A lovely camping trip that we took last weekend made me think a lot. 24 hours in the fresh air did more good for my brain than the many cups of tea and episodes of The Good Doctor I had been consuming for the past couple of months to get through a very rickety, uncertain time.
We came back totally refreshed, but then my brain did what it does best - overthink.
This time, though, it was a positive kind of brain activity: I started to think about the books we decide to travel with and how we read when we go away.
I know that many people are doing it tough in lockdown at the moment, and that Melbourne is most certainly heading for another one, so hopefully thinking about fresh blue skies and stacks of books gives you a goofy smile like it does for me.
eBooks or books?
Which do you take on a trip? Do you feel weighed by too many books in a suitcase? Or do you miss the tactile experience of feeling and smelling the pages as you read, even when you're on a holiday?
Depending on where I'm headed, I'll usually take a couple of physical books but download some extras on my Kindle, just in case. I definitely want to be prepared for a reading frenzy, even if I know there's a slim chance of it!
In the car?
Some people get super motion sick if they read on road trips, but I've worked out a way that works for me! If I lift the book to eye-line level, so that my eyes can still see a part of the outside world and the road behind the page, then I don't feel the sickness.
Though a side effect of this is that your arms get really, really sore...
Plane books?
I haven't been on a plane regularly enough to have a go-to story for flights, but I know some people do! Do you prefer a book that requires all of your concentration, such as an intricate fantasy plot or an all-encompassing historical story? Or do you prefer a book that you can dip into and out of, such as a romance or a light contemporary fiction?
A book to match a place?
If you are travelling to somewhere that's sunny, do you pack a collection of summery books? Maybe a story set in a warm French villa or on a Greek beach? Or do you mix and match to really heighten that sense of escapism?
During our recent rainy camping trip, I got stuck into Outlander. Sleeping under the stars and walking underneath dripping leaves really set the mood. Add the soundtrack of birds and ocean waves to that reading experience and you literally feel like you're sitting in the Scottish Highlands.
Though everyone's travel plans have been put on hold for the foreseeable future, and the highlight of my week is sitting in the garden sunshine, this is a lovely place to start. Hopefully we can get away from our living rooms soon.
As always, thanks a bunch for reading with me!
Mads x
I really love the idea of choosing a book to match the holiday! It makes me think of how it can work in reverse, in that so many holidays I've been on are defined by the books I read during them!