Have you booked your next sunny escape? When packing for holiday, naturally we tend to select suitcase essentials from caps to flip-flops and suntan lotion, but did you know that a staggering amount of us are reserving a spot in our bags for a book (or five?!). In fact, when we’re lying in the sun on a faraway beach or under a palm tree, when we strangely all turn into bookworms. Let’s take a look at this trend further…
Holiday reading provides a new focus
There are some usual suspects when it comes to holiday reads, with bookstores dedicating entire displays to showcase some of the best sunny reads. Perhaps you’ll want to liven up the tranquillity of your lounger overlooking the pool with a thrilling crime fiction novel, or maybe you want to boost your relaxation by getting clued up on all things relating to mindfulness. Our imagination can run wild when our minds are invested in a good book, and it can feel like an escape of sorts. Many 9-5 jobs now involve hefty shifts spent set upon the glare of a computer screen, thinking only about what dinner that evening will be. In fact, a holiday spent reading can refocus our minds, so we return to work refreshed. Further to this, there are ongoing studies into whether brain-stimulating activities like reading or puzzle solving could help prevent the early stages of Alzheimer’s. While we savour our annual dose of warmer climes, we are also guilty of returning to our hotel rooms to enjoy our poolside reads in peace and quiet, escaping the intense heat.
A trendy pastime or holiday reading competition?
However, in recent years, reading on holiday has become more like a competition. Holidaymakers are eager to share pictures of their pile of beach reads, almost as if they are trying to out-do each other. While we all intend to limit time spent on social media, enjoying a phone-detox in the sun isn’t as simple as it used to be. People are picking the phone up purely to let others back at home know what pages they are turning, and in some cases a book placed carefully on the end of a sun lounger is purely for decoration! There was even a sentiment felt by holidaymakers that clutching the cover of a certain title was impressive, and popularity compilations never neglect to include a Sophie Kinsella novel, or a classic such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
The life-long habit of reading
Most of us are taught to read from a relatively young age, so we are no strangers to getting glued to the pages as a story unfolds. Up to 75% of parents wish that their children would read more for fun, and so books are an encouraged item when it comes to packing for adults as well as children. Our lives are busier than ever, so making time for reading may seem difficult; yet despite this, surveys found that 51% of UK adults read at least one book in 2018, and on average shoppers bought 9 physical books in this time. Therefore, reading is still high on many people’s agendas, despite the modern culture of work-life domination.
The humble paperback or sleek electronic book?
While nothing really compares to the feeling of crisp, printed pages, many people have cottoned on to the popularity of reading technologies. The emergence of e-books and hand-held electronic devices has revolutionised our traditional perception of reading, as a less bulky, convenient way to read. With the ability to download and store books, the kindle became a library, and often the titles are cheaper to purchase in their digital format. They are a genuine holiday essential with a whole host of travel-savvy options available, but the print industry has not wavered in spite of this. If you are planning on reading digitally, you might want to consider visiting this website here to find some computer reading glasses to protect the eyes from straining whilst you are reading.
Whether we choose to pack a couple of our favourite paperbacks, or we slip a sleek electronic book into our hand luggage, we do love a good read beneath a warmer sun.
Whether we choose to pack a couple of new paperbacks, or we slip a sleek electronic book into our hand luggage along with our favourite teabags from home, we do love a good read beneath a warmer sun.
Article produced by Where The Trade Buys: specialist printers of bespoke casebound books and many other items.
