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Travelling with books

Travelling with books

In his column “Reisefieber” (Travel Nerves), German columnist Wolfgang Bachmann reveals why holiday reading is absolutely essential, but can also have its pitfalls.


Of course you need holiday reading! Otherwise you can’t really enjoy your trip. The first thing to do is to get some literature on the region, the landscape, history, art and architecture, and of course, recommendations on typical cuisine.

A phrase book is also indispensable, as you don’t want to be wandering around like a stupid tourist, you want to talk to people. There are always situations in which you need a few foreign language phrases, for example if you have food allergies. If you are travelling through Cambodia, you can perhaps ask whether the fish soup is also available without fish (“Est-ce que je peux avoir la bouillabaisse sans poisson?”).

If you’re unlucky with the weather, you’ll be glad of some light entertainment. Dad has Wallander with him, Mum Hera Lind. However, the holiday offers the opportunity to venture into the more extensive must-reads, Musil, Joyce and Franzen. So pack your bags! And employees should not forget that they are being fed by their employer during their days off. This means that it’s also a question of loyalty to further qualify yourself for your company, i.e. to pick up specialised literature that you don’t have time for in your day-to-day work. I’m thinking of current university publications or commentaries on the Implementing Regulation under European law. Now is the time to do this so that you don’t lose touch and are well prepared when you return from holiday.

With this basic equipment of compulsory reading, you can look forward to the two weeks in Malle or Bad Hersfeld with confidence. Yes, admittedly, travelling with books requires a certain amount of logistics, which perhaps explains the success of the large SUVs. Of course, you can also take it all with you elegantly and space-savingly on a tablet, which also allows you to switch inconspicuously between the various reading materials. And if you’re lucky, you’ll realise on the second day that you’ve forgotten your charger and power adapter. That’s when your holiday can really begin!

Text: Wolfgang Bachmann

Photo: Dan Dumitriu / Unsplash

About the author:
Wolfgang Bachmann was editor-in-chief and then publisher of the architecture magazine “Baumeister”. In addition to his journalistic work, he is widely known for his often tongue-in-cheek columns, e.g. in Baumeister and for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. A selection of Wolfgang Bachmann’s “Reisefieber” columns has appeared in HOLIDAYARCHITECTURE under the title “Fremde Zimmer” (“Foreign Rooms”).  If you would like to purchase this still highly amusing travel book, you can find remaining copies (German version only!) here.

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