105 Best Travel Quotes To Inspire WANDERLUST with Photos

Sometimes you just need that extra bit of motivation to push you out the door or a good reminder of what makes travel life-changing. Through the years, we’ve been collecting the best travel quotes that’ll truly inspire some serious wanderlust.

By combining these wanderlust quotes with photos to create the most fitting pictures, use the table of contents below to jump straight down to organized categories such as trip with friends quotes, short travel quotes, meaningful wanderlust quotes about life and discovery, and more!

Best travel quotes to inspire wanderlust

“Best” is always subjective and yes there are many other great takes on quotes that can inspire one to travel or speak to why the idea of travel is so powerful and life-changing.

Below, we’re going to be listing the best travel quotes with the associated person that wrote or said them. We’ve created pinnable images for many of the quotes for you to use and share.

For organization, wanderlust inspired quotes are broken down into high level categories. Some may belong to multiple but I tried my best to segment them into appropriate buckets.

We’ve also dropped a few nuggets of wisdom and color commentary for a few that we really love.

Top 10 best travel quotes

As we mentioned, the selection of the “best” quotes is subjective. Every quote speaks to every individual differently because of where you are in your life, the experiences you’ve had, your mind space, where you want to be, and your aspirations.

These are the best in our eyes because they aren’t deep in meaning and haven’t been overused to death.

1. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Passed on from generation to generation is the idea that we need to fit in our own box and follow the norms set for us. It can be societal, cultural, or anything. We’ve found joy in our lives not following that conventional path.

Starting Going Awesome Places and turning it into a full time job sounded crazy (still kind of is) but we carved our own way through it. Sure there are parallel paths but I’d like to think we’ve blazed our own trail.

2. “We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Katie Thurmes

I’ll be the first to admit that we take way too many photos when we travel but when we go back and look at the own albums (whether on our phones or photobooks we print), it really is a wonderful portal back in time to moments and time gone but not forgotten.

3. “This wasn’t a strange place; it was a new one.” – Paulo Coelho

Now that’s the incredible thing about travel. If you open your mind and your heart, anywhere new is a wonderful adventure of discovery and not strange of weird.

Take the incredible journey I had in our 9 day Ethiopia itinerary. Sure it was uncomfortable and challenging but I embraced it all.

4. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

You can make your dreams come true with a simple step. It might be the hardest step that you’ve ever had to take because you don’t know where the journey will take you but all it takes are the first baby steps.

Sometimes it can be literal when you take that step off the plane when we went skydiving in New Zealand.

5. “I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

Where we grow up in many ways define who we are and what we know. Like it or not, places like our favorite restaurants in North York, the Oxford County Cheese Trail, or local walks in the parks in Richmond Hill, are a core part of who you are.

It’s our own little bubble and when we are able to bust out of it to see what the world is like, it will challenge you to open your eyes, mind, and be a better person. In Mary’s words, you will never be the same again.

6. “Wanderlust: n. a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world”

We cheated a little here but we sometimes throw around the word wanderlust but what does it actually mean? With this fun travel quote, now you know!

Now who has that impulse to explore the world?

7. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

My mind immediately went to the new worlds we’ve seen while going to the best places to scuba diving in the world but this is one of the best quotes about travel because it encourages us to leave the comforts of home to make new discoveries.

You can take this from the perspective of us being land mammals or the fact that we naturally want to be close to the things that we feel at home with. Whether small or large, you won’t learn something new until you put yousrelf out there and venture to places unknown.

And no, it’s not just “man” but all the wonderful people of this earth!

8. “Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jamie Lyn Beatty Thi

This is one of the best travel quotes because it is SO TRUE.

The experiences you gather while travelling are honestly worth more than all the money you can make.

9. “There’s a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they’re absolutely free. Don’t miss so many of them.” – Jo Walton

As a photographer, my favourite moments are during sunrise and sunset. Every time we compile a list of the best photography spots like this one in Prague, there’s at least one sunrise or sunset included.

There’s a calmness, stillness, and serenity to the start and end of the day and yes, they’re totally free.

10. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it. ” – John Steinbeck

As a married couple, there’s a deep honesty to this travel quote. As a couple, travel will test your relationship to the max and we always say that even more -so than moving in is to go on a trip together to see if you have partner in life.

In John Steinbeck‘s travel quote, he talks about how you have to let travel flow the way it wants to go. You can try to bend it, mold it, and control it but you have to let it take you

Quotes about travel by authors

Some of the best wanderlust sayings are by accomplished writers. They’re incredibly deep, thoughtful, and literary.

11. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

This is one of the most well-known wanderlust quotes that speaks to how the journey is more important than the destination. Many of us travel without that end point in mind and that’s totally okay!

12. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” – Mark Twain

Travel is the greatest teacher of them all. It’s something that has truly opened my mind and is something that more of us need. I’d like to think that we don’t travel for travel’s sake but we do it with purpose – to open our minds, break barriers, and gain broader understanding of the world.

13. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert

The more you travel the more you realize that what you know and take for granted is but just a tiny bubble on this great earth. While I don’t know if I’ll ever see it all but to travel is to expand your horizons.

14. “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” – Anita Desai

Everything you encounter – people, food, culture, fortunes, and mishaps stay with you forever and you become better for it.

15. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

I’ve been feeling a little empty ever since COVID-19 and our lockdown existence. It’s truly made me realize how important it is my life.

16. “I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list.” – Helen Sontag

Bucket-lists are such a topic of contention these days but I say there’s nothing wrong about dreaming and building your list of places you want to go, what you want to do, and things you want to experience. Just expect it to be a long list.

17. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

18. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

19. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

20. “People don’t take trips, trips take people.” – John Steinbeck

I’m pretty OCD when it comes to planning and I’m sure it comes through on the itineraries we publish but some of the best travel moments always come from the unexpected. In many ways, as much as I want to be in control, I feel that I am but a passenger.

21. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

There’s a level of fulfilment when travelling and I love that I can expand my horizons and see our world in a new and different way.

Short travel quotes

Sometimes you just need something short and sweet to convey your love of travel.

Here are our favorite short travel quotes but there are also quotes that cross with other categories so make sure to browse through the entire list as there are definitely more short quotes than just these ones below.

22. “Oh the places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

You probably don’t know yet but you’ll be going to a ton of awesome places in your lifetime.

23. “Don’t quit your day dream.” – Anonymous

Always be dreaming and more than that, make it a reality.

24. “Where to next?” – Anonymous

This is more like the question that I get asked the most beyond “where’s your favorite place you’ve been to?”. This

If you’re a traveler, this is a question that you get almost every single time. It’s also a fantastic short travel quote because it’s almost rhetorical. There’s always somewhere you’re planning on going or want to go to.

It’s also a bit of a loaded question because I’m sure your list is quite long.

25. “Travel has a way of stretching the mind.” – Ralph Crawshaw

26. “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” – Anonymous

27. “Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets.” – Oscar Wilde

Not just an amazing travel quote but great words to live by in all facets of your life.

28. “Don’t listen to what they say, go see.” – Chinese Proverb

In travel, it’s easy for someone to say that you can know everything you need to know by reading about it in the books or looking at photos but it’s something else entirely to see, experience, and feel it in person.

29. “I want to make memories all over the world.” – Anonymous

30. “Dare to live the life you’ve always wanted.” – Anonymous

We try to live without regret and this is a great short quote that we try to live life by.

31. “The journey, not the arrival matters.” – T.S. Eliot

32. “All you need to know is that it’s possible.” – Wolf, an Appalachian Trail Hiker

33. “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de St. Exupery

I don’t always travel that light with our packing lists but this is a great short travel quote that’s always the forefront of my mind. I always ask myself, “do I really need this?”.

Here, I’m in the middle of Tokyo with the original Peak Design 5L Sling that makes a great light travel set up.

Quotes on going off the beaten path when travelling

Sticking to the road less travelled can be the most rewarding. Here are a couple of quotes that push me to always incorporate something a little different on my trips.

34. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain

It’s so easy to follow the crowd and be sucked into what everyone’s doing on Instagram or places that are the most popular. I’ve always found that the best trips are the ones that most people don’t know about.

35. “Those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it.” – Rick Watson

36. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” – Robert Frost

Quotes about travel by philosophers

To some extent all great quotes come from a place of philosophical thought but to keep things organized, these are some of the most famous quotes by legendary philosophers that have stood the test of time.

37. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

Wisdom, experiences, happiness, and wonder – it’s out there for you to explore.

38. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius

39. “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

If you’ve read about how Going Awesome Places came to be, you’ll know that I kind of stumbled upon it by accident. It’s through travel that I’ve become a better storyteller. Ibn Battuta was absolutely right.

40. “Travel brings power and love back into your life.” – Rumi Jalalud-Din

This quote speaks to the greatest reward of travel. Travel has given me so much on many levels. I’m gracious beyond words.

41. “The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G.K. Chesterton

Trip with friends quotes

42. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain

This has to ring so true right. The best test of a friendship is to travel and you quickly find out whether you can stand them or not.

43. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

44. “Life was meant for great adventures and close friends.” – Anonymous

45. “True friends never apart maybe in distance never in heart.” – Helen Keller

46. “We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world & the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

47. “The more I traveled, the more I realized fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine

48. “As with any journey, whom you travel with is more important than the destination.” – Anonymous

49. “Life is about doing things that don’t suck with people who don’t suck.” – Anonymous

There’s enough suckage in life. Spend time with those that don’t suck.

50. “One of the great things about travel is that you find out how many good, kind people there are.” – Edith Wharton

51. “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway

52. “As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” – Winnie The Pooh

Sometimes you just know who’s going to make an awesome travel partner.

53. “You can pack for every occasion, but a good friend will always be the best thing you could bring!” – Anonymous

54. “In life, it’s not where you go – it’s who you travel with.” – Charles M. Schulz

As much as I love solo travel, it just isn’t the same when you can’t share your travel experiences with someone else.

55. “No road is long with good company.” – Turkish proverb

56. “Friends that travel together, stay together.” – Anonymous

57. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

58. “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.” – African Proverb

59. “Sharing adventures means enjoying them 100% more.” – Anonymous

Inspirational quotes about travel

We seek good wanderlust quotes because we’re looking to be inspired. In a simple sentence, you’ll feel that itch to book that ticket. These quotes speak to a way of life, and why you need to just go.

60. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle

Sustainable travel is so important and its core principle can be said in this simple travel quote.

61. “Our happiest moment as tourists always seems to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” – Lawrence Block

62. “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.” – Anonymous

63. “Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – Stephen Covey

64. “We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” – Ray Bradbury

65. “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right.” – Anonymous

Travel is about taking that leap of faith. It could be a big investment in money. It could be a big risk quitting your job or taking a sabbatical. It could be scary doing it on your own. Whatever it is, think about how incredible the experiences will be to push you over that edge.

66. “Wanderlust isn’t about running away from it all.  It’s about experiencing the outside to discover the inside.” – Unknown

This is so true. Some might have the perspective that intrepid travellers are running away from something at home. The reality is that for many, travel is a way for us to learn more about ourselves and running towards truth.

Meaningful wanderlust quotes about travel and life

Beyond inspiration, travel and wanderlust quotes tell us how we should think about life and what is important.

67. “We travel not to escape life, but for life to not escape us.” – Anonymous

Time moves faster than ever. There are only so many “I’ll do that later” you can use before you run out. Don’t let those opportunities slip on by.

68. “With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake

69. “To travel is to live.” – Hans Christian Andersen

This is one of my all-time favourites that can easily go into the short travel quotes section. It’s a motto in life that’s truly transformative.

70. “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell

71. “Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.” – Alan Keightley

72. “When overseas you learn more about your own country, than you do the place you’re visiting.” – Clint Borgen

73. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

You have one life to live. Make it count is what I say.

74. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe.” – Anotole France

Travel quotes about adventure and discovery

Adventure is such a core part of our travel DNA and these quotes about travel should inspire you to launch your very own.

75. “To live will be an awfully big adventure.” – Peter Pan

76. “Adventure is worthwhile.” – Aesop

77. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsch

When the adrenaline is pumping, and you don’t know what’s coming next is when I feel the most alive. That includes being terrified of heights and jumping out of a plane in the Abel Tasman.

78. “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” – Anonymous

79. “Great things never came from comfort zones.” – Anonymous

80. “Travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind.” – Anonymous

81. “It is not down in any map; true places never are.” – Herman Melville

82. “The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

83. “Just go. Go see all the beauty in the world.” – Anonymous

There is truly so much beauty in the world. Everywhere I go, I’m constantly amazed.

Happiness in travel

Above all else, travel is what puts a smile on many people’s faces. This collection of wanderlust quotes should give you what people call “the travel feels” these days.

84. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman

85. “The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” – Anna Quindlen

86. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou

There are so many ways to interpret this one but I think of it as always staying positive whether it’s someone feeling down or when shit happens when you travel.

87. “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous

Songs with travel in them

I have a couple of these songs on my road trip mixtape. Songs are such a great way to convey ideas and these are a few lyrics that make me want to travel even more.

88. “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world”. – Louis Armstrong, “It’s a Wonderful World”

This isn’t normally something you associate with travel but when you think about those skies of blue, clouds of white, trees of green, colors of the rainbow, and all the faces of people going by, I can’t help but think about all the things that make travel so amazing.

89. “Life is short; I wanna live it well. One life, one story to tell.” – Switchfoot, “Live It Well”

If you know me well, you’ll know that Switchfoot is my all-time favourite band. Their lyrics are what I love the most about them because they always have incredibly deep meaning. Life is precious, you’ve got one shot to make it count.

90. “But hold me fast, hold me fast, cause I’m a hopeless wanderer.” – Mumford & Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer”

91. “Gonna travel, gonna travel wild and free. I’m gonna pack my bags because this great big world is calling me.” – Elvis Presley, “Harem Holiday”

92. “Tell everybody I’m on my way. New friends and new places to see. With blue skies ahead, yes I’m on my way.” – Phil Collins, “On My Way”

Wanderlust quotes by famous people

They might not be authors or philosophers but they equally have important things to say about the impact of travel and why it matters.

93. “If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.” – Anthony Bourdain

The late Anthony Bourdain was someone that truly understood travel. He was such a great storyteller and this quote reminds me of my earlier days when I was backpacking around Europe and just not having a care in the world.

94. “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali

95. “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey

96. “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

97. “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

Travel does change you and always for the better. Anthony Bourdain goes a step further by also encourages us to leave the places we visit better off.

98. “To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

99. “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” – Dalai Lama

100. “Paris is always a good idea.” – Audrey Hepburn

Movies that have great quotes about traveling

There are a couple of wanderlust quotes from movies that stand out. Some are well-known and others you might not’ve heard of or watched.

101. “I’m shaking the dust of this crummy town off my feet and I’m gonna see the world!” – George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life”

102. “The world is not in your books and maps, it’s out there.” – The Hobbit

Pictures tell a thousand words and videos many more but there’s nothing like being in these places that people talk about and taking it in with all of your senses.

103. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

104. “You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.” – Me Before You

105. “I want adventure in the great wide somewhere.” – Beauty and the Beast

Final thoughts on traveling quotes

I’m not sure if we’ve ever done a list this long but we hope that you’ve been able to pull a few favorites of your own with the best quotes about travel.

Many of these have anchored but have also set me free when it comes to traveling the world. In one way or another, these quotes have driven me to take the leap, to continue to explore, and to get outside of my comfort zone.

Frequently asked questions

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So what are your favorite travel quotes? Are there quotes that we’ve missed that you would’ve loved to have seen make the list? Drop a comment down below!