5 Books to get you inspired to break free of the 9 to 5.

It's fair to say that whatever trip you may or may not have planned yours likely won't look much like any of the following, you probably won't befriend the Dalai Llama, you won't travel for years on $5000 and hopefully you won't get severely lost in the Alaskan wilderness.

What I can say for certain is, that you will find inspiration in each of the following stories.

1) On the Road - Jack Kerouac

If this book teaches you one thing, it would be to stick your thumb out and have a good time, at all costs. Although classified as fiction, there's no denying this is a largely semi-autobiographical tale that follows the protagonists through liquor-fuelled rebellion that encapsulates the beat generation and has inspired writers, readers, and road tripers alike.

2) Into the wild - John Krakauer

After a year of being locked up, locked down and endlessly uninspired. This one will grip you and hopefully teach you a lesson or two before you embark. A true tale told by one of the greatest non-fiction writers alive, the story follows Christopher McCandless AKA Alexander Supertramp as he navigates the US with his middle finger raised to Society, before embarking on a truly reckless final trip into the wild of Alaska, armed with a low caliber rifle, rice and a mission to cut himself off and live off the land.

3) Travels with Charlie - John Steinbeck

A travelogue that follows Man, his best friend and all the beautiful stories that come along the way. If you've read Steinbeck before, you know he's a master of the English language that lights up your imagination like a headlight down a dark dirt road. It's truly amazing that a short 200-page book can paint such a vivid a varied picture of the American people and places. With Van life coming back in a bigger way than ever, this is one that has undoubtedly inspired thousands of road trips and thousands more to come

4) Seven years in Tebet - Heinrich Harrier

From a prison camp to the Royal Palace of the Dalai Lama, this true story follows an Austrian mountaineer trapped in the Himalayan region at the breakout of World War Two. This story is truly stranger than fiction that will throw you into the action, only a few pages in. Follow Heinrich and his multiple attempts to break out of a prison camp in India and climb above the clouds away from a world of conflict.

5) Barbarian Days - William Finnegan

Whether you can surf or not, Finnegan will push you into your first wave, take you to some of the best surf beaches around the globe and lead you through a dense life of recklessness and bohomian vigor. He'll tell you that you're too old to get really good at surfing if you're above the age of 9 but make you feel the waves and the rays with his poetic accounts of a life gripped by the obsession with the surf.