If there’s one thing I am guilty of it is buying too many books: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry volumes, long- and short-form writing, and photography, design, and travel coffee table books all contribute to amassing the ever-busy shelves of my Victorian house-style apartment in South East London. Do I regret purchasing them? Never. Alright, perhaps a little, but only when I think about the next time I’ll have to place them into boxes and move them around, which won’t be any time soon, anyway.
To those who’d argue that most of these volumes end up covered in dust, forgotten on a bookshelf, I say that, in my defense, each represents an invaluable source of inspiration, particularly when it comes to the best coffee table books for travel-lovers. And that’s only one reason they’re some of my favorite buys.
Compared to other monographs, travel coffee table books don’t just allow you to explore remote cities, get a taste of their unique hotel design, and plan your next getaway, all from the comfort of your home. But when designed ingeniously, they’re one of the quickest and most eye-catching ways to up your living room’s décor through a playful, worldly touch.
Now, we are all more than familiar with ordinary destination guides, which is why you won’t find any of them in this roundup of the best travel coffee table books to read this year — not in their most traditional essence, at least. Instead, I focused on titles that, bringing you original interiors, culture, and lifestyle insights from different corners of the globe, make the ultimate year-round gift for design enthusiasts and seasoned adventurers alike. From the tropical coasts of Malaysia’s Penang to the most aesthetic Alpine stays, these are the quirkiest, style-packed travel coffee table books to get your hands on today.
Best for Design-Enthusiast Travelers
Design Stays
No matter the time of the year, it’s always the right moment to plan your next adventure, and Petite Passport founder Pauline Egge’s Design Stays immerses you in the very best of European hotel design, from Scandinavia to the Aegean Sea and the Alps. Selected for their standout décor, daring aesthetic, and the human stories behind them, the destinations contained within this booklet are all you need to inspire your upcoming getaway — and, who knows, maybe you’ll get to visit them first-hand.
Best for Foodie Adventurers
PENANG: Recipes & Wanderings Around an Island in Malaysia
Freshly printed, PENANG reminds us that traveling is about our destination’s history, culinary heritage, and culture. A riveting journey to the Malaysian island of the same name, the volume gathers 23 recipes courtesy of Chef André Chiang, culinary director of the Eastern & Oriental Express, and chefs Malcolm Lee and Abby Lee, into a feast for all senses. From outstanding architectural landmarks to tucked-away, jungle-clad hills and plantations, Penang offers an unforgettable escape.
See more travel coffee table books from Apartmento Magazine.
Best for Ethical Wanderers
Kinfolk Travel: Slower Ways to See the World
In a world caught in the grip of climate change, traveling is an endangered luxury. This Kinfolk volume strives to awaken us to the allure of our local surroundings, inciting regional wanderings and discoveries in place of intercontinental flights. Informed by slow living principles and filled with breathtaking imagery lensed across five continents, the book prompts us to reassess our relationship with our cities and communities to show how staying put can lead to as much inspiration and awe as favors chasing remote destinations.
Best for Indie Shopping-Led Adventurers
The Monocle Guide to Shops, Kiosks and Markets
If you’ve read any of my Setting Up Shop, chances are you’re aware of my obsession with independent businesses. Conceived as a bible for “would-be-retailers, neighborhood-makers, and brands in need of a fix”, this monograph takes you inside 100 brick-and-mortar shops across the globe through interviews, reports, essays, and equally thought-provoking photographs shedding light on their unique contributions to their retail space and the world as a whole.
Best for Curious Wanderers
Cinema disruptor A24 has made the world a better place thanks to its instant-classic films, from Moonlight (2016) and Aftersun (2022) to Priscilla (2023), and the same can be said of its vibrantly crafted books. Florida! is no exception: packed with colorful illustrations, amusing how-to tips for exploring the Sunshine State like a true local, whimsical photography, and an introduction by native Floridian author Tyler Gillespie, this fanciful find is one that won’t go unnoticed.
Best for Worldly Travelers
Orientalism Style
It was hard to settle on just one of Assouline’s creatively packaged titles. Because of its vivid, decades-spanning imagery of the Middle East and Asia, fun titling and design details, and thought-provoking reflections on the theme of Orientalism — or the Western fascination with the way of life of remote civilizations (and its problematic essence) — this volume had to be the one. Diving into folkloristic customs, immersive bazaars, and monumental architecture, it isn’t just visually beautiful but sparks introspection, too.
Best for Outdoors-y Wanderers
City Parks
During COVID-19, parks became the most immediate, and the only reachable, outdoor destination for all of us. A visual compendium of 50 of the globe’s most fascinating green lungs, from legendary landmarks to under-the-radar thriving grass patches conceived to be remembered by local passersby and tourists alike, City Parks is a 208-page portrait of nature and the humans who inhabit it.
Best for Cinephile Travelers
Accidentally Wes Anderson
Correct me if I am wrong, but I feel Accidentally Wes Anderson needs no real introduction. Mesmerizingly symmetric natural landscapes and urban cutouts, pastel-hued sceneries, and joyful Art Deco design landmarks — be it theaters, hotels, or stuck-in-time stations — are the protagonists of this globe-trotting title, inspired by the meticulous cinematography work of award-winning director Wes Anderson.
Best for Mountain-Obsessed Adventurers
Alpine Style
Remember when I said that no ordinary destination guides were allowed into this edit of the best travel coffee table books? Well, Alpine Style represents their polar opposite. Created for the mountain-obsessed home decorator, it is a punchy, brightly colored archive of some of the most aesthetic and deliberately bold Alpine interiors — granting you snow-fresh inspiration on how to recreate them at home.
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