May is the month the big publishers release books they think you’ll take on holiday with you. Holiday Romance and Beach Reads feature largely, but they aren’t everyone’s choice in reading matter.

While many of us pack whatever was next on our tbr to take on our travels, others have more specific criteria for what goes into the suitcase.

Lighter reads are popular, as plans to enjoy a chosen holiday destination often takes precedence over diving into deep, all encompassing alternative worlds. Many people like to read something set in a place they’re travelling to, whether it’s a secluded cabin, a major amusement park or an exciting foreign city.

All genre preferences are adaptable to travel friendly versions. A light Mystery set in your holiday destination can benefit from atmosphere, or even being where you can visit the locations in the story. Exciting adventures can add mental stimulation to enjoying the comfort and safety of a good hotel while reading by the poolside.

Even Horror readers can match their reading choices to holiday plans. Planning to stay in a remote cabin? There are loads of scary stories about what can happen in isolated locations, some including werewolves or other monsters. Whole series have been written about haunted locations, or urban legends. Creepy abandoned amusement parks are a personal favourite.

You might be sipping a pina colada in a deck chair, while mentally flying with airship pirates or exploring deep cavernous worlds, perhaps even interstellar travelling. Fantasy and Science Fiction provide the kind of exciting adventures that most of us wouldn’t want to experience in real life, or find particularly comfortable or relaxing.

One of the more fun ideas I’ve come across is reading a story that appears to be a guidebook to a particular place, but throws in some interesting fictional elements. These can blur the edges between fiction and reality just enough to make a travel excursion far more interesting than just staying in a hotel or visiting popular sites.

I’m not one to spend the day reading when I travel as I tend to visit historical sites of interest, yet in the evenings when others might watch television, I find it fascinating to read Historical Fiction set in the location, or even actual history books to associate with places I might visit during my stay.

While long journeys by train or plane usually see me reading pure escapism stories to make the discomforts of travel less prevalent in my experience, I also like to take note of small details about new to me places and the journey there that I might include if I were to write a story about someone travelling to the destination. What information would the traveller know about the place, as opposed to a local resident? What catches the eye as you enter the city?

Have you ever written a book intended as holiday reading? What sort of books do you like to read when you travel? Do the big publishers cater for your preferences, or do you glaze over and look past the adverts to try to find something more to your taste?

Let’s chat in the comments!