Scanning the spines of books stacked in her home library, Julia Bradbury picks a cherished tome from the shelf.
“I’m a hoarder,” admits the 54-year-old TV presenter. “I find it really hard to give books up, which is why I still have this copy of A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. I’ve lugged [it] from house to house, along with thousands of other books for the past 20 years.”
Having recently returned from a research trip to India, the mother of three says she felt inspired to read the novel again. Beyond the gripping plot, it’s the expressions and descriptions of foods and flavours that take her on a journey.
She’s not the only reader to find a sense of wanderlust in printed pages. According to research by travel company Explore Worldwide, 72% of travellers visited or have considered visiting a place after reading a novel set there.
Their new Four Corners Book Club, fronted by Bradbury, invites readers to discover travel-inspired fiction, and share their own literary recommendations.
“It’s just magical how books can weave you into a place,” enthuses Bradbury. “And I don’t think [you] have to have been to a place to picture it. Sometimes you can just hold that vision in your imagination.”
Despite a successful career in television, Bradbury was weaned on the written word. Beyond being a source of information, relaxation and entertainment, she believes reading is also good for our wellbeing. Touching pages and making a visual connection stimulates the brain, she insists, admitting that she writes down many of her voice-to-camera pieces to make sure she commits them to memory.
“Your eyes and your brain are one,” she says. “For centuries, we have been drawing, writing and communicating, whether it’s via stone tablets, on cave walls, or on parchment paper. I’m so thrilled that even now as we are standing on the threshold of this terrifying and exciting world of AI, books are flourishing. People are reading more books than ever before.”
Working in the media industry makes it impossible to switch off completely, but Bradbury insists she’s been working hard to minimise screen time to protect her mental health.
“I’ve changed my nighttime routine considerably since I’ve been working on the new healthy version of me,” she explains. “I don’t watch TV in the evening time anymore, I don’t have phones in the bedroom and I try to get off the screens by 6pm if I can.”
Instead, she dedicates her evenings to reading and she’s feeling much better for it.
When it comes to her children, the same strict rules apply – although she admits it can be a battle.
“My kids will not have a phone until they’re 16. They know that, we’ve had that discussion. Digital screens are magnetic for children, but you’ve got to bring words and reading into your children’s lives. Read newspaper articles, show them things, discuss stories with them.”
One opportunity to truly connect is on holiday. Next year, Bradbury says she and her family are planning to take more sustainable staycations in the UK and Ireland, along with a summer hiking holiday in the French Alps.
But she also has an itch to get away alone on a silent retreat, recalling a trip to Sharpham House in Devon where fellow guests weren’t allowed to converse until after 10.30am.
“They encouraged you to switch your phones off and pack them away and not have them for three days, and I managed it,” she says, proudly. “I can’t wait to do it again. Silence is golden.”
For more information on how to join the Explore Four Corners Book Club, visit explore.co.uk/four-corners-book-club. By submitting a book review, readers can be entered into a draw to win a £5,000 voucher, which can be used to book an adventure in any of Explore Worldwide’s small group travel destinations.
