How to get Free Books while Traveling

Hello my darling friends! I feel like all my recent post have been lists. I can’t help it! I’m a very organized person. Especially when it comes to reminders, planning and finance. What can I say? List are my go-to organization tool!

These days, I’m hardly flying and I’m no upset about it because I been really loving road trips this year. I’ve found so many new and interesting things to do at home and while traveling locally. If I’ve learned anything during this past year and half, it’s that I love traveling even more solo and I like to stay away from touristy attractions.

One of the biggest reasons I love to travel alone is because I can control everything. Including what I listen it. Audio books have become my best friend. I have never felt alone while traveling with one.

I’m almost always reading or listening to something. They’re particularly useful on long drives, but I still prefer a physical book at a park or a bar. With that said, I’ve uncovered some unique way to procure free books while traveling.

So, let’s get into this beautiful and well organized list!

How to Pack for Your Next Airbnb On The Trip Side Blog — Reading at an Airbnb in Laguna Beach

Table of Contents

How to get Free Books while Traveling

Keep in mind, you might have a hard time finding free books in English outside of North America and Europe. Many of the tips on this list are downloadable ebooks or a physical book you can grab before leaving your destination.

I love the idea of traveling books. Imagine taking a photo of your book with the Great Wall of China in the back or the White Sands in New Mexico.

#DreamLife. Wow – Do I need a second instagram for my traveling books? 🤪

Public Libraries

We’re gonna start with the obvious and go from there. The library, you guys… the LIBRARY. Get a card if you don’t have one.

You can literally

put books on hold
request books to be delivered to the closet library to you
and check out audio books to download to you phones

It’s the greatest thing ever. It’s also free because you already paid taxes on it. So, support your libraries!

Overdrive

A classic library app that makes checking out books far easier than using a browser. I used to use Overdrive a lot. It’s standard and an easy to manage app.

Libby

Libby is a newer app that was released by Overdrive. It’s fantastic and the platform makes checking out media quick and fun.

I really love the organizational functionalities.

You can tag books and create your own lists. This way you can keep track of you’ve read, what you want to read or random books saved for a rainy day. I love that if you have a book on Hold, it will give you an ETA by weeks. So, you can plan for when it will be available.

I love using libby for audio books. In fact, I cancelled my $18/mo subscription to Audibles because of Libby. To say Libby and I are fiction bff’s, is an understatement. Libby + Alli = life!

An extra hack: Keep your ebooks on airplane mode to prevent them from going back to the library before your finished with it. Shhhh. I learned this one from my book buddy, Shanna.

Free Little Libraries

If you live in a city or are visiting a city, you probably know about Free Little Libraries hiding in your local neighborhoods. Whenever I’m on a walk, especially in a new city, I always stop and check them out. I once scored the entire Crazy Rich Asians series in one of them.

If you’re unfamiliar, Free Little Libraries are a non-profit organization that supports book sharing in communities. Definitely check out their site. They have a map and address for each library near by! A great way to have a treasure hunting when traveling solo.

Hotel Front Desks

I always have a book on me. Always. So, I’ve never done this before but I do have a friend who has and highly recommends.

Here are the facts: people leave their stuff behind all the time.

One of the biggest items left behind are finished books. Most people want to clear out room in their suitcase before taking off.

So, if you forgot a book, check in with the hotel front desk. Tell them your situation. They’re sure to help you out and give you a few choices.

Fall Trip Ideas // On The Trip Side — Reading a library book outside a cabin in Coupeville, WA

Airbnb Bookshelves

Now, this isn’t always the case. If you’re staying in a place with a bunch of books that look old and have a sign that says “please don’t take”… obviously, don’t steal. However, most places have books on the shelves to borrow or a “take one, leave one” agreement. I’ve snagged a few good books this way, especially at beach houses and cabins. I swear they have the best lit!

Blogs

No, blogs aren’t books but there’s no denying they’re a combination of education and short stories. There’s a whole realm of fan-fiction out there waiting to be read. You can probably google any favorite character and type in “fan-fiction” next to it. Voila! Free lit.

In seriousness though, I read a lot of blogs and have made it my goal to comment on each one as I go. I love reading about other people’s travels, stories, book reviews and home life. It makes traveling a lot less lonely when you known others are doing it too.

Free Piles

Listen, some people just leave stuff out on the front lawn for others to have. Their loss, your gain.

I love a good free pile. My building has a “thrift store pile” but the the tenant go through it before it gets dropped off. I’ve found some good reads, including a book for my books and bottle‘s reviews!

Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace & Offer Up

Again, you can get some awesome books on these sites. Craigslist has a whole corner of the web labeled “free” and I check it out often. Some people give away free books, others give away free eggs because they’re chickens laid too many. Totally worth checking out, specifically if you’re looking for a particular book.

Friends & Family

You know, I need to take this one into consideration more often. My Mom loves to read. She’s read her whole life and is a sucker for historical romance. She used to go to this tiny local bookstore. They had a “books for a quarter” section and she would just… stock up.

You never know what your friends might be getting rid of, maybe start a book circle group.

Goodreads

I joined goodreads this year because I was determined to make reading a priority. It’s another fantastic organizational book tool. You can categorize everything. It’s has a yearly book challenge that I’m working through. Hence my books and bottles series.

However, did you know Goodreads also does giveaways. So, no. You can’t just get free books when you want, but you can enter and hope to win! I enter about once a week and haven’t won anything yet but my friend Shanna has!

Definitely check it out, if you haven’t already and feel free to follow me! I’d love more book friends!

There you go, guys! How to get Free Books while Traveling!

Do you have any other tips and tricks to book hacking? Leave them in the comments! Especially way to get book abroad!