Travel Inspiration for Kids
Lonely Planet Kids Travel Books
Books have a lot to answer for. They’ve long inspired my love of travel and adventure and I hope they will do the same for my kids. We’re long time fans of Lonely Planet’s guide books; they’ve been our trusted guide in many a tight spot around the globe. So it’s great to see the brand evolving and developing its offering of kids travel books. For this post, we’ve teamed up with Lonely Planet Kids to review four of their latest kids travel books. So read on and find out how these books inspired the kids…
Books that inspire travel
Back in the day it was good old printed books that inspired me to travel and adventure. As a teenager an early hardback copy of Quest for Adventure got me dreaming naively about becoming a Scott or a Shackleton.
Later, trapped in the world of work, a copy of Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia inspired me to quit and take off with Kirstie on a crazy six month honeymoon cycling through Patagonia.
Years later a charity shop copy of Spanish Steps, Tim Moore’s account of riding The Camino by donkey, sowed the seeds for our own family pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with me and Kirstie as the donkeys, riding tandem bicycles with the kids and pulling trailers full of luggage.
Books have a lot to answer for. Good books, in the right hands at the right time, can inspire amazing travel experiences.
They say a bookshelf says a lot about a person
Travels of the imagination
When I turn off the light, say goodnight to my kids and shut their bedroom door, I know they sometimes go off travelling. Alone. They travel far, to fantastic places. Under the covers. With a headtorch. In a book.
Good books are journeys; journeys of the imagination. Through them we visit impossible places, do unbelievable things, meet extraordinary people, experience unknown worlds. Reading is like travelling; it expands our horizons, teaches us about other worlds, ignites our curiosity and invites us to adventure and explore. Who wouldn’t want that for their kids?
The latest books from Lonely Planet Kids are great examples of books that do this well. When we received review copies I asked Hannah and her friend to take a look at them and tell me what they found inspiring in them. And this is what they had to say as they travelled Around the World in Four Books.
You Rule
You Rule got the girls talking, no arguing, over which one of them was going to rule their new country, SparkleRainbowLandia. However, they were quick to agree that this is a really fun book that gets you thinking about lots of quite serious things to do with how countries work, what you need to do to set one up and how to rule them. Be warned, if you’ve power hungry kids in your family this book could help them turn their bedroom into their own country complete with border controls, currency, flag, local customs and a national anthem. But all is not lost, there is a chapter on power sharing which you might want to read with them first.
You Rule will have you declaring a new country by teatime
How to be an International Spy
Hannah’s interest in spying was piqued by our recent spy themed scavenger hunt in London so she didn’t need much encouragement to wade into How to be an International Spy. Before long she had a new codename, was sending messages to her friend in code and I’m pretty sure she tried to tail me to the local shop. It seems this is a very practical and modern guide to the tools and techniques of international espionage. Having looked through the contents list I think I may need to tighten up my cyber defences before she reaches the chapters on malware, digital footprint tracking and launching cyber attacks.
How to Be an International Spy will have you spying in no time
Adventures Around the Globe
Adventures Around the Globe is hands on travel inspiration for younger kids, full of maps, mazes, quizzes and stickers that take you on a journey around the world, crossing all five continents. With fun facts to learn, a 3D globe to make and lots of pages for colouring, I lost Hannah to this book for best part of an afternoon.
Adventures Around the Globe will keep you busy
The Travel Book
The Travel Book is a compendium of travel facts about every country in the world, except SparkleRainbowLandia. A great book to keep by your globe, for helping with geography homework, starting conversations about where in the world you are heading next or exploring the wonders of different ways of life, customs and traditions without ever leaving home. If you like travel trivia this book will have you impressing (or boring) your friends and family with amazing facts about the bokikokiko, Mr Chauhan’s moustache and the strange sport of fierljeppen.
The Travel Book – a great addition to your rucksack
Inspiring kids to learn and travel
These are four great additions to the Lonely Planet Kids collection. These kids travel books are colourful, interesting, well researched and designed to draw you in. All are available in printed editions and (with the exception of Adventures Around the Globe) in electronic format for the Kindle, perhaps more suitable if you are travelling beyond your duvet. If you like the sound of them, why not click through and buy them now
Over to you
Has a book ever inspired you or your kids to travel or added something to your travel experience? Do leave a comment below and let us know.
Disclosure Note: This post is brought to you in a collaboration with Lonely Planet Kids who provided the books for the purpose of review. The ideas and opinions remain, as ever, entirely our own.
These look great! They’d make perfect gifts for my Nephews!
Yes, these would make great gifts for young travellers.
around the world in 80 days by michael Palin x
I loved that on TV too. How did it inspire you Amy?
I have a Rough Guide (boo) book called Make the Most of your time on Earth 1000 ultimate travel experiences. Its very inspirational and it always gives me itchy feet!
Have you done any of the 1000 things Claudia?
Great presents for little ones
The Adventures Around the Globe is especially good for younger kids. Older tweens will appreciate the others more.
Tale of Two Cities,
Paris
Nice. Already done London?
I was reading a book about Egypt and their history, after finishing it I so wanted to go and see what I had read about, so I saved up and went and was not disappointed at all, this has inspired me to travel the world
Good for you. Inspired enough to save up and follow through. Did Egypt live up to your expectations?
cant remember mine but my sons is Man on the Moon he wants to visit everywhere now on a map
What about the moon? One of our kids has an atlas of space exploration and expressed an interest in Mars, but I think they meant the chocolate!
Joanna Hislops ‘The Island’ inspired me to go to Plaka, Greece, and visit the island of Spinalonga!
Not heard of that. One to look up? How was Spinalonga?
The Island by Victoria Hislop inspired me to visit Elounda, Plaka and Spinalonga in Crete. We has a great time.
Another one for The Island eh? Now I’m getting curious.
a book hasn’t inspired me yet but these look fab and i know my two boys would love them x
Well, maybe these would inspire you too. They’re made for sharing.
Books are the stepping stones to Knowledge.
Very profound. Where did you end up and what did you find when you crossed the stepping stones?
I read a book on the history of China and it made me want to visit
Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island inspired me to explore the UK a bit better.
I love Bill Bryson’s style too.
I am from New Zealand and growing up my parents had a lot of books on England and Ireland. I always wanted to see what it was like so when i was 21, I packed up and came over. I travelled around Europe and ending up meeting my husband who was British and now i live in the Uk and have a family. We still travel as much as we can but New Zealand is my top of the list now when i get a chance 🙂
Interesting how what’s ‘in the house’ is also what kids pick up. Must be interesting for you to take your kids back to where you grew up, the other side of the world. Be careful not to leave too many books on New Zealand lying around!
The Beach by Alex Garland. I took it with me when I went travelling some years ago. Very inspiring! 😉
National Geographic Traveler: Egypt inspired my trip to Egypt
That’s a magazine that never fails to inspire wanderlust.
It wasn’t a book that inspired me to travel it was my husband, we travelled for 12 months around the world backpacking and therefore read lots of books while on our journey and got inspired to travel more, have since lived in Australia for 5 years, back in the UK for a bit but will travel more with our Children – travelling is the best education anyone can have and our children love travelling and discovering adventures and they also love reading.
Reading while you’re travelling is interesting too, adds another layer to the journey. And sounds like it may extend it for you too!
Around the world in 80 days
We are reading Linda Buckley-Archer’s time travel series and it is certainly inspirational but probably a pipe dream.
Well, nothing wrong with pipe dreams. This is the year that Back to The Future arrived in after all.
Around the world in 80 days – Bordeaux
Around the World seems to be a popular choice. Lots of options for places to visit!
The fatal shore is a great book about Australia, it didnt really inspire me to go in the first place but I read it whilst I was there! Does that count?
Of course that counts. We were just talking about that, how sometimes reading a book you find about a place while you are there can change your experience, perceptions and interest in it.
I read an amazing book that has made me want to go to india but i can’t think what its called, something about summer lol it’s going to drive me mad haha x
I picked up a guide book for Malta in a Charity shop. I just had to go there. so glad I did. Such a lot of history & interesting things to see. Since then I’ve travelled to quite a few other places.
Charity shops are a great place for unexpected inspiration!
Birds of Texas Paperback Keith A. Arnold (Author), Gregory Kennedy (Author)
I went to Texas as it was a dream
And I took photographs of birds and places that I had seen
I have a hobby and this was right for me
I just needed my binoculars and scope to see.
The many colours of the birds were spectacular
Size and shape, Colours so bold, a memory that I did unfold
I took photographs of migrant birds as they come in to sight
Having a rest from there flight.
There were many state parks with Bushes and trees
Many splendorous places to look with glee
And I did not forget to look to the ground
To see a Pauraque asleep hoping he was around
And as streams and the rivers flowed by,
I looked up to the sky,
To see a kingfisher was my hope,
And I could see it when I used my scope.
I met a cowboy with a burger to eat
But all I wanted was the wonders to see,
And in the hush of tranquillity,
It is a memory that I now behold and did see.
I would love to have these around the house. Perfect books for the kids to use as they are being home schooled. Thanks for the opportunity.
Yes, would be great in all kinds of curriculum areas – geography, history, literacy, spycraft!
A book called First Time around the World. I’d love to do a campervan tour of the world, but so far have only managed the UK and France
Well once you get to France, just keep going!
The Atlas.
I was always more inspired by fiction rather than travel books to go and see of it’s really like in the story. Reading Mankell has made me want to visit Sweden for example.
Reading Karl Pilkingtons rants in his books from the series “Idiot Abroad” about the places Ricky and Stephen make him go to inspire me somewhat.. plus it makes me laugh.
That series was so funny. Reminds me of our travels sometimes.
It was The Eastern Fells by Alfred Wainwright that inspired me to visit the Lake District, I have never looked backed since.
Those little books have a lot to answer for. In a good way. I have a set on my shelf picked up from a charity shop. A lifetimes work to check out all those fells.
A Pasasage to India by EM Forster inspired me to travel. I haven’t yet made it to India but it made me think about exploring different cultures 🙂
Yes, sometimes a book just opens our hearts or minds to something, a path, a journey but perhaps nowhere specific.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Europe inspired me to go travelling by ‘thumb’ to Europe when I was a student! Fabulous book!
A caribbean travel guide – the beaches, food and culture inspired me to go to a few of the islands. I’d love to get around all the islands – if only I were rich! (@PeanutHog)
Around the World in 80 Days
Book by Michael Palin
Silly really but I read swallows and amazons as a child and wanted a boat and to sail – that was thinly ambition and so it came to be that I bought my own boat and had my own sailing adventures
oh it has to be around the worls in 80 day! was fascinated by that book when i was younger…still am! 🙂
the corsican brothers inspired me to visit corsica xx
Around the world in 80 days – but I’d love to take much longer
I read a set of books that where set in Egypt and on Egyptian history and it made me intrigued with the place and culture and finally i got to go and see for myself a few years back definitely was not disappointed.
I used to buy Lonely Planet magazines and dream of all the places I wanted to visit then went on my first trip to Thailand alone which was organised as I wasn’t sure what to expect. After that, me and my now Husband saved up and went around the world for 6 months, but this time just going wherever we felt like and when we wanted, it was amazing! Now we’re buying a house and have 2 children it’s a bit harder, but we try and get in as many weekend breaks to different places in Europe to see a little bit more of the world.
I read a book by Robert Goddard and it inspired me to go to Madeira
The Bill Bryson books inspired me to explore this country and want to explore America as well.
Captain Corelli’s mandolin was such a great book it inspired me to visit Cephalonia in Greece and it lived up to the books vivid descriptions
Just reading about different places online makes me want to go. Would like to take the family to Mauritius to see family never met before
I loved geography at school and was fascinated by the information about other countries in our course books. Mum insisted on having a globe on the TV so I would spin it around to check out each country as I studied it.
The globe should be a museum piece now as so much has changed since she bought it!
I haven’t read any but love visiting lots of different country my favourite so far is Israel I’ve been three times now great people and lots of history Jerusalem was my highlight x
I used to have a lot of the eye spy books and it always made me want to travel about so I could tick off what I had seen!
I can’t say there is a book that has inspired me to travel but I love learning about new cultures
I am both excited and scared to give my daughter the ruling the world book!
I’ve always fancied going to see the pyramids in Egypt after learning about them in Primary school. I will get there one day x
Around the world in 80 days – but I’d love to take much longer xx
there’s a lovely book my daughter reads about Paris, where she’s walking around paris with her Grandad. It’s inspired her to visit which in turn makes me remember what a beautiful city it is. XX