The new R&R: rest and reading. Why book-club retreats are trending in travel

Hamilton Spectator

24-04-2025

Many of us travel to soak up incredible views or perhaps savour delicious local dishes, seeking out unique experiences we couldn't have anywhere else. But the latest travel trend? Getaways where you bury your nose into a good book.
The travel trend dovetails with the viral rise of BookTok, which has turned a normally solitary hobby into a lively community, and with the general growing enthusiasm for reading.
According to a BookNet Canada report on how Canadians spend leisure time, 49 per cent of people surveyed said they read or listened to books weekly in 2023. Canadian readers also attended more book clubs and book events in 2023 than the year prior, the study found. So the popularity of reading retreats — many sell out within minutes — may be no surprise.
The United Kingdom in particular seems to be ahead of the curve, with multiple niche travel companies offering bookish vacations.
Reading Retreat
, for example, launched in 2017 and hosts three-night getaways within driving distance of Cambridge. Guests are welcome to read whatever they wish (although you can get a custom 'reading prescription' based on your preferred genres).
'We like to think of ourselves as the solid, basic reading retreat — we say 'basic,' but it's quite luxurious with the accommodations and gourmet meals,' says co-founder Cressida Downing, a literary consultant who has worked in publishing for more than two decades. 'It's very much about getting back to that lovely feeling you have as a child when you're reading books and nothing matters, and someone else is doing all the adulting for you,' she adds.
For Bristol-based
Books in Places
, there's no better way to transport readers into a novel's atmospheric location than to fly there and experience it first-hand. The company has been hosting retreats in the cities and countries where books are set since 2023.
'It's like a travelling book club,' says Paul Wright, founder of Books in Places, which has hosted retreats at locations such as Portugal's Casa Rosa Villa, shown.
'Still Life,' Sarah Winman's bestselling tale of love and war, inspired founder Paul Wright to host the first retreat in Florence. This year, he has more than a dozen retreats scheduled, including a trip to Crete themed around 'The Island,' the multi-generational historical novel by Victoria Hislop. 'It's like a travelling book club,' Wright says, noting that guests typically read the book before the trip.
One of the newer retreat companies, the U.K.-based
Ladies Who Lit
, was born from founder Megan Christopher's passion for both reading and travel, in combination with her career background in hospitality. Her five-day retreats — this year's locations include Sicily, Seville and the French town of Argelès-sur-Mer — have been selling out since launching in June 2024.
Christopher believes her women-only trips resonate as a form of post-pandemic escapism. 'It allows us to indulge in a bit of self-care by taking time out to go read a book.' At the Ladies Who Lit retreats, all guests read the same book in advance (this is common for many reading retreats), then connect with other travellers over various experiences, such as a wine tour, book swap or murder-mystery dinner. The final dinner is 'book club night,' when they discuss the book as a group.
Lauren Moore, a self-proclaimed introvert, was inspired to launch her
Book Huddle
reading retreats by her desire to chat with other avid readers in a more comfortable way — without having the ongoing commitment of your traditional in-person book club.
One night in 2023, Moore posted on TikTok about just wanting to get away to a nice place to discuss books and then go to bed. The next morning, the Vancouver local found that her TikTok video had racked up 60,000 views and more than 5,000 likes, with hundreds of people asking to join the getaway.
Since then, Moore's company, Book Huddle, has hosted more than 500 people across 13 retreats in the U.S. and England. She has also partnered with major publishing companies for the retreats' books, and works with local bookstores in each destination to host a book fair. 'All of the attendees look forward to it immensely because it's very reminiscent of the Scholastic Book Fair days from when we were children,' she says.
Readers at a Book Huddle retreat. Vancouver local Lauren Moore started the company after her TikTok about wanting a bookish getaway went viral.
Moore is especially happy with the sense of community that's grown out of the Book Huddle retreats. Lasting friendships have formed. Ten women enjoyed the retreats so much, they've gotten permanent tattoos of the Book Huddle logo.
Winnipeg-based retreat-goer Nicole Zajac, who has travelled with Book Huddle twice, especially appreciates not having to plan an itinerary or accommodations. She can just sign up for a trip and be instantly immersed in a circle of fellow book lovers.
'Plus, it's a great way to learn about other books. You end up with an even longer TBR (to be read) list,' she says, having just finished a horror mystery she never would have picked up otherwise.
Zajac will soon attend her third reading retreat — Book Huddle's first one in Canada, taking place in Victoria this May. She expects to return home with even more fervour for her favourite pastime. 'The more you talk about reading,' she says, 'the more you want to read.'