Our favorite travel books

Stories to inspire wanderlust and bring the world a little closer to you at home

Our favorite travel books

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Memoir • Dan Kois

How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together

The author took a journalistic approach to tackling their year-long trip thematically, exploring topics through the lens of the country they were in at that time. More engaging than a linear travelogue, and insightful not just into the cultures they were immersed in but also the American way of life. Recommend for anyone eager to learn more about the world and themselves, or those considering a round-the-world trip as it s packed with tips and practical advice.

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Memoir • Trevor Noah

Born a Crime

This book is a master class in compassion, in empathetic storytelling, in finding humor even in the tragic moments. You'll learn a lot about life in South Africa during apartheid but you'll also read a gorgeous love letter to a mother, a woman who went through so much to give her son a life of more opportunity than she was given. Highly recommend the audiobook version since Noah reads it himself.

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Memoir • Charles J. Wheelan

We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year

Another fascinating look at a family's trip around the world. It will make you want to GO GO GO. Great writing. The story was told chronologically, but never felt like a laundry list of this and this and this and this. It was always engaging and kept me turning the pages -- I actually forced myself to slow down and savor it. I liked the last chapter at the end, before the epilogue, that talked about what they learned on the trip.

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Memoir • Paul Carlino

The Year We Ruined Our Lives

I really loved this, and read it very quickly. It made me laugh a lot, smile most of the time, and kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know where they ended up next and what wild adventure they'd end up on! It was also jam packed with practical details and explanations for why they did things the way they did, so even if you wanted to follow in their footsteps, you could feel empowered to do it in your own way, taking what they learned and iterating on it.

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About Me

👋 Hi, I'm Ashley!

I'm a mom to one human child and three cats, a home exchange advocate, a lover of yoga and Broadway musicals, a remote employee, and a longterm resident of Music City.

I write about my family's adventures while working remotely, parenting a small child, and traveling with anxiety. I focus on affordable travel, work-life balance and mental wellness, and bringing the world to you when you're not able to go anywhere. I also write a lot about Nashville and how to be a tourist in your own town.