Even if you don’t leave the laptop behind, make sure to pack a book for your summer holidays!
When was the last time you read a chapter without checking your phone, replying to an email, or glancing at notifications?
For many of us, holidays have quietly become “work from somewhere prettier.” We swap the office for a terrace overlooking the sea, but our minds remain tethered to screens. Even if we’re technically on vacation, our brains rarely get the chance to truly rest.
Perhaps this year, there’s another way.
Instead of packing your laptop “just in case,” bring a book.
Or even better, a notebook too.
Because sometimes the greatest luxury isn’t just another destination. It’s finally having the space to think at a place that give you all the space to do so.
The Forgotten Art of Reading Slowly
There is something wonderfully different about opening a physical book.
The weight of the pages.
The sound of turning them.
A bookmark left exactly where yesterday’s sunset interrupted your story.
Reading a printed book naturally invites us to slow down. Unlike a screen, it doesn’t tempt us with notifications, emails, social media, or “just one quick search.”
Research supports what many readers instinctively feel.
A 2019 systematic review examining over 2,700 participants found that reading on paper produced slightly better reading performance and better awareness of how well readers understood the material compared with reading on screens. Researchers suggested that printed reading encourages deeper processing, particularly for more demanding texts.
Another large meta-analysis published in Computers & Education reached similar conclusions, finding that while reading speed was largely the same, comprehension tended to be higher when reading on paper than on screens.
This doesn’t mean Kindle or e-books are “bad.” In fact, they’re wonderful travel companions and have helped millions of people read more than ever before.
But holidays may be one of the few opportunities we have to experience reading in its purest form—without distractions.
Your Brain Needs Boredom More Than It Needs Wi-Fi
Luxury today isn’t always about having more.
Sometimes it’s about having less. Less noise, less urgency, less multitasking.
Our brains spend much of the year constantly switching between tasks—messages, meetings, notifications, and endless streams of information. Neuroscientists call this “attention switching,” and while we often think we’re multitasking, we’re actually rapidly changing focus, which consumes mental energy.
Reading a book asks something different of us.
It asks us to stay.
To follow one thought, a character, one idea.
For an hour, or more.
That sustained attention can feel surprisingly restorative after months of fragmented digital life.
Why Holidays Are the Perfect Time to Read
Something magical happens when reading meets nature.
Imagine this:
A gentle breeze.
The sound of waves.
Morning coffee on the terrace.
No agenda except the next chapter.
Suddenly, reading becomes more than entertainment.
It becomes a ritual.
Unlike scrolling, which often leaves us mentally tired despite feeling “busy,” reading can create a sense of calm immersion. Many guests tell us that the first few days of holiday are when they finally rediscover their ability to focus.
Sometimes they finish the novel that’s been waiting on their bedside table for months.
Sometimes they start one they found in our villa library.
Sometimes they simply watch the sea between chapters.
And somehow, that’s enough.
The Next Time You Pack…
Bring your swimsuit.
Bring sunscreen.
Bring your favourite summer clothes.
But don’t forget a book you’ve been meaning to read.
Or a blank notebook waiting for new memories.
Because the stories we read often change us.
And the stories we write become the ones we never forget.
Your Invitation to Slow Down
At Beach House Arvi, we believe some of the most meaningful holiday moments happen in silence, curled up with a book under the pergola, listening to the sea, or filling a notebook with thoughts inspired by the rhythm of the coast.
This summer, give yourself permission to disconnect from your laptop and reconnect with yourself.
The sea will still be there when you finish the chapter.