If you hadn’t noticed, we’re all a bit overwhelmed by screen time these days. So when you need an escape from scrolling, sign up for the hottest analogue getaway du jour: the reading retreat. “People are more burnt out than ever, constantly switched on, and craving rest that actually feels restorative rather than performative. Reading retreats offer permission to slow down without needing to be productive about it,” says Megan Christopher of Ladies Who Lit, which runs retreats across Europe — and, in the near future, to the likes of Australia, Canada and South Africa. Her book-based retreats tick the boxes for all we are looking for right now: off-screen enrichment, mindful downtime, solo adventure, slow travel and reconnection with the self and others. “Guests form deep friendships surprisingly quickly because the retreat removes so much social pressure. Books act as a bridge.” While some reading retreats — such as Books in Places — feature pre-set reading lists that connect you with the place (think reading The Island by Victoria Hislop while in Crete, for example), others come with themed reading suggestions or just the chance to work through your own TBR (to be read) pile with likeminded strangers to chat to over dinner. And some, such as Reading Retreat, even give you the chance to spend time with an author.
