Researchers from easyJet Holidays, surveyed the nation’s holidaymakers - and revealed a staggering 87% insist a real book is better on holiday than any form of tech.

The research was commissioned to celebrate the operator’s new partnership with WHSmith, the global travel retailer, curating a ‘Perfect Summer Reads’ edit for jetsetters. The partnership will see the list promoted in 140 WHSmith stores, which will be co-branded with easyJet holidays, based in UK airports and train stations.

77% of Brits maintain they always read a real book on holiday, with 56% saying it is one of the only times they take a proper break from looking at a screen.

More than a third (35%) even love the smell of a book, while 24% said a device doesn’t have the same aesthetic as the front cover of a novel. What’s more, almost a quarter (22%) reckon holding a book makes them appear more cultured, while 11% of modern Brits deem old-school hard copy books as retro and hip.

One in ten (10%) like that other people can see what they’re reading, in fact, 79% think that a holiday isn’t a real holiday without a book to read. Amazingly, almost half (49%) read more books on holiday than they do for the rest of the year.

Feeling more relaxed (74%), having fewer distractions (54%) and not worrying about work (23%) are reasons why we read more on our holidays.

To help readers choose their perfect holiday narrative, easyJet Holidays and WHSmith Travel have curated a selection of spine-tingling summer page turners, guaranteed to elevate any holiday, with an objective to showcase a diverse range of authors. From gritty crime dramas and coming of age stories, to laugh-out-loud fiction and inspiring essays and poetry, the ‘Perfect Summer Reads’ edit will be available across WHSmith Travel stores in large airports and rail locations in the UK:

• The Bullet That Missed – Richard Osman
• Honey & Spice – Bolu Babalola
• The Boys from Biloxi – John Grisham
• It Starts With Us – Colleen Hoover
• Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey
• Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart
• Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
• The Escape Artist – Jonathan Freedland
• Act of Oblivion – Robert Harris
• Undoctored - Adam Kay
• Trespasses – Louise Kennedy
• The Whale Tattoo – Jon Ransom
• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
• You made A Fool of Death with your Beauty – Akwaeke Emezi
• Queer Life, Queer Love: The Second Anthology

Mike Roberts, Senior Books Buyer, WHSmith Travel, said: “We’ve loved working with easyJet Holidays to curate this selection of Perfect Summer Reads. There really is something for everyone; the edit includes some of the big summer blockbusters we know our customers are going to love, and an eclectic selection of diverse titles, authors and genres. So wherever you’re journey takes you this summer, you can pick up a guaranteed good read to enjoy on your travels.”

Chris Brown, Head of Marketing at easyJet Holidays, who commissioned the survey commented: “Books and holidays have always gone hand-in-hand. Whether it’s saving a particular novel for a holiday read, or grabbing that last-minute bestseller from the airport WHSmith, books help make a holiday relaxing. For those who aren’t usually avid readers at home, it’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in something special. That’s why we’re extremely pleased to have partnered with WHSmith, to curate the ultimate list of perfect summer reads, showcasing a diverse range of authors, to help you elevate all our customers’ holiday experiences.”

Almost one in five (19%) say the best place to read a book is on a sun lounger, while 16% prefer to sit under the shade of a tree.

While 27% have even come up with the plot for their own novel while whiling away the hours on holiday, yet a forgetful 32% have left their book at home and been forced to read something random from the hotel library.

An honest 49% judge fellow holidaymakers on their beach reads, while 71% believe you can tell a lot about a person by the book they’re reading.

51% of Brits purchase their holiday book at the airport, while 47% are more organised and purchase them online before they jet off to sunnier climes.

-ENDS-

Please contact the easyJet Holidays press office on easyjetholidays@taylorherring.com for more information

Notes to editors:

This research of 2,000 Brits was commissioned by easyJet Holidays to celebrate its new partnership with WHSmith and was conducted by Perspectus Global in July 2023.

About easyJet holidays:

easyJet holidays is the UK’s fastest growing tour operator, having carried 1.3 million people in first fully operational year and named Rising Brand of the Year by Travolution. It offers great-value beach, city and lakes holidays to over 5000 hotels, in more than 100 destinations across Europe, directly through its website and through over 5000 travel agent partners. The ATOL-protected holidays can be secured with a deposit of just £60 per person, including flights, hotel, 23kg luggage and transfers on beach holidays. easyJet holidays is a member of ABTA, and all packages are covered by its Ultimate Flexibility, offering freedom to change a booking, a refund guarantee, and best price guarantee.

Winners of the Sustainable Future Award at the Globe Travel Awards 2022, easyJet holidays has a sustainability strategy focusing on three key pillars – create better holiday choices which is about making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special which is maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism, and transform travel for everyone which means embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry. Through ongoing collaboration with the University of Oxford, and as a member of the GSTC, easyJet holidays is focused on building its research, partnerships and certifications, and taking action to make a positive impact on the people and places that make its destinations so special.

easyJet holidays has been named one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 – being called out as one of the most loved employers and highly commended as a great place to work for LGBTQIA+ employees, as well as being named one of the Best Workplaces in Travel 2022.