If you’re looking for a way to inspire wanderlust in your little ones, these travel books for kids are the perfect way to do it! From learning about new cultures to exploring different parts of the world, these books will keep your child entertained and educated while travelling or planning your next adventure.
Books have always been important in our family and my kids love reading – ever since they were babies. And since we love to travel, it seemed obvious to have lots of travel books for them to read. Not only are these travel books good to read at home but they’re also great to take when travelling with kids and help your child learn about where you are travelling to.
These are some of our favorite travel books for kids – all of which are sure to get your family excited about exploring the world!
Best Educational Travel Books for Kids
The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World (Lonely Planet Kids)
First on our list is this awesome travel book by Lonely Planet Kids. You know anything published by Lonely Planet is going to be good, and The Travel Book does not disappoint. It’s filled with information on every single country in the world, making it the perfect way to learn about new cultures and destinations. And, there’s plenty of fun facts and beautiful photos for kids of all ages to enjoy.
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of the World
Another well-respected travel publisher, National Geographic always produces high-quality, informative books. The First Big Book of the World is perfect for kids who are interested in learning about different countries and their customs. This book is packed with fascinating facts and beautiful photos about each country that will make your child want to explore the world even more. It’s also divided into sections by continent, so you can easily find the information you’re looking for.
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Where
For younger kids who are just starting to learn about geography, the First Big Book of Where is a great place to start. This book is filled with colorful maps and photographs that will help your child learn about all the different places in the world. With sections on continents, countries, landmarks, animals, oceans, and more, this book makes learning about geography fun and exciting.
The Flag Book (Lonely Planet Kids)
Another great book from Lonely Planet Kids, this book is a fun way to learn about the flags of different countries around the world. It’s full of information about the flag’s design, and what the colours, patterns and symbols represent, along with other interesting facts.
Amazing World Atlas: Bringing Our World to Life (Lonely Planet Kids)
Explore every continent of the world in this Amazing World Atlas. Another great book from Lonely Planet Kids, this world atlas is great for slightly older kids (recommended ages 8+) and it’s full of history, culture and fascinating facts. More than just maps, it’s divided into sections based on the continents, with information about the landscape and population of each country.
National Geographic Kids World Atlas
This is the perfect book for kids who are interested in geography and want to learn more about the world around them. The World Atlas includes maps and information on different countries, as well as photos and facts about each one.
Travel Journal (Lonely Planet Kids)
This travel journal is perfect for kids who love to document their adventures. It’s filled with prompts and ideas for writing about where they are travelling or where they’ve been. It also includes a world map, so your child can track where they’ve been. There’s plenty of space to write, draw, colour or add fun stickers to add to the pages and turn it into a vacation scrapbook.
If you’re doing a family road trip in the United States, you might also like the National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas.
Travel Book Series for Kids
City Trails Series
These great books from Lonely Planet are geared towards older kids, but there’s nothing to say that younger kids won’t enjoy them too. Explore the streets of the city on a walking trip with two Lonely Planet Explorers and discover secrets, fun stories and surprises in cities around the world.
This Is… (Miroslav Sasek)
These books are an amazing way to introduce children to different cities and countries around the world. The series includes ten books featuring popular cities such as London, Paris and Rome, as well as others like Venice, Munich and Edinburgh plus countries such as Australia and Ireland. Each book is filled with interesting facts and beautiful illustrations by painter Miroslav Sasek.
Travel with Me and See Series (Nancy Delevoye)
This series of travel books is perfect for kids who want to explore different cities, countries and cultures. Join B and her friends while she explores Paris, London and New York. Travel with Me and See is filled with beautiful photos, interesting facts and fun activities. It’s the perfect series for kids who love to travel.
Kids Who Travel the World Series (Lisa Webb)
In this series, join two adventurous sisters as they travel the world and learn new things along the way. The books explore Rome, Paris, London, an Africa Safari and our personal favourite – Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario! Explore with them as they visit all the must-see landmarks.
A Walk In… Series (Salvatore Rubbino)
This series introduces children to three cities around the world: London, Paris and New York. In each book, follow a child as they walk through a city and discover all the amazing things it has to offer. The illustrations in these books are beautiful, and the stories are captivating. Your child will love following the adventures of these little explorers.
Molly and the Magic Suitcase (Chris Oler)
In the Magic Suitcase series, Molly and her brother Michael use their magic suitcase to travel the world and explore new places. Through their adventures, kids will learn about language, culture, cuisine and make new friends. While the series features popular cities such as Rome and London, other places such as Shanghai, Panama and Copenhagen are also explored.
Magic Treehouse (Mary Pope Osborne)
This fun series is about two siblings who go back in time and have adventures all over the world. While they are longer fictional stories than some of the others we’ve mentioned, kids who enjoy chapter books will love reading these stories and learning about different places around in the world in different times. Visit Ancient Rome and Pompeii, head to the mountains of Nepal or go back in time to Ancient Egypt and explore the pyramids.
Another popular series for kids is Diary of a Wimpy Kid. While it’s not a travel-related series, one of the books, called The Long Haul, is all about a family road trip that has plenty of misadventures. If your child enjoys Diary of a Wimpy Kid, be sure to pick up this book before heading out on a family road trip!.
Best Travel Books for Young Kids & Toddlers
The Little Engine That Could Road Trip Series
In this series of board books, the classic children’s character the Little Engine That Could, takes a road trip across the United States. In each book, the little blue train visits a different state and learns about the culture, food and landmarks in that state. The books are perfect for toddlers as they are filled with bright colours and fun illustrations.
Around the World…(Phidal Publishing)
Like other Busy Books, the books in this series feature a story plus figurines and a playmat to bring the characters to life. Each book is filled with beautiful illustrations and help children learn about four different cities around the world – London, Paris, New York and Rome.
All Aboard! (Kevin Meyers)
This board book series is beautifully illustrated and introduces your baby to the world by train. Explore popular cities such as Paris, London and New York or other areas such as California, Texas and the National Parks. There’s also a book in the series on the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest.
Good Night Our World (Penguin Random House)
Another great series for toddlers, these board books are filled with bright, colourful illustrations and short simple phrases. Each book celebrates a different country or city, although there are also books on the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and topics about travelling, like planes, trains, the beach and camping.
Travel Activity Books for Kids
The Travel Activity Book (Lonely Planet Kids)
This is a great activity book to complement The Travel Book by Lonely Planet Kids that we mentioned above, or it can be just be used on its own. Travel across the continents and learn about cities, landscapes, animals and diverse cultures around the world through fun activities. There are plenty of stickers, colourful illustrations and photos to keep kids engaged and learning at the same time.
The Cities Activity Book
Similar to the Travel Activity Book, the Cities Activity Book is a fun way to keep kids having fun while learning about the world. With colorful illustrations, fun facts and lots of stickers, kids will have fun exploring some of the world’s most amazing cities.
I hope you enjoyed these travel books for kids. If you have any other great books to add to this list, let us know in the comments below!
Great list! Very helpful that you broke out books specifically for the younger toddlers too.
Thanks for the list. Having something useful for kids to keep them entertained at the same time that they learn is super important.