Travel is a central theme in Life on the Mississippi. From childhood, Twain dreams of traveling. He relates how jealous he was as a child of another boy in town who ran away to work on a steamboat. In time, Twain leaves Hannibal, his childhood home, and becomes a “cub” or trainee aboard a steamboat. Not only does Twain recount his travels along the Mississippi River, he adds anecdotes and first-hand narratives from others concerning travel in the region and along the River. Twain’s accounts of learning how to pilot a steamboat are infused with life and culture along the River, thus showing the connection between everyday life and travel while living on the Mississippi River.

Twain also highlights how travel is responsible for the Mississippi being glimpsed by white men, such as explorers like DeSoto. Travels by explorers garnered interest in the River and the area, thus creating a rush to explore the riches of the region and the River. This travel is responsible for not only the River’s growth, but the growth of America, as well as its prosperity as it related to the River’s growth. Twain again uses various accounts to highlight how the River as a travel mechanism aided in the development of the region.