7 excellent road trip reads
To get you in the mood maybe for a little autumn adventuring?
While summer is traditionally the time of year that everyone gets excited about hitting the road for an adventure, it’s when things start to cool down that my feet personally begin to itch.
Maybe it’s just the way summer plays out in Australia, starting at the end of the year, when everything’s winding down and you’re generally feeling a bit wiped out. Then January is school holidays, so there are people EVERYWHERE and February tends to go in the blink of an eye.
Now March and April. These are months I can get behind for road tripping purposes. Especially this time of the year, with the cooler mornings, but long(ish) sunny days. And then the leaves start to turn colour and you’re really in for a visual treat.
Here’s a small collection of books about varying road trips and travel adventures.
If you’re after books of a similar vibe, check out these excellent books about walking.
Wish You Were Here by Sheridan Jobbins
After her marriage collapses, Sheridan Jobbins does the one rational thing she can think of – she travels to America, buys a red convertible and hits the road, travelling cross country, from one end of the States to the other. She is… not prepared to say the least. Things go terribly wrong, but she meets the most interesting people along the way, including a new love interest. The perfect book for anyone feeling a little lost or down on love, but keen to tag along on an armchair adventure.
Travels with Charley: in Search of America by John Steinbeck
To me this is the quintessential American road trip book written by one of the country’s greatest writers. Steinbeck, who you can very much say is interested in the lives and stories of the forgotten and downtrodden, takes to the open roads of the States in his pick-up truck, accompanied by his standard poodle Charley. He hopes to discover corners of his country, but finds himself concerned by what he sees as the ‘New America’.
This was published in the sixties and I read it as a teenager – I wonder how hard it hits now, considering where things stand now.
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
Not a travel memoir, but a romance novel set on the road. Addie and her sister are heading to Scotland for a wedding… and on the way are slammed into by none other than Addie’s ex Dylan. His car is a wreck, so he and his best mate Marcus join Addie and Deb for the ride north. In such an enclosed setting, Addie and Dylan can’t help but confront the mess of their former relationship. Is it truly the end of the road for them?
Down South: In Search of the Great Southern Road by Bruce Ansley
Meander through the South Island of New Zealand with Bruce Ansley, in his ageing Subaru. I love these kind of road trip books, or travel books in general where you learn all sorts of interesting facts and tidbits about places that you may never visit. This book has an excellent cover, to boot.
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
Between Two Kingdoms is a somewhat harrowing read. At 22, Suleika Jaouad is on the precipice of adulthood, a bright future unfolding in front of her. Yet, plagued by endless exhaustion and an itch she just can’t scratch, she discovers she has leukaemia, and the prognosis is grim. While she undergoes treatment, she writes a blog that becomes a column for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning video diary called ‘Life, Interrupted’.
In and out of hospital for the next five years, doctors finally declare the cancer to be in remission. Now at a point where her life can continue, she hits the road with her dog Oscar, setting off to meet the Internet strangers she connected with – most of them cancer patients themselves – and record their stories.
The Art of Free Travel by Patrick Jones and Meg Ulman
The Art of Free Travel dictates an epic road trip – just one taken by bike, rather than car. Meg and Patrick are legends in Australia’s permaculture scene and no strangers to living frugally. Itching for adventure, they decide to leave their small farm in Daylesford Victoria, and head north, with their sons Zephyr and Woody, and dog Zero in tow. The only rule is that they need to live within their ethics, and do it as cheaply as possible. They free camp, they barter, and they live off a diet of foraged foods and fresh road kill as they make their way to Cape York at the tip of eastern Australia and back.
Heading South: Far North Queensland to Western Australia by Rail by Tim Richards
All right, this isn’t about driving or even biking, but it’s a lot of fun, nonetheless. Heading south: Far North Queensland to Western Australia by rail is a fantastic account of train travel in Australia, following travel writer Tim Richards’ journey from the historical railway lines of Far-North Queensland, to the western-most corner of the continent. Along the way, he shares stories of the people he meets and the history of the train lines themselves, and the towns they connect.
So there you go, a varied collection of road trip books. Hopefully there’s something here that’s sparked your interest.
Have a lovely week and I’ll see you next Thursday.
’Til then, stay well, well-fed and well-read.
-Celine
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Most links in this missive will take you to YourBookstore.io. This very handy website allows you to shop and support independent Australian bookstores. Give your local some love, or request a copy from your nearest library.
Every one of these books sounds extremely interesting! The Steinbeck especially is grabbing my attention.
Such great reading selections! Thank you!