Literary Latitudes: Book Love as Travel Inspiration

There are many ways to use literature as your jumping-off point and inspiration for exploring the world. Maybe you yearn to visit the settings of your favorite works of fiction. Or perhaps you’d like to trace the footsteps of a famous author or stand at the site that was at the crux of a historical event that you’ve learned about. You may want to experience for yourself the cultures and places that inspired a particularly evocative memoir. Guess what? All of these things are possible! There’s even an entire book devoted to literary travel! Richard Kreitner’s Booked is a traveler’s guide to literary locations on 6 of the 7 continents. But, if your “to-read” docket is brimming over right now like mine is, take this short list of suggestions to get you started:

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Follow in the footsteps of your favorite authors

• Explore Paris, Spain, Key West, or Greenwich Village through Hemingway’s eyes.
• Find the Mississippi River of Mark Twain’s insightful writings.
• Take A Walk in the Woods or a trip Down Under to experience the Appalachian Trail or Australia as Bill Bryson describes them.
• In London, trace the past of the avant garde Bloomsbury Group, which included authors such as E.M. Forster and Virginia Woolf. Or travel outside the city and visit Stratford-Upon-Avon, the hometown of Shakespeare himself.

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Evocative settings and rich cultures

• Explore Jeju Island, Korea, whose unique history and culture is depicted in Lisa See’s The Island of the Sea Women.
• Find yourself in any one (or many) of the places in Italy that have inspired authors across the centuries, from Dante Alighieri (The Divine Comedy) to E.M. Forster (A Room with a View) to Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun) – and that’s just Tuscany! In Florence, you also can visit a bookmaker’s shop whose artisans are working hard to keep this ancient craft alive.
• Greece is a perfect destination to explore both authors and stories. You can trace the footsteps of some of the ancient writers such as Herodotus and Homer, and you can see the settings and artwork that accompany Greek mythology.
• Find the Paris of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, or Gertrude Stein’s Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.
• Just a few examples of literature-inspired travel in South America based are Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s classic, Love in the Time of Cholera, which is set in Colombia, and the many depictions of Peru, Chile and Venezuela from Isabel Allende.
• Of course, right here in the USA, each state and region has its own rich culture and scenery that have been the inspirations and settings for countless novels and memoirs. Visit Forks, Washington to determine once and for all if you are Team Edward or Team Jacob (Twilight), or explore other vampire haunts in New Orleans (Interview with a Vampire). In Massachusetts, you can take a step back in time to experience both Frederick Douglass’ and Captain Ahab’s New Bedford, the Salem of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, or Thoreau’s Walden Pond. Alaska becomes a character in itself in Kristen Hannah’s The Great Alone, and what would Gone with the Wind be without Margaret Mitchell’s Atlanta?

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Authors as hosts and guides

If you are interested in actually meeting authors and sharing your love of literature and travel with other like-minded book nerds, there are opportunities such as Emerald Waterways’ recent river cruise to the Henley Literary Festival and Avalon Waterways “Storyteller Series.” Upcoming cruises include sailing with Candace Bushnell (Sex & the City) on the Danube and Diana Gabaldon (Outlander) on the Rhine. Sign me up!

Whatever your literary travel inspiration, Legacy Travel Designs can connect you with just the right guided tour or cruise, or craft your perfect independent itinerary that will turn your bookish travel dreams into reality. We look forward to talking with you soon! Happy reading and happy traveling!