Reading While Traveling

Updated: Feb 18, 2023

I love to read! However, I don't make time to read printed books very often. I almost always listen to audiobooks, many of which are about things like living my best life, working smarter, health / wellness /self care, time management / planning or books by and about inspirational people. Even when I read the bible, it is almost always an electronic version on my iPad Pro.

The one exception is when I travel, and especially when I travel for vacation. I always read a printed book - it is a special treat for me to take the time to do so!

Below are some of the books that I have read recently while I traveled. In the descriptions are affiliate links for the books. If you decide to purchase any of these books, we appreciate you using our affiliate links to shop! Our small business earns a small commission (1%-3%) as an Amazon Affiliate.

How I usually select travel reading materials...

Usually, I will just stop in a store at the airport and pickup a couple of books that seem interesting to me. An example of a book that I selected this way was Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.

I had never heard of the book, but listened to a podcast that featured Trevor Noah regularly. In this book, Trevor Noah tells the story of his childhood during apartheid in South Africa. The book is an excellent read, and even though it is has serious undertones, the book is filled with Trevor Noah's insight and comedy. I definitely recommend reading it.

How I selected my books for my last vacation...

For my last vacation, a two week trip to Hawaii that included cruising the Hawaiian Islands on the Pride of America, I took a different aprpoach to finding reading material. I asked my grandgirls, ages 10 and 16, if they had read any good books lately. Their recommendations were excellent!

Recommendation #1:

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

The first book that I read that my 16 year old grandgirl recommended was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

The book is a murder mystery that tells the story of a young girl that was left by her parents and family to fend for herself in the marshlands of North Carolina. I had already seen the movie, but enjoyed every single page of the book. I was impressed that for the most part, the movie was true to the story in the book. If you like a good mystery, I highly recommend this book.

I read this while sitting in a hot tub relaxing in Hawaii. A father with young children got into the hot tub, and when his two children (maybe ages 2 and 5) came to get in the hot tub with us, he made them promise not to splash the water so that my book wouldn't get wet. It was very considerate of him, and his children kept their promises!

Recommendation #2:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

The second book that I read which was recommended by my 10 year old grandgirl was Wonder by R. J. Palacio.

I had not heard of this book before I read it, and enjoyed it immensly! It tells the heartwarming and inspiring story of August Pullman, who was born with facial differences that prevented him from being normal. He was home schooled due to the many medical challenges that he faced. The story starts as Auggie's parents encourage him to attend a mainstream school for the first time. The story tells of Auggie's first year as a fifth grader, when all the students enter middle school. The book is simply wonderful, and I highly recommend it. It is a children's book, but it is a good read for any age.

If you have children or grandchildren in fifth grade, ask them if they have read this book. Many schools have incorporated it into their curriculum, and you can have some great discussions with your young one about the ideas in this book.

This book has been made into a movie in 2017, which I purchased and watched after reading the book. The director worked with the author to make sure that the movie was true to the book. They did a great job, but I was a little disappointed that they changed the science fair project in the movie. A bit of movie trivia: The author makes a small appearance in the movie.

Bonus books!

Augie & Me by R. J. Palacio

365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Precepts by R. J. Palacio

After reading Wonder, I was hooked and read another book based on Wonder. The book was Auggie & Me by R.J. Palacio.

I listened to this as an audiobook. It tells the parallel stories of Julian (the bully in Wonder); Christoper (Auggie's oldest friend); and Charlotte (Auggie's new friend at school). The book adds wonderful insight into these three characters and what makes them who they are, while tying into Auggie's story. If you enjoyed Wonder, it is definitely worth reading. I have two ten year old grandgirls. Both of them read Wonder, but they had not read Auggie & Me. They both got a copy of it for Christmas this year!

The second book based on Wonder that I am reading is 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne's Precepts by R. J. Palacio. It was on my list, and I received a copy of it for Christmas!

In Wonder, Mr. Browne defines precepts this way to his fifth grade students: Precepts are "words to live by". At the beginning of each month, he would write a new precept on the board and the class would discuss it. At the end of the year, he would encourage his students to send him a postcard with a precept of their own on it - either a quote from a famous person or a precept they made up. This book has 365 precepts that Mr. Browne or his students contributed. I absolutely love quotes,and words of wisdom. This book gives me a reason to pick up a book - are real, printed book - once a day for the next year.

There you have it - five great books from my vacations! I am so happy that I chose books that my grandgirls have read. It let's them know that their granny loves to read, that I value their opinion and that I take their recommendations seriously, Reading books that they have read also opens the door for us to read and discuss more books together!

Do you like to read when you travel? Do you have any books that you recommend reading? Do you have a certain type of book that you read on vacation? Do you have a specific way of choosing your reading material? Share your thoughts in the comments below!