On a warm evening in Florence, the buzz of conversation at I'Brindellone trattoria isn’t about the city’s famed cuisine or the latest travel tips—it’s about Sarah Winman’s novel Still Life. The group, a dozen men and women, are deep in discussion, their wine glasses occasionally set aside as they point to black-and-white photographs of the 1966 Arno flood, a disaster that killed 35 and destroyed priceless works of art. As they talk, it becomes clear this is no ordinary vacation. These travelers are on a structured reading retreat, one of a growing number of literary holidays that blend books, place, and community into a singular experience.
This new wave of bookish travel is capturing imaginations far beyond the solitary beach read. According to BBC, travelers are increasingly seeking out retreats that put reading—not just relaxation—at the heart of their journeys. It’s a trend that’s reshaping both the travel and publishing industries, as people yearn for deeper connections, not only to literature but to the places that inspired it.
“I was first drawn to Books in Places by a Facebook ad,” recalls Lyn Margerison, a regular participant. “It showed the front cover of one of my very favourite books arranged on a table with a glass of wine, set against a piazza in Florence. The caption asked: ‘Do you enjoy reading books in the places in which they are set?’ My antennae were immediately tweaked.” For Margerison, these holidays offer the perfect blend: “I always leave with a renewed enthusiasm for both reading and travelling—plus, usually, a much longer to-be-read list.”
Books in Places, founded by Paul Wright in 2023, has quickly become a leader in this space. What started as a getaway for his UK-based book group has evolved into a business offering weekend trips across the UK and longer retreats to Portugal, Crete, Egypt, Italy, and more. Each trip is centered on reading in situ, immersing participants in the very settings of their chosen novels. As Wright puts it, “Location is at the heart of everything. Exploring the streets, landscapes, and atmosphere of the setting deepens our understanding of the story. A scene that was once just words on a page suddenly comes alive when you’ve walked the same alleys, tasted the same food, or felt the same light as the characters.”
The appetite for these experiences is booming. According to a 2025 survey by travel search engine KAYAK, nearly half of UK travelers now choose destinations based on how suitable they are for reading and learning. Among Millennials, that figure jumps to 60%. The literary tourism sector as a whole was valued at $2.4 billion in 2024, with projections from Future Market Insights suggesting it could reach $3.3 billion by 2034. Wright has witnessed this surge first-hand: “I started in 2023 with two trips. Last year there were seven that were half full. This year I offered around 25 trips that often filled up within 24 hours of me announcing them.”
But the movement isn’t limited to Europe. In New York City, Page Break offers a different twist: guests spend a weekend reading a single novel aloud together, pausing for lively discussions and then sitting down to dinners inspired by the book. Founder Mikey Friedman says, “For the first 20 years of our lives, reading aloud with others is common—parents with children, teachers in classrooms. But as adults we tend to read alone: on the subway, on the beach, or falling asleep in bed. Research shows that reading aloud improves memory and comprehension and promotes social connection. I see it on every retreat: once everyone has read a few pages aloud, the room relaxes, barriers fall, and a group of strangers becomes a community.”
Other companies are tailoring the concept for specific audiences. In the UK, Megan Christopher’s Ladies Who Lit runs retreats exclusively for women and non-binary travelers, offering a safe and welcoming space to connect over literature. “The book community is largely women, and we wanted to extend that offering into travel as well,” Christopher told BBC. Her retreats are loosely structured, with plenty of free time for reading by a Mediterranean pool or in an English country house, and evenings set aside for shared dinners or book-themed film nights. “There is a ‘book of the retreat’ that we all discuss on the final night, but guests can start it before or during the trip—and if it’s not their cup of tea, there’s no pressure. Many use the time to catch up on their own to-be-read lists or share recommendations and conversations. And because we take care of everything—from private chefs to transfers—our guests can truly switch off. That, for a lot of women who spend their lives making decisions for everyone else, is a rare luxury.”
Meanwhile, the literary travel trend is taking on new forms outside the classic retreat. In South Korea, Paju Book City and the Forest of Wisdom offer a unique cultural complex filled with publishers, book cafés, and a vast library with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Reykjavík in Iceland, a UNESCO City of Literature, hosts a vibrant year-round scene and a biannual literary festival. In Buenos Aires, visitors can explore El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a grand bookstore housed in a former theatre. And in Tokyo, the Book and Bed hostel lets guests literally sleep among the shelves.
But what about those who can’t travel—or want to experience history from their own living rooms? Enter Park Chang-hoon, a history expert and operator of the YouTube channel “General Yang Yang-yi,” who has nearly 60,000 subscribers. As reported by MK on September 22, 2025, Park authored A Journey to the Three Kingdoms of the Room, a travel book chronicling his journeys since 2019 to historical sites tied to the Three Kingdoms era in China. Park’s approach is rigorous: he verifies related literature, compares historical sources and geography, and communicates fluently with locals to deliver accurate, vivid stories. His book, divided into two parts focusing on the Wei and Chok dynasties, features visits to battlefields, tombs, and landmarks such as Jojo’s hometown and the mouth of the Yangtze River, site of legendary battles.
Each chapter of Park’s book includes background knowledge for beginners and QR codes linking directly to YouTube videos documenting his explorations. Readers can follow Park’s actual travel route on included maps, making the experience both accessible and immersive. Subscribers and reviewers praise the quality and depth of his work, noting that it “feels less like reading a book and more like watching a movie from the Three Kingdoms series.” Park’s dedication shines through—he tackles remote, hard-to-access sites, sometimes making his own way where no stone bridge exists, all to bring history to life for his audience.
Whether it’s a group of travelers tracing the steps of To Kill a Mockingbird in Alabama, discussing Death on the Nile while sailing the Nile, or diving into the Three Kingdoms from the comfort of home, the message is clear: books are no longer just a private escape. Today, they’re a passport to community, adventure, and discovery—sometimes with a glass of wine in hand, sometimes with a YouTube channel queued up, but always with the promise of a new world waiting just beyond the page.
In a world hungry for meaning and connection, these bookish journeys—whether across continents or from the corner of a room—remind us that the stories we love can be the start of our own great adventures.
