Adventure Travel Memoirs

Updated June 6, 2026
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The unlikely thru-hiker : an Appalachian Trail journey
Lugo, Derick
Paper Book
"[Derick's] story takes us into a world where his lack of AT knowledge, his unique perspective, his appearance, and his sense of humor open the minds and hearts of those he encounters along the way. Change has come, and the AT will never be the same again."--Jennifer Pharr Davis, author, speaker, AT...
Wild : from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Strayed, Cheryl
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe--and built her back up again. A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Century At...
We came, we saw, we left : a family gap year
Wheelan, Charles J.
Paper Book
Charlie Wheelan and his family do what others dream of: They take a year off to travel the world. This is their story. What would happen if you quit your life for a year? In a pre-COVID-19 world, the Wheelan family decided to find out; leaving behind work, school, and even the family...
Spirit run : a 6,000-mile marathon through North America's stolen land
?lvarez, No
Paper Book
In this New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, the son of working-class Mexican immigrants flees a life of labor in fruit-packing plants to run in a Native American marathon from Canada to Guatemala in this "stunning memoir that moves to the rhythm of feet, labor, and the many...
The Sun is a Compass : A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds
Van Hemert, Caroline
Paper Book
For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the...
A walk in the park : the true story of a spectacular misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paper Book
* Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature * Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction * Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, Air Mail, Smithsonian Magazine, and Financial Times "A...
Blue highways : a journey into America
Heat Moon, William Least.
Paper Book
Hailed as a masterpiece of American travel writing, Blue Highways is an unforgettable journey along our nation's backroads. William Least Heat-Moon set out with little more than the need to put home behind him and a sense of curiosity about "those little towns that get on the map...
Bicycling with butterflies : my 10,201-mile journey following the monarch migration
Dykman, Sara
Paper Book
Winner of the 2021 National Outdoor Book Award Sara Dykman made history when she became the first person to bicycle alongside monarch butterflies on their storied annual migration--a round-trip adventure that included three countries and more than 10,000 miles....
How to be a family : the year I dragged my kids around the world to find a new way to be together
Kois, Dan
Paper Book
In this "refreshingly relatable" (Outside) memoir, perfect for the self-isolating family, Slate editor Dan Kois sets out with his family on a journey around the world to change their lives together. What happens when one frustrated dad turns his kids'...
A walk in the woods : rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
Bryson, Bill.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The classic chronicle of a "terribly misguided and terribly funny" (The Washington Post) hike of the Appalachian Trail, from the author of A Short History of Nearly Everything and The Body  ...
Wandering in strange lands : a daughter of the Great Migration reclaims her roots
Jerkins, Morgan
Paper Book
One of TIME's 100 Must Read Books of 2020 and one of Good Housekeeping's Best Books of the Year "One of the smartest young writers of her generation."--Book Riot From New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing Morgan Jerkins, a powerful story of her journey to...
Eat, pray, love : one woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia
Gilbert, Elizabeth
Paper Book
One of the most iconic, beloved, and bestselling books of our time. This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success...
The ride of her life : the true story of a woman, her horse, and their last-chance journey across America
Letts, Elizabeth
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER .The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion presents a "heartwarming and engaging folk-hero biography" (Kirkus Reviews) of a woman who fulfilled her lifelong wish to see the Pacific Ocean by riding...
The lost city of the Monkey God
Preston, Douglas J.
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Named one of the best books of the year by The Boston Globe and National Geographic. An acclaimed journalist takes readers on a true...
In a sunburned country
Bryson, Bill.
Paper Book
Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. This time in Australia. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his...
Thirty below : the harrowing and heroic story of the first all-women's ascent of Denali
Randall, Cassidy
Paper Book
The gripping story of a group of female adventurers and their treacherous pioneering ascent of Denali. Excerpted in Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and Men's Journal, and named one of the most noteworthy books of the month by the Washington Post ...
Nowhere for very long : the unexpected road to an unconventional life
Madia, Brianna
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * USA TODAY! BESTSELLER In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named...
The way of the hermit : my incredible 40 years living in the wilderness
Smith, Ken (Hermit of Treig)
Paper Book
*INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER* Subconsciously, I pressed myself into the loch's banks as that summer inched forward. We'd got off to a rocky beginning, but I started to see Treig in a different way. There was something about this land that told me just to hold on a while...
Things become other things : a walking memoir
Mod, Craig
Paper Book
A transformative 300-mile walk along Japan's ancient pilgrimage routes and through depopulating villages inspires a heartrending remembrance of a long-lost friend, documented in poignant, imaginative prose and remarkable photography. "An epic, exquisitely detailed journey, on...
Tracks
Davidson, Robyn
Paper Book
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Robyn Davidson's opens the memoir of her perilous journey across 1,700 miles of hostile Australian desert to the sea with only four camels and a dog for company with the following words: "I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know...
Leave only footprints : my Acadia-to-Zion journey through every national park
Knighton, Conor
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "A delightful sampler plate of our national parks, written with charisma and erudition."--Nick Offerman, author of Paddle Your Own Canoe From CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton, a behind-the-scenery look at...
Welcome to the goddamn ice cube : chasing fear and finding home in the great white north
Braverman, Blair.
Paper Book
A rich and revelatory memoir of a young woman confronting her fears and finding home in the North. Blair Braverman fell in love with the North at an early age: By the time she was nineteen, she had left her home in California, moved to Norway to learn how to drive sled dogs, and worked as...
The world walk : 7 years. 28,000 miles. 6 continents. : a grand meditation, one step at a time
Turcich, Tom
Paper Book
For fans of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Suleika Jaouad's Between Two Kingdoms, the invigorating true story of a man and his dog who circled the globe on foot. "Gripping . . . The World Walk ...
To shake the sleeping self : a journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a quest for a life with no regret
Jenkins, Jedidiah
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "With winning candor, Jedidiah Jenkins takes us with him as he bicycles across two continents and delves deeply into his own beautiful heart."--Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things  ...
Enough : climbing toward a true self on Mount Everest
Reid, Melissa Arnot
Paper Book
A searching, uplifting memoir by the celebrated, groundbreaking climber: a journey of overcoming where the mountain's highest peaks can only be reached by traversing the dark crevasses of the soul At twenty-seven, when Melissa Arnot Reid accepted a tank of oxygen just short of...
Tip of the iceberg : my 3,000-mile journey around wild Alaska, the last great American frontier
Adams, Mark
Paper Book
In 1899, railroad magnate Edward H. Harriman organised a most unusual summer voyage to the wilds of Alaska: He converted a steamship into a luxury 'floating university,' populated by some of America's best and brightest scientists and writers, including the anti-capitalist eco-prophet John Muir....
The adventurer's son : a memoir
Dial, Roman
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER  "Destined to become an adventure classic." --Anchorage Daily News Hailed as "gripping" (New York Times) and "beautiful" (Washington Post), The Adventurer's Son is Roman Dial's extraordinary and widely acclaimed account of his two-year quest to unravel...
Call you when I land : a memoir
Vargas, Nikki
Paper Book
"I absolutely loved it. It's so good. So real and heartfelt and funny and rich with life." -CHERYL STRAYED * A Real Simple Book Club Pick * Hudson Bestseller *  Winner of the 2024 Bessie Award * A RECOMMENDED READ FROM: Good Morning...
Lands of lost borders : a journey on the Silk Road
Harris, Kate
Paper Book
"Lands of Lost Borders carried me up into a state of openness and excitement I haven't felt for years. It's a modern classic."--Pico Iyer A brilliant, fierce writer, and winner of the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize, makes her debut with this enthralling travelogue and memoir of her...
The catch me if you can : one woman's journey to every country in the world
Nabongo, Jessica
Paper Book
In this inspiring travelogue, celebrated traveler and photographer Jessica Nabongo―the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 countries in the world―shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections. ...
Walking the Nile
Wood, Levison
Paper Book
The Nile, one of the world's great rivers, has long been an object of fascination and obsession. From Alexander the Great and Nero, to Victorian adventurers David Livingstone, John Hanning Speke, and Henry Morton Stanley, the river has seduced men and led them into wild adventures. English...
Girl in the woods : a memoir
Matis, Aspen.
Paper Book
Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis's exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to Canada--a coming of age story, a survival story, and a triumphant story of overcoming emotional devastation. On her second night of college, Aspen was raped by a fellow student. Overprotected by her...
The Amur River : between Russia and China
Thubron, Colin
Paper Book
"A gripping read with fascinating political insight." (Sunday Times, London) "Elegant, elegiac and poignant...Thubron is an intrepid traveler, a shrewd observer and a lyrical guide... to the river, much of it along the border between these two powers at a time of rapid and tense...
After the North Pole : a story of survival, mythmaking, and melting ice
Kagge, Erling
Paper Book
"A dazzling book -- soulful, awe-inspiring, and deeply thought-provoking. Erling Kagge takes readers on a journey they'll never forget." -- Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of King: A Life "After the North Pole is a thrilling, insightful, and magical journey with something...
The good girl's guide to getting lost : a memoir of three continents, two friends, and one unexpected adventure
Friedman, Rachel
Paper Book
Rachel Friedman has always been the consummate good girl who does well in school and plays it safe, so the college grad surprises no one more than herself when, on a whim (and in an effort to escape impending life decisions), she buys a ticket to Ireland, a place she has never visited. There she...
Arctic traverse : a thousand-mile summer trekking the Brooks Range
Engelhard, Michael
Paper Book
National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Journeys Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Winner in Travel Essays Nautilus Book Award Silver Winner in Ecology & Environment Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist in Nature "Engelhard locates life-...
Hudson Bay bound : two women, one dog, two thousand miles to the Arctic
Warren, Natalie
Paper Book
The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay Unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Paddling from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the 2,000-mile...
Eat, sleep, ride : how I braved bears, badlands, and big breakfasts in my quest to cycle the Tour Divide
Howard, Paul
Paper Book
For Paul Howard, who has ridden the entire Tour de France route during the race itself--setting off at 4 am each day to avoid being caught by the pros--riding a small mountain bike race should hold no fear. Still, this isn't just any mountain bike race. This is the Tour Divide.
Dogtripping : 25 rescues, 11 volunteers, and 3 RVs on our canine cross-country adventure
Rosenfelt, David.
Paper Book
David Rosenfelt'sDogtripping is moving and funny account of a cross-country move from California to Maine, and the beginnings of a dog rescue foundation When mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from Southern California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for...
Blood river : a journey to Africa's broken heart
Butcher, Tim
Paper Book
Published to rave reviews in the United Kingdom and named a Richard & Judy Book Club selection--the only work of nonfiction on the 2008 list--Blood River is the harrowing and audacious story of Tim Butcher's journey in the Congo and his retracing of renowned explorer H. M. Stanley's...
The last ride of the Pony Express : my 2,000-mile horseback journey into the Old West
Grant, Will
Paper Book
USA Today bestseller!  Cowboy and journalist Will Grant takes us on an epic and authentic horseback journey into the modern West on an adventure of a lifetime, boldly illuminating both our mythic fascination with the Pony Express, and how its spirit...
Rough magic : riding the world's loneliest horse race
Prior-Palmer, Lara
Paper Book
"Think the next Educated or Wild. Palmer's memoir of beating the odds to become a horse champion is an inspiring saga of perseverance--and a classic underdog tale." --Entertainment Weekly At the age of nineteen, Lara Prior-Palmer discovered a...
In the shadow of the mountain : a memoir of courage
Vasquez-Lavado, Silvia
Paper Book
"In climbing the Seven Summits, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado did nothing less than take back her own life--one brave step at a time. She will inspire untold numbers of souls with this story, for her victory is a win on behalf of all of us."--Elizabeth Gilbert Endless ice. Thin air....
No summit out of sight : the true story of the youngest person to climb the seven summits
Romero, Jordan
Paper Book
Jordan Romero climbed Mount Everest at age thirteen--and he didn't stop there. In this inspiring young adult memoir, he tells how he achieved such great heights. On May 22, 2010, at the age of thirteen, American teenager Jordan Romero became the youngest person to climb to the...
Love with a chance of drowning : a memoir
DeRoche, Torre.
Paper Book
A hilarious, heartwarming, and often mishap-strewn account of sacrificing it all for love and facing one's biggest fears in the process. New love. Exotic destinations. A once-in-a-lifetime adventure. What could go wrong? City girl Torre...
Walking to listen : 4,000 miles across America, one story at a time
Forsthoefel, Andrew
Paper Book
A memoir of one young man's coming of age on a journey across America--told through the stories of the people of all ages, races, and inclinations he meets along the way. Life is fast, and I've found it's easy to confuse the miraculous for the mundane, so I'm slowing down,...
Before they're gone : a family's year-long quest to explore America's most endangered national parks
Lanza, Michael.
Paper Book
A longtime backpacker, climber, and skier, Michael Lanza knows our national parks like the back of his hand. As a father, he hopes to share these special places with his two young children. But he has seen firsthand the changes wrought by the warming climate and understands what lies ahead: Alaska's...
Planetwalker
Francis, John.
Paper Book
When the struggle to save oil-soaked birds and restore blackened beaches left him feeling frustrated and helpless, John Francis decided to take a more fundamental and personal stand--he stopped using all forms of motorized transportation. Soon after embarking on this quest that would span two...
Pack light : a journey to find myself
Curtis, Shilletha
Paper Book
A powerful and uplifting memoir by a woman who decides to confront the roots of her childhood traumas by hiking the Appalachian Trail. After losing her job during the coronavirus pandemic, Shilletha Curtis was depressed, riddled with self-doubt, and yearning for something bigger...
Finding elevation : fear and courage on the world's most dangerous mountain
Thompson, Lisa (Mountaineer)
Paper Book
Near the death zone on K2, the world's second-highest mountain, Lisa Thompson searched for the strength to...
No barriers : a blind man's journey to kayak the Grand Canyon
Weihenmayer, Erik
Paper Book
2018 Colorado Book Awards finalist in Creative Nonfiction, and National Bestseller and Honorable Mention Award Winner in the Outdoor Literature category of the 2017 National Outdoor Book Awards (NOBA) -- "A beautiful book about family and finding a way to achieve...
All the way to the tigers : a memoir
Morris, Mary
Paper Book
One of NPR's Best Books of the Year From the author of Nothing to Declare, a moving travel narrative examining healing, redemption, and what it means to be a solo woman on the road. In February 2008, a casual afternoon of ice skating derailed the trip of a...
Fast into the night : a woman, her dogs, and their journey north on the Iditarod Trail
Moderow, Debbie Clarke
Paper Book
A captivating memoir of one woman's attempt to finish the Iditarod, led by her team of spunky huskies with whom she shares a fascinating and inextricable bond At age forty-seven, a mother of two, Debbie Moderow was not your average musher in the Iditarod, but...
Amazon woman : facing fears, chasing dreams, and a quest to kayak the world's largest river from source to sea
Gaechter, Darcy
Paper Book
An extraordinary and inspiring chronicle of one woman's harrowing journey to become the first female to kayak the entire Amazon River. Part memoir, part feminist manifesto, Amazon Woman shows what incredible feats we are capable of and...
Turn right at Machu Picchu : rediscovering the lost city one step at a time
Adams, Mark
Paper Book
Mark Adams has spent his career editing adventure and travel magazines, polishing hair-raising tales about the exploits of famous explorers. So his plan to investigate the allegations against Bingham by retracing the explorer's perilous path to Machu Picchu isn't completely far-fetched, even if it...
River of doubt : Theodore Roosevelt's darkest journey
Millard, Candice.
Paper Book
At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, "The River of Doubt" is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt's harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth. The River of Doubt-- it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes...
Travels with Charley : in search of America
Steinbeck, John
Paper Book
An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers   To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light--these were John Steinbeck's goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to...
Notes from a small island
Bryson, Bill.
Paper Book
Featuring an all-new cover, New York Times bestseller Bill Bryson's irrevent and hilarious journey through the beloved island nation he called home for two decades. From Downing Street to Loch Ness, this is a delightful look at the United Kingdom. Before New York Times...
In Patagonia
Chatwin, Bruce
Paper Book
An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin's exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fueled by an unmistakable lust for life and...
The geography of bliss : one grump's search for the happiest places in the world
Weiner, Eric.
Paper Book
Part foreign affairs discourse, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader from America to Iceland to India in search of happiness, or, in the crabby author's case, moments of un-unhappiness.
The salt path
Winn, Raynor
Paper Book
THE MULTI-MILLION COPY INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING GILLIAN ANDERSON AND JASON ISAACS "Polished, poignant... an inspiring story of true love."--Entertainment Weekly A BEST BOOK OF 2019, NPR's Book Concierge ...
Under the Tuscan sun : at home in Italy
Mayes, Frances.
Paper Book
Buying a villa in the spectacular Italian countryside is a wonderful fantasy -- even if 17 rooms and a garden in need of immediate loving care are included in the asking price. Frances Mayes -- gourmet cook, widely published travel writer, and poet -- changed her life by doing just that. Sprinkled...
Ghost rider : travels on the healing road
Peart, Neil.
Paper Book
Within a ten-month period, Neil Peart lost both his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, and his wife, Jackie. Faced with overwhelming sadness and isolated from the world in his home on the lake, Peart was left without direction. This memoir tells of the sense of personal devastation that led him on a 55...
Down the Nile : alone in a fisherman's skiff
Mahoney, Rosemary.
Paper Book
Rosemary Mahoney presents an exciting and amusing adventure that offers a fresh view of Egypt in the past and the present.

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