Bookbound
The Literature Trend
Literary travel enters a new chapter
Whether it’s tracing the footsteps of fictional heroes, planning a slow holiday around a reading retreat, or chasing the world’s most beautiful bookshops and libraries, people are choosing travel and literature to escape, reconnect, and restore.
55% of travelers have booked, or would consider, a trip inspired by literature.
Hotel bookings using our “library” filter are up 70% globally YoY.1
Reading and travel are intrinsically linked
“Books open up the world to us, bringing us closer to new places, cultures, and perspectives. With 85% of book buyers reading to ‘relax or escape,’ it is no surprise that reading is a source of wanderlust, with books remaining an important travel companion for many. Reading and travel are intrinsically linked – books inspire real-world journeys, which in turn create the space for people to lose themselves in books.”
Rebecca Sinclair
Chief Brand Officer at Penguin Books UK
Penguin’s recommended holiday reads for 2026
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Orlanda
Jaqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz
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Island Calling
Francesca Segal
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Beach Read
Emily Henry
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The Place of Tides
James Rebanks
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The Lagos Wife
Vanessa Walters
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Our Infinite Fates
Laura Steven
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Believe
S. M. Govett
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Strangers
Belle Burden
Penguin books to inspire your next travel destination
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Midnight’s Children
Salman Rushdie
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Is A River Alive?
Robert Macfarlane
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Mediterranea
Anastasia Miari
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Indignity: A Life Reimagined
Lea Ypi
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Death in the Arctic
Tom Hindle
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One Golden Summer
Carley Fortune
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Girl, Goddess, Queen
Bea Fitzgerald
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Our Oaken Bones
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison
The top literary travel experiences people would consider in the future are:
6 out of 10 travelers say reading time is important to them on a trip.
