Sustainable Travel Essentials: 10 Must-Read Sustainability Books for Travelers

The realm of sustainability can often seem intimidating. Our newsfeeds are flooded daily with numerous articles about our climate and social injustices, leaving many people feeling overwhelmed about what they can do to make a difference.

These books can help you plan more mindful trips and enable you to explore the world, conserving everything that makes it so special.

How we travel matters, and in this article, I’ll reveal my top 10 favorite books centered on sustainable and ethical travel. If you're an environmentally conscious traveler eager to make a positive impact, these books provide an excellent starting point.

The Ethical Traveler: 100 Ways To Roam The World (Without Ruining It)

By: Imogen Lepere

This book offers 100 tips to help protect the planet, support communities, and plan mindful trips for anyone who wants to explore the world while conserving everything that makes it so special.

A fantastic book for any traveler seeking to make a difference.

The Travelling Ape: What Travelling (Nearly) Everywhere Taught Me About Humanity, Geopolitics, and Happiness

By: Michael Mackay Richards

The Travelling Ape is an award-winning book that explores what travelling the world taught him about life, humanity, and the geopolitical turmoil that so defines us. And how exploring the world changed him as a person, too.

Michael has traveled to 150 out of 195 countries. That's a lot of travel.

Eco-Savvy Traveler Guidebook: Sustainable Tips From a World-Traveling Environmentalist

By: Luanoa Ouverney Simonson

The Eco-Savvy Traveler Guidebook is the perfect companion for eco-enthusiasts seeking to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and sustain it while traveling. It also provides guidance and recommendations for individuals who aspire to join the effort to combat plastic pollution.

Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel In An Unequal World

By: Anu Taranath

Rated as one of the "26 Best Travel Books of All Time by Oprah Magazine, this book was a required reading for a class I took on Sustainable Travel.

Anu begins at home, unpacking our baggage about who we are, where we come from, and how much we have. She continues to grapple with the tough questions, providing tools to navigate our differences. This book is a personal favorite.

Destination Earth: A New Philosophy of Travel By A World-Traveller

By: Nicos Hadjicostis

Another award-winning travel book! Destination Earth transforms the way you view travel and its connection to life.

It also provides a philosophical framework for embarking on more meaningful and purposeful travels, whether it is an around-the-world journey, an exploration of a region, or even a trip to a city.

The Sustainable Travel Handbook: Practical Advice and Inspiration For The Conscientious Traveller

By: Lonely Planet

Whether you’re looking to reduce your carbon emissions, enjoy a more responsible wildlife-watching experience, harness culinary tourism for good, or enjoy an eco-friendly city break, this guide has got you covered.

This was one of the first books I read on sustainable travel.

The New Tourist: Waking Up To The Power and Perils of Travel

By: Paige McClanahan

Through deep and insightful dispatches from tourist spots around the globe—from Hawaii to Dubai, Amsterdam to Angkor Wat—The New Tourist shines a light on an industry that accounts for one in ten jobs worldwide and generates nearly ten percent of global GDP.

This book goes deeper into how tourism has shaped the world, for better or for worse.

Sustainable Travel: The Essential Guide to Positive-Impact Adventures

By: Holly Tuppen

Holly is a sustainability expert who reveals in her book how you can make a difference by reducing your carbon footprint, supporting local communities, safeguarding culture, protecting wildlife, restoring ecosystems, appreciating what's close to home, and making your trip count. It's a valuable resource for regenerative travel experiences, featuring recommended ecotours, sustainable tourism initiatives, and eco-friendly accommodations.

An Introduction to: Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Travel

By: Jonathon Day

I added this book to the reading list because it was written by a leader in the sustainability industry.

Jonathon Day is a professor at Purdue University teaching Tourism Management. He has extensive travel experience and has committed to making travel a force for good in the world.

Here Not There: 100 Unexpected Travel Destinations. National Geographic

By: Andrew Nelson

This book addresses overtourism, the environmental impacts of tourism, and their combined effects on our most treasured places. The author offers alternatives to some of the most popular travel destinations.

This book surprised me. It offered great advice on when to visit a location, where to eat, what to see, and where to stay—a great book for travelers who prefer to avoid the crowds.

Final Thoughts

This isn't a comprehensive list of sustainable travel books, but it's a good starting point for travelers seeking to learn more about the trends and movement toward sustainability in travel.

Choosing to travel in a manner that benefits both the host community and our natural world is a personal choice. However, small choices can make a big difference, and when we join together, anything is possible.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

― Jane Goodall

Wherever the road may take you, I wish you the best along the way.

Marla