They say that planning a trip is almost as exciting as actually taking one, and for us, that has always been especially true. Long before we pack a bag or head out the door, there are hours spent dreaming, mapping, and flipping through travel books that help shape where we might go next.
Over time, our bookshelves have filled with guides, lists, and photo-filled volumes that we return to again and again. Some inspire faraway adventures, while others help us plan quick weekend getaways closer to home. Many of them have become well-worn companions in our travel planning, their pages marked, bent, and revisited as we look for inspiration for the next trip.
There is something special about travel books that the internet can’t quite replace. They invite slower planning, more imagination, and a sense of discovery that often leads to places we might never have considered otherwise.
So today I wanted to share a few of our favorite travel books—the ones that have shaped so many of our adventures over the years.
Favorite Travel Books
- National Geographic Travel Books
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
- 1000 Places To See Before You Die
- Moon Travel Guides
- Falcon Hiking Guide
- Passport to Your National Parks
National Geographic Travel Books
When it comes to travel inspiration, we always seem to come back to the books from National Geographic. Over the years we have collected quite a few of their beautifully photographed travel books, many of which now sit stacked on our coffee table ready to provide a quick escape into some faraway landscape or future adventure.
While their large coffee table books are wonderful for dreaming about places around the world, some of their travel guides have also helped shape many of our real-life trips across the United States.
One of our newest favorites is 100 Drives, 5,000 Ideas. The book highlights themed road trips across the country, offering itineraries built around history, culture, music, and scenic drives. Whether you want to follow the path of the American Revolution, trace parts of the Oregon Trail, or travel along the Delta Blues Highway, the book lays out routes, suggested stops, travel times, and extra side trips if you have additional time to explore. Every time we flip through it, we end up adding more future road trips to our list.
Another book we constantly reach for is 50 States, 5,000 Ideas. Because we live within driving distance of so many different states, weekend getaways often happen somewhat spontaneously, and this book has helped us discover countless places we may have otherwise overlooked. It includes everything from major attractions and historic landmarks to small towns, local experiences, and interesting facts about each state. Many of our favorite weekend adventures first began while flipping through its pages.
We also frequently use Guide to State Parks of the United States, especially when planning outdoor trips. The book highlights some of the best state parks throughout the country while offering trail information, park details, and beautiful photography that always seems to spark ideas for future adventures. Since we love exploring state parks whenever we travel, this guide has led us to some truly memorable places over the years.
DK Eyewitness Travel Guides
I think almost every traveler has owned at least one DK Eyewitness travel guide at some point. These books have long been some of our favorite resources for learning about a destination before we arrive because they combine practical travel information with historical and cultural context in a way that feels approachable and easy to navigate.
One of the things we appreciate most about these guides is how well organized they are. The books break destinations into different neighborhoods and regions while highlighting important landmarks, museums, historic sites, restaurants, and hidden corners that might otherwise be overlooked. The detailed maps are especially helpful for keeping track of where everything is located and for planning realistic daily itineraries.
We have also gotten a lot of use out of the suggested walking tours included throughout the books. Those routes often helped us discover some of the small details and local character that make a place memorable beyond just the major attractions.
Over the years, the family editions have become especially valuable for our travels. The family guides include child-friendly activities, simplified historical background, outdoor spaces, and practical suggestions that help make trips enjoyable for everyone rather than feeling overly packed with sightseeing. Finding parks, open spaces, and hands-on experiences has often made all the difference during longer travel days.
What we love most about the DK Eyewitness books is that they help destinations feel less overwhelming before a trip even begins. They offer just enough structure and information to build confidence while still leaving room for spontaneity and discovery along the way.
1000 Places To See Before You Die
The list-maker in me especially loves the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die books. Filled with incredible destinations, cultural experiences, and iconic landmarks from around the world, these books somehow manage to make travel feel both inspiring and wonderfully endless at the same time.
Realistically, I know it is unlikely that I will ever visit all one thousand places listed throughout the pages, but there is still something so enjoyable about flipping through them and seeing how many we have experienced over the years. Every section sparks new ideas, future dreams, and the familiar feeling of wanting to pack a suitcase immediately.
Over the years we have highlighted pages, scribbled notes in the margins, marked destinations we have visited, and added thoughts about the experiences we had there. Some pages are worn from being revisited so often while others are filled with plans and dreams for future adventures. In many ways, the books have become a record not just of places around the world, but of our own journey through travel together.
One of my favorite memories connected to these books actually came after we got married, when we realized we both already owned copies. Instead of getting rid of one set, we decided to keep both. One collection remains mostly clean and preserved on the shelf, while the other has slowly transformed into something closer to a travel journal.
What I love most about these books is that they remind me how large and varied the world really is. Even after years of traveling, there are still countless places left to discover, and that feeling of possibility never really seems to fade.
Moon Travel Guides
When we moved to Tennessee, we set out with a goal to explore as much of our new home state as we possibly could. Very early on in that process, we came across a Moon Travel guide, and it quickly became one of our most-used resources during those first months of living here.
What we appreciate most about Moon Travel Guides is the local perspective they bring to their guides. Rather than just listing major attractions, they tend to focus on the character of each region—highlighting neighborhoods, scenic drives, small towns, outdoor spaces, and meaningful local experiences that help you understand a place more fully.
Each section of the state is broken down in a way that makes planning feel approachable. The books include suggestions for where to go, where to stay, and how to make the most of your time in each area, which made it especially helpful as we were learning our way around Tennessee for the first time.
We started with the Nashville area and gradually expanded outward, using the guide as a way to branch into nearby regions and weekend trips. Over time, it became less of a planning tool and more of a companion for discovering our new home state.
Even now, we still turn back to it whenever we have visitors come to town or when we are looking for ideas for new places to explore. It has been a simple but valuable resource for helping us see more of Tennessee than we ever would have on our own, especially in those early days of settling in.
Falcon Hiking Guide
As a hiking family, we are always looking for new trails to explore, and we often find ourselves reaching for one of our FalconGuides hiking books when planning a day outside. They have become one of our most reliable resources for choosing trails that match the kind of experience we are looking for, whether that is something short and scenic or a longer, more challenging hike.
What we appreciate most about these guides is how clearly everything is organized. Each hike includes details like distance, difficulty level, elevation gain, and trail conditions, along with descriptions of viewpoints, natural features, and notable sights along the way. Having all of that information in one place makes it much easier to decide what fits best for the day.
These guides have also helped us tailor hikes based on who is joining us. Whether we are planning something more relaxed or looking for a bit more adventure, we can quickly find trails that match everyone’s comfort level and energy. That flexibility has made our outdoor trips feel more enjoyable and less uncertain, especially when exploring new areas.
Over time, the Falcon guides have become more than just reference books—they are part of how we plan and experience time outdoors together.
Passport to Your National Parks
Last, but certainly not least, is our Passport To Your National Parks. While it is a little different from a traditional travel book, it has become one of our favorite ways to track and inspire our visits to national park sites across the country.
Any time we are planning a trip, we pull it out to see if there are any nearby national park units we can add to our itinerary. It has a way of turning even a simple drive or weekend getaway into an opportunity to discover something new. And in keeping with our love of tracking places we’ve been, we especially enjoy stamping and documenting each site we visit along the way.
There are a few different versions of the passport books, but our favorite is the larger collector’s edition, which includes space for official cancellation stamps from visitor centers as well as stickers and photos for each site. The parks are organized by region, making it easy to browse and plan future visits as we work our way through different parts of the country.
We actually started our collection a little after we got married and quickly realized we had already visited several parks before owning the book. At first that felt a little disappointing, but we learned that you can still request cancellation stamps from many sites by mailing in a blank stamp card along with a self-addressed envelope. Being able to fill in those earlier visits made the book feel even more complete and meaningful.
One of my favorite parts of this system is how it has grown with our family. The junior ranger program has been a wonderful extension of that experience, giving children a way to engage with each park through activities, learning, and exploration. After completing the program, kids are sworn in as junior rangers and receive a badge, which has been such a meaningful way to encourage curiosity and a love of these places from an early age.
It has been a simple but powerful way to turn travel into something interactive and memorable, and it continues to be one of our favorite traditions whenever we visit a national park site.
At the end of the day, these books are more than just guides or collections sitting on a shelf. They have become part of how we dream about travel, how we plan our time together, and how we remember the places we have been.
Some pages are crisp and untouched, waiting for future adventures, while others are worn, marked, and filled with reminders of trips already taken. Together, they tell a quiet story of curiosity, exploration, and the joy of always having somewhere new to discover.
And in many ways, they are just as much a part of our travels as the journeys themselves.
If this was helpful, here are some other posts you may be interested in:
A Kids Guide to the National Park Junior Ranger Program
Thanks for joining me on a tour of my bookshelf with some of my favorite travel books.
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