The goal of this project is to investigate the accuracy of medieval travel narratives to distinguish between what stories and journeys are true, and what are not. Focusing on five medieval travel works from Benjamin of Tudela, Marco Polo, Ibn Fadlan, Margery Kempe, and Gerald of Wales, this project will examine the discrepancies between where each writer claimed to have traveled and where they actually traveled. By analyzing these texts, this project uncovers the motivations behind these discrepancies, from political agendas to personal biases, and examines the impact these narratives had on shaping their intended audiences’ perception of foreign lands. This project looks at each work through its historical, socioeconomic, and political context to reveal the intersection of fact and fiction in medieval travel writing.