10 Reasons to Visit Bookstores When You Travel If You’re A Book Lover

Our 10 reasons to visit bookstores when you travel include everything from the chance to purchase books on the place you’re exploring that you can’t buy at home, and discover local writers whose books aren’t distributed internationally, to the opportunity to meet like-minded local book lovers, learn about local events and classes, take a break from the busy streets, or retreat from bad weather.

If you’re a book lover and not making a beeline for a local bookshop when you arrive in a new destination, we’ve got 10 reasons to visit bookstores when you travel – from stocking up on holiday reading material, especially if you’ve got epic train journeys ahead of you or you’re island hopping in the Mediterranean or Thailand, to picking up souvenirs and gifts, postcards, journals and notebooks, getting local tips, and literally relaxing with a good book.

Browsing bookstores on our travels has not only provided us with some great holiday reading over the years, but the activity has also resulted in the discovery of unique mementoes and created some treasured travel memories – whether it’s been the ability to take a step back in time in a centuries-old bookshop, inhabit the same space as long-passed literary greats and artists, or meet a favourite foreign author and get a book signed.

If you’re an avid reader and adore books as much as we do, but don’t take time to seek out bookshops on your travels, then we’ve got 10 reasons to start visiting bookstores when you travel. But before I tell you more, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve enjoyed our stories and found them helpful, please consider supporting Grantourismo.

If you’re planning a trip, you could support our work here by clicking on any of our links to buy travel insurance, book flights with CheapOair, Kiwi.com or Etihad; hire a rental car; book flights, hotels, apartments, holiday rentals, or car rentals on Agoda, Expedia, Wotif, lastminute.com, ebookers, or Trip.com; book a beautiful apartment or home on PLUM; book a transfer, tour or tickets to museums and attractions on Get Your Guide; buy train tickets on RailEurope, bus and train tickets on 12Go; or book a cooking class or meal with locals on EatWith.

Now here are 10 reasons to start visiting bookstores when you travel.

Reasons to Visit Bookstores When You Travel

We’ve long loved books and have always been big readers. When we lived in Sydney when we were younger, we often spent some time on a Saturday, typically after a leisurely brunch at one of our favourite Darlinghurst cafes, and a stroll through Paddington markets, flicking through books at one of our favourite inner-city Sydney bookshops.

Terence would make a beeline for the photography and graphic design aisles, while I’d head to the cinema and literature sections – we were students at the time, doing communications degrees and majoring in film, writing and photography, while Terence was working as a designer.

On our first trip overseas, via Tokyo to Mexico and the USA, I had City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco and the Strand bookstore in New York City’s East Village on our US itinerary, while in Mexico City I bought books on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Mexican art, architecture and archaeology, and in Havana we picked up books on Che Guevara and Cuban history from local museums.

We didn’t stop frequenting bookshops after moving abroad to work in Abu Dhabi, beginning what would become a life filled with travel. We’d seek out bookstores wherever we travelled, from London, Paris and Barcelona to Beirut, Cairo and Buenos Aires. I was recently sorting through suitcases we’d stored at mum’s and found books, guides and postcards I’d bought in bookshops around the world.

The beauty of buying books on holidays, rather than before you leave home, is that you keep your luggage within your baggage allowance, and can leave books you’ve bought at your lodgings to make room for precious mementoes – unless you’re like me and those books become treasured souvenirs that you take home with you.

10 Reasons to Seek Out Bookshops On Your Travels

Here are 10 reasons to visit bookstores when you travel, if you’re not already including bookshops on your trip itineraries – whether you’re a bibliophile or you’re a traveller looking for holiday reading, guidebooks and road atlases.

Stock Up on Holiday Reading

When we used to travel overseas from our home in Sydney many years ago, we’d take holiday reading with us – a guidebook or two, travel literature set in the destination, maybe some non-fiction, such as a history of the place.

After moving to Abu Dhabi for work, and later to Dubai, where there were only a few decent bookshops back in the day, we’d use trips abroad to stock up on good books, including holiday reading for the trip ahead.

Buying your holiday reading in the destination you’re heading to, rather than lugging books from home, makes good sense if you know there’s a well-stocked bookshop or two there. Check your Lonely Planet guidebooks or Rough Guides, which had a back section with sources for reading material – and music.

But note that you risk disappointment if there’s not a bookshop in your destination, so do some research online before you pack your bags. You may need to order books on Amazon. And don’t forget airport bookshops and newsagents, which are a great source of reading material.

If you’re stocking up on holiday reading when you arrive in a destination and want a wide choice of books, make a beeline for a branch of Kinokuniya (the Japanese bookstore chain is the best in the world, with 43 bookstores abroad) or a big national bookstore chain such as Dymocks in Australia, Waterstones in the UK, Fnac in France, Mondadori in Italy, Casa del Libro in Spain, Thalia in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Asia Books in Thailand, Barnes & Noble in the USA.

We prefer to support small independent bookstores. If you do, too, look for them in inner-city neighbourhoods (where rents are lower than in city centres) and near universities. Also seek out charity bookshops, academic bookstores, museum bookshops, international bookstores, specialised travel bookshops for travel literature, second hand bookstores, and historic bookshops – such as Hatchards in London, or Shakespeare and Company in Paris, or Livraria Lello in Porto.

Buy Local Books About the Place You Can’t Buy At Home

Bookshops in the places you’re heading to will have books that you can’t get at home and couldn’t have even imagined – such as the adorable little guide book on The Best Places to Kiss in Paris, which I picked up in Montmartre, and included in my Paris take-homes, and a wonderful guide on The Historic Shops and Restaurants of New York, which I bought from the gift shop at the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side and included in my New York City take-homes.

One kind of book that I have always sought out when we travel is the small local guidebook written by resident experts and insiders and published locally, such as these locals guide to Venice, Edinburgh, and New York City. These compact guidebooks, typically small enough to fit in a pocket or handbag, contain local tips and recommendations for spots that locals go to that you won’t find in guidebooks or on Trip Advisor.

History and archaeological books are best bought in the destination you’re travelling to and museum gift shops are a good source for these, as are specialty bookshops and academic bookstores. If you’re heading to Southeast Asia, River Books in Bangkok’s Old City is a must for scholarly books on the history of the region, including a wide range of books on archaeological sites, including Angkor Archaeology Park.

In Middle Eastern cities, such as Damascus, Aleppo, Amman, and Alexandria, and in Southeast Asia, in Yangon, Myanmar, I found locally published books on archaeology, history and local historical sights – from Damascene houses to Jordan’s desert palaces – that I would never have been able to source outside the country.

Another sort of book that you’d be hard-pressed to find at home is a good Road Atlas, which is a must if you’re picking up a hire car and heading off on a road trip. We always allow a day or three in a major city to prep for road trips, and that always includes seeking out a good book store to buy reading material, as well as a local restaurant guide and Road Atlas.

In Italy, which we’ve criss-crossed with Terence behind the wheel of the car, researching and updating a number of travel guidebooks, the Touring Club Italiano Atlante Stradale is outstanding, with a great level of detail and excellent index. We always buy a Gambero Rosso Viaggiar Bene guide to restaurants and accommodation in Italy, and for everywhere else in Europe, buy a Michelin guide.

Secondhand bookstores and charity bookshops are a great source for books that you might want to use on the trip, but not necessarily take home. You can leave them at a hotel for other travellers or donate back to the shop before you leave. An example is a book on birds or wildlife that is a must when you’re there but you might never look at again when you’re back home.

Discover Local Authors Who Don’t Get Distributed Internationally

If you’re a lover of literature and poetry, then this is one of the best reasons to visit bookstores when you travel. I’ve discovered so many authors in local independent bookshops over the years, which I’d never heard of, despite having a reasonable knowledge of the place.

Years ago I did a masters degree in international studies specialising on Latin America and studied everything from the Spanish language to Latin American politics, economics, history, culture, arts and crafts, and cinema. During the second year of ‘in-country study’, I travelled all over the continent on an itinerary shaped around film festivals, but I spent as much time in bookshops and libraries, as I did in cinemas and film archives.

I’d studied Latin American literature and magical realism specifically, but browsing bookstores everywhere from Buenos Aires to Mexico City, Lima to La Paz, I discovered there were so many authors writing in that delightfully surreal genre besides the brilliant Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

In Beirut and Cairo, Mumbai and Penang, I’ve stumbled across small independent bookshops, where I’ve whiled away hours browsing the shelves and flicking through stacks of books recommended by the shop’s owner, making difficult choices as to what to buy and leave behind.

Areca Bookshop in Georgetown was one such bookstore where I left with a bag of locally published books by Malaysian authors, including family memoirs and personal histories of Penang island and its villages, novellas and short story collections by young local writers, as well as a couple of cookbooks.

Many years ago when we lived in Abu Dhabi, when we went to Mumbai for a long weekend and stayed in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel. Unfortunately Terence fell ill with food poisoning and I was too exhausted to go out on my own and deal with the hassles a single young woman typically experienced on the streets of Mumbai at the time.

Luckily, I stumbled across a brilliant little bookshop in the Taj Shopping Arcade with a super-helpful staff member who had the depth of knowledge of a literature professor and recommended loads of local writers I’d never heard of, and the best bit for the young academic that I was at the time, they cost as little as a few dollars each!

But one of my best bookshop discoveries was on a months-long road trip updating Lonely Planet’s Perth and Western Australia in the beachside town of Broome, famed for its rich indigenous culture and art scene, spectacular beaches, tiny Chinatown and Asian history, and its magnificent pearls.

Magabala Books is Australia’s largest indigenous publisher and a bookshop and I left there with books on Aboriginal art and history and collections of poetry and short stories by indigenous writers from the Kimberley region that I would be hard-pressed to find outside Western Australia, let alone overseas.

Get Language Learning Resources

Another one of the best reasons to visit bookstores when you travel is to pick up some local language learning resources. Along with local guidebooks and road atlases, I nearly always buy a phrase book and dictionary in the local language.

While Lonely Planet phrases books are excellent, locally published phrase books are even better. They usually contain local lingo and phrases tend to be more conversational and reflect contemporary usage if you can find recently published books.

While Google Translate is super handy and there are loads of apps and other online language learning tools these days, I much prefer to use a paper phrase book that I can hold – especially if you find yourself amongst a group of people offering to help; best that your grubby little phrase book is passed around rather than an expensive device.

Printed phrase books are handy if your phone has run out of battery, you left your power bank or charger in the hotel room, you can’t get internet access, don’t want to flaunt an expensive phone in a developing country, hate sitting in a restaurant with your device on the table, and don’t want to be perceived as being anti-social.

If you’re spending some time in the one country, whether you’re doing a road trip or settling into an apartment rental for a while, and you really want to immerse yourself in the language, head to a language learning bookshop or a good bookshop with a language learning section for some resources, especially if you’re a family travelling with kids.

I’ve picked up all kinds of language learning materials over the years in local language bookshops that are infinitely superior to what I would have bought back home. For instance, in South America, where Spanish is spoken in most countries (along with Portuguese and indigenous languages), each country has its own phonetic, syntactic and semantic peculiarities that a generic Spanish language learning book won’t teach you.

In Buenos Aires, for instance, I bought a brilliant little book in a language bookshop that taught Argentine Spanish. I’ll never forget learning that Argentines, as well as the people of Uruguay and Paraguay, where I also travelled, didn’t use ‘tu’ (you), but used ‘vos’. That little thing impacted all kinds of phrases I’d learnt, from “how are you?” to “do you want to get a drink?”, my most used phrases!

Seems like a small thing but it had a big effect on how locals reacted to my attempts to learn the local lingo. Their eyes would light up, there’d be warm smiles, and an eagerness to teach this willing student more. I remember that book also contained lyrics to Argentine tangos. I stayed in San Telmo for two months, at the start and the end of that trip, and watched tango almost every day. I’ll never forget learning “Malena canta el tango como ninguna, y en cada verso pone su corazon” or “Malena sings the tango like no one, and in every single verse she pours her heart”.

Good international bookshops in expat neighbourhoods will often have a notice board advertising language classes and local language tutors. Over the years I’ve stumbled across cards for language teachers offering everything from casual introductory lessons and refresher classes in local cafés to language instructors who’ll accompany you on excursions to teach you the vocabulary you need to know.

Buy Unique Postcards, Stationery Products, Souvenirs, and Gifts

Good independent bookstores generally sell beautiful postcards and cards – often by local artists, illustrators and photographers – along with stationery, notebooks and journals, which I, for one, have long been a user of as a travel and food writer. We write notes on everything, from tours we test out, hotels we inspect, to meals we enjoy.

Quirky bookshops tend to be a better source for unique mementoes and gifts than tacky souvenir shops specialising in leaky snow domes, fridge magnets and cheap t-shirts. Aside from books, miniatures works of art, vintage postcards, and handmade bookmarks make thoughtful gifts for book-loving as much as travel-loving friends.

Learn About Author Events, Book Signings and Book Clubs

If you’re a lover of literature visiting a country where your language is spoken or you already have a good command of the local language of the destination you’re travelling in, head to a good bookstore to learn about author events, book readings and signings, and book clubs.

When I was in Latin America years ago, along with the filmmakers whose movies I was researching, I got to meet a handful of authors and scriptwriters I’d long admired in bookshops in Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Havana. I attended a few book readings and discussions, even getting a couple of books signed.

If you’re settling in for a while, join a book club. If you’ve got a handle on the local language, book events are a brilliant opportunity to practice your language skills and make new friends, and if you’re still learning the language, it’s a great way to really stretch yourself – and is more fun than watching TV!

Meet Local Like-Minded Book Lovers

Bookstores offers a great opportunity to meet locals when you travel, especially if you’re travelling to learn the language of a place in a city where your native language isn’t widely spoken. Bookshops are a terrific place to meet like-minded people with whom you share a passion for reading and can practice your language skills.

What better way to strike up a conversation and connect than over a mutual love of a book, author or subject, especially if that author was born in the destination, they’re a national folk hero, or their revered novel is set in that place.

Back home in Siem Reap, I have a Cambodian tour guide friend who is fond of an American writer of heart-wrenching romances. Time after time I’ve seen her develop a connection with American travellers through her adoration of the author.

There are few ways to better bond with people. But I’ve found that unless they are well travelled, locals are more reluctant to take the next step than visitors to a place. Perhaps they don’t want to impose on your holiday, so invite them for coffee or share your email.

Meet Book Loving Fellow Travellers

Don’t speak the language? Bookstores, particularly the travel sections, are also a brilliant place to meet fellow travellers, who might also be there to buy a travel guidebook, phrase book or travel literature – or seek some respite from the chaos of the streets outside.

I speak from experience as a solo woman traveller in South America! I made a few travel friends simply by asking how long they’d been in the place, had they done x, y or z, where they were heading next, and when they were moving on. In one case we went for coffee, in another we simply wandered around a bit together, in another we went to a museum together.

Seek Respite in the Calm Space of a Quiet Bookstore

For me, escaping the chaos of the city streets and unwanted hassles from over-friendly locals are two very good reasons to visit bookstores when you travel. Even the most experienced travellers get that sense of feeling overwhelmed that often comes on the first day in a new destination and a bookshop offers the respite you need.

And not only on your first day in a place – if you’ve spent some time in a particularly chaotic city or you’ve been travelling for quite a while, quiet bookshops offer a calming space to take a breather and take some time out to recover and relax.

In that case, find a bookshop with a comfy seat in a cosy corner or, even better, a book café where you can buy a book and sit for a while sipping coffee, snacking or even enjoying lunch with a glass of wine while you recuperate and restore a sense of calm before venturing out again.

Retreat from Bad Weather

Like a museum, gallery or restaurant, a good bookshop provides a great place to escape bad weather – whether it’s rain, hail or snow or a scorching hot day – especially if you’ve already eaten and spent a morning hitting the sights.

Literally Relax with a Good Book

Once again, seek out a book café where you linger for a while over a drink or snack after making a purchase or a friendly local bookshop where you’re welcome to sit and flick through a book before buying.