A book is a fantastic gift for anybody interested in travel or places around the world. Below you will find some of my favourite books which would be perfect for travellers and photographers, some which will inspire you to visit places, some that would make for a great coffee table book, and some that help you learn and improve your photography skills.
If you like any of the books suggested you will find links where you can head to Amazon to read more or purchase. If you were to purchase I would get some commission at no extra cost to you, which helps me run this website and produce content.
Here are some of the best books for travellers and photographers.
Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die
Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die
– Potentially my favourite travel book and one that has inspired me to visit many places around the world. It is well written and full of beautiful pictures and amazing places to go. You’ll also find others in the series such as Unforgettable Islands to Visit, Unforgettable Places and various others. I’ve personally purchased most of them and love having them on my bookshelf. If you are a traveller or know of one, then this would be a great book to provide them with ideas.
| Name of book: | Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die |
| Number pages: | 256 |
| Author: | Steve Davey |
| Publisher: | BBC Books |
| Published date: | 2004 |
100 Countries, 5,000 Ideas by National Geographic
100 Countries, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do
– This book is great to read and has a selection of 100 countries that would be great to visit. For each country you’ll find information on where to go and what to see, some pros and cons of the destination, safety advice, special tips, and also a travellers notebook with general information.
| Name of book: | 100 Countries, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do |
| Num pages: | 400 |
| Author: | Various at National Geographic |
| Publisher: | National Geographic |
| Published year: | 2011 |
Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography (2012 edition)
Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography
– For those wanting to improve their travel photography or learn from scratch this book is a great buy. It is the first photography book I purchased and I have read every page. In the book you’ll find tons of information to help you improve, including the basics of photography, equipment, planning, techniques, and post-processing.
I’d say partly thanks to this book it helped me get up to a good level, where I can produce photographs to a high quality and even sell/license them. I have also grown a large Instagram following as a result as well. You can read my review here: Review of the Lonely Planet Travel Photography Book
| Name of book: | Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography – 4th edition |
| Num pages: | 368 |
| Author: | Richard I’Anson/ Lonely Planet |
| Publisher: | Lonely Planet |
| Published year: | 2012 |
Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography (2016 edition)
Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography
– This is the 2016 edition for the book mentioned above. It’s written by Richard I’Anson who also wrote the 2012 edition which I am a huge fan of. I haven’t read this version yet but if it’s anything like the previous edition then it should be a great buy.
| Name of book: | Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Photography – 5th edition |
| Num pages: | 376 |
| Author: | Richard I’Anson/ Lonely Planet |
| Publisher: | Lonely Planet |
| Published year: | 2016 |
New York Times 36 Hours – 2nd Edition
The New York Times: 36 Hours Europe
– This book provides 36-hour itineraries for lots of major destinations in Europe. The itineraries start on Friday and finishes on Sunday and suggest things to see and do, as well as recommended times. They also have some themed itineraries for some cities (not all), such as for when travelling with children, to see specific parts of a city and various others.
With this book, I do think it’s unlikely you would follow the suggested itinerary exactly, instead you could use it as a base to build your own or pick and choose what you like.
| Name of book: | The New York Times: 36 Hours Europe, 2nd Edition |
| Num pages: | 672 |
| Author/Editor: |
Barbara Ireland |
| Publisher: |
TASCHEN |
| Published year: | 2016 |
Around the World in Cut-Outs
Around the World in Cut-Outs
– A fantastic book by very creative artist Rich McCor @paperboyo who travels around the world and uses paper cut-outs along with the destination to create unique images. I consider this book a fantastic coffee table book and it’s great to flick through or show guests.
If you wanted to read more about Rich, check out my post: Interview with @paperboyo
| Name of book: | Around the World in Cut-outs |
| Num pages: | 208 |
| Author: | Rich McCor |
| Publisher: | Century |
| Published year: | 2017 |
Footprint Travel Photography
Travel Photography: The Leading Guide To Travel And Location Photography
– Written by Steve Davey who is also the author of the “Unforgettable Places to Go..” book that I mentioned above. It’s also a bit more technical and advanced than the Lonely Planet Travel Photography book but still a great buy. Reading the book you’ll get to learn about equipment types, techniques, editing and lots more.
| Name of book: | Travel Photography: The Leading Guide To Travel And Location Photography |
| Num pages: | 320 |
| Author: |
Steve Davey |
| Publisher: |
Footprint |
| Published year: | 2014 |
Unforgettable Islands to Escape To Before You Die
Unforgettable Islands to Escape To Before You Die
– Similar to “Unforgettable Places…” (see above) this book has a selection of must-visit places but focuses on 40 beautiful islands around the world. From well-known places to lesser-known.
| Name of book: | Unforgettable Islands to Escape To Before You Die |
| Number pages: | 256 |
| Author: | Steve Davey and Marc Schlossman |
| Publisher: | Firefly Books |
| Published date: | 2007 |
Other Ideas
Here are some other travel book ideas.
Specific Destination Guides
When travelling to a new destination it can be useful to have a guidebook when you travel. Here are a couple of brands I’ve used before which have been good.
- Berlitz pocket guides –
These small pocket guides are great for travel and provide lots of tips on what to see and do, getting around and more. - Rick Steves Travel Books – A highly rated series of travel books.
- AA Keyguide – I used one of these guides when I first travelled to Thailand and found it very helpful. It had plenty of pictures and was easy to read.
These small pocket guides are great for travel and provide lots of tips on what to see and do, getting around and more.Summary
This is just a small selection of possible travel books you could consider. I have tried to only recommend books I’ve used or know are pretty darn good. I actually have various others such as “Lonely Planet: The Cities book” etc which I don’t recommend so I’ve left that out (despite it being in the first picture).
Disclaimer: The suggestions above are based on Mike Clegg (Travel and Destinations) personal opinion. Any specifications are believed to be true but should be double-checked when purchasing to ensure that the product is suitable for you. This page is designed to help you with your purchasing decisions, but any decisions are ultimately your own.
