The Wanderluster // Books for Every Lady on Your List // Holiday Gift Guide // 2014

The Wanderluster

This is your friend who is either gone, or talking about her next trip. She might be willing to do things that sound awful to you, just to travel. From 'short' 8 hour road trips, to forgoing dinners out to put every dollar possible into her travel plans, she's determined. When you talk to her about her future travel plans she might mention obscure destinations like Slovenia or backpacking in Patagonia. Her home is decorated in souvenirs, maps, globes, and photos from her travels. She's probably the one suggesting Tapas or Ethiopian for a dinner out. She knows about miles, travel hacking, and public transportation around the globe. She's probably plotting out three or more trips just right now. Her Instagram is filled with inspirational travel quotes, snapshot from her trips, and maps of where she's been.

1) I Was Here: A Travel Journal for the Curious Minded

This travel guided travel journal is great for the list maker in all of us. It begins with emergency information and packing guides, things to make sure you see etc. It guides you through your trip having you collect memories big and small, reviews of food you liked, tips from locals, what the weather was like, random prompts and activities to complete and ponder. It is a very creative way to record your trips.

2) Better Than Fiction: True Travel Tales from Great Fiction Writers

A reader and a traveler? This is the book for you. Read essays written by fiction writers about their own travels. With their fiction skills, you will feel like you are there with them. 

3) The World's Best Street Food: Where to Find it & How to Make it

Street food is often the best food. Things from a cart, or a truck, or a stand tend to be authentic, delicious, and inexpensive. Some of the most interesting people that you will meet on a trip are the ones who work in places like this. Their passion for food shows in the creativity of the recipe, and always makes for an unforgettable meal. This is another collection of these recipes, this time from around the world. -This ebook is only $2.99 RIGHT NOW (on Amazon!). Also a great gift idea for the Foodie!

4) Make Map Art: Creatively Illustrate Your World

I purchased this book in Seattle and I LOVE it! It is a creative way to document your trips, or even your hometown. Included in the kit are many decent sized pages to create your maps on (one large world map!), stickers of compass roses, banners, arrows, etc. and an idea/inspiration booklet to give you ideas for creating your own map. This is a really fun project to do solo, with your significant other, or as a family. I would recommend this for the DIY-er and the Momma too!

5) Home Style by City: Ideas and Inspiration from Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, and Copenhagen

Being more of a Wanderluster than a Homebody... I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! - just a bit excited. This book is basically a physical Pinterest of design in these cities. There are beautiful pages of design inspiration, tips, and projects by location, as well as a list of books, movies, music that will inspire you by city. There is even a section about flea markets in each place! This is much less of a how-to, as it is a book of majorly swoony travel and home photos, but it is very well done. There were pieces from each city that appealed to me, and just as many books I now want to read, movies I now want to watch etc. Beautiful, Beautiful book! Also on the Homebody's list!

6) A Guidebook for Her Next Adventure

Why not get her a guidebook for her next adventure? It wouldn't be hard to figure out where she wants to go next, just ask! Not sure where she is going next? A guidebook for anywhere she wants to go someday would be great! I may not be going to Ireland next year, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love reading up on it! There are many brands to choose from, I personally like Fodor's... but Lonely Planet, and Frommer's are great too. -remember that Rick Steve's are for luxury travelers!

7) Lonely Planet's Best Ever Photography Tips

Every traveler's guide to photography. This book is full of tips on how to shoot incredible photos on your travels. With focuses on everything from wildlife photography to night time photos, there is something for everyone to learn about photography in this book.

8) How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler (and Save Time, Money, and Hassle)

This book is an excellent guide to easing your travel woes. I picked it up at SEATAC on the way home in October and devoured much of it on the plane. It contains information on saving money, staying healthy, getting good customer service, and real life complaints made by travelers resolved by the author, travel guru Christopher Elliot. He gives you a step by step breakdown of what went wrong in the case, how to prevent it, and how to resolve it after the fact. Tons of valuable information in this book!

9) The Book of Everything: A Visual Guide to Travel and the World

A treasure trove of visually appealing travel infographics on locations and destinations around the globe. This makes a great coffee table book, but also contains great information! For instance it includes maps and information about specific locations, but it also shares fun facts about other travel-related things, like what the air traffic controllers mean when they wave those glow sticks around. Just a few other topics include: encountering wild animals, predicting weather, counting in other languages, manners in other countries... etc. Reviewers have raved about how fun it is, saying that their older children were also very interested in it.

10) Anywhere Travel Guide: 75 Cards for Discovering the Unexpected, Wherever Your Journey Leads

One of the worst things for travelers, is that severe wanderlust that hits.... when you can't travel. I like the idea of these cards, because you could use them both on your travels, but also to make a day at home (or nearby) an adventure. The cards have prompts on them that get you thinking about your environment differently. Some examples include: 'ask the next person you see what his/her favorite street is. GO THERE.' and 'Find or make a souvenir that represents your experience on this day.' - just a fun way to approach your day whether you are in Thailand or Indiana.

I hope that this list has given you some book ideas for your traveling friend!

Interested in more?  Check out this post to view my book recommendations for other 'types'.

Happy Gifting!

Alexandra