How reading sparked my love of travel
Once upon a time there was a little girl who, as often as she could, would pick up a book and magically transport herself to another world.
The book itself wasn’t magical – or no more than any book is – but as someone who always loved reading, my collection whisked me away to new lands, on thrilling adventures, to meet people who seemed as real as those I saw outside the confines of my bedroom.
That little girl grew up to love travelling in real life as much as through the pages, although the shelves and shelves of paperbacks lining my walls are testimony to how important books still are to me.
Now I’m sharing some of my own favourite tales with my daughter, as she discovers the wonder of reading for herself, the magic of stories. Together we’ve wandered through the 100 Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh and accompanied Paddington on his marmalade-fuelled scrapes, we’ve been up the Faraway Tree in the Enchanted Wood with Moonface and Silky, and underground with Fantastic Mr Fox.
We’ve discovered new favourites as well, from Gruffalos to Charlie and Lola.
I suspect many of the tales of boarding schools that I devoured will seem way too old-fashioned – Malory Towers, St Clare’s, Trebizon, the Chalet School – but I can’t wait to introduce her to another truly magical school, to Harry Potter and Hogwarts.
I hope one day she discovers the joy of losing herself so deeply in a story that after closing the covers, she looks around half surprised at finding herself somewhere so completely different to the world of a few moments ago, just as I’ve done so often.
Or the times when the tale is just so good that she keeps reading and reading and reading, no matter that she should be fast asleep. (Not that I shall tell her so if I catch her!)
It’s still a wonder to me that those black letters on the page have such power to whisk us around the world, back through time, to laugh and cry with characters who never really existed – but who you could describe down to the final detail from the pictures in your head.
But that’s only the beginning. The curiosity it sparks about the world you discover in those pages can grow and grow and grow until you have to see it for yourself, to weave your own stories, create your own tales.
From the wild wuthering moors of Yorkshire, a couple of hours away from where I grew up, to 16th century Japan, courtesy of Shogun, reading has sparked my love of travel, eventually following the path those fictional counterparts trod. For years, I’d try to find books about the countries I was planning to visit, to discover more, to experience them before I set foot on their soil.
So on World Book Day, I’m planning my next trips inspired by literature – these ones with my own little girl. Having already looked for Superworm and the characters from Room on the Broom, met Mr Toad in Henley and explored Mr MacGregor’s Garden and its radishes at Willows Activity Farm, the Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden is next on my wishlist for 2017. I mean our wishlist.
Then Hogwarts perhaps, on a trip to Northumberland… and Gloucestershire… and Hertfordshire, to the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
Then? Who knows. ‘The world is a book,’ St Augustine supposedly said, ‘and those who do not travel read only one page.’ True or not, it’s one library I shall never tire of exploring.
Main image courtesy of my Dad (Thanks Dad). All other images copyright MummyTravels
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Spot on! I was just thinking the other day, how I think my passion for seeing new places stems back from the days when I would lose myself in stories. Sounds as though we liked similar stories, too. I’m waiting for my daughter to be old enough for me to test the Chale School books out on her. I think you might be right about them being a little daed….*sigh*
I do remember some of the boarding school stories seeming dated even when I read them (I remember one talking about girls at another/rival school having maids seemed utterly bizarre) but I still loved the tales. In some ways the girls themselves were very recognisable, it was the adults’ attitudes which weren’t. Got to be worth a try. I wonder if mine are still in my parents’ loft?!
Oh Cathy, you have my nostalgia rolling in! I too adored escaping to the those imaginary lands and adventures. I desperately wanted to be at St Clres or Mallory Towers and visit the Faraway Tree. I do so hope my children continue to love books and be inspired for their own adventures.
Thank you! Just what I’d hoped 🙂 And I still rather want to find the Faraway Tree…
Malory Towers! Now there’s a blast from my past. I was such a bookworm in my childhood and teens. It’s wonderful rediscovering stories with my girls now. Enjoy your bucket list!
I really did devour books (as you can see from the photo 😉 ) It is a lot of fun to rediscover them again.
I never thought of books as inspiring travel. I don’t generally yearn to travel, but thinking back I made my mum take us to specific tourist places because of books I’d read – Peter Pan statue, Rollright Stones etc.
I think it’s a great way to inspire some curiosity, even for days out.
I always loved the Magic Faraway Tree for its escapism and travels to another world when I was a kid. I have just introduced my kids to the Magic Treehouse books, where they travel to different places and different times – they love them, -and you can see their little imaginations working overtime, it’s great!
There is something so tempting about the thought of transporting to another world or time.
Such a true article.. with time to spare as we”be driven across Europe on our year long family Roadtrip… we’ve delved deep into the world of audio books (Mallory Towers through to Desert Island Discs) whilst the kids have become voracious readers too… we’ve even discovered they love planning the trips now as they read the guide books before we get there… in truth though, the reading also gives them an escape… somewhere to dream, imagine and believe what they want to be true.. it’s a priceless opportunity and we’ve grasped it with both hands… great article like this just remind us of why encouraging reading is so important
Thank you! That’s so lovely, and I definitely think the audio books are encouraging my daughter to read as well (although she’s currently fascinated by letters and will try to read anything). I shall have to get her started on guide books as well but there’s something about the possibilities of stories and imagination which is so important.
I love Mallory Towers and St Clarie’s books too – they made me want to go to boarding school – which I never got to do. Probably for the best as I’m sure it wasn’t all tricking teachers and midnight feasts! I’m looking forward to tackling some more of my favourite texts with my daughter too. I really must check out some of the Julia Donaldson trails too!
Me too – I suspect I would have hated it in reality (if it had been remotely on the cards). The trails are lovely as well, I want to get back and see the new virtual Gruffalo additions.
I love this! And I totally agree. I love visiting places I have read about it books, and I love being transported to another world. X
Thanks! It is so great to bring it to life a bit more.
I so much enjoyed reading this post. I was a “bookworm” as well, and somewhere there’s a photo of me in my swimsuit on the beach, engrossed in the Famous Five, on Kirrin Island probably with no adults (apart from the baddies) to spoil their adventures. I’m sure I would have hated boarding school, but loved Mallory Towers and the Chalet School. The Chalet School was particularly exotic, surrounded by the Austrian Alps and I was fascinated by the idea of speaking different languages on different days. Yes, so dated! My 12 year-old daughter tried The School at the Chalet and quite liked it, thought it was very old-fashioned, especially the words like “beastly”!
Thank you! I did particularly love the Chalet School – part of me definitely wished I could have gone there, I wonder how much that influenced my decision to study languages?