13 Best Books About Road Trips to Inspire Your Next Adventure

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During the chill of 1947, Dean Moriarty, a thrill-seeking habitual offender who's also a recent groom, arrives in New York City. He forms a bond with Sal Paradise, a budding writer who surrounds himself with intellectual associates, including the poetic Carlo Marx. Dean's dynamic lifestyle captivates Sal, sparking a three-year span of relentless cross-country voyages. Sal, frequently traveling by bus and audacious hitchhiking, finally fulfills his long-cherished dream of reaching the west. He not only reunites with Dean and their mutual friends in Denver, but he also ventures farther westward alone. He finds employment as an agricultural laborer in California for some time among other things.

The following year, Dean once again disruptively enters Sal's life, and the pair embarks on a joint journey westward. This trip is filled with more wild exploits, including a stopover at Bull Lee's in New Orleans, and concludes in San Francisco. The subsequent winter sees Sal visiting Dean, and the duo embarks on a warm-hearted journey across America, with Dean eventually settling down in New York for a while. Come spring, Sal sets off to Denver alone, but Dean soon reunites with him for a trip that extends all the way to Mexico City.

Throughout their constant nomadic lifestyle, they encounter a variety of vibrant personalities, ever-changing vistas, dramatic incidents, and personal growth. The charismatic Dean, notorious for his philandering ways, fathers four children with his three wives within these three years. Sal, initially a desolate and frail individual, gradually evolves into a cheerful and confident man, ultimately finding love. Initially, Sal's interest in Dean stems from Dean’s vibrant, impulsive passion that Sal finds lacking in himself, but they discover shared similarities over time. The narrative's richness is found in the subtleties.

On the Road

En la Carretera

In Search of America

En busca de América

Travels with Charley

Viajes con Charley

Drive My Car: 20 Must-Read Road Trip Books

A Novel

Una Novela

Lost Children Archive

Archivo de los Niños Perdidos

The narrative intertwines two compelling narratives. The first one traces the adventurous odyssey of a young man named Christopher McCandless into the wilderness, while the second delves into his psychological profile and motivations. The story unfolds nonlinearly, with the two narratives often crossing paths through intricate details and varying scenarios. McCandless is initially introduced through his acquaintance Wayne Westerberg, who paints a compelling image of a smart, charming, and determined individual who rejects materialism and hails from a comfortable middle-class background in Virginia. The story then backtracks to the start of McCandless's journey west in his used yellow Datsun.

McCandless initiates his journey post-college, driving to Lake Mead in Nevada, where a flash flood prompts him to abandon his car and some possessions. His adventurous spirit sees him buying a canoe on a whim and embarking on a five-month journey down the Colorado River to Mexico. Meanwhile, his family back home try to piece together his disappearance. McCandless later settles in Bullhead City, Arizona, where he briefly stays with an older man named Charlie before moving on. Along his journey, he forms a pseudo father-son bond with an individual named Ronald Franz, whose shared story offers insight into the potential harm McCandless's risky behavior could inflict on others.

The narrative then revisits Westerberg, providing a look into McCandless's problematic relationship with his father and his final month in Carthage, South Dakota. It reveals that McCandless had discovered his father's bigamous past, which potentially fueled his drive to abandon his previous life. The story also explores the reactions to McCandless's journey, with some labeling him as a romantic fool, while others see similarities between McCandless and other wilderness fanatics such as Everett Ruess. The narrative concludes with the discovery and identification of McCandless's body in Alaska, leaving behind a trail of heartbreak and unanswered questions, and offering a cautionary tale of adventure and self-discovery gone awry.

Into the Wild

Hacia la Salvaje

We All Loved Cowboys

Todos Amamos a los Vaqueros

Travels with Lost Conquistadors, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Indians, Hoboes, Truckers, and Bullriders

Viajes con Conquistadores Perdidos, Hombres de Montaña, Vaqueros, Indios, Vagabundos, Camioneros y Toreros

13 Best Road Trip Books of All Time

On the Road

Travels with Charley

In Search of America

Lost Children Archive

A Novel

Into the Wild

We All Loved Cowboys

American Nomads

Travels with Lost Conquistadors, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Indians, Hoboes, Truckers, and Bullriders

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing, Book 1

The Lost Continent

Travels in Small Town America

Blue Highways

A Journey into America

Jupiter's Travels

Four Years Around the World on a Triumph

Lovecraft Country

A Novel

Flaming Iguanas

An Illustrated All-Girl Road Novel Thing

Are You Listening?

Sources

What To Read Next

13 Best Road Trip Books of All Time

On the Road

Travels with Charley

In Search of America

Lost Children Archive

A Novel

Into the Wild

We All Loved Cowboys

American Nomads

Travels with Lost Conquistadors, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Indians, Hoboes, Truckers, and Bullriders

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing, Book 1

The Lost Continent

Travels in Small Town America

Blue Highways

A Journey into America

Jupiter's Travels

Four Years Around the World on a Triumph

Lovecraft Country

A Novel

Flaming Iguanas

An Illustrated All-Girl Road Novel Thing

Are You Listening?

Sources

What To Read Next

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