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Haunted by a recurring dream, young shepherd Santiago is advised by a gypsy woman and a mystical elder, who reveals himself as the King of Salem, to journey to the Egyptian pyramids to uncover a hidden treasure. Heeding their counsel, Santiago sells his sheep and travels to Tangier, only to be swindled by a thief. This forces him to work for a kind-hearted crystal merchant, during which time he encourages the merchant to take business risks that result in Santiago amassing a small fortune in just one year.

Feeling wealthy yet unfulfilled, Santiago decides to resume his quest for the treasure at the pyramids. He joins a caravan across the Sahara desert, where he befriends an Englishman studying alchemy. The Englishman is on his way to meet a 200-year-old alchemist residing in the oasis of Al-Fayoum in the Sahara, hopeful to learn the secrets of the trade. Once they reach Al-Fayoum, Santiago falls in love with a local woman named Fatima and manages to save the oasis from an impending attack by interpreting an ominous sign in the desert. Subsequently, he is invited by the advanced alchemist to journey further into the desert, leaving Fatima and the caravan temporarily.

While traveling with the alchemist, who shares profound wisdom about the Soul of the World, they are captured by a tribe of Arab soldiers. To save their lives, the alchemist offers all of Santiago's money to the soldiers and promises them that Santiago, who is allegedly a powerful alchemist, will transform into wind within three days. Panicked and clueless, Santiago spends the next three days in deep contemplation, eventually managing to create a sandstorm with the help of the wind and the sun, fulfilling the alchemist's promise and securing their freedom. Upon reaching the pyramids, Santiago is beaten by two men who, convinced by his tale of a dream indicating treasure, leave him alive. One of the men, while dismissing dreams as worthless, unknowingly gives Santiago a final clue about the treasure's actual location. Santiago returns to Spain, locates a chest of jewels and gold under a sycamore tree in an abandoned church - the same one from his recurring dream - and plans to reunite with Fatima, who waits patiently for him in Al-Fayoum.

The Alchemist

El Alquimista

Stories2007 08 08the 86 greatest travel books of all time

In a Sunburned Country

En un País Quemado por el Sol

The Beach

La Playa

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

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

De Perdida a Encontrada en el Sendero del Cresta del Pacífico

Wild

Salvaje

One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

La Búsqueda de una Mujer por Todo en Italia, India e Indonesia

Eat Pray Love

Come Reza Ama

An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Una Guía Inusual para el Arte de Viajar por el Mundo a Largo Plazo

Vagabonding

Vagabundeando

A Journey into America

Un Viaje por América

Blue Highways

Carreteras Azules

Overland from Cairo to Capetown

Por tierra desde El Cairo hasta Ciudad del Cabo

Dark Star Safari

Safari Estrella Oscura

A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

Un Cuento de Obsesión Mortal en el Amazonas

The Lost City of Z

La Ciudad Perdida de Z

Down and Out in Paris and London

Sin blanca en París y Londres

In Patagonia

En Patagonia

The Art of Travel

El Arte de Viajar

A Year in Provence

Un Año en Provenza

Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

Redescubriendo la Ciudad Perdida Paso a Paso

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Gira a la Derecha en Machu Picchu

One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World

La Búsqueda de un Cascarrabias por los Lugares más Felices del Mundo

The Geography of Bliss

La Geografía de la Felicidad

By Train Through Asia

En tren a través de Asia

The Great Railway Bazaar

El Gran Bazar del Ferrocarril

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Una Corta Caminata en el Hindu Kush

The Rings of Saturn

Los Anillos de Saturno

Arabian Sands

Arenas Árabes

The Road to Oxiana

El Camino a Oxiana

The Lonely Planet Story

La Historia de Lonely Planet

Unlikely Destinations

Destinos Improbables

22 Best Travel Books of All Time

The Alchemist

In a Sunburned Country

The Beach

On the Road

Wild

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Eat Pray Love

One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Vagabonding

An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Blue Highways

A Journey into America

Dark Star Safari

Overland from Cairo to Capetown

The Lost City of Z

A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

Down and Out in Paris and London

In Patagonia

The Art of Travel

A Year in Provence

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

The Geography of Bliss

One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World

The Great Railway Bazaar

By Train Through Asia

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

The Rings of Saturn

Arabian Sands

The Road to Oxiana

Unlikely Destinations

The Lonely Planet Story

Sources

What To Read Next

22 Best Travel Books of All Time

The Alchemist

In a Sunburned Country

The Beach

On the Road

Wild

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Eat Pray Love

One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia

Vagabonding

An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel

Blue Highways

A Journey into America

Dark Star Safari

Overland from Cairo to Capetown

The Lost City of Z

A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon

Down and Out in Paris and London

In Patagonia

The Art of Travel

A Year in Provence

Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

The Geography of Bliss

One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World

The Great Railway Bazaar

By Train Through Asia

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

The Rings of Saturn

Arabian Sands

The Road to Oxiana

Unlikely Destinations

The Lonely Planet Story

Sources

What To Read Next

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