“Let’s go together!” is a five-part series showcasing often-overlooked trips and experiences of travelers getting together for a shared hobby.
The idea of traveling to Antarctica for vacation never occurred to Kayla Janachovsky until she read “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” in 2017.
Written by Maria Semple, the 2012 bestselling novel follows a woman named Bernadette Fox as she disappears from her family before their trip to Antarctica. The book was adapted into a 2019 movie starring Cate Blanchett.
The main character’s journey to the southernmost continent sparked something inside of Janachovsky, who calls herself an avid reader. “That book kind of opened my eyes to like, oh, this is a destination people can actually go and see,” the Minneapolis resident told USA TODAY. “It’s not just for scientists.”
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The idea of visiting what Janachovsky had once thought was an “unreachable” destination quickly turned into what she called an obsession. About five years later, she came across an expedition cruise to Antarctica and promptly booked it.
On the 14-day trip in December 2023, Janachovsky sailed around The White Continent and its islands, spotting wildlife like whales and penguins and doing a polar plunge along the way. To this day, she said it was one of the most “surreal” and “awe-inspiring experiences of her life,” crediting the novel for the idea.
While travelers draw inspiration for their trips from many places – social media, movies and television shows – many are turning to their favorite stories as they turn the pages of their books. According to Skyscanner, 55% of travelers have booked their trips based on literature, with 14% of them wanting to go on a writing or reading retreat and 33% hoping to visit a destination mentioned in a book.
Kayla Janachovsky went to Antarctica after reading a bestselling novel.
As the BookTok community continues to skyrocket in popularity – with over 68.9 million tags on TikTok – so are the journeys inspired by the adventures, destinations and characters from the pages. Books transport readers to destinations they may have never been themselves, exploring new places and cultures through the eyes of the characters.
“I think for readers especially, we just connect so much with the characters or with the storylines of the books that we’re reading,” Janachovsky said. “We often see ourselves or our lives through these characters, and it’s like being able to go beyond your typical world, your typical day-to-day … I think it’s a really exciting way to travel, even when you are maybe still at home reading this in your living room or something.”
A way to escape
Reading disconnects people from daily life, immerses them in another reality, and is also a way to break away from screens and technology. According to the Skyscanner survey, 85% of respondents said they read to “relax or escape.” For many, travel offers the same opportunity. In a sense, traveling and reading go directly hand in hand.
For Janachovsky, the trip to Antarctica inspired her to also start a travel company called Slow Travel Co., slated to host Reading Retreats for women in destinations like Greece, Costa Rica and England beginning in 2026. The premise of the five-day all-inclusive retreats is for women over the age of 35 to slow down, unplug from the hustle and bustle of daily life and social media, “rediscover the joy of reading and travel,” as Janachovsky put it, while also building community.
“There is plenty of time for you to be able to rest and relax, and a lot of times that has to do with reading as well,” she said.
Stephanie Henigin loves to blend travel with her passion for reading.
While Janachovsky doesn’t assign specific books for the retreats, many of the women who signed up are reading or bringing books based on the trip location for a more immersive experience.
Stephanie Henigin, another Minneapolis-based reader behind the Instagram book account @stephsbooktherapy, is planning to read the romance novel “One Day in December” by Josie Silver, which takes place in London, this winter, before attending one of the retreats taking place in a countryside manor in England’s Cotswolds region in May.
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“I think it just helps you appreciate the history and the culture because England is very, very old and has so much history,” the 35-year-old health care worker told USA TODAY.
She’s looking forward to having designated time to read and connect with other women who enjoy reading. “I think just being in this beautiful house – I’ve seen pictures – it just looks like you literally jumped into a book,” she said. “I’m just excited to explore the house, find some downtime and read, and just like refill my cup too figuratively.”
‘Creating that curiosity’
Books set in captivating settings can plant the seed of a journey worth taking, becoming a stepping stone for travelers. That’s what happened to Madison Krigbaum of the travel blog Madison’s Footsteps.
The digital nomad typically discovers new destinations from Instagram or television shows, such as her upcoming trip to Scotland, based on the show “Outlander.” However, she recently went on a trip with friends inspired by an over a century-old novel she read a few years ago: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”
Krigbaum and her friends were brainstorming destinations for a Halloween trip when she remembered how much she enjoyed the 1897 gothic horror novel about Count Dracula, a Transylvanian nobleman and vampire likely inspired by European folklore and possibly a Romanian ruler named Vlad the Impaler.
Krigbaum went to a Halloween party in Transylvania after reading Dracula.
Like Krigbaum, more travelers are seeking out escapist trips based on romantasy (romance and fantasy genre), immersing themselves in environments that feel otherworldly, with mythical creatures and medieval castles. According to Booking.com’s 2026 Travel Predictions report, 71% of travelers said they’d potentially go to a destination inspired by a romantasy book.
“I read it the first time a couple of years ago, and I was like, you know what, that would be super fun,” Krigbaum told USA TODAY. “I’m sure there’s a Halloween party in Transylvania. Why don’t we do that?”
The book kicked off what became a larger exploration throughout Romania for the traveler, a place she considers an underrated European destination. “I do remember reading the book and being like, wow, just the description of Romania sounds so cool,” she said. “I love a little spooky element here and there.”
The group flew into Bucharest, with activities like going on a pub crawl through Old Town Bucharest, tasting traditional Romanian food and also taking day trips to the spa town Therme, Peles Castle in Sinaia and Rasnov Fortress outside of Brasov. The trip culminated in a Halloween Party at Bran Castle, the 14th-century castle and national monument also known as Dracula’s Castle for its resemblance to the vampire’s residence as described in Stoker’s novel.
Although crowded when she visited, seeing the castle in person – with its history and looming architecture – fascinated Krigbaum. And it all started with the classic book. “It can be a really fun way to learn about new destinations,” she said.
Henigin echoes that sentiment as she adds more England-inspired books to her reading list before she embarks on her trip. “Books allow us to escape and feel like we’re there because these authors do such a vivid job of describing it,” she said. “But then it also creates that curiosity and it makes me want to go to these places.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why travelers are turning to books for inspiration