When I started this blog, I searched the web for travel blogs to use as inspiration and examples for both page set-up and content-creation. Over the last almost 4 years, I have gotten hooked on the stories of several of these bloggers, and met some of them in person! I wanted to feature some of my favorites here on the blog so I reached out to them and asked them to share their favorite destination inspired by a book.
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Australia, Inspired by Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country
One of the many travel books that has inspired me to seek out new and exciting destinations is Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country. While all of his books are amazing, it was this book that inspired me to break out of my comfort zone and travel across the world (literally!) to visit Australia. His descriptions of the landscapes and the people were so vivid and captivating that they left me craving more. I just had to see the country with my own eyes! I’ve been to Australia a few times now, and I have had so many amazing experiences there. And it all started with this book.
-Matt from Nomadic Matt
Purchase In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson from IndieBound
Matt sends out monthly reading suggestions, which you can sign up for here.
Bath and the British Countryside, Inspired by Jane Austen
Can you become friends with a long-deceased writer? I was in London many years ago making my way through Jane Austen’s works when I went through a painful breakup with a Mr. Wickham of my own. Inspired by Jane, I fled to her old stomping grounds in Hampshire, devouring her tales of relationships gone wrong and moping around the countryside like a forlorn Bennet sister. It wasn’t my first time reading her stories, but they came to life as I wandered miles upon miles in a huff. (My petticoat six inches deep in mud, to be sure.)
Ultimately, like she says in Northanger Abbey, “Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.” I felt a kinship with Jane. It was oddly soothing to know that English scoundrels have been vexing women for hundreds of years, and despite traveling solo, I was not alone.
Years later, Pride and Prejudice is my go-to whether I need a good cry or a laugh, and anytime I read Austen or attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, I remember one of the great thematic lessons from all of her stories. Love works out in the end, but it might look differently than you expected
-Angie from Angie Away
Purchase Pride and Prejudice from IndieBound
Check out Angie’s video of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath
Find out how to have your own Northanger Abby day in Bath, or read about Jane Austen in Hampshire here
Edinburgh, Scotland Inspired by J. K. Rowling & Other Authors
My absolute favorite literary inspired destination is Edinburgh, which is the cultural capital of Scotland. Edinburgh is a paradise for book lovers. For example, Edinburgh was named a UNESCO City of Literature in 2004. This title is accurate. Every August Edinburgh hosts an incredible book festival with wonderful panels. However, you can sense Edinburgh’s literary spirit every day of the year. Go to the Elephant House and see the bathrooms. The walls are covered in graffiti dedicated to Harry Potter! There are even Harry Potter walking tours if you’re a fan of the novels. And Edinburgh’s literary tradition isn’t exclusive to J.K. Rowling either. For instance, the Writer’s Museum is another cool “bookish” site dedicated to authors such as Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louise Stevenson. Don’t skip Edinburgh on your next literary trip!
-Rachel from Blond Wayfarer
Purchase Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling from IndieBound
London, Inspired by Peter Pan
Since I was a child, the world of Never-Never-Land intrigued and inspired me. Peter’s origin is found in J.M. Barrie’s The Little White Bird (1902), though most of us know him best from his Neverland adventures found in Barrie’s 1904 play Peter Pan (also known as The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up) or his 1911 novel adaptation Peter and Wendy. My love of Neverland meant that when I got the chance in my senior year of high school to visit London, my first stop was absolutely Sir George Frampton’s 1912 Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens. When my friend and I set off in our day-old travel sweat pants, me in flipflops, and with half of our luggage still in toe, we honestly had no idea where we were going other than to Kensington Park. I mean, how hard would it be to find one popular statue in a park? Well, VERY if you have no idea where you are, where you are going, or how large that park actually is. And I might mention is was also before cellphones and Google maps to help us, so we wandered the park, me in insufficient footwear, for longer than I’d like to admit. The resulting blisters were totally worth it once we finally found Peter in all his bronze loveliness and surrounded by his fairies and animal friends! I’d like to think we took Peter’s lessons of childhood joy and innocence to heart that day, turning us getting lost into an adventure to be savored, rather than an annoyance to be regretted
-Jodi from Musing Jo
Purchase Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie from IndieBound
Read more about visiting Peter Pan in London here
All of these bloggers have inspired me along the way and I hope you’ll go check out their blog posts and vlogs!
Let’s Talk!
Have you traveled to a destination because of a book or an author? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
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