After I’ve settled at the airport—been through security, checked in to my flight, and laid eyes on my gate—I typically wander through the airport. Favourite shops of mine are always those filled with snacks, discount designer items, and books.

Lately I’ve been noticing that the airports book shops aren’t populated only with beach reads and SuDoKu books; there are always racks and racks of self-improvement and non-fiction items.

These books promise to prepare you for the upcoming AI revolution, fix your relationship with your parents, or help you become the best version of yourself. You can learn a new language, the history of mankind, how conspiracies work, or the skills you need to succeed at work.

And every time I pass one of these shops, I’m tempted. I think I’m on my way to [somewhere new]. Maybe I’ll come back a completely new person—why not add a new language or skill to that change?

What else am I going to do lying on the beach? I should get a book…

I’ll have all the time to read; why wouldn’t I want to better myself?

Truthfully, I know the answers to these questions—I’m not going to learn a language in less than a week; lying on the beach doesn’t need an activity added to it, it’s an activity all of its own; and travel is challenging enough without the pressure of adding homework.

Yes, I’ll have lots of time on the beach or on the metro—but is that really the best place to try to make myself a more educated person?

It takes focus to grasp new concepts; and lately, I’ve been feeling as though I’ll learn something theoretically, but if I don’t find an excuse to talk about it or use the information practically, the knowledge swiftly leaves my brain. Being away from home, and trying to navigate new surroundings and unfamiliar customs (and possibly, a foreign language to boot) aren’t the ideal circumstances to learn something so challenging it takes a textbook to explain.

In short: I think buying heavy non-fiction books for vacations and trips isn’t wise. So why am I always tempted to buy one?

Because I get caught up in the ideas that come with travel is limitless potential. I get on a plane to somewhere new, and that feeling takes over of being completely unrooted from what I know, and that means I could be a completely different person. A person who’s ready for the AI revolution, or has perfect family relationships. Someone who comes back from vacation with a new international sense of style, speaking a new language. An idealized version of myself that happens through travel.

But truthfully—it’s always just me. And I like myself, even if my obsession with learning more gets out of hand sometimes.

I think what airport bookstores are selling us are really the concept of better. They whisper to us that anything is possible in a new place. It’s the promise of travel, really; that you’ll go somewhere, and come back changed. Hopefully for the better; possibly for the worse. But it’s the risk we take whenever we step outside our comfort zone. And it’s nice to think that buying a book I think will make my life is weighing the scales slightly in the positive direction; after all, why would I regret buying an informative book?

But truthfully, I almost always regret my airport book purchases. I’d rather plan my reading ahead of time.

How do you feel about learning on vacation? I hope you’ll let me know in the comments; and as always, happy travels!