There’s a new exciting way to incorporate books into your personal development: literary tourism. Taking a trip based on a book or author has become increasingly popular thanks to the growth of #BookTok on TikTok and other social media platforms. Literary tourism is an industry expected to reach $3.3 billion by 2034, according to Future Market Insights.
I wrote my fourth book in the cafes Hemingway frequented in Spain. Hemingway’s writing had inspired me to become a writer, and, when I started writing my fourth book, I wanted to do so in the cafes where my literary hero wrote.
I did my research in advance on where Hemingway had spent time in Spain and planned a literary-inspired trip around those locations. The energy of being in the cafes and seeing Hemingway’s pictures in them made me write longer and more intentionally. I felt as if I was channeling greatness. And maybe you can too.
What is literary tourism?
Literary tourism is what it sounds like—a trip based on locations mentioned in a book or places where an author lived. The definition and implementation are up to you. You can take an organized tour, as literary tourism has grown in popularity and many official tours are offered, or you can plan a trip on your own.
Literary-based trips are versatile in that they can be local or international. Book-based trips can connect you to the message of the book, help you understand the author’s perspective and introduce you to new people and cultures.
Jalisa Whitley, founder and CEO of BOOKED Trips, notes that literary tourism has gained popularity because people are seeking community and connection. She recently led a trip to South Africa based on Trevor Noah’s book Born a Crime. In addition to the typical South Africa itinerary of Boulders Beach and game drives, she offered a trip to Soweto, where Noah spent a lot of his youth, and a day spent learning about Black history and eating at Black-owned restaurants. At one of the group dinners, they also discussed the memoir.
“[Books] provide a venue for you to talk about the things that you want out of life… and in terms of personal development, I think it provides kind of the training ground or the practice space for people to try… what it feels like to live out their values,” she says.
Julianne Buonocore, founder of The Literary Lifestyle (which supports reading and literacy), took a literary trip for her honeymoon in Italy. Her trip was based on several books set in Italy, and she planned many aspects of the trip around the novel My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, which is set in Naples and surrounding areas.
“We also stayed at [Hotel Danieli] that was featured in [Pictures from Italy by Charles Dickens and My Brilliant Friend] and had been stayed at by [other] famous authors,” she says. “We visited St. Mark’s Square [in Venice], which was also visited by authors like Ernest Hemingway [and] is also in The Talented Mr. Ripley…. When I realized I was traveling to Italy, I wanted to incorporate the books I was reading with my travel so I could bring the pages to life.”
Literary getaways for personal development
Literary trips are a great way to combine learning, experiences and self-care. You stimulate your mind, and experience authors and book settings vividly.
Sarah Ernestine, a book publicist, says her most notable literary trip was to the Netherlands, after reading the massive book, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It took Ernestine seven years to finish it.
“The character … has to find a painting in the Netherlands called The Goldfinch, which is a real painting by Carel Fabritius made in the 1600s.… I went to the museum in the Hague, called the Mauritshuis [where the painting is housed].” She says the experience helped her personal development as she stepped into the shoes of a character on a self-discovery journey.
How to plan your literary getaway
Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, who has a doctorate in ministry, is the president and CEO of T3 Leadership Solutions, Inc., and has hosted six literary tourism trips, the latest about Harriet Tubman, and based on her book Journey to Freedom. The Juneteenth tour went from North Carolina to Toronto, Canada, following the same route taken by Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad. Her advice is to plan your trip around understanding the people you will be interacting with.
“On this tour, I’ve chosen to partner with someone who’s a friend, [historian] Dr. Gregory Thompson. He has done work for the preservation of Harriet Tubman’s story.” She adds that she always looks for a local expert to partner with when she does her tours.
Your literary getaway can be an official tour or something you organize yourself or for family. If you’re planning on your own, start by:
- Picking the book(s), author(s) and place(s) you want to base the literary getaway around. A lot depends on your budget.
- Research and decide which parts of the book or the author’s life match with the locations you want to visit. Map the distances between places so the ones you choose are not too far apart (unless time and money are no problem).
- Look for flight and accommodation deals. You can also outsource this to a tour company.
- Book your literary trip.
- Write down or talk through your goals for incorporating personal development and self-care into the trip.
- Have an amazing experience!
Popular literary tourism destinations
Before “literary tourism” became more mainstream, readers took trips to see where their favorite authors wrote their books or to experience the settings described in the books.
Popular literary destinations include:
- Spain. Famous authors, such as Hemingway, frequently visited Spain and wrote masterpieces there. There are also several popular books set in Spain. It’s a great destination to see literature come alive while enjoying the country’s beauty.
- The United Kingdom (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland). The countries of the United Kingdom offer the opportunity to experience the literary worlds of Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J.K. Rowling, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and many others. There are hundreds of books set throughout the United Kingdom. Some of the more popular authors already have organized tours to landmarks associated with them.
- France. Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac and many other authors hail from France. And in the 1920s, American authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and, yes, Hemingway, made their home in Paris. Take in the Eiffel Tower, the grounds of Versailles and many other beauties of France while enjoying the literature written and set in the country.
- The United States. Many classic works and famous writers hail from the U.S., including Harper Lee, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King and Maya Angelou. You can find thousands of books set in the United States. The U.S. is home to numerous book festivals and literary tours.
Photo from Song_about_summer/Shutterstock.com
