Literary Travel

Combine your love of books with travel for unforgettable vacation

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I love to combine my reading hobby with travel, don’t you? Before I leave on a trip, I make sure to make a list of bookstores and libraries in the cities I visit. Some of my favorite souvenirs are books.

Since we’re about to head into the summer travel season, I thought I would share a few ways you can incorporate literature into your trips.

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Libraries

When my daughter was little we spent a lot of time visiting libraries in the summer. Sure, we had a weekly visit to our local library, but we also made little day trips to other libraries in our county.

When it was time to go on vacations, I started checking for libraries located at our destination. It’s fun to see the book collections in different places and often the architecture is amazing and there are exhibits to see. We’ve been to libraries in London, Cannon Beach, and (our favorite so far) the library in Coronado, CA where there are beautiful stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Wizard of Oz because the author, Frank L. Baum, was inspired by the Hotel Del Coronado when writing the series.

Next time you are planning trip, make sure you visit the local library’s website and see if it’s worth a stop. Here are some fun ideas of things you can do in the library once you get there.

Extra Tip: Make some travel goals around the libraries themselves. It might be fun to try to see all the Carnegie Libraries over the course of your travels?

Photo by Laura Bray

Bookshops

You know I love bookstores! I firmly believe that you can tell a lot about a city from their bookstores. We almost always stop in at least one bookshop when we travel somewhere new. Check-out my post about Shakespeare & Co. in Paris and Bookshops in Seattle, Washington (which is a UNESCO designated City of Literature).

Photo by gordie jackson on Unsplash

Learn About Your Favorite Authors

Visiting the city of your favorite author is a fun way to learn more about them and see the places that inspired some of your favorite books. Many cities of famous authors celebrate their esteemed residents by turning their homes into museums or offering literary tours. Think about Prince Edward Island and L.M. Montgomery or Jane Austen and Bath, or Beatrix Potter and the Lakes District.

With a little research your next vacation can be a bookworm’s delight. Will you tell me about the literary places you have visited?