Most people love to travel.
But the majority of us can’t travel all of the time.
However, there are ways to satisfy your wanderlust when you can’t travel.
And one of those ways is by purchasing travel coffee table books!
From luxury treehouse escapes and adventurous road trips to nature photography and city guides, there’s a book on this list to enthral anyone.
These wanderlust-inducing, itchy-feet-instigating travel coffee table books will make your home look amazing, all while inspiring your future travels.
So without further ado, here are 37 of the best travel coffee table books I’ve ever seen.
1. Ultimate Travelist: The 500 Best Places on the Planet… Ranked
Created by none other than Lonely Planet, the Ultimate Travelist features the 500 best places to visit in the world. This book is great for those who haven’t yet planned their next trip and want to be inspired to visit a multitude of destinations. From big-name mega-sights to lesser-known hidden gems, this guide shares all the unmissable sights and attractions that deserve a place on your bucket list.
Price: £12.36
2. prettycitylondon: Discovering London’s Beautiful Places
I think London will forever be my favourite city in the world. I mean, as Samuel Johnson famously said, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” This beautiful coffee table book completely encapsulates my love for London. From secluded mews and undiscovered cafes to flower markets and tree-lined streets, this book champions the quiet, gentle places that allow you to escape from the hustle and bustle of London’s famous landmarks.
Price: £16.75
3. Beaches
Taking you from the city to the shore, Beaches by American fine art photographer, Gray Malin, showcases awe-inspiring aerial photographs of beaches around the world. Perfect for beach bums and water babies, this coffee table book provides the ultimate visual escape, that will have you longing for summer days by the sea.
Price: £20.48
4. Destinations of a Lifetime: 225 of the World’s Most Amazing Places
Taking you on a photographic tour of our beautiful little world, this spellbinding National Geographic travel coffee table book is the ultimate directory for travel planning. Not only does it feature stunning photographs but it is also chockablock full with information for when to go, where to eat, where to stay, and what to do in 225 of the world’s most amazing places.
Price: £14.00
5. Cabin Porn: Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere
Calling all lovers of cabins, the outdoors and slow travel! You will fall head over heels in love with this book. Cabin Porn began as an online project created by a group of friends to inspire their own home building. But it has since transformed into one of the most beautiful travel coffee table books I’ve ever seen. So whether you are thinking of building a cabin or, like me, just love to stay in them, this book will inspire many an adventure.
Price: £17.99
6. Wanderlust: Hiking on Legendary Trails
If your travels tend to feature more hiking than lounging by the pool, Wanderlust is perfect for you. Presenting legendary hiking routes with inviting maps and practical tips, this travel coffee table book is one of the most aesthetically pleasing on this list. Taking you on a journey through coastal tracks, desert sands, thin ice and forest pathways, this guide will make you want to grab your hiking boots and head into the great unknown!
Price: £26.00
7. The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small
Filled to the brim with great activities for people of all ages, this invaluable guide is all about infusing more fun into the everyday. Featuring an eclectic range of ideas such as self-improvement, sports-related endeavours, natural wonders, cultural experiences, culinary delights, and more, this coffee table book is not simply about travel!
Price: £12.37
8. The Atlas of Beauty: Women of the World in 500 Portraits
A book that celebrates the beauty of the world and the beauty of the women in it? That’s going straight in my basket. Challenging beauty ideals perpetuated by Western popular culture, this travel coffee table book features portraits and stories of women from fifty countries across the globe. Travelling from the Amazon rainforest to London city streets, this book shows that beauty is everywhere, regardless of money, race or social status.
Price: £17.54
9. Overview: A New Perspective of Earth
Big fan of drones and satellite photography? You’ll love Overview! Inspired by the ‘Overview Effect’, a sensation that astronauts experience when looking down and viewing the Earth as a whole, this book offers a new way to look at the landscape that we have shaped. Covering everything from industry and architecture to nature and agriculture, Overview reveals a deeper story about human impact.
Price: £23.52
10. Secret Marvels of the World
Are you a traveller who is all about getting off the beaten path? Well, this is the travel coffee table book for you. Featuring everything from communist bunkers to burning gas craters, Secret Marvels of the World showcases the weird and wonderful sights the crowds often don’t reach. Be sure to visit all of these places before they become popular!
Price: £9.99
11. Door J’Adore: A Celebration of the World’s Most Beautiful Doors
If you adore doors (or simply Instagramming them), you will adore this book. Nick Rowell takes you on a journey to see the world’s most beautiful and unique doors to celebrate the everyday beauty of something we take for granted. Seeing doors as a barrier between reality and imagination, and the portal between private and public, this book is all about uncovering the mystery and excitement that lies in the mundane.
Price: £6.18
12. Food Trails: Plan 52 Perfect Weekends in the World’s Tastiest Destinations
If your appetite is as big as your wanderlust, this is the travel coffee table book for you. Featuring a food trail for every weekend of the year – I wish I was travelling every weekend of the year – Food Trails will inspire food-fuelled travels of a lifetime. From Buenos Aires steak and cosy wintertime French Canadian cuisine to Puglia’s distinctive dishes and Parisian patisserie, this book will certainly tantalise your tastebuds.
Price: £14.54
13. Ride Out!: Motorcycle Road Trips and Adventures
Whether you are an avid motorcyclist or a budding newbie, Ride Out! shines a light on the classic and most inspiring riding landscapes. Taking you from never-ending meandering mountain passes to routes along the Mediterranean Sea to vast African sand dunes, this is your one-stop guide to motorcycle road trips. Oh, and it’s pretty darn aesthetically pleasing too.
Price: £26.00
14. Paris in Bloom
London may well be my favourite city but Paris is certainly up there too. And what better time to visit the City of Love than during blossom season? Paris in Bloom transports readers on a beautiful floral tour of the city from expansive public gardens to lively flower markets. This is the perfect travel coffee table book to take you back to fond memories of your time in the French capital.
Price: £12.99
15. The Life & Love of the Sea
Lovers of all things beachy and aquatic will need this photography book on their coffee table pronto. Combining images from the world’s leading nature photographers and the latest in underwater photography techniques, The Life & Love of the Sea is a breathtaking visual tour of our beautiful ocean.
Price: £29.52
16. Hide and Seek: Cabins and Hideouts
If you are a long-term reader of Faraway Lucy, you’ll know that I am the biggest fan of cabins, hideouts, glamping and eco-retreats! And it’s safe to say I am not alone. More and more people are yearning to live in harmony with nature, rather than in the hustle and bustle of modern city living. This travel coffee table book is a must-have for all travel and architecture lovers.
Price: £26.54
17. Epic Hikes of the World
Made with hiking enthusiasts in mind, this coffee table book is the go-to guide for everything from one-day jaunts and urban trails to month-long thru-hikes and mountain expeditions. But regardless of length or location, each journey shares one defining feature: being truly epic. It’s safe to say that this is one of the best outdoor adventure books. However, if hikes aren’t your thing, Lonely Planet also sells Epic Drives and Epic Bike Rides equivalents.
Price: £15.91
18. Van Life: Inspiration for Your Home on the Road
If you’d rather travel by van than on foot, Van Life was born from the famous Instagram hashtag #vanlife. As much about exploring nature as it is about whether you drive a converted vintage truck, camper, or van, this travel coffee table book celebrates the freedom and adventure that is synonymous with life on the road.
Price: £12.74
19. Poolside With Slim Aarons
Introducing the definition of ‘how the other half live’. I mean, it’s nice to dream sometimes, right?! Poolside with Slim Aarons features extravagant images of jet-setters and the wealthy living the glamorous life, with each photo being tied together by the common theme of ‘poolside’. So be ready to be whisked away to the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties where you can get an intimate peek into these very private lives.
Price: £41.51
20. Blue Planet II
Bring a slice of the famous epic 7-part BBC1 series into your home with this Blue Planet II coffee table book. A ground-breaking new look at the richness and variety of underwater life across our planet, with over 200 breathtaking photographs, Blue Planet II allows you to take a deep breath and dive into the mysteries of the ocean.
Price: £17.54
21. Off the Grid: Houses for Escape
Can you tell that I love off-grid houses and glamping sites yet? If you are yet to see the appeal of escaping to a rural home, it might be worth investing in this travel coffee table book. Off the Grid showcases the world’s most innovative off-grid homes. Oh, and the cutting-edge architecture and technology that makes it possible for us to escape to some of the most extraordinary natural environments on the planet.
Price: £18.45
22. A Year Off
Ever just fancied taking a whole year off work and fucking off around the globe? Well, you’re not alone. Even if that’s not possible for you right now, at least you can live vicariously through Alexandra and David Brown, a now-married couple who decided to take a year off to travel the world together after only knowing each other for a few months. Crazy or incredibly smart? That’s for you to decide.
Price: £15.28
23. The Noise of Ice: Antarctica
Very few people will have the life-changing opportunity to visit Earth’s southernmost continent. So when you can’t embark on the perilous journey to visit Antarctica, why not explore the continent through the magic of Enzo Barracco’s photography instead?
Price: £11.45
24. Humans of New York
If you haven’t heard of Humans of New York before, you probably live under a rock. That, or you don’t have a Facebook account. Humans of New York began in the summer of 2010 when photographer Brandon Stanton set out on an ambitious project: to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. First starting out as a blog, it has since transformed into a lovely number-one New York Times bestseller that you can hold in your own two hands!
Price: £14.55
25. Places to Go, People to See
One of the most aesthetically pleasing of these travel coffee table books, Places to Go, People to See was lovingly made by Kate Spade New York. This beautiful book focuses on the how, where and why of travel through the lens of the always-inspired “kate spade new york girl”. Expect vibrant photography, old-world glamour and inspirational quotes galore!
Price: £26.95
26. Dreamscapes: Inspiration and Beauty in Gardens Near and Far
If you love all things botanical, this is the travel coffee table book for you. This uniquely stunning book features 70 of the most spectacular gardens in the world, all photographed at the height of their beauty. Warning: this book will absolutely induce itchy feet and the need to instantly book a plane ticket to some exotic location.
Price: £22.75
27. Wine Trails: 52 Perfect Weekends in Wine Country
For those who would rather drink their calories than eat them, we have Wine Trails. This gorgeous book details the secret gems in well-known regions such as Napa and Sonoma, Tuscany, Burgundy and Rioja, and also explores off-the-beaten-path regions in Georgia, Greece and beyond. Basically, it’s your go-to place for all things wine and travel!
Price: £14.54
28. California Crazy: American Pop Architecture
If you have a bit of a soft spot for retro-American culture, California Crazy will have you weak at the knees. The definition of aesthetically pleasing, this book documents the attention-grabbing buildings that began to appear at the roadside in the 1920s. These “monstrosities” drew in passing drivers for snacks, provisions, souvenirs, or a quick meal – and now they draw in travel coffee table book lovers!
Price: £35.08
29. Tree Houses: Fairy Tale Castles in the Air
Okay, so this might just be, no, scratch that, it definitely is, my favourite travel coffee table book of the lot. I love, love, LOVE treehouses. Just a bit. If you couldn’t already tell. This book is filled with 50 of the most beautiful, inventive, and enchanting tree houses around the world. There are romantic treehouses, contemporary treehouses, treehouse restaurants, treehouse hotels, the job lot. Basically, just buy this book, okay? #notsponsored
Price: £11.55
30. Paris in Color
Whether you love Paris, colour, art or design, there is something for everyone to love in Paris in Color. This colourful travel coffee table book takes you on a photographic journey through Paris’ most colourful parts, to help you appreciate the beauty in things that seem so ordinary.
Price: £12.48
31. Photographs from the Edge
If you are looking to up your photography game and also want to appreciate some stunning photography of our beautiful planet, Photographs from the Edge will feel more than at home on your coffee table. Legendary photographer, Art Wolfe, presents an intimate behind-the-scenes guide to the experiences, decisions, and methods that have shaped his photography career over the last forty years.
Price: £21.43
32. The World’s Sexiest Bedrooms
If you’re a sucker for a sexy bedroom, this drool-worthy travel coffee table book shares the sexiest of them all. Written by James and Tamara Lohan, the founders of Mr & Mrs Smith, a travel club dedicated to discovering the world’s finest hotels and travel experiences, this book details thirty-five of the sexiest hotel rooms in the world. When you buy it, you won’t be surprised as to why this is one of my all-time favourite travel coffee table books.
Price: £18.33
33. The Hidden Tracks: Wanderlust off the Beaten Path
In case you haven’t already fallen in love with one of these hiking books yet, The Hidden Tracks may just be the one. Not only is it filled with great insider tips for your next hiking trip but it is also one of the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing travel coffee table books I’ve ever seen. Expect scenic trails, adventures off the beaten track, and pristine hiking destinations around the world.
Price: £26.00
34. prettycitynewyork: Discovering New York’s Beautiful Places
Are you a bigger fan of New York than you are London? Then you will love prettycitynewyork, an ever-so-beautiful guide to the pretty tree-lined avenues, cute shops and serene getaways that may not be initially synonymous with New York City. Known for its urban, high-rise landscape, the bustling atmosphere and busy business and tourist spots, Siobhan Ferguson instead takes you to the quieter, lesser-seen spots in the Big Apple.
Price: £19.49
35. Chic Stays
Last but by no means least, we have Chic Stays, a tour of the world’s most beautiful hotels by your favourite actors, writers, musicians, and models. This is by far one of my favourite travel coffee table books on this list. From the beaches of Kate Winslet’s secret Scottish hideaway to Kate Moss’s favourite beach in the Maldives, this book is bursting with personal tales, anecdotes and some oh-so-beautiful photography.
Price: £44.49
