Reading For Travelers and Digital Nomads: the Libby App and Beyond
This photo is evidence of my nerdy travel habits over the last 10 or so years. I always like to have at least one book to read and usually another to listen to. If you laud the tangible pleasures of physical books, I wouldn’t argue. However, when you’re traveling frequently, and as lightly as possible on a limited budget, buying books is seldom practical. Before I hit the road on what’s turned into a 10+ year road trip, I sold or donated my modest collection of 100 or so books.
I still sometimes pick up cheap paperbacks when I can find them at a thrift shop or used bookstore. The UK is better this way, as even smaller cities and towns usually have multiple charity shops where you can find books for a pound or so.
During stints in Mexico and Costa Rica, it was a little more challenging to find print books. Both locations where I stayed had either a bookstore or library with a good selection of English-language books. However, most of these were trade paperbacks that people, mostly tourists and retired ex-pats had donated so the selection was somewhat limited. Digital options become especially useful when you’re in a place where you aren’t fluent in the native language.
