Books Set on a Form of Transportation

Whether you are armchair traveling as part of our Book Voyage Reading Challenge, or simply looking for books set on a mode of transportation, our book list is sure to take you where you want to go!

World map photo with toy airplane and three book covers on top

Books Set on Different Modes of Transportation

From planes to trains and ships to sailboats, these books on this list will transport you around the globe. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.” And that’s why, for the list of books below, we’ve focused on stories that take place primarily on a mode of transportation.

Our curated books list spans genres, from historical fiction to contemporary, and from thriller to romance. In addition to planes, trains, and boats, you’ll also find novels and non-fiction reads set aboard airships, bikes, and even a covered wagon.

Books Set on Planes & Airships

Come Fly With Me book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.7 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

In 1962, at the dawn of the jet-set era, two Pan Am stewardesses are navigating an adventurous new life in this historical fiction novel.

Judy Goodman and Beverly Caldwell had different reasons for seeking the coveted position of a Pan Am stewardess, but both were looking to put continents and oceans between them and their pasts. Judy is running away from an oppressive marriage in small-town Pennsylvania, while Beverly is leaving behind the gilded cage of her NYC society life.

By joining the elite team at Pan American Airlines, they embrace the culture, etiquette, and strict rules of the world above the clouds. The job takes them to faraway destinations and presents them with opportunities they could have only dared dream about.

As the two women build a deep friendship, they see each other through both love and danger while discovering what is truly important. They will also be forced to confront secrets that could change their lives all over again.

The Book Girls Say…

We had the opportunity to interview Camille Di Maio back in January of 2022, and she told us that she was working on a draft of Come Fly With Me and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the chance to read the book for the past three years. You can listen to our full interview with Camille here. She talks about the process of working on Come Fly With Me beginning around the 30-minute mark.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1960s

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.4 out of 5
97%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Twelve-year-old Edward boards a plane with his beloved older brother and his parents, bound for their new home and life in California, but when the plane tragically crashes, Edward emerges as the sole survivor. After recovering from his injuries, he goes to live with his mom’s sister and her husband, with the eyes of the world on him. Everyone is eager to hear his story.

His aunt and uncle work hard to shield him from all the attention and to allow him time to process his loss, but when Edward uncovers a stack of letters, he discovers an unexpected path to healing.

The chapters in the book alternate between Edward’s day-to-day life during the three years following the accident and a minute-by-minute recounting of the ill-fated flight, through which we are introduced to many of the other passengers.

The Book Girls Say…

Although the main character is a teen, this is not a YA book. Half of the book details the experiences of the adults on the plane. As you would expect, this book is heavy in the grief department, so be prepared and keep the tissues close by.

Dear Edward was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction in 2020. Though it is a work of fiction, the author has stated that it was loosely inspired by the 2010 crash of Libyan-operated Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771, in which the sole survivor was a 9-year-old boy. When Ann Napolitano learned about this crash, she said, “This story flayed me. I could not imagine how that boy would be OK, and I could feel from the stickiness of my obsession that I was going to have to write a book that created a set of circumstances to make him OK.”

The book has also been adapted into a television series on Apple TV+.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books with Teenage Characters
Best Books From 2020

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.1 out of 5
96%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

This historical fiction novel is based on the real passengers and crew aboard the last flight of the Hindenburg as it traveled from Germany toward Lakehurst, New Jersey. Characters include a frightened stewardess with a secret, the navigator, a cabin boy, a journalist, and an enigmatic American businessman with a score to settle.

This well-researched novel presents a possible scenario for the cause of the explosion aboard the zeppelin.

The Book Girls Say…

The author drew upon biographies, survivor accounts, charts, and other documentation about the final flight of the Hindenburg. Some readers found it helpful to make a list of passengers because the book is told from many different perspectives. The author does a good job of clarifying what is fact and what is fiction.

If you are interested in reading another book set about the Hindenburg, be sure to check out Three Words for Goodbye below in the “Books Set on Multiple Modes of Transportation” section of our list.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1930s

Pilot's Daughter book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Pacific Air Flight 385 is on a nonstop route from Seattle to Honolulu when the flight is hijacked over the ocean. Six people are dead—including the pilots.

Cora is a young widow, mother, and emergency room nurse…but as the world closes in around her, she’s also a pilot’s daughter. The motive behind the hijacking is unclear, which makes it hard for Cora to know who to trust. The man next to her is Seattle Homicide Detective Kyle Adams. Can he help her save the remaining 142 passengers?

The Book Girls Say…

Reviewers say this is an action-packed, page-turning, enjoyable read, but that you should treat it like a summer blockbuster film and not take it too seriously. Be willing to suspend your disbelief at points, including the ending.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/13/2025
A Pair of Wings book cover

Book Summary

Bessie’s mother was born into slavery, and Bessie grew up working on cotton fields in Texas. A few years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, a plane flew over the field, and Bessie was enamoured with the freedom that could come with flying. She moved to Chicago as part of the Great Migration and convinced two men to help fund her dream of becoming a pilot. Robert Abbott was the creator and publisher of the Chicago Defender, and Jesse Binga was the founder of Chicago’s first Black bank.

However, Bessie quickly discovered that no one in the US would teach a Black woman to become a pilot. This didn’t stop her. At 28, she learned French and headed to Europe for flight school. She earned her pilot’s license two years before Amelia Earhart and learned death-defying stunts from French and German dogfighting combat pilots.

Achieving this dream didn’t make life easier. Her brothers were still at home suffering under Jim Crow laws, and her relationship with Jesse Binga became more complicated.

The Book Girls Say…

This novel is inspired by the remarkable true life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Today, fewer than 1% of professional pilots in the US are Black women. One of them is Carole Hopson, the author of the novel, who is a captain of a Boeing 737 for United Airlines.

Inspired by Bessie’s spellbinding accomplishments, Hopson founded the Jet Black Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to sending one hundred Black women to flight school by the year 2035.

NOTE: Some readers say they didn’t enjoy the inclusion of three spicy scenes, while others appreciated Bessie being a three-dimensional character.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1920s

Here One Moment book cover

Book Summary

Aboard a short flight from Hobart to Sydney, Australia, a passenger (who will come to be known as “The Death Lady”) walks up and down the aisles telling each person the age at which they will die and the cause of death.

Some passengers learn that they have many, many years ahead of them. One person is told they will live to be 103. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are less than a year away.

A few months after the flight, one passenger dies exactly as predicted. Then, soon after, two more. Now, even those who originally viewed their encounter with “The Death Lady” as an entertaining story to share at cocktail parties are paying close attention.

The Book Girls Say…

This book has a large cast of characters, including several passengers and “The Death Lady” herself. Despite the clear plot of trying to unravel the truth behind what happened on the plane, it’s still very much a character-driven mystery as you see the daily lives of each character after the fateful flight.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Marian Graves was only an infant when she was rescued from a sinking ocean liner in 1914. She was raised along with her brother, James, in Montana, where they first encountered the miracle of flight when bi-planes passed through town.

By age 14, she had dropped out of school to pursue her love and entered into a dangerous partnership with a bootlegger. He subsidizes her plane and lessons, but with conditions. However, with his assistance, she’s able to pursue her ultimate dream in the 1950s – circling the globe, including flying over the North and South Poles.

In addition to Marian’s story, you’ll follow actress Hadley 100 years in the future as she plays the role of Marian in a movie. As Hadley digs deep into Marian’s life, you’ll see similarities in their self-determination despite their daily lives being so different.

The Book Girls Say…

This Booker Prize finalist is a long book at 600+ pages, and reviews are split on whether all those pages are necessary. We haven’t read it ourselves, but noticed some mentions of child abuse, abortion, and explicit scenes, so keep that in mind if you prefer cleaner reads.

For another story about a groundbreaking female pilot, try The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, which is set in 1920s Hawaii and San Diego.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books that Span Multiple Continents

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
93%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

One hundred and fifty people board a flight to New York. What they don’t know is that thirty minutes earlier, the pilot’s family was kidnapped. The pilot is told that the only way his family will survive is if he follows the kidnapper’s orders and crashes the plane. Buckle up!

The Book Girls Say…

Author T.J. Newman is a former bookseller and a flight attendant. Falling was her debut novel and was named a best book of the year by USA Today. This aviation thriller is set for a film adaptation, and reports indicate that T.J. Newman is also set to write the script.

The author’s second novel, Drowning, is about a commercial flight that crashes in the Pacific Ocean just minutes after takeoff. During the evacuation, an engine explodes, and the plane is flooded. The twelve survivors on the plane are forced to close the doors, and they are trapped when the plane sinks two hundred feet to the bottom of the ocean.

Train Mysteries & Other Books Set on Trains

In addition to the books listed below, author Paul Theroux has several classic train travelogues, such as The Old Patagonian Express and The Great Railway Bazaar. Keep in mind that his books were written in the 70s and are not always culturally sensitive to the regions he visited.

Back on Track book cover

Book Summary

Ketty owns a couture dressmaking business in Australia, but there are rumors that she’s lost her edge. On top of that, her staff has lost their harmony, and the strife is starting to affect customers.

When Ketty’s friend Carlos suggests a trip on the historic Ghan train covering 1800+ miles of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide, she not only agrees to the getaway, she surprises her staff by taking them on holiday with her.

While each person’s challenges have followed them onto the train, at each new stop along the route, the staff learn a bit more about each other. Can they resolve their differences before the train reaches its destination?

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

A snowstorm stops the progress of the famous Orient Express train, trapping everyone on board overnight. In the morning, millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett is discovered dead in his suite, stabbed multiple times. However, his cabin door was locked from the inside, so how did this happen? And does this mean the murderer is still on the train?

The Book Girls Say…

While this is actually book #10 in the popular Hercule Poirot series, it’s the most recognized train mystery and a great introduction to Agatha Christie. Be warned; we hear that once you read one, you’ll want to quickly read more!

If you’ve already enjoyed this historical novel, pick up The Woman on the Orient Express, which turns the tables and places Agatha as the main character aboard the train

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

3.9 out of 5
92%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Selva could have her pick of nearly any man in Ankara, Turkey, but the only one she loved was the handsome Jewish son of a court physician. Despite the protests of their families, the two marry and are determined to build a new life in Paris. But when the Nazis invade France and begin rounding up Jews, it’s no longer safe for them to stay.

After learning that Selva is among the citizens trapped in France, a group of Turkish diplomats devises a plan to transport Selva, Rafael, and hundreds of Jewish people to safety. From Ankara to Paris, Cairo, and Berlin, The Last Train to Istanbul crisscrosses a war-torn continent in an uplifting tale of love and adventure.

The Book Girls Say…

While only a portion of this historical fiction novel is set on the train, readers say that this is the most impactful part of the story. Some feel the story develops slowly, but many people mention that they appreciated learning a new aspect of pre-WW2 history.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/12/2025

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Best Books From 2013

October in the Earth book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

In Depression-era Kentucky, Del is the wife of the most celebrated preacher in Harlan County. She tries to lay low in her rigid life but can’t keep the status quo amid her husband’s infidelity. When a coal train comes through town, Del bravely jumps aboard in what she sees as her only chance for freedom.

As she travels across the country, she finds a new community among the other transient outcasts. Nomadic single mom Louisa quickly befriends Del and helps her learn how to live life on the rails. But the Depression is taking its toll, and desperate circumstances threaten their close bond.

The Book Girls Say…

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/13/2025

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Cozy Books to Read in the Fall
Books Set in the 1930s

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.2 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Accidental author Ernest Cunningham is headed to the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society Crime-Writing Festival on a train between Darwin and Adelaide. As he searches for story inspiration for his second mystery novel, he hopes it won’t involve real people killing each other this time.

Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and one of the six crime-writing authors aboard the train is murdered. The remaining five authors quickly turn into detectives. After all, they should be good at solving crimes. However, their careers have also given them the inside knowledge of how to commit a crime and get away with it.

The Book Girls Say…

This mystery is a follow-up to Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, but it introduces a new cast of characters, so you won’t be lost if you pick up this book first.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.0 out of 5
93%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Each day, Rachel rides the same commuter train in London. As she travels past the back gardens of the houses on the route, she sees the same couple again and again and begins to feel like she knows them. She even names them Jess and Jason. From Rachel’s point of view, their lives look idyllic. She wishes she could be as happy as they are.

But one day, she sees something shocking. The train continues on, but now everything has changed. Told from three points of view, this one will keep you guessing!

The Book Girls Say…

This thriller won the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Mystery & Thriller. The protagonists are not likable, so if that is a deal-breaker for you, be sure to skip this one.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Best Books From 2015

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
95%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Looking to escape his circumstances, Jacob Jankowski jumps onto a passing train and suddenly finds himself thrust into the world of a circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression.

Because Jacob is just shy of his veterinary degree, he’s put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. He becomes enamored with Marlena, the star of the equestrian show. But Marlena is married to the circus’s cruel animal trainer. Jacob also meets Rosie, an elephant that everyone had hoped would help save the circus, but who appears to be untrainable.

The Book Girls Say…

If you’ve already enjoyed Water for Elephants and would like another book about a traveling circus, try The Circus Train by Amita Parikh. It is set in 1938 Europe during WW2. The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson also has a segment set on a circus train.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/13/2025

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1930s

Books Set on Boats & Ships

Historically, water has been a primary mode of transportation for both people and vital resources. This is reflected in classic literature with books like Moby Dick, Huck Finn, The Odyssey, and The Old Man & the Sea. Any of those would be a fun pick if you’re looking for a classic book. You can also find many books set at sea on our list of Books Set in Antarctica.

Last Life Boat book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.7 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

While many English children were sent from London to the English countryside as part of Operation Pied Piper, others went to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. This novel takes us into the lives of a young widowed mother and a young teacher, who bravely volunteers to help protect children amidst a war.

Until 1940, Alice only experienced adventure and bravery through characters in books. But when a plane crashes near her home, she finds new motivation and strength to join the war effort. As a schoolteacher, she’s the perfect volunteer to help accompany children overseas.

Lily has a talent for math, and once dreamed of using that for more than calculating her grocery budget. But then she found love and had two adored children. Her world is ripped apart by war, and as bombs rain down, she must decide how to keep her children safe.

The Book Girls Say…

The Last Life Boat is a well-researched look into the torpedoing of The City of Benares in September 1940. One reviewer calls it “terribly sad yet uplifting in its own way,” so be prepared for an emotional read if you pick this one!

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1940s

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.2 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Author Torre is Australian, but she is spending a year in the US to escape a bad relationship at home.

On a night out in a San Francisco bar, she meets Ivan, a handsome Argentinian adventurer, and they have undeniable chemistry together. The only problem is that he’s leaving on a long trip alone across the ocean in his small boat. This sounds like a worst-case scenario to Torre, who gets seasick and has a fear of the water.

When her only options are saying goodbye to the deep connection she’s developed with Ivan or joining him on the boat, she chooses to face her fear of the water, and they set sail. This memoir chronicles the good and bad of their epic journey together as she embraces adventure in her mid-twenties.

The Book Girls Say…

Melissa read this memoir as an Islands pick for the Book Voyage Challenge last year and had a hard time putting it down because you really begin to feel like you’re with Torre and Ivan on the boat.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books with Characters in Their 20s

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

In 1934, the luxurious cruise ship SS Morro Castle was headed on a round-trip voyage from New York to Havana with New York heiress Catherine Dohan aboard. However, her image of having it all is a lie, and her past catches up with her on the ship. She must join forces with a charismatic jewel thief to figure out who wants her dead.

Another passenger, Elena, is on the run after a devastating betrayal. She’s returning to Havana for the first time with her mind set on revenge. Danger abounds on what should have been a pleasant trip as Elena and Catherine’s fates intertwine and they fight to see justice served.

The Book Girls Say…

This historical fiction is based on a true story and is not related to Chanel Cleeton’s popular Perez Family series.

Mollie McGhee Cozy Sailing Mysteries book cover

Book Summary

Mollie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth anniversary, but instead she receives a dilapidated sailboat…which was not on her wish list. And she definitely didn’t ask for a boat with a dead body on board. While she’s ready to ditch this project ASAP, her husband is still determined to restore the sailboat and set out to sea.

But, she’s drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove. Soon, she has uncoverd a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigated an alien abduction, adopted a cat, and learned far more about sailing than she ever wanted to. But can she find the murderer?

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

3.9 out of 5
95%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

For 22 years, Becca has been married into her husband’s uber-wealthy family of lawyers. At first, her husband was one of the good guys. But as he got older, he began representing the types of clients that made his parents rich, the smarmy guys who had done terrible things to women and had the money to avoid punishment. After overhearing a particularly disturbing comment that went unaddressed by her husband, Becca reaches her breaking point and leaves her marriage.

During the divorce proceedings, the judge is shocked that she isn’t protesting her decades-old prenup and plans to walk away with absolutely nothing. Instead, the judge declares that she should get to keep the fancy sailboat that bears her name.

Becca runs into a dreamy guy at the boatyard who helps her sell the boat, but the buyers are in Miami. To save money on the delivery, she recruits her 21-year-old daughter to sail with her from New England to Miami along the US coast. The only problem is that she has no idea how to sail.

The Book Girls Say…

This is a fun, guilty-pleasure page-turner that provides more depth to the characters than a standard romance. While the romance portion of the book is only ⅓ of the story, there is a steamy scene or two.
For another romance with deeper themes set aboard a sailboat, try Float Plan by Trish Doller.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/13/2025

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
95%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

When you think of maritime disasters, the Titanic is probably the first that comes to mind. But the deadliest disaster at sea occurred in 1945 when a Soviet submarine sank the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner, in the Baltic Sea.

As WWII drew to a close and the Red Army advanced on Germany, a massive evacuation effort began to ferry civilians, soldiers, and equipment to safety. The Wilhelm Gustloff, which had a capacity of 1,800, was packed with more than 10,500 passengers. More than 9,000 people lost their lives when the ship sank, including 5,000 infants and children.

This historical fiction YA novel tells the stories of four passengers: 21-year-old Joana, who is fleeing her native country of Lithuania; Florian, an artist from East Prussia; 15-year-old Emilia from Poland, who is pregnant; and Alfred, a pompous 17-year-old German soldier.

When tragedy strikes, each of them, regardless of country, culture, or status, must fight for their survival.

The Book Girls Say…

This has been a popular pick among many of our readers who selected it for our Books Set in Eastern Europe reading prompt in prior years, but since the majority of the book is set aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea, it makes an even better pick as a book set aboard a ship.

One of our readers stated, “This book is so sad, so moving, and so well written. I enjoyed the fast flip between characters… it kept the story moving right along.”

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Best Books From 2016

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Greta James had musical talent from childhood, but her parents had different visions of where that talent would lead. While her mother was her biggest fan, her dad could only see the likely pitfalls of a music career.

She has spent years trying to prove him wrong and reached the point of appearing on magazine covers and playing sold-out shows. However, with the pressure of a sophomore album and the shock of her mother’s recent death, Greta has an on-stage meltdown that goes viral.

She very reluctantly agrees to join her dad on an Alaskan cruise because she hopes it will give her an escape from media coverage and the pressure of her struggling career. Their relationship is as icy as the Alaskan waters. But together aboard the ship, they will finally come to terms with the baggage of their past so that they can face the future.

The Book Girls Say…

This book had much more depth and emotion than we expected going in. While there is an element of romance in the book, this is really the story of a father and daughter dealing with grief and being forced to confront the challenges that drove them apart.

Shipped by Angie Hockman also features characters on a cruise ship. In this rom-com, the main characters are employees of the cruise line competing for a promotion while sailing to the Galápagos Islands. Shipped is perfect for fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope!

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.3 out of 5
94%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

In 1946, after WW2, the HMS Victoria set out from Sydney with arms, aircraft, a thousand naval officers, and 650 war brides. The women had made promises to men in wartime and were now on a six-week voyage to England, where they would be reunited with their soon-to-be husbands.

Despite the Navy’s many strict rules, the brides and men aboard quickly found their lives entangled. The novel focuses on the stories of four cabin mates. For one of the young women, Frances, the journey will change her life in ways she never could have predicted.

The Book Girls Say…

Reviews say that the linear plot and realistic characters make this a great read when you’re looking for something simple and on the lighter side. Each chapter starts with a non-fiction snippet based on the experiences of the real war brides or sailors aboard the ship.

Some reviewers note that this book moves more slowly than some of JoJo Moyes’ other novels, so skip this one if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced read.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

30 Wedding-Themed Novels to Read This Summer

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.1 out of 5
99%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

A Night to Remember is still considered the best book written about the Titanic. It’s a riveting non-fiction account of the Titanic’s fatal collision, detailing the experiences of passengers and staff before, during, and after the iceberg collision.

While this book is a true account written based on interviews and news reports, it reads like a historical fiction novel.

The Book Girls Say…

Melissa and Angela both rate this one a solid four stars and recommend it to anyone with even a slight interest in the Titanic. Although it’s an older book, it’s a page-turner full of interesting tidbits, and at under 200 pages, it’s a very quick read.

If you are looking for recently published historical fiction stories about the Titanic, consider: Women and Children First, by Gill Paul (which begins on the Titanic and then follows some of the survivors as they arrive in New York), and The Titanic Affair by Amanda Grange (at under 200 pages, this is also a very quick read; it’s also currently available with Kindle Unlimited). For an adventure on another ship from the same era, try Seven Days in May about the Lusitania.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/13/2025

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1900s-1910s: The Turn of the Century

Books Set on Multiple Modes of Transportation

We found two books for you with characters who journey on more than one major mode of transportation!

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.2 out of 5
100%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Sisters Clara and Maddie are very different and don’t get along particularly well. But when their dying grandmother calls them to the family estate in East Hampton, New York, and asks them to deliver three letters for her across Europe, they can’t say no to her dying wish.

The sisters are tasked with traveling to Paris, Venice, and Vienna via the Queen Mary and the Orient Express. Adventurous budding journalist Maddie is excited to travel, but Clara would rather stay home to plan her wedding. Along the way, a shocking truth about their family brings the pair closer together.

In 1937, as political tensions rise and Europe becomes increasingly volatile, the sisters are both relieved to be heading home via the Hindenburg after completing their final task.

The Book Girls Say…

Maddie and Clara’s journey by boat, train, and airship is inspired by the famed reporter, Nellie Bly’s, trip around the world. The author’s note at the end of the book has some great information about Bly.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1930s

On the Hippie Trail book cover

Book Summary

While this memoir was published in 2025, it’s based on travel writer Rick Steves’ journals from his 1978 trip on the “Hippie Trail” from Istanbul, Turkey, to Kathmandu, Nepal, which was the ultimate goal for so many backpackers in the 1970s. As a 23-year-old on a shoestring budget, he and his friend Gene braved wild bus rides, trains, boats, monsoons, and endless adventures across six countries.

Be sure to read both the preface and afterward, which were written recently, reflecting back on his younger years. For the bulk of this memoir, he opted to leave his journal entries from the trip unedited as a time capsule despite knowing that his younger self sometimes sounds naive, insensitive, and even ignorant. However, those moments are balanced by his good-natured curiosity, compassion, and awareness.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.2 out of 5
99%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

After making a name for herself as a crusading young reporter for Joseph Pulitzer’s World newspaper, Nellie Bly was determined to break the record for the fastest trip around the world. She set out on November 14, 1889, on a steamship from New York.

But she had competition. Also setting out from New York that day was a young journalist from Cosmopolitan magazine named Elizabeth Bisland. However, she was on a train heading west instead of a ship heading east.

This wasn’t the only way the two women were total opposites. Nelly was a scrappy reporter raised in Pennsylvania coal country. She used her work to expose social injustice. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was a genteel young woman from an aristocratic Southern family.

This non-fiction account of the journeys of these two trailblazing women reads like a great adventure novel.

The Book Girls Say…

If you’ve read Fiona Davis’ The Address (a favorite of ours), then you’ll remember the fictionalized account of Nellie Bly from that novel. She’s the journalist who went undercover at the Blackwell’s Island Insane Asylum.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books Set in the 1880s and 1890s

Covered Wagon

Before cars and the highway system, brave families crossed unfamiliar territory in covered wagons.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

90% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Naomi May never expected to be widowed at the young age of twenty. When she sets off with her family on the Overland Trail, she hopes it will be a chance to leave her grief behind. Along the trail, she forms a connection with a half-Pawnee man named John Lowry. John straddles two worlds, but feels like a stranger in both. Even as John and Naomi are drawn together, their pasts and the trials of life on the wagon train work to keep them apart. 

John’s heritage allows them to gain passage through hostile territory, but it also comes between their desire to build a life together. When a terrible tragedy strikes, both will have to make incredible sacrifices to save each other.

The Book Girls Say…

Readers warn that this book will make you ugly cry.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/12/2025

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Books About Traveling Across America

World Travel on a Bicycle

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

4.1 out of 5
97%
Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

When 30-year-old Dean Nicholson left Scotland with a plan to cycle around the world, he had no idea his journey would include adopting a kitten that would make them both internet-famous. Three months into his journey, on a remote mountain road between Montenegro and Bosnia, he found an abandoned kitten. He picked her up and got her to a local vet before setting off on the rest of his trek with his new friend, Nala.

The video of Dean and Nala’s meeting now has had 20 million views. As Nala rode on the bicycle with Dean, the duo experienced the kindness of strangers, visited refugee camps, and rescued animals throughout Europe and Asia.

Traveling via Ride Share Companies

The majority of our travels over the last decade have benefited from the ease of ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft. Whether we need a ride to or from the airport, to a neighboring town, or back to our hotel after working our way across town on foot, we’re grateful when a friendly face transports us where we need to go after just a few clicks on our phone.

joyride book cover

Book Summary

Joybird is a cheery Uber driver with big dreams of becoming a life coach. Even her cranky father, a thrice-divorced former TV writer, can’t bring down her glass-half-full attitude when he moves in with her.

After handsome Wall Street exec Devon receives excellent advice from Joybird during his Uber ride, he convinces her to start her life coaching business right from the front seat of her car. As she tries to help all her passengers find the right direction, she also works to pave her own future.

The Book Girls Say…

Readers say that Joybird’s optimism was refreshing and that they enjoyed the mini-glimpses into many different passengers’ lives. There is also a romantic storyline, but it’s not the main focus of the novel.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 08/09/2025

You are welcome to choose any book that you’d like to read for the challenge, but we hope that this list of books has given you a good starting point.

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Comments on: Books Set on a Form of Transportation

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3 Comments

  1. I recommend Bicycling for Butterflies. It is the true story of a woman following the migration of monarch butterflies from Mexico to Canada and back.

  2. Stephanie Moore says:

    I also recommend Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. He writes a narrative based on original sources and makes it so readable! Also very good is his book on Churchill – The Splendid and the Vile.

    1. Melissa George says:

      That’s an excellent suggestion! Melissa’s nephew actually just grabbed that off her shelf and started reading it.