The goal of any vacation is always the same: to check out and check into a completely different world, being as unplugged or as unreachable as you’d like. Maybe the magic is to feel transported by the setting—a buzzy city or sun-baked coastline—or to feel the thrill of letting your hair down, unlocking a different side to your personality. To travel is to dive more deeply into life itself, and when a physical vacation is out of the question (or budget), there’s a good chance a great book can take you there instead.
So whether you’re dreaming about a European getaway, craving the calm of seaside introspection, or even looking for a fantastical, otherworldly escape, below is a list of reads that will feel like a vacation—enveloping you in anywhere but where you are. No boarding pass required.
13 Books That Feel Like a Vacation
The Invitation by Lucy Foley
Rome, 1953: Man meets woman at a rooftop party. They spend an impassioned night together, presumably never to see each other again—until they’re reunited one year later on a secret-fueled yacht sailing along the Italian coast. Fans of Foley’s later works, like The Guest List and The Midnight Feast, will appreciate this slower, more suspenseful build that, if nothing else, will inspire a summer of silk scarves and satisfy some Italian wanderlust.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
This is a quiet book, filled with vignettes that immortalize the passing of time during a summer shared between a grandmother and her granddaughter on a Finnish island. Yet, it reveals the kind of fundamental truths that always seem closer on vacation: that the simple things are really the profound, that life is a web connecting sorrows with joy, and that the ability to truly see and savor the present is all we can hope for, at any age, with loved ones nearby.
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
From New York to Los Angeles, this book makes for the perfect getaway. It follows the story of Helen and Grant, bonded by a tragic past who meet again as adults when work brings them together. Kuang, who is also a director and screenwriter (adapting author Emily Henry’s first forays into film), gives you a peek inside the world of TV writing with this honest and vulnerable love story. Sometimes you just want a frothy, bi-coastal romp, and that’s exactly what this is.
A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton
Few would consider the airport the destination, but Alain de Botton’s contemplative point-of-view draws back the curtain on a place many of us visit, but rarely discover. After spending a week at London’s Heathrow airport as its “writer-in-residence,” he shares his unprecedented access through a curious, poetic lens that will leave you looking at a terminal—and travel in general—with wider, deeper appreciation.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
For pure escapism in the best way, if you haven’t already discovered Yarros’ Empyrean series, now is the time. This first book has everything you need; it’s fast-paced, a little unhinged, and completely addictive. Add in the dragons, the tension, and the romance—and there is zero chance of you putting it down.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursala K. Le Guin
For more fantasy—especially those who think they’re not fantasy fans—know that Le Guin’s Earthsea novels are some of the most awarded books in literature, beloved on the level of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Start with this first one, a wizard coming-of-age story (note: this wizard school predates Hogwarts by decades) that’s less trope than it is transcendent introspection on the nature of all things.
A Wreath for the Enemy by Pamela Frankau
You’d be forgiven for thinking this book was a contemporary novel, even though it was written in 1954. Surprisingly readable, it’s the story of two teenagers—one whose Bohemian family runs a hotel, the other whose family vacations in the villa below it—and the people they become as their perspective grows and changes. Located on the French Riviera also makes for a stunning backdrop; you’ll practically smell the wisteria.
Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
If a classic backpacking trip through Europe is what you’re after, this hilarious memoir takes you on the journey without the trek. With a tone that’s equally sarcastic as it is endearing, Bryson sets out to recreate a backpacking trip he took in the 70s, relived through older, self-reflective eyes. Those nostalgic for an era of travel that’s pre-smartphone, TikTok, or Instagram will appreciate his kind of “winging-it-with-a-paper-map” approach that you just don’t see anymore.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
This sparkling sprawl of friendship spans a lifetime on the tiny Korean island of Jeju, diving deep into the fascinating, matriarchal world of the haenyeo—female free divers who have traditionally harvested seafood without the use of scuba gear. Though it’s historical fiction, you’ll follow the bond of Mi-ja and Young-sook through a sobering history lesson that’s less of a vacation, more like an homage to what comes to the surface when pressed on all sides.
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke
Love, legacy, and loads of fresh parsley. This engrossing memoir is a vivid retelling of the author’s real-life love story born in Florence, nurtured in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and deepened through time in the Sicilian countryside. It’s a raw, sincere reminder of the power of family—the ones we’re born into and the ones we create along the way.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
This quirky, hilarious story follows the 50-something Rocky during a summer in Cape Cod, where she spends a week with both her adult kids and aging parents in their yearly rental cabin. It’s for anyone who’s ever faced the complicated, shifting dynamics of motherhood, childhood, or growing up sandwiched between who you were and facing who you’re becoming—with a side of clams.
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams
Two timelines intersect in this global tale of heartbreak and redemption, weaving post-WWII Egypt together with modern-day New England. As single mother Mallory rushes to find a kidney donor for her young son, Hannah, an ex-countess, struggles to adapt to life as a British diplomat’s wife. The twists of their stories will keep you guessing until the end—ultimately giving room to the beauty, and weight, of the feminine experience.
Outline by Rachel Cusk
This one won’t be for everyone, but if you’re the kind of person who gets lost in existential dread and loves an outlet for challenging your perspective, then you’ll enjoy these narratives encountered by a writer on her way to teach a course in Athens. Reading it feels like dissociating while on vacation (in a good way)…with lush descriptions of Greece that aid in its transportive power.
