Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanza! Happy just-another-day! (For me, it was yet another Christmas)

In celebration of the season, I’ve got a few things to satisfy some wanderlust for all you armchair travelers, cube dwellers, seasoned adventurers, someone who wants adventure in their life, or just someone who wants to read about it.

In case anyone was wondering, it’s been a fun Christmas-as-usual for me, with relatives all arriving to our house, eating turkey, playing Just Dance 4, and with snow on the ground, here in New Hampshire.

And as gifts, I received a pile of travel books!  My parents know me so well. . .or maybe I just specifically asked for them.  Yeah, it’s the second one.

But a huge thanks to them because I have been absolutely devouring these books tonight, and would recommend them to anyone as major travel inspiration and ideas.

In my pile I have 3 Lonely Planet books, 1 Rough Guides, and 2 novels:

• Great Adventures by Lonely Planet – a book specifically for the intrepid travelers, with Hiking and Trekking, Diving, Biking, “Above & Below” or scaling/soaring etc., Climbing, Ice & Snow, Animal, Water, and Driving adventures.
• A Year of Adventures by Lonely Planet – lists the best adventures for an entire year, week by week with 6 listed per week, showing the best times of year to go to many places.  The types of adventures range from simply going somewhere or seeing something to the most extreme adventure travel.
• Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences – Self-explanatory, listing different experiences around the world by categories like “Best Places to…” or “Top 10…”
• 1000 Ultimate Travel Experiences: Make the Most of Your Time on Earth by Rough Guides – Like the Lonely Planet version, it also lists 1000 diverse travel experiences, but this guide is very aesthetically appealing and it lists the top experiences by regions and countries of the world which makes it easier to navigate, and before the index it then lists them by theme.
• The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman – This novel, along with the one below, are true stories and travel memoirs, both written by women who took off for the world all on their own.  Perfect for me, an aspiring solo female adventurer.
• Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman

Along with those fascinating books, here are some amazingly inspirational travel videos:

World of Red Bull Commercial 2013

“I think it’s human nature to want to explore, to find your line and go beyond it.  The only limit is the one you set yourself.”  If it weren’t for all the Red Bull logos and the end, I wouldn’t even realize this was a commercial.  Absolutely breathtaking.

Where the Hell is Matt? Videos

The internet sensation/travel blogger who is one of my idols.  He became famous when he did his funny dance every place he traveled, and took videos of it and of people all over the world dancing.  Huge inspiration to peace on earth, and will definitely make you smile.  The following are his 2008 and 2012 versions.

A Story for Tomorrow by Gnarly Bay Productions

The couple who makes up Gnarly Bay Productions makes many amazing travel videos, and this is my favorite.  It is specifically about their journey through Chile but it brings up questions about life and travel and it just makes me smile and want to jump on a plane.

a story for tomorrow. from gnarly bay productions, Inc. on Vimeo.

Travel Montage from Around the World on a Toilet

This beautiful montage will always be my favorite because it is from the first travel blog I ever discovered, and it was this video and that blog which first set me on my quest and goal to have a life of adventure and world travel which has been sitting in the back of mind ever since I was young.  There are no words, it is just one large montage of many places and people which these travelers encountered on their travels around the world.

So there you have it – some delicious wanderlust satisfaction and sure fix for a smile which I always go to whenever I’m feeling down or unusually unadventurous.

Enjoy!