If you haven’t much time to read during your busy day to day, then a vacation or a trip can be the perfect opportunity to get your read on. Reading during a long commute or flight is easily the best way to occupy the time. Even after you’ve arrived at your destination, keeping a good book with you and convert just about any space or environment into a relaxed zone.

Not to mention, you can easily match your trip duration with the perfect length of the book. For instance, on a short weekend away, you can pack a slim narrative with you that you cab casually peruse during your downtime. If yours is a long trip, perhaps consider bringing something with a little more heft.

That said, you don’t even need to lug around a bulky book with you. Kindles and electronic readers have made it significantly easier to enjoy your favorite titles while downloading. Because they are so portable, you can download as many book titles as you would wish to have without cluttering your suitcase. This will even give you plenty of space for the new books that you will purchase after you settle down.

And if you are pressed for cash during your trip, sitting down in a quiet location to read is an affordable way to enjoy your surroundings. Reading is free (for the most part), effortless, and you can enjoy doing it in innumerable places. So if you’ve been meaning to catch up on your reading, here are 5 cool books to consider for your travels:

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

Artificial intelligence refers to the science of teaching computers to carry out human-like tasks. Artificial intelligence used to be the fodder of fiction movies, but this has all changed today. Artificial Intelligence in various forms is everywhere these days, from self-driving cars to virtual assistants in your pocket. So how can you not be curious about this wondrous technology?

Sure, artificial intelligence books may not be the most interesting thing that you will ever read while traveling. However, you don’t have to restrict yourself to the serious stuff. There are plenty of AI-based fiction novels that you can sink your teeth into. One such great read is Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke.

Childhood’s End is a gripping and thought-provoking story that features aliens. The premise of this story is quite simple: one day, the aliens arrive to prevent the extinction of the human race. Everything’s fine at first but as the years pass, the humans begin to see that the aliens are not as they appear.

The New Wilderness by Diane Cook

As far as science fiction books go, this one is pretty amazing. Not only is this one of the most talked-about science and literary fiction works of this year, but it was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It’s really that good!

The New Wilderness is set in a dystopic future where the world has been ravaged by the effects of climate change. The novel features a mother’s struggle to save her daughter from the Choking City. The Choking City is rife with poisoned air, which has been killing Agnes since she was born.

Bea intends to escape with her young daughter Agnes for the much cleaner Wilderness Zone where they must learn to live the ancient hunter-gatherer lifestyle. This is a fast-paced and exhilarating story about survival and hope that you will want to read.

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Ask any self-professed romantic and they will tell you that romance is one genre that never disappoints, no matter how many romance novels you go through in your lifetime. Why? Romance novels always guarantee a happy ending and who doesn’t want that warm, glowy feeling when on vacation?

You Had Me at Hola is as romantic as a romantic novel can get. After a devastating breakup, soap star Jasmine goes back home to New York, where she has to film a bilingual romantic comedy. Her co-star is handsome telenovela actor Ashton. With actors wanting to give their best, they take their rehearsal sessions offset, where a real-life romantic adventure of their own ensues.

Uganda Be Kidding – Chelsea Handler

If you are a fan of comedy or late-night entertainment shows, then you may already be familiar with Chelsea Handler’s work. This book is a collection of several short stories about her travel adventures. As you can expect, the stories in this novel are both hilarious and absurd, which will make for a great read as you make your way through airport security.

Whether Chelsea is on safari in Uganda or fumbling her way through the streets of Asia, her misadventures will crack you up, which will then make it so much easier for you to enjoy your own trip. And it’s not just funny stories that you have to look forward to. You will also come across lots of great travel tips that you can apply.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

If you are looking for a little inspiration, then this biography by Malala will fill you with hope. This inspiring story will give you a closer look at what women in the Middle East have to endure. Malala will teach you how to approach everything in your life with courage and passion so that you can return to your day to day life ready to face whatever challenges are ahead of you head-on.

In this novel, Malala narrates the story of her life in war-torn Pakistan. Malala has spent years fighting for equal education opportunities for girls in the Middle East. Malala is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner to date and this will be one of the most remarkable stories you will ever read.

Final Thoughts

There is little that’s more enjoyable than sitting on a beach, restaurant, or bar with a good book. Reading while traveling may not be the easiest thing to do for some individuals. However, if you do manage to steal a few minutes here and there to peruse a couple of pages from your favorite book, you will find the experience more cathartic than most.