30-07-2025
Book-inspired holidays: Follow in the footsteps of authors from Agatha Christie to Márquez
'The world is a book,' 4th century theologian St Augustine is believed to have said, 'and those who do not travel read only one page.' But what if the journey and an actual book were combined?
Rejecting checklist-driven tourism, destination book clubs curate escapes that bring together literature lovers in locations that are themselves characters in their respective tales. And appealing to those craving such connection, companies like Books in Places, the Enchanted Book Club and Avalon Waterways, which offers Storyteller cruises, are combining walking tours, debates and discussions, local cuisine and sometimes even meetings or talks with authors and booksellers.
Agatha Christie's Egypt
Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie, was inspired by her time aboard the SS Sudan. Photo: Handout
In 1933, mystery writer Agatha Christie set sail on the SS Sudan.
Her time aboard inspired Death on the Nile (1937), about the search for a murderer aboard a river steamer.
The events in the novel take place against some of the
most stunning sites in Egypt : Abu Simbel, temples built into a sandstone cliff by Ramses II in the 13th century BC; Karnak, the largest temple ruins in Egypt; and the Old Cataract Hotel (now the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan), where Christie wrote her Hercule Poirot mystery in a suite overlooking the river.
The Cairo & Nile Cruise Reading Holiday, hosted by Friendship Travel and led by a 'reading-holiday guide', sets sail on November 1. The nine-night itinerary allows time to read (or re-read) the novel and explore the Pyramids and the Sphinx, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Aswan and Cairo, the Egyptian capital.
Alternatively, book the Agatha Christie suite on the SS Sudan, which has been restored and now sails between Luxor and Aswan over six days and takes in the sights of Upper Egypt.
