5 Travel-Inspired Book Subscription Boxes to Entertain You

If you’re used to that jet-set life, you might be having trouble squaring up to our no-end-in-sight shelter in place orders. In the span of just a few months, every plan we made has changed, every trip we booked has been canceled, and with respect to getting back to “normal” or whatever that may be, your guess is as good as ours.

In times of crisis throughout history, humans have tended to flock towards whatever makes us feel comfortable, safe, and in control. Sometimes we simply need an exit strategy, and that need sends us in the direction of cinemas, books, traveling, and dreaming.

Now, as the cinemas are as closed as the borders, the next best thing is to pick up a book and spirit ourselves away to another world, page by page. With that, here are a few travel-inspired book subscription boxes that we think might help you fill your time in shelter, and perhaps even give you some more ideas and inspiration for your next trip!

The Wordy Traveler

This quarterly book club comes with plenty of surprises in tow, plus a social enterprise partnership with education-centered charities that we really like. The Wordy Traveler takes subscribers on a literary journey around the world each quarter (that’s every three months) and you can decide between two different subscription levels.

The Full Suitcase includes a box with three books each quarter, effectively turning the quarterly book club into a monthly book club. This option starts at $109.99 per quarter, but you may prepay for up to six quarters which costs $569.99. However, if you’re not looking to start and finish a book each month, opt instead for the Backpacking Edition which comes with just one book per quarter. This starts at $49.99 per quarter, but again, you may prepay for up to six quarters which costs $228.

Whether you choose The Full Suitcase or the Backpacking Edition, your quarterly box will contain the relevant book(s), an ethically-sourced tea that encapsulates the vibe of the featured country or region, a custom art print or photo from an up-and-coming artist, and the knowledge that part of your investment is going towards charities that help provide education to women and girls around the world.

One Third Stories

While the kids are home from school, distance learning and homeschooling have become the new norm. If your little one is up for learning a new language and if you’re looking for something to supplement their screen time, One Third Stories is a great subscription option for you.

One Third Stories is aimed at children between the ages of four and nine, and they create beautiful book series that start in English and end in either French or Spanish. The change is gradual and begins with peppering in words, enhancing their understanding with repetition, moving on to common phrases, and eventually ending with the entire text in another language.

Each month, you will receive a box with a book and related activities aimed at helping your child with reading, writing, and speaking skills. You will also receive audiobooks to help with pronunciation as well as listening skills. Month to month subscriptions cost £19.99, but a 12-month subscription costs £191.88. If you are located within the UK, shipping is free; however, One Third Books will ship globally for eager young language learners outside of the UK.

Book Box Club

If your favorite part of travel is the social aspect, you may be feeling especially stung by isolation during these times. While we’re waiting to get back out there again, joining the Book Box Club might be a fun way to feel connected and make new friends while also receiving new and exciting young-adult books to read.

Another UK-based company aimed at young people and the young-at-heart, Book Box Club has two levels of subscription: Purely Books (starting at £40 per three months) or the Full Book Box Club Subscription (starting at £28.99 per month.) Purely Books, of course, is the slimmed-down package containing just the book and invitation to their online book club, but the full subscription also includes a selection of 4-6 curated goodies with each box. Past boxes have included accessories, notepads, bookmarks, mugs, beanies, bath bombs, and more.

One of the things that we love about Book Box Club is the social side. Equipped with their own personal virtual Clubhouse, readers can meet up and discuss each book together at dedicated meetups. On top of that, Book Box Club offers exclusive content including meet-and-greets with authors! This option is great for you or any other YA lovers in your life.

The Book Drop

Some of my fondest memories include traveling from town to town, picking up and dropping off books everywhere I went between local hostels and independent bookstores. Since we can’t all physically visit independent bookstores around the world right now, why not support one via a book subscription?

The Book Drop is a subscription that supports Bethany Beach Books, an independent bookstore in Delaware that has been open since 1991. Not only are the books sourced from a small business, but subscribers can choose the box that most resembles their reading habits and wishes. The Book Drop features Books for Tea (contemporary, historical, literary), Books for Bubbly (romance, chick lit), and Books for Coffee (mystery, thriller, psych). They also feature combo boxes, boxes for young adult readers and child readers, and boxes that cater to large-print needs.

Depending on the box, each month will cost between $8-$17.99 but you may prepay for up to twelve months, running between $94-$210. Each monthly box contains a hand-wrapped book and, generally, a bookplate or letter from the author. For strong community vibes and an easy way to support a small business, The Book Drop is a great option.

Enlightened Warrior

While this subscription box doesn’t exclusively feature travel-specific literature, Enlighted Warrior instead encourages subscribers to go on a journey into their own growth and development. Inside each monthly box is an inspiring and enlightening book that may be either fiction or non-fiction, plus a few ingredients to help readers create a soothing ambiance.

Enlightened Warrior comes with a pretty simple subscription structure; each plan comes with the same contents, but new subscribers benefit from a volume discount if they choose to sign up for multiple months. A one-month subscription costs $39.34, but a twelve-month subscription comes out to $33.52 per month. Subscriptions can be ordered through CrateJoy, which is the host platform for Enlightened Warrior as well as several other subscription boxes.

In addition to a carefully curated book, each box comes with a few surprises. Past boxes have included treats like loose-leaf tea and tea diffusers, bookmarks with inspirational quotes, art supplies, and candles. With a mission to help readers explore and nurture their best selves, Enlightened Warrior is a helpful tool to have during our extended time indoors.

Final Thoughts

Even though we are stuck where we are for the foreseeable future, a good book can easily sweep us away into another universe entirely. Whether you’re looking for travel inspiration, educational tools for your little one, a book club society, or ways to support independent businesses, there is a book club subscription out there waiting for you! With books and goodies delivered straight to your door, it’s hard to imagine a simpler or more lovely way to spend your time inside.

By the way, if you love a good cup of coffee while reading a good book, check out these coffee subscriptions that will make you feel like you’re in an Italian cafe.