In these memoirs and how-to guides, professional travelers inspire readers to follow in their well-documented footsteps.
Just Go
More than four million subscribers tune in to Binsky’s YouTube channel, which chronicles his travels to all 197 countries. Based on the premise that even the most dangerous-seeming nations can be visited with proper safeguards, his book offers guidance on finding reputable tour companies, cultivating local friendships, and self-financing via monetized social media content.
Out in the World: The Gay Guide to Traveling with Pride
The authors, a French/Greek couple, quit their jobs in London a decade ago to embark on a global adventure they’ve documented on Instagram under the name Nomadic Boys (192,000 followers) and in their first book. Introducing each destination with a brief overview summarizing local attitudes toward queer people, they go on to highlight their favorite hotels, brunch spots, and experiences, such as partying at Lou Queernaval in Nice and taking a queer tango class in Buenos Aires.
Pack Light
After losing her job at the onset of the pandemic and being hospitalized for a severe panic attack, Curtis followed a road to recovery along the Appalachian Trail. She recounts how her solo eight-month hike from Georgia to Maine helped her deal with childhood trauma and lifelong mental health struggles, and shares the exhilaration of being cheered on by a growing online community of supporters that includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cheryl Strayed.
Two O’Clock on a Tuesday at Trevi Fountain
Sula has amassed more than 500,000 followers on Instagram since she and her husband first left Dallas and relocated to Germany, posting all the while about their misadventures in apartment hunting and travels throughout Europe. Sula, who has a self-described “debilitating fear of change,” walks readers through the small steps that gave her the courage to pull up stakes while dishing on the mundane (keeping up with visa requirements) and the remarkable (skinny-dipping in the icy Baltic Sea) aspects of living abroad.
Wander Woman
The founder of the online travel community Wanderful believes any woman who wants to travel can do so with the proper mindset. By dispelling conventional ideas of who travel is for—the white and the wealthy, for instance—Santos hopes to inspire women of all backgrounds to picture themselves out in the world. She weaves personal anecdotes—for instance, getting a lesson in so-called “swimsuit bodies” on a beach in Rio—with practical concerns including budgeting, safety, building a support network, and becoming comfortable eating alone.
You Deserve Good Gelato
Call it Eat, Post, Love. Rose, a professional dancer in New York City, met Dario, a chef in Florence, at a jazz club in the Tuscan capital. Two-plus years later, in 2021, she decamped permanently for Italy, documenting her new life on TikTok for an audience that has grown to one million followers. In her memoir, she reflects on how each stumble can transform into discovery. Disappointed by her first taste of Italy’s rich frozen treat, Rose shows how her quest to find good gelato (pro tip—beware neon colors) leads her to a deeper understanding of her adopted home.
