If there are two things I love in this world, it’s laughing and travelling, so writing about the top funny travel books seems like a highly logical piece of content for me to put together.

When I’m talking about “funny travel books,” I’m really referring to, for the most part, satirical style travel memoirs which look back on a particular time abroad. In general, I’m much more drawn to books which portray a set of funny travel stories that tend to be somewhat self-deprecating, and where there’s a lesson to be learned or a take-away of sorts.

Personally, I have a hard time with travel books which aim to get a laugh out of criticizing the “other.” That is, funny travel books which aim to get laughs at the expense of how silly or absurd people are that aren’t like them. That, to me, isn’t far from racism or, in some cases, overtly is racism.

I’ll be honest, it’s a bit of a tricky genre. There are a ton of “funny travel books,” which really are just manifestos of an out of control western tourist doing drugs and causing anarchy in another nation. I’m just not into that whole notion of the “world being your privilege playground,” so I’ve tried not include novels which might reasonably be put in that category. At the same time, I’m trying to create a definitive list of some of the top humorous travel books, so I will include a few that are fan favourites that I’m not necessarily in love with, but do think deserve to be there as it’s likely they may connect with others more than me.

It’s also worth noting that, unfortunately, a lot of the “classic” funny travel books are written by male authors - or, at the very least, these are the books which have been canonized in the genre. I also fully admit that I haven’t read enough funny travel books by female authors, so I admit to my own bias in this case. All that to say, I wanted to write this small paragraph acknowledging that, and if you know of some books you feel should be on this list from female authors, I would love to know, and I will happily read them and consider adding them. You can add a comment on this post, or just contact me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. I should also acknowledge as well that I’m dealing with English funny travel books, but I’d love to hear of any authors who write in other languages with translations available.

Alright, let’s get going, and remember, these are fun travel books to read on your couch at home, but I also think they’re the best books to read while travelling because I find they keep me optimistic and smiling. So many of the most humorous travel books around all deal with mishaps on the road that they’ve found a way to laugh about, and that’s a good attitude to have in travel.

This list, by the way, is in no particular order, and you should choose what aligns with you more on the basis of what topics or regions interest you.

NOTE: This post may contain some affiliate links. That means, simply, that I may get commissions from some of my recommendations. That being said, my opinions are fully my own.

Alright, Enough Chatter, Here Are the Funniest Travel Books Around: The Perfect Books to Read While Travelling