26 replies to this topic

[Yashodhara]

I was wondering when you people find the time to read during your travels. So many books get recommended as "travel literature", and I really wonder how some of you manage to read so much. I am an avid reader myself, but during a trip I find hardly any time at all for that. There is always so much to do and see and talk, you are exploring things and places all day and then the evenings are so short. I am always surprised when I hear that some travelers actually manage to read several books during a trip. Do you read during the day, in the evenings or all night??? The only time I actually did manage to read a lot was when we spent a week in the mountains in Switzerland, The Lord Of The Rings was a particularly wonderful read in that environment.

[jyotirmoy]

Long train & bus journyes see a lot of travellers reading.

[priya]

On the plane to India I was far too excited to even think of reading. Whilst there I was either too tired at the end of the day or too 'hyped' to be able to concentrate. However, on the return journey, I did buy Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone at Mumbai International Airport which I started reading on board, and finished when I reached home.

[iwanttogoback]

i read on the plane as i can't sleep, on trains before i go to sleep, and most nights a little before i go to sleep.

apart from that, well, there's no time.

and i like something light and trashy, nothing difficult.

[Casey]

I am someone who reads while I walk to work, so I manage to get through a lot of books at home. While travelling I read while on those long train and bus journeys. If I travel by myself I often do a lot of reading when I go out to eat alone. I often wake up at odd hours due to the 12 hour time difference. I am wide awake at 4:00am. This can often give me a few hours of reading. Some people don't read, and feel that it is something you do when there is nothing else to do, and can't understand why I always have my head in a book. I actually love reading about as much as I do travelling so I manage time for both.

[cyberhippie]

Something different to try are E books on cd, a relaxing way to spend some time!

[iwanttogoback]

i'm one of those people who prefer the feel of a paper book in their hands.

although the thought of lying back, closing my eyes and having a story read to be is almost beguiling...

[Ray kelleher]

My self a major part of any trip for me is that I have the time to read, be it eating breakfast, lunch, having a few beers, on the train, on the bus and of course back in my room you will allways see see me with a book, it's one of the great things about travelling you can allways read anywhere and I love it..The only time I don't is when i'm in wonderful and genial company and then it would just be pure bad manners.. But if I get a chance to get my nose into my book I will... One of the few things that will pull me out of it is those magic words "Ray do you want a Beer" enough said .......

[SteamBuff]

I took a couple of books with me and got a few more in Darjeeling ... but all of them remained unopened ... I won't take any next time!

The only thing I read was the daily newspaper and the In-flight magazine. (I think Jet lost quite a few copies on our groups visit in February, there were a lot of articles on transport in various cities and regions of India, including a article on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ... well the tour was organised by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society in the UK)

Edited by SteamBuff, 25 March 2007 - 10:22 PM.

[martess]

wow, LOTR in the swiss countryside ! Did you actuaally manage to finish it in a week !!!?? It took me like 2 months, every night at 11 pm when i'd think lemme read for an hour, and then would read till 2 am or so. Those days I led a double life, one on earth and one in middle earth.
Most of the times, the only reading I do is on teh outbound flight or train. No time in teh rest of teh journey, when I talk with folks, or gape out windows or write random reflections on a notebook.
The one exeption was when I was hiking solo in Himachal ( Parvati valley ) for a month, and read Lord Jim and Victory, both by Josef Conrad. Very sublime. Or so I felt then !

[Yashodhara]

martess, on Mar 27 2007, 11:02 PM, said:

wow, LOTR in the swiss countryside ! Did you actuaally manage to finish it in a week !!!??

Nah, did not quite finish it, think I had already read a few chapters of The Fellowship Of The Ring when we arrived in Switzerland and then got stuck somewhere in the middle of The Return Of The King when we went back home. All we did was swimming in the crystal clear lakes, walking in the mountains and reading, so I had plenty of time. Felt pretty healthy afterwards plus there just is no tan like a real mountain tan. Ahh, what wonderful memories ... Ehemm, and welcome to the Tree, martess! When's your next trip due and where are you heading? This one month solo hiking trip in Parvati Valley sounds truly fantastic too.

[jyotirmoy]

Tried e-books but finally returned to paper. The CD doesn't have a smell where as the paper does

[Shilpaks]

i read on train and flight journeys, when im actually at the place its more fun for me to just look at the local crowd during lunch/dinner
i also prefer the feel of paper than ebooks, just cant read off a screen...no fun in that

[Judi]

I read any time, any place, any where!!!!!! And I agree with all of you who say there's nothing like a book - the feel of the paper, the smell etc. However, I'm just about to depart on my second long distance drive alone, and shall be taking books on CD along for the ride. I tried it last time, and it was brilliant! Nothing heavy, just short stories, really - but it's a great change from listening to music or (much much worse) me singing songs to amuse myself

[captmahajan]

Always read when travelling, and always read daily, specially before going to sleep, daily. Habit

[john.sw]

I'm terrible!

In the two months before Christmas I read about a chapter of my book... and that was on the 'plane on the way to India!

My problem is that I'm too busy talking

I bought The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857 by William Dalrymple in November. It is still sealed in its plastic wrapper...

[martess]

Yashodhara, on Mar 28 2007, 04:39 AM, said:

Nah, did not quite finish it, think I had already read a few chapters of The Fellowship Of The Ring when we arrived in Switzerland and then got stuck somewhere in the middle of The Return Of The King when we went back home. All we did was swimming in the crystal clear lakes, walking in the mountains and reading, so I had plenty of time. Felt pretty healthy afterwards plus there just is no tan like a real mountain tan. Ahh, what wonderful memories ... Ehemm, and welcome to the Tree, martess! When's your next trip due and where are you heading? This one month solo hiking trip in Parvati Valley sounds truly fantastic too.

Thank you Yashodhara ! My next trip actually is to Brasil in a few weeks where I have a couple projects; I"m doing a PhD in ecology at U of Miami. Well I returned from India (Bombay, Calcutta and Indore/Mandu), a visit after 5 years. Wish I could go back to India soon ! Every time I go there I feel there is way more to do and see, and meanwhile life zips by !

[Yashodhara]

martess, on Mar 29 2007, 09:54 PM, said:

Thank you Yashodhara ! My next trip actually is to Brasil in a few weeks where I have a couple projects; I"m doing a PhD in ecology at U of Miami. Well I returned from India (Bombay, Calcutta and Indore/Mandu), a visit after 5 years. Wish I could go back to India soon ! Every time I go there I feel there is way more to do and see, and meanwhile life zips by !

Hehe, then you are in good company here, martess! I am sure Brazil will be quite an experience too.

[Shiver me Timbers]

For Morocco last year, I got a few CD books from the local library, and put them on the ipod. I can't read on bus journeys without feeling sick, so listening instead was great, plus I saved all that space in the bag.

[BillyDean]

I'm not a big reader, but reading The Raj Quartet and Freedom at Midnight whilst in India was something special, I couldn't put them down.