Booking Through Thursday: Books on Vacation
By Kristen on Jul 17, 2008 in Booking Through...
- Do you buy books while on vacation/holiday?
- Do you have favorite bookstores that you only get to visit while away on a trip?
- What/Where are they?
I was a little surprised that the BTT questions weren’t available right when I woke up this morning at 5:30! I usually peek at the questions, then think about my answer while I ride my horse, and respond once I’m home again.
I had even created my own meme question in case BTT was taking the day off, but I’ll save it for next Tuesday. Thank you for the responses to my “are memes fun or annoying question,” by the way. The consensus seems to be that memes are fine, but tagging others to answer them can be annoying. So, all future memes on this site will be wide open with no obligatory tagging!
O.k. — on to this week’s topic… My latest way to approach vacation reading is to pack paperbacks that I can then leave for others to enjoy on the airplane, in the airport, in the hotel, etc… I’ve done this for years with my magazines, and have started doing this with my books, too.
Now, as you can tell, I tend to read lighter fare when on vacation. If I stumbled upon a book that I really wanted to add to my collection or reread in the future, then I would keep it.
After my luggage was delayed last February when we went to Daytona, I try not to bring library books anymore. Plus, my library books tend to be hardcover (since I request the first available copy), and since I always pack many (some would say too many) books, and since the airlines have started charging for overweight bags, I try to pack paperbacks whenever possible.
But regarding the question of whether I actually buy the paperbacks on vacation… only in a pinch. I’m trying to be extra frugal with my “luxury” spending, and I usually have books available that have been given to me to keep or give-away.
So, that’s my perspective! What’s your’s? (By the way… I noticed that I used two apostrophes in that question — curious about the wily apostrophe? Check out my new blog! 
)
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…pack paperbacks that I can then leave for others to enjoy on the airplane, in the airport, in the hotel, etc…
That’s an awesome idea! I’m sure there’s been more than a couple thankful travelers along the way
Do you do BookCrossings?
The Kool-Aid Mom | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
I will be sure to tell my husband about your comment! He’s a bit suspicious that anyone would appreciate my “seconds”
I haven’t done BookCrossings yet, but I should consider it!
Thanks for the comment!!
Kristen | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
I have a friend whose husband clean the airplanes. He finds TONS of paperback books and brings some of them home to his fortunate wife.
Sally | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
I think if I saw a old used book that I couldn’t get somewhere else and really wanted I would buy that book but other then that I don’t usually get books on vacation.
Confuzzled Books | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
Thank you, Sally!! My hubby really does give me grief when I leave them behind and now I have official confirmation that this is not an imposition!!!
Maybe you have read one of MY paperbacks…!
Kristen | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for stopping by, Confuzzled! I like how your husband knows where to find you — w/ the books!
Kristen | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
Great post - I really like how you leave your books behind for other travellers. I am definately going to start doing this too!
Joanne | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
Thanks, Joanne! I really like your idea about writing down notes on bookstores you like while travelling — I think I’ll borrow that idea!
Kristen | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
Do you buy books while on vacation/holiday? –No; I take books with me usually about 7-10. But, since it costs more and more to travel these days, I’m going to get a Kindle for my birthday so that I know loner have to travel with tons of books.
Do you have favorite bookstores that you only get to visit while away on a trip? Nope
What/Where are they?
Yasmin | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
Yasmin — Do you like your Kindle? I’ve been thinking about getting one…
Kristen | Jul 17, 2008 | Reply
I’ve found some books in PDF format that I read on my old Nokia 770… but also like to check out my local used bookstores for some of my favorite authors…
And then there’s Book Crossing…
Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/jbelina
Take care!
Jeff
Jeff | Jul 18, 2008 | Reply
Kindle works out to be too expensive for me!
Here is my BTT post
gautami tripathy | Jul 19, 2008 | Reply
Book Crossing sounds great… I’ll try it out soon! Thanks for the comment, Jeff!
Kristen | Jul 20, 2008 | Reply
@Gautami — I’ve worried about that, too! I love how free the library is… and I don’t tend to reread books often, either.
Kristen | Jul 20, 2008 | Reply
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you down the road!
AlexM | Aug 12, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for visiting, Alex! Glad you found me…
Kristen | Aug 12, 2008 | Reply