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Freedom for Books
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-------- Set Them Free
Books at a library can be expensive, especially at a foreign bookstore on a tourist area, and even more expensive if you look for books written in a language that is different from the one spoken on the country. We have been so spoiled in the U.S. with $5.99 paperbacks that we forget how much information can cost.
It is best to bring your own books on a vacation or business trip. However, avid readers may find this can weight us down considerably.
When I travel I carry books I do not mind leaving behind. As a matter of fact, I do expect to leave them behind. Few books need to be read twice. Some things I do with the books I carry:
- Exchange them Some hostels and some coffee shops have a book exchange system: you drop a book and you grab another. (Where do you find them?)
- Give Them Away If you meet people in your trip, just ask them if they would want it. A friend, co-worker, client, hotel clerk, fellow subway passenger, or any perfect stranger. Just tell them you do not have space to carry it back and would rather see the book fall into someone who can give it good use.
- Set them free. Just mark the book all around as a free book and leave behind in a public place. This is my last alternative, since I can’t verify it was received by someone who may care about the book. People have been doing it in a more formalized way in BookCrossing.com.
Except for exchanging them at a coffee shop or hostel, leaving a book behind means you now may need a new one to continue reading. Most of the time it is not an issue: I just carry enough books for the whole trip. However, on backpacking trips, where I carry everything on my back, or on work month-long trips it is unrealistic to carry all of the books.
Even on foreign countries, there may be a few book bargains. You may want to look into used book shops (some guidebooks, specially LetsGo and Lonely Planet) list them. You may also look into traditional bookstores, but in the ‘Classics’ section: published works that already lost their copyright and can be published and sold at a much lower rate.
Disposing of a book means some money may be ‘lost’. Seldom have I seen it as really lost, since the knowledge or entertainment remains with me even if the book has been long gone. However, I still need to minimize the impact on my pocket. You may want to stock up on books before you need a few good books during your next trip. Consider inexpensive book options:
- Yard Sales
- Library Sales – My library sells books, once or twice a year, for $0.50 or $1.
- Thrift Shops
- Secondhand book shops (search in yellow pages).
- Your friend’s bookshelves
- Half.com or the used books section of Amazon.com
In the end, this practice saves some money, some weight in my back and used and re-used books help save the environment. |
