Summer's here--meaning it's time to cast away those crochet blankets, switch off that Netflix series, and seek out a sun-kissed adventure. Whether your idea of summer vacation includes lapping waves and a sugar-white beach or hiking boots and an alpine trail, here are five new travel books to inspire wanderlust in even the sleepiest homebody:

It's Only the Himalayas and Other Tales of Miscalculation from an Overconfident Backpacker

By S. Bedford (Brindle & Glass, 2016)

If you're skeptical of those aggrandizing blogs that portray travel as suspiciously perfect, then this hilarious memoir is a must-read. A neurotic and disenchanted Millennial, author Sue sets out on a year-long round-the-world trip with her frustratingly flawless mate Sara in hopes of "finding herself." Instead, she falls victim to a series of awkward, embarrassing and ridiculous mishaps that'll have you laughing out loud--so don't read this while the rest of the plane is asleep! An honest and heartwarming book.

Meet Me in Atlantis

By Mark Adams (Penguin Random House, 2016)

I'd normally steer clear of any book claiming Atlantis was more than fable--or at least use it to prop up the wobbly leg of my desk. However, best-selling author Adams makes a compelling case for the city's existence based on evidence hidden in Plato's writings. This thoughtful, educational and funny book chronicles his travels around the globe in search of the ancient metropolis and the quirky explorers sharing his quest--and may just make a believer out of even the most purse-lipped skeptics.

The Road to Little Dribbling

By Bill Bryson (Doubleday, 2015)

You'd be hard-pressed to find a traveler who wouldn't love to sit next to Bill Bryson on a plane and listen to his British harrumphs (perhaps freckled with folksy Iowa-isms) as he inadvertently spills his tea during turbulence. Notes from a Small Island, his 1995 travelogue on Britain, is the most successful travel book ever written and so there was much anticipation for the sequel. Fortunately, Bryson seems just as charmingly bemused as ever--his observations and frustrations equally informative and tickling as he rediscovers his home turf.

Mother Tongue: My Family's Globe-Trotting Quest to Dream in Mandarin, Laugh in Arabic, and Sing in Spanish

By Christine Gilbert (Penguin Random House, 2016)

Like many North Americans who only speak English, Gilbert feels her monolingualism is impeding her and her family from becoming global citizens. With husband and toddler in tow she sets out for Beijing, Beirut and Puerto Vallarta in pursuit of polyglot status. But her quest is more difficult than she'd anticipated. Encumbered by China's suffocating pollution, Lebanon's political instability and the daily challenges of struggling to communicate, Mother Tongue is an enlightening look at cognitive and language development as well as a celebration of one family creating their own cultural roots.