," and it inspired Meola, decades later, to create the body of work that fills the pages of this book.

Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age

As of late, Russia has played a starring role in the 24/7 news cycle. Inspired, author Sara Wheeler set out in search of parts of the sprawling country that rarely make the headlines. Using Golden Age writers as her guide, including Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Turgenev, Wheeler stuck to regions largely outside the major cities—like beet fields in the northwest and the Arctic tundra to the east. In turn, the British writer and BBC Radio host befriended guides and local families who invited her into their homes where she cooked, ate traditional meals, and learned to speak their language, offering a personal glimpse into a populace whose lives are often overshadowed by the politics of the day.

Airline Maps: A Century of Art and Design

During the dawn of commercial air travel in the early 20th century, airlines came up with enticing new ways to lure travelers to fly on their aircraft. One popular method was creating colorful, illustrated airline maps showcasing the different destinations where their airlines flew in hopes of instilling a sense of wanderlust in travelers while also establishing a global presence. The idea worked and over the last century nearly every single major airline has designed its own rendition of an airline map. Together, authors and cartography enthusiasts Mark Ovenden and Maxwell Roberts scoured libraries, archives and other resources and selected hundreds of maps—fitting every style, from Art Nouveau to Art Deco to avant-garde—to display in their latest book. "This book is not just about the history of maps," Roberts told Smithsonian magazine, "it's also the history of design."

Underland: A Deep Time Journey

Recently named by The Guardian as one of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, Robert Macfarlane’s latest work (and sequel to his 2012 bestseller The Old Ways ) explores the planet’s underworlds "through myth, literature, memory and the land itself." From Greenland’s rapidly melting ice sheet to the catacombs tunneling beneath the bustling streets of Paris, the author travels through “deep time,” or geologic time. He weaves his own experiences together with that of historians, artists, divers and other explorers to provide a new perspective on places lingering not only right beneath our feet, but also set deep within our minds. Through his lyrical prose, Macfarlane asks the burning question, "Are we being good ancestors to the future Earth?"

Travel Anywhere (And Avoid Being a Tourist)

No one wants to be pegged as a tourist (fanny packs and crew socks are never fashionable, end of story), and luckily you don’t have to. Jeralyn Gerba and Pavia Rosati—the founders of Fathom, a website by and for travel enthusiasts—tap into their own experiences on the open road, as well as their network of chefs, innkeepers and other creative types, to provide advice to anyone who has ever been intimidated by unfamiliar places. (Sample tip: When in the cloud forests of Nicaragua, let the howler monkeys be your morning alarm.) Not only does their book inspire the great explorer hidden inside all of us, but it also highlights some of the things each of us can do to become more ethical travelers and global citizens.

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Jennifer Nalewicki | | READ MORE

Jennifer Nalewicki is a Brooklyn-based journalist. Her articles have been published in The New York Times , Scientific American , Popular Mechanics , United Hemispheres and more. You can find more of her work at her website .

Make it better, not just safer: The opportunity to reinvent travel

We remember the first time we jumped in a cold lake on a hot summer day with our siblings. The first time we ate street food walking the streets of a new country with college roommates. We even remember the first business trip we took—straight out of college, and too nervous to enjoy the ride.

This desire to build memories, to connect with people, and to see new places drove 1.4 billion of us to travel internationally in 2019. 1 International tourism highlights: 2019 edition, World Tourism Organization, 2019, e-unwto.org. Creating safer travel experiences is now paramount to protect this privilege.

Now is clearly a moment of crisis for the travel industry. Available seat miles on US airlines were down 71 percent in April 2020 from the previous year. 2 Andrew Curley, Alex Dichter, Vik Krishnan, Robin Riedel, and Steve Saxon, “ Coronavirus: Airlines brace for severe turbulence ,” April 2020. Globally, hotels are at 29 percent occupancy, compared with 72 percent over the same period in 2019. 3 STR occupancy data for May 17 through May 23, 2020. However, we are seeing green shoots of demand in areas that are opening up, highlighting an enduring desire to travel; our April survey of Chinese leisure travelers shows that many people are already planning their next trip. 4 Xiang Mi, “Big data from Tongcheng: The average room rate of domestic hotels during the ‘May Day’ rose by about 42% year-on-year,” DoNews , April 27, 2020, donews.com; Kay Chen, Will Enger, Jackey Yu, and Cherie Zhang, “ Hitting the road again: How Chinese travelers are thinking about their first trip after COVID-19 ,” May 2020.

But the future of the travel industry will depend on more than just travelers’ pent-up demand. For some, the romance that travel used to inspire was already wearing thin even before the crisis. We spoke to people across multiple geographies who have traveled in the last two months, 5 Recent traveler interviews conducted May 4 to May 15, 2020, with travelers aged 25–55 from China, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. and the one constant across their experiences was added stress—whether due to limited entry points, multiple new checkpoints, or fellow travelers’ inconsistent compliance with published safety measures.

Safety must be the first priority. Wherever possible, however, intensified health and hygiene protocols should be implemented in ways that avoid making journeys more difficult in the aftermath of the pandemic—for example, the way that travel became logistically more complex after 9/11 because of additional security measures. The imperative to move fast has often meant unilateral decision making, rather than solutions developed through quick, iterative feedback. Any further advance of cold or sterile experiences as a result of the (appropriate) pursuit of safety could radically shift behaviors toward simpler experiences, such as choosing to drive instead fly, or could even dampen the overall recovery.

Travel companies need to excite and attract customers as well as reassure them. To achieve this, leaders should focus on making travel better—not just safer—which means giving travelers more control, offering greater authenticity and personalization, and taking a customer-centric, agile approach.

Moving beyond table-stakes safety initiatives

Many travel companies have already announced a series of health and hygiene measures, often promoted with well-known cleaning brands or health experts. But not all of these measures will survive in their current forms: some won’t be effective, some won’t resonate with travelers, and some will prove impossible to deliver consistently and at scale. Constant one-upmanship on cleanliness, though well-intentioned, can be problematic for two reasons. First, each new announcement resets the bar on hygiene standards, leaving industry players scrambling to keep up with initiatives—whether or not they actually improve employee or traveler safety. Second, the travelers we interviewed told us that the fragmentation across new cleanliness programs creates anxiety and confusion about what works and who to trust to keep them safe. If one airport claims that its security process is safer than another’s, for example, why would travelers trust that any airport is safe? Travelers should have confidence in the whole system, rather than be anxious about pieces within it (Exhibit 1).

In fact, a focus on health and hygiene only scratches the surface of the changes that are necessary in the aftermath of the current crisis. Companies can consider three types of interventions to reinvent and reinvigorate travel over the coming years (Exhibit 2).

In addition to table-stakes safety initiatives, a second category of actions can reassure and comfort the public. Brands might differentiate themselves and re-engage their travelers with visible, communications-based cues—such as notifications about the health status of the destination city and personalized notes about the importance of testing and other safety measures. Finally, companies need to move beyond reassuring customers to exciting them, perhaps by looking for opportunities to create exceptional travel experiences.

Making travel better, not just safer

As travel companies redesign their traveler experiences to address risks and anxieties related to COVID-19, they should remember that the pain points and trends that existed before the crisis—such as the shift toward a more digital and personalized journey, and an increased emphasis on wellness and sustainability—have not gone away (Exhibit 3). Airports, for example, are going to have to rethink customer experience in the coming years, but many already understood the importance of improved service and contactless operations. 6 For more, read Melissa Dalrymple and Kevin Dolan, “ Beyond contactless operations: Human-centered customer experience ,” May 2020; “ How customer experience takes flight at the Orlando airport ,” February 2017.

Another example is the high-anxiety purchase journey for flights and lodging, meaningful purchases that often cannot be returned. Simplifying these experiences represents a significant opportunity: before the crisis, we estimated (in partnership with the International Air Transport Association) that the value at stake in making airline ticket retail easier might be $40 billion 7 Riccardo Boin, Alex Cosmas, and Nina Wittkamp, “ Airline retailing: The value at stake ,” November 2019. —equivalent to 4 percent of 2019 revenues—by 2030.

Many initiatives can make the travel experience simultaneously better and safer. Housekeeping services, for instance, will need to adjust for safety concerns, but revised protocols can also reduce environmental impact (such as through less-frequent laundering of sheets during each stay), decrease cost, and give guests more flexibility (by letting them choose their own housekeeping schedule).

Companies will also need to look outside the industry to understand changing consumer expectations. Travelers develop preferences and needs based on their interactions with all companies, not only when they’re on airplanes or in hotels. Companies should consider, for example, how travelers interact with grocery-store clerks, food-delivery persons, or virtual-shopping experts.

Admittedly, the current economic context makes it difficult to expect companies to do more. Indeed, not every good idea will be economically feasible, and there’s little slack in the system for big launches that fail. The good news is that some of the necessary changes will require no significant capital outlay but instead a change in mindset toward customer experience–centric behaviors. Where investment is needed, developing a clear perspective on which actions to prioritize will require balancing of the travelers’ needs with consistent delivery (perhaps with a smaller organization) and the business case’s viability.

Travel companies should bear three principles in mind when designing new protocols and experiences.

Give customers more choice and control

Companies should empower customers to build their own itinerary using smarter, connected digital tools and make it easier for them to modify or cancel their plans. In addition, companies must recognize that the factors that promote customer loyalty may now have shifted; near-term uncertainty may mean, for example, that the ability to cancel a reservation matters more than brand choice or price. The moments that matter might mean more digital than ever and in new places within the customer journey. Solutions and policies that provide choice and control will help to build the trust and confidence necessary to get travelers back on the road and in the air.

Be human and genuine, and personalize the experience

Before the crisis, personalized and unique experiences constituted a dominant trend. Boutique hotels, for instance, were the fastest-growing hotel segment in the United States, with supply increasing 10.6 percent between 2018 and 2019, compared with an overall hotel supply growth of 2.0 percent. 8 Kim Bardoul, “Boutiques can give hoteliers rebound opportunities,” Hotel News Now , April 22, 2020, hotelnewsnow.com. Travelers are drawn to those hotels that put a human face on the institution, that can combine the high standards and consistency of a hotel chain with the personality and privacy of a vacation rental. Major hotel chains have recognized these changing preferences and launched new “soft brands” that serve as a collection of boutique hotels.

Travel companies now have an opportunity to take this personalization a step further, but—in a world where formerly welcoming smiles are behind masks—they will need to find new ways to connect. We have heard hotel staff calling first responders who were quarantining in their hotels to check on them and including notes of encouragement in their bagged lunches, and of airline pilots addressing passengers pre-flight to reassure them and answer any questions about safety.

Getting this right is a balance: mass emails from the CEO can only go so far, and consumers are already reporting fatigue around “we’re all in this together” messaging that is beginning to ring hollow. According to a recent Adobe study, brand marketers are 20 percent more likely than consumers to believe that consumers want to see ads on companies’ COVID-19 responses. 9 Adobe Blog , “Navigating advertising strategy during the COVID storm,” blog entry by Keith Eadie, May 21, 2020, theblog.adobe.com. The bar for authenticity in brand communication and behavior across channels (including in person) must remain high. As such, communication should be focused on what a company is doing for the traveler, rather than delivering superficial platitudes.

Frontline staff can also be powerful messengers and are a great source of insight for improvements or opportunities that a home office will not spot as quickly. Travel workers have been through a lot since the start of the crisis, both professionally and personally, and maintaining an open dialogue around their experiences—and acting upon their feedback—will be vital to ensuring that they feel safe and confident.

To move forward, the industry can actually look backward and take inspiration from a time when airline travel was exciting and new, and travel companies went out of their way to solve for traveler needs rather than just optimizing against the competition.

Listen to customers, and take an agile approach

We have found that companies that surpass their peers in customer-experience design tend to share a set of features 10 Benedict Sheppard, Hugo Sarrazin, Garen Kouyoumjian, and Fabricio Dore, “ The business value of design ,” McKinsey Quarterly , October 2018. : they have agile, cross-functional teams that develop and iterate with end users and deliver seamlessly across touchpoints. Companies that deliver at the highest level across those themes recognize real returns, outperforming their peers by nearly 3:1 in revenue and 1.5:1 in return to shareholders. In this time of great uncertainty and fluid demand, it will be more important than ever to listen to travelers and understand their rapidly evolving needs.

While many travel companies have begun to embrace agile principles in IT and digital, these principles are becoming a useful tool across the entire enterprise as we go into the “next normal.” As travel companies manage their new reality, they will need to be nimble. Cross-functional agile squads that break down traditional silos and collaborate more efficiently can help their companies move quickly to address changing traveler needs across the journey. When launching a new initiative, for example, these teams can conduct quick, one-on-one customer interviews—even in the hotel lobby or boarding area—that can be used to cocreate and pilot solutions at a relatively low expense, using metrics like adoption rate and rapid-fire feedback to course correct in real time. 11 For more on agile principles, see Hugo Sarrazin and Belkis Vasquez-McCall, “ Agile with a capital ‘A’: A guide to the principles and pitfalls of agile development ,” February 2018.

Picture yourself in your favorite vacation spot. Perhaps you’re lying on a beach towel, hiking up a mountain, or skiing down one. Your journey there was different, but the new measures gave you more control and flexibility while ensuring your safety.

The companies that thrive after this crisis will likely be those that work with travelers and employees to cocreate distinctive solutions in a rapid and agile manner, that find new ways to enable choice across the customer experience, and that communicate progress in an authentic and transparent way.

No crystal ball can tell us what the future of travel will be, and we will not find the right solutions to today’s fluid situation overnight. This will take time, patience, and probably many attempts as we learn together. But travel companies need to embrace the challenge to come back better.

Melissa Dalrymple is a partner in McKinsey’s Chicago office, where Ryan Mann is an associate partner. Melinda Peters is a consultant in the New Jersey office and Nathan Seitzman is a partner in the Dallas office.

The authors wish to thank Vik Krishnan, Ellen Scully, Nate Lagacy, Kyle Snyder, Andrew Leon Hanna, Anna Obed, and Luis Diego Cabezas for their contributions to this article.

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Have you ever dreamed of wandering through the enchanting streets of Moscow, savoring the flavors of traditional Russian cuisine, and immersing yourself in the rich beauty of history and culture that this vibrant city has to offer? Well, dream no more! Join bestselling author Bill Bryson on an unforgettable journey through the heart of Russia's capital with his captivating "Moscow Travel Guide."

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