From sleeping between bookshelves in Japan to sailing Agatha Christie’s Nile, experience a new kind of reading where fiction blurs into reality.
The peak of destination reading used to be taking a book to the beach, relaxing against the sand, and feeling the breeze from the waves caress the legs while buried deeply in a good book. But that is changing, and fortunately, it is being replaced by even better experiences.
Destinations That Redefine Reading
Across the world, there are innovative reading systems being brought to life, all with different approaches. For instance, in Paju Book City and Forest of Wisdom in South Korea, the Forest of Wisdom is surrounded by artful spaces and book cafes where readers can unwind and bury themselves in books.
The Book and Bed space in Japan is another hybrid innovation where hostel spaces are built right into the bookshop, a fantasy for anyone who has ever dreamt of falling asleep between bookshelves.
More bookish travel trends keep rising, and participants are testifying to life-changing experiences that are rekindling their love for reading and bringing much-needed peace to their lives.
Books, Places, and People
The whole concept of holidays is being redefined. If people can go on holidays and still find time to work, it’s certainly not out of place to create holidays where reading is infused as a major activity.
These are called reading retreats, where the ritual of reading is central to everything being done. For many such retreats, participants get to read the books on their one all day, while discussions are held around a large table during dinner.
What makes these reading retreats special is the total downtime the participants experience, cut off from work and digital devices, and solely engulfed in books and other like-minded people. Conversations are rich and uplifting as total strangers dive deeper into select books as a community.
Some retreats even take things further by reenacting the physical locations and events in the book the group is reading. For instance, if a book featured a chef pulling off a cooking stunt, being in a location where the same is being done suddenly brings the scene to life. This is what book retreat organizers like Books in Places afford participants.
Walking the Path the Characters Walked
Books have always been the window to the world, where readers can mentally be in locations they never knew existed, through the lens of the authors. However, by putting themed locations at the center of travel, it is now possible to walk the paths characters walked, causing readers to have a deeper experience of the plot they once skimmed through.
As such, being on a cruise ship across the Nile while reading Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile suddenly makes it feel more real. Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See becomes a part of the readers when they walk the same streets of St. Malo.
Doing these, alongside others in the discussion group, brings the scenes to life, enriches the context, drives home the messages passed, and imbues the feeling in the readers’ senses.
In a way, it is therapy, a much-needed experience that takes the reader away from the real world into the fictional world they’ve always basked in. They don’t merely read the story; they become the story.
Beyond the Pleasure
More than the relaxation and peace that come from reading in surreal destinations, the health benefits of reading retreats, where reading aloud is part of the routine, cannot be understated. According to research, reading aloud enhances memory and helps with comprehension. Furthermore, reading aloud in a group improves social interaction and connection with others in the group.
Of course, reading a whole book out loud may be too strenuous to engage in. However, in a scenario where different people in a group take turns reading extracts or different parts of the book, it becomes easier to cope with, especially alongside the discussions that ensue in between readings.
This experience is similar to what many experienced during childhood, and it has proven therapeutic, as everyone loves to connect with the eight-year-old in them once in a while.
Other than the health benefits of reading retreats, it’s a no-brainer that new friendships are formed. The reason for this is that getting people of shared interests in the same place for a number of days at a stretch will always breed long-lasting relationships. And in a world that continually gets lonelier even in the face of numerous social media platforms, having a new friend is a blessing.
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Erica Sarah
Erica is a creative writer and editor with a love for books and the smell of libraries. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s doting on her cat, Felix, and daydreaming about ending global hunger.
