Traveling to far-flung places creates some of life’s greatest moments, but the next best way to see the world is through the pages of a great book. It’s true — these books made for armchair travelers can feed your wanderlust without ever leaving your couch.
Whether you’re vacationing through reading, exploring potential locations for your next adventure, or want to experience somewhere new without dealing with crowds, these immersive fiction and nonfiction books open the door for armchair travel like never before.
Get ready to be transported to places like Martha’s Vineyard, Scotland, Italy, Mexico, and beyond. Unsure where to start? From Scratch by Tembi Locke delivers the sights, sounds, and tastes of Sicily, with plenty of heart mixed in.
1. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
See’s meticulously researched story of female friendship gives us a glimpse into South Korea’s evolution through the decades, making it one of the best books for armchair travelers interested in learning something new.
The Island of Sea Women is a fictionalized account of the history of haenyeo: women ocean divers on the Korean island of Jeju. Young-sook and Mi-ja, two haenyeos, have their relationship (and more) torn apart by multiple wars, and the story follows them as they struggle to heal and remain connected.
2. The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Let this captivating read transport you to New York during the Jazz Age. Vo’s reinvention of The Great Gatsby stars tennis pro Jordan Baker, a fixture at glitzy Manhattan and Long Island parties due to her lifelong friendship with Daisy, but forever an exoticized outsider because of her Vietnamese heritage. This remix of Fitzgerald’s classic novel is full of queerness with a hint of magic.
3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The only thing more fun than armchair travel? Armchair time travel (especially when it leads to passionate romance).
It’s hard to categorize this genre-bending romantic adventure about a World War II combat nurse who accidently travels back to 18th-century Scotland and falls for a rugged highlander. But one description is undeniable: It’s a total page-turner.
The love Jamie and Claire share is truly epic, worthy of the centuries and continents the story spans to tell of it. Plus, Gabaldon’s series (and its Starz TV series adaptation) offers plenty of other locations to explore — from France to the Caribbean to North Carolina.
4. The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia
This extraordinary tale — set in small-town Mexico — tells of an abandoned baby found covered in bees. Despite Simonopio’s mysterious start in life, he finds a place with a loving family. They quickly discover that the boy has magical gifts, such as visions, the ability to understand bees, and an uncanny ability to predict the future.
Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, The Murmur of Bees is a beautifully written novel that is part historical fiction and part magic realism.
5. From Scratch by Tembi Locke
When Locke, a Black American, falls in love with Saro, an Italian chef, Saro’s parents disapprove of their interracial relationship. But, after Saro’s death from cancer, Locke is finally welcomed to Sicily with her daughter, where they spend a series of summers steeped in the area’s culture, community, and delectable food.
You’ll be drawn into the pages of this tender, flavor-filled memoir — a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that inspired a Netflix Original series starring Zoe Saldaña (Guardians of the Galaxy).
6. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
This bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–winning memoir traces author McCourt’s childhood growing up poor in Ireland during the mid-20th century. His family’s extreme poverty means Angela’s Ashes is gritty in many ways, as the author describes his hard-drinking father and more. But it’s also an uplifting, moving tale of survival, as that same father instilled in McCourt a love of Irish stories and storytelling, generally.
7. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
We can always count on Hosseini’s inspiring works to not only move readers emotionally, but also to challenge people’s preconceptions about Afghanistan and its citizens.
Covering the tumultuous changes the nation has faced in recent decades, including the reign of the Taliban, A Thousand Splendid Suns is an emotional story of two very different women, Mariam and Laila, who form a tight bond through troubles faced at home and in the world at large.
Hosseini’s debut novel, The Kite Runner, is another incredible armchair travel book set in Afghanistan.
8. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
You may have already read this delightful series starring the bright redhead Anne Shirley. But if it’s been a while — or you haven’t had the pleasure — it’s worth a (re)read to experience the beauty of Canada’s coast.
Prince Edward Island comes to life through the eyes of the titular precocious orphan as she falls in love with the tree-filled landscape of her new home, especially in the autumn. You’ll be nodding along as Anne exclaims, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
9. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Hailed as “a gifted magician of words” by Time, Kingsolver is known for her captivating reads. This novel, set in the Congo in 1959, proves why.
Narrated by the wife and daughters of Baptist missionary Nathan Price, it tells one family’s story in the wake of political upheaval in the African nation as it seeks independence amidst assassinations, coups, and international interference.
10. Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin
Take a luxurious trip to a famous Massachusetts coastal town in this audiobook, which unfolds in the wealthy, Black beach community of Oak Bluffs. Summer on the Bluffs centers on Amelia, an older woman who hosts her three goddaughters on the island each summer. As the story unravels, you’ll be treated to the gorgeous sun and surf of the decadent locale.
11. The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson
Cool down from the summer heat by dipping into the pages of this thriller set in Iceland.
Before she’s forced into retirement, Reykjavik detective Hulda revisits the cold case of a Russian woman found dead on the shore a year prior. But as Hulda’s time as a cop dwindles, danger grows thick in this icy, atmospheric Nordic noir.
12. Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews
Welcome to the sun-drenched, sweet tea-filled American South in this quirky New York Times bestseller that weaves together mystery, humor, and romance. After her divorce, Weezie spends her time hunting antiques in Savannah, Georgia. But when she stumbles upon a murder, her life takes an unexpected turn.
13. Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank
Love the beach? Even if you’re not able to make it to the shore this year, this novel set on South Carolina’s Sullivan’s Island gives you a taste of the coast (without any odd tan lines). In it, beekeeper and librarian Holly’s life is turned upside-down when her sister returns to town.
Can the two of them navigate their relationship or their demanding mother? Pour yourself a glass of iced tea and find out.
14. World Travel by Anthony Bourdain
If you’re unsure where you’d like to armchair travel to specifically, let the late, great Bourdain be your guide. Visit new locales and broaden your perspective with Bourdain’s book, where he bestows his best stories and recommendations culled from a lifetime of IRL exploration.
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About the Author: G.G. Andrew
G.G. is a freelance writer and author of romance and women's fiction, including the short story "Everything Left Unsaid" in the collection A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood. A Texas transplant, she lives outside Houston with her husband and two sons, both of whom are on the autism spectrum. In her spare time, she enjoys browsing bookstores, yoga, paper crafts, cooking, genealogy, and anything related to Halloween. She's probably drinking tea right now.
