Best non-fiction books to say ‘how the heck did that happen?’

I’m the kind of girl that never reads fiction, but I’m an absolute diehard fan of non-fiction.  Why?  Because when I’m reading true stories, I’m usually trying to figure out ‘how the heck did that happen!   I’m usually saying to myself… “How the…?  What the…?  How did that…?  Huh…?”  It’s those ‘stranger than fiction’ books that really get my blood pumping for having some sort of wicked adventure!

These are my ultimate favourite top travel books of all time in no particular order:

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

I can say a bazillion and one good things about Tony’s book (and Tony for that matter, because he’s an absolute good guy – you should check out  his Ted Talk – or the pep talk he gave me about #AroundIrelandOnAPushie).  I’ve actually read it a few times… and, I’ve got a very soft spot for his epic Irish adventure with his sidekick refrigerator destroying hitchhiking taboo one car ride at a time.  How can you not love a good crazy drunken bet where Tony takes a refrigerator surfing and other experiences?

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is probably the ‘Love Actually’ of travel books.  No doubt, you’ll feel like a chrysalis turning into a beautiful butterfly (yawn) whilst reading ‘Eat Pray Love’ but it’s totally not like that at all.  It’s actually quite insightful.  (Men, just a public safety warning – if you’re not into your feelings, this will be kryptonite to you.)  The movie is pretty good too… but like always, the book is better.

Down under by Bill Bryson

This is a great book about how Bill took on Australia and won the hearts of everyone who reads this book!  Since I’m an Aussie now, I loved reading about how Bill (who is a British-American) navigated his way around both the outback and the cityscapes.  (There’s a scene where he gets lost in Kirribilli and it’s pretty epic – ya see, it’s hard for anyone to get lost in Kirribilli – seriously –  the city is just over THERE and there’s ferries galore to take you where you need to be…  so, just read it and you’ll see what I mean.  There’s a lot of cultural fopa’s and it’s an awesome go-to read if you’re already an Aussie or planning your own down under adventure.  There’s lots of LOL moments to be had!

A Walk into the Woods by Bill Bryson

This is a book about the American Appalachian trail.  The Appalachian trail is the longest hiking footpath in the world stretching though 14 states on the east coast of America.  A whopping 2190 miles (3525k), Bill and his recovering alcoholic mate go walkabout on parts of this trail (because that’s always a good idea when your mate’s got the alcohol dry-out sweats) and hilarity ensues.  My favourite, most memorable laugh out loud scene is when Bill’s mate decides to throw all the coffee filters over the cliff…. I can’t do the scene justice – you’ll just have to read it.