Want to travel the world, but don’t really have the funds (or the time) to hop on a plane and fill up your passport? Reading books based in other countries is really the next best thing! Instead of traveling around the world in 80 days, how about reading your way through the world in 80 books? This is probably my longest reading list ever, so bear with me! I’m making it as simple to get through as possible. Ready to start traveling?

Want to travel the world, but don't really have the funds to hop on a plane and fill up your passport? Reading books based in other countries is really the next best thing! Check out 80 books that take place in 80 different countries.

Around the World in 80 Books

Affiliate links included will take you to the Amazon page for the book. I broke it up into chunks of five, with a featured book from each group,  so you’re not slammed with 80 different pictures. Obviously, I didn’t include every single country, since there are like 250+ of them. Around the world in 257 books doesn’t sound as good! Don’t ask how I decided which countries made the list, it was kind of a mix of random choices, countries that I’d like to visit and stories that just sounded interesting.

Huge thanks to Lora for pointing out that it would be easier to follow along if I gave you a printable checklist. Here is a “quick and dirty” plain version in PDF format that won’t take up all your printer ink. I’ll make a prettier one asap, but for now, this is really all you need.

Click Here to Print this List!

Afghanistan: The Kite RunnerTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Khaled Hosseini
Algeria: The StrangerTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Albery Camus
Antarctica: SubterraneanTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by James Rollins
Argentina: Alive: The Story of the Andes SurvivorsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books  by Piers Paul Read
Australia: The Light Between OceansTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by M.L. Stedman

Austria: When Nietzsche WeptTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Irvin D. Yalom
Bahrain: Round the BendTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Nevil Shute
Bangladesh: The Zoya FactorTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Anuja Chauhan
Belgium: On Black Sisters StreetTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Chika Unigwe
Bolivia: Turing’s Delirium Travel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Booksby Edmundo Paz Soldán

Brazil: The Boys from BrazilTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Ira Levin
Chile: The Killer’s TearsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Anne-Laure Bondoux
China: The Bonesetter’s DaughterTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Amy Tan
Colombia: Love in the Time of CholeraTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez
Croatia: Radiant Days: A NovelTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Michael A. FitzGerald

Cuba: 90 Miles to HavanaTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Enrique Flores-Galbis
Denmark: Ophelia by Lisa M. KleinTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Dominican Republic: What about Your Saucepans?Travel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Lindsay De Feliz
Ecuador: Goodnight Sunshine by Mark CameronTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Egypt: The Memoirs of CleopatraTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Margaret George

Ethiopia: The Prince Who Walked with LionsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Elizabeth Laird
Finland: The Summer Book by Tove JanssonTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
France: The Diving Bell and the ButterflyTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Germany: Loyal to a DegreeTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Horst Christian
Greece: The Island by Victoria HislopTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books

Guatemala: WanderloveTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Kirsten Hubbard
Haiti: The Serpent and the RainbowTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Wade Davis
Honduras: Hurricane by Terry TruemanTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Hungary: Prague by Arthur PhillipsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Iceland: The Blue FoxTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Sjón, Victoria Cribb

India: The God of Small ThingsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Arundhati Roy
Iran: Sky of Red PoppiesTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Zohreh Ghahremani
Iraq: The House of WisdomTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Florence Parry Heide
Ireland: Light a Penny CandleTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Maeve Binchy
Israel: Homesick by Eshkol NevoTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books

Italy: Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances MayesTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Jamaica: The Long Song by Andrea LevyTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Japan: Geisha, a LifeTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Mineko Iwasaki
Kenya: A Change in Altitude by Anita ShreveTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Korea: The Red Queen by Margaret DrabbleTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books

Kuwait: A Map of Home by Randa JarrarTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Liberia: Beyond the Mango TreeTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Amy Bronwen Zemser
Libya: In the Country of Men by Hisham MatarTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Lithuania: Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara StoryTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Ken Mochizuki, Dom Lee
Macedonia: The Campaigns of AlexanderTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Arrian, Aubrey de Sélincourt


Madagascar: Once on this RiverTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
Mexico: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura EsquivelTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Morocco: Hideous Kinky by Esther FreudTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Nepal: Sleeping Tigers by Holly RobinsonTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Netherlands: The Coffee TraderTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by David Liss

New Zealand: The Whale Rider by Witi IhimaeraTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Nicaragua: The Butterfly WorkshopTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Gioconda Belli
Norway: Out Stealing HorsesTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Per Petterson
Pakistan: Midnight’s Children by Salman RushdieTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Panama: The Tailor of PanamaTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by John le Carré

Peru: The Bridge of San Luis ReyTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Thornton Wilder
Philippines: When the Elephants DanceTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Tess Uriza Holthe
Poland: Dark Hour of NoonTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Christine SzambelanStrevinsky
Portugal: The Hammer of EdenTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Ken Follett
Romania: The Seamstress by Sara Tuvel BernsteinTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books

Russia: Gorky ParkTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Martin Cruz Smith
Saudi Arabia: Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian NightsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Anonymous
Scotland: The Death of BeesTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Lisa O’Donnell
Singapore: The Song of Silver FrondTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Catherine Lim
South Africa: Many StonesTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Carolyn Coman

Spain: For Whom the Bell TollsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Ernest Hemingway
Sri Lanka: Anil’s GhostTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Michael Ondaatje
Sudan: The Red PencilTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Sweden: Blackwater by Kerstin EkmanTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Switzerland: I’m Not StillerTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Max Frisch

Syria: A Hand Full of StarsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Rafik Schami
Taiwan: The Third Son by Julie WuTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Thailand: Fieldwork by Mischa BerlinskiTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Turkey: The Museum of Innocence by Orhan PamukTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Uganda: War Brothers by Sharon E. McKayTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books

United Kingdom: Neverwhere by Neil GaimanTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Uruguay: The Tree of Red StarsTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books by Tessa Bridal
Venezuela: Black Magic by Cherry AdairTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Vietnam: The Quiet American by Graham GreeneTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books
Zimbabwe: A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy FarmerTravel Through Literature: Around the World in 80 Books

 

There you go! Books to read that will whisk you away to 80 different countries! If you want to get super fancy and make it fun, print out a fake passport and “stamp” it every time you finish a book about a different country. You can make your own stamps, take a picture of the cover and stick it in there, or whatever else you come up with. I’m not that creative. I just write all the books I read down in one big “book list” book.

Have you read a great book that took place in another country? Share your recommendations below!Â