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The Unofficial Fantasy Travel Guide for the Perfect Summer Vacation

by  | May 30

Do you ever read about a place and immediately imagine yourself there? When I started planning my vacation for the summer, Westeros still felt like a great idea. In light of recent events, and the fact that Hogwarts is closed during the summer, I’ve decided to broaden my horizons and plan the most fantastical trip I could imagine. So, consider this your unofficial fantasy travel guide to the best mythical places worth visiting.

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia

by C.S. Lewis

Location: Narnia

Of course, there could not be a magical travel list without including Narnia, since Hogwarts and Westeros were already mentioned. Ever since I picked up a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I’ve wanted to visit Narnia. A land with talking animals, mythical creatures, and magic. If you visit Narnia, you’re likely to encounter rolling hills and beautiful forests. Narnia is bordered by the Eastern Ocean and the Archenland mountains. One has many options when traveling to Narnia, including by painting, boat, or most famously, wardrobe.

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The Dark Tower I

The Dark Tower I

by Stephen King

Location: All-World

The idea of being able to travel back in time to the Wild West is a popular one. It’s explored in numerous stories such as HBO’s Westworld, but there’s something about the aspect of a parallel universe where time no longer behaves as it should that makes All-World so fascinating. Sure, it would be cool to visit the Old West, but wouldn’t it be even cooler to visit a Western setting with the remnants of technology and magic and a sun that doesn’t always rise in the same place? The quickest way to get to All-World is to pick up a copy of The Gunslinger, the first book in the Dark Tower series, as soon as possible.

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The Gospel of Loki

The Gospel of Loki

by Joanne M. Harris

Location: The Nine Worlds

If you’ve read any Norse mythology, you probably know what the Nine Worlds are, one of which is Asgard. While the MCU version of Asgard is pretty cool, and the original depictions of the Nine Worlds from Norse mythology are spectacular, Joanne M. Harris breathes new life into Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, and Helheim as she recounts the rise and fall of the Norse gods through the eyes of Loki, the most notorious of tricksters. If you’d like to explore the Nine Worlds on your summer holiday this year, all you need to do is locate the World Tree, Yggdrasil. Or you could just pick up a copy of The Gospel of Loki and read it under your favorite tree at the park.

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The Raven Tower

The Raven Tower

by Ann Leckie

Location: Iraden

A story of intrigue in a beautiful city with gods who can’t lie? Where can I get my plane ticket, and will they accept my Southwest points? Iraden is a magical place that has long been protected by a god known as the Raven. But as the Raven’s power weakens and a usurper steals the thrown, a young warrior discovers that Iraden and the Raven’s Tower hide a shadowy history. Part of this story is told in second person and truly transports the reader into the heart of the conflict.

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The Grace of Kings

The Grace of Kings

by Ken Liu

Location: Dara

Perhaps you’re looking for a place a little more lush? Then you should venture on over to the great Islands of Dara, which is surrounded by the Wall of Storms that isolates the archipelago from the rest of the world. Rich in Asian culture and Middle-Eastern mythologies, Dara is the setting for Ken Liu’s epic Dandelion Dynasty series. The Grace of Kings, the first of the two-book series, follows a bandit and the son of a duke as they rebel against the empire and suddenly find themselves on opposing sides. Intrigue, action and fantasy: what more could you need for your next vacation?

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