Tag: travel

The Bookworm’s Dilemma

Before I pack for a trip, one of the thornier questions I ponder involves books. Long past the days when I’d lug my satchel of books to the backseat of my parents’ car and read until daylight was gone, I need to consider my reading more thoughtfully. When reading in busy settings (like the pool or at airports), I prefer works that forgive a few interruptions. I also need to think about bulk, since my travel accommodations rarely are spacious. By the time I’m ready to zip my bags, the question of what to read often slides into whether I should bring a book along at all. Will I read this book on my trip?

Travel and Reading

Sometimes, the trips I’ve taken didn’t allow much room for rest and relaxation, let alone reading. Sarah Tinsley discusses the need for respite in our daily lives, referring to an anecdote that concludes our reason for taking pricey vacations is to compensate for the stress caused by our overpacked lives. Yet, we may unintentionally bring this frenetic energy with on holidays. Itineraries, cataloguing sights to see, tend to turn into checklists to complete and leave many travelers feeling as unrested as they were when they left. Whether it’s the notion that vacation time is too precious to waste sitting or the fear of missing opportunities, there can be little time to reflect on whether we enjoyed ourselves. For those who like alone time and a good read, this vacation plan isn’t worth writing home about.

Niches of Quiet

For the avid reader who finds reading restorative, the solution isn’t forgoing a dream vacation. When we book travel, we should look for moments to build in some free time, giving ourselves time to relax, reflect and read with abandon. Driving to destinations, poring over maps, and queuing for tickets genuinely require our attention, but we can also devote a few minutes to find niches of quiet. It’s easy enough to read a few pages before bedtime or spend some time with a book while waiting for a coach tour to begin. If you’re a reader, taking the time to read the book you brought will make your getaway even better.

Happy reading, fellow travelers!

Among the many pleasures of reading is the journeys we take to distant places, some which we may only see in our imagination.[*] For the locales that we do get an opportunity to see, there’s excitement associated with traveling to places we’ve read about. And then, there’s a third category: visiting a place whose literature we haven’t much (or any) acquaintance with. Although many places on my “To Visit” list earned their spot because of books I’ve read, I’ve been inspired to travel for many reasons, ranging from a friend’s invitation to browsing the Internet and finding an amazing destination. In the spirit of an upcoming adventure to a place with which I have little real or literary familiarity, though, I decided to explore reading for travel and perhaps choose a few books to prepare me for that trip.

Research Reading

For many, travel reading often involves trip research. Spontaneity has its charm, but obtaining information about travel arrangements (transport and accommodations), climate, attire, special equipment needed,[†] visas and so forth is critical when traveling to distant locales. As far as travel and reading go, this category leans more toward organization than adventure but nonetheless should be on the research radar if a trip necessitates it. Internet sites (tourism, travel blogs, government sites, etc.) and travel guides seem to be the go-to resources for planning travel.

But thinking about research made me wonder about what people read to begin the process of learning more about a place and its culture. Finding books for a prospective trip (theoretically) isn’t difficult. I was curious, however, about how people decided to approach reading for upcoming travel. Did they read before they visited? As they traveled? How did they choose books? After being reminded to select my Internet terms with greater care,[‡] I discovered countless lists of books about [insert destination]—as easy as expected. But while they suggested books, they didn’t provide much guidance for how or what to choose.

Reading Before You Go and on the Go: Advice

So, I resumed my research. Intriguingly, the first thing I found was a contrarian article advising against reading before travel. Most sites I’d investigated assumed that readers would read before their travels (or bring books along) and slapped down a list of titles. Rachel Mann, a reader who’d been inclined but unable to delve into a few novels prior to a seven-city trip, argues that literary works provide artistic impressions of cities, portraying them “both better and worse than reality”. She likened the experience to the disappointment produced by viewing a movie having first read the book on which it was based. Mann further observed that such novels often ignore or gloss over the everyday experiences that travelers treasure.[§] Surely perusing works of nonfiction, particularly travel guides and travel memoirs, might provide a more realistic snapshot of a locale than some fictional works would? I also don’t think I found the differences between my experiences of visiting, say, London (even famous literary haunts) or further afield dismaying as compared to my reading. Perhaps it’s the effect of reading numerous works, set in different periods and places, about a specific country that avoided this result. However, it is worth considering the validity Mann’s claim that “having someone else’s experience” in mind could direct a traveler away from finding their own adventures.

Nonetheless, I can’t say Mann persuaded me: sometimes, a reading experience makes taking a trip worthwhile. Matt Hershberger’s article asserts that he became a traveler because he was a reader first. However, he agreed that visiting literary sites can be disappointing (to an extent, echoing Mann’s claim) because they can be touristy.[**] For him, properly engaging with the literature of a place he visits involves discussing literature with locals, something that facilitates actual cultural engagement. His other suggestion, recreating fictional character’s adventures, I found less appealing as it might have some real limits. While he cautions against unwise activities (specifically illegal and/or dangerous ones), I still found it difficult to imagine myself wanting to replicate some literary scenarios. Both may prove difficult to impossible to try before traveling. Still, it might be fun to eat at a restaurant patronized by a favorite character, right?

Mary Ellen Dingley, however, suggests nine types of book for traveling, some which can be read before leaving.[††] Her ideas ranged from bringing books that comforted or encouraged (travel can be daunting) to checking out classics, recent best sellers, and poetry hailing from your destination, particularly when traveling abroad. One of her more intriguing ideas involves reading a favorite YA novel in translation, a tactic that lets you practice reading in the language of host country. While her article isn’t bogged down with selection criteria, there’s enough suggestions to give readers several directions to try before settling down with a reading list.

Ready to Read and Roam

For my own part, I read numerous book lists. Goodreads (of course) was helpful, as were lists provided by local authors. I selected several books, mostly fiction (my reading preference), that appeared on multiple lists. I made sure that I had books by women writers (something many lists neglect still!), as well as books embracing different periods for some historical perspective. At present, I’m rather excited because the books I ordered through my library system’s online catalogue arrived, [‡‡] and I’m set to pick up a stack of books set in place where I plan to visit this summer. For me, it’s thrilling to begin my travels through the words of people who know where I’m going best. And perhaps that why I like to read before I go: I can’t wait to see where I’m headed.

Do you read before you travel? If so, what are your favorite literary adventures? Also, sign up for the Sequence newsletter to stay current with the latest posts!

NOTES:

[*] Or, when they’re actual places, on the Internet.

[†] My upcoming trips will alternate between city tours and outdoorsy adventures, meaning I need good walking shoes and hiking boots in my luggage.

[‡] “Travel reading” as a search term elicits articles suggesting books about traveling and/or traveling as self-discovery, travel memoirs, wanderlust, best travel guides, best books to take on vacation (with a heavy slant towards beach reading), etc. Reading (and writing) about travels of all kinds truly beguiles us.

[§] Like electric outlets. When I arrived in London, I knew I would encounter differences (spelling, pronunciation, crossing the street), but it was ordinary objects that worked similarly yet appeared so different that surprised and delighted me.

[**] The degree to which this may be acceptable varies from places and among individuals. In some places, crowds and/or a touch of cheesiness won’t turn meaningful sites awful, whereas other experiences suffer because they provide little value.

[††] Much like Hershberger, she suggests e-readers because they hold many books without incurring excess luggage fees. I tend to favor a real book, personally, because my beautiful intentions to read are often thwarted by actual desire to see and do—or the resulting sleepiness from having seen and done! One book will suffice in such cases. Had I longer trips with more planned leisure time, I’d consider the e-reader.

[‡‡] I’d still be excited if they weren’t about a vacation spot (because books) but the prospect of adventure still increases my excitement.