By Veronica Spettmann

Veronica Spettmann is a jack of all trades with a particular passion for writing. She recently graduated with her BA in English Writing from LIU Post and is excited to present herself to the real world. She writes for a food blog, The Flava In Ya Ear, and has her own blog, The Five Dollar Word, where she tracks her progress (or occasional lack thereof). An ABC (Auntie-by-Choice) and former intern for Savvy Auntie, she's excited to be invited back to contribute articles to such a wonderful information super-center for Aunties!

Do you buy books for your nieces and nephews at the airport, read with them during the flight, then wish you didn’t have to tote the books around your destination with you for the rest of your trip? Well then, wish no longer, Auntie. There are now a lot of options available to help you save money on books while you travel!

With the Read and Return program available at most United States airports, you can buy a book in one city and then return it at your destination airport for half of your money back!  This program, instituted in 2003, is offered by any of the 500 Paradies Shops. Books that are returned to these shops in good condition will be bought back at half price. If your nieces and nephews are a bit too rough on their books during the trip, Paradies will take it back and donate it to charity instead.  This is a great opportunity to teach your nieces and nephews about doing good for others while you travel.  This program is not limited to just children’s books; any book bought at a Paradies Shop qualifies. For the price of one book, Aunties can buy a book for both departing and returning flights. 

Books, especially Auntie-sized tomes, can be cumbersome during travel, even if you are returning them. E-readers like the Amazon Kindle and Barnes and Noble Nook provide light and easy-to-carry alternatives to traditional books. Many classics are free, and the prices of these e-readers are dropping as the technology evolves, which also makes them an inexpensive Auntie alternative. Many libraries will also allow e-reader owners to borrow e-books, free-of-charge.

Are you not planning a trip anytime soon but would like to see where your books would go without you? A fun program called Book Crossing is a great way to get rid of books that you, your nieces, or your nephews have already read, while providing your nieces and nephews with a fabulous geography lesson!

Here’s how it works:

1. Register your books online using their ISBN numbers or by searching the titles and authors.

2. Put a label (like a sticky note) on or in the book with a short note with the registration number in it.

3. Leave the book somewhere. Anywhere. You can leave it on your nieces’ and nephews’ favorite park bench, at the bagel shop where you eat breakfast with them, or even at the airport when you travel with them. The possibilities are endless.

4. Go on the website and see who picks up your book!

Sometimes, your books will travel around the world without you. As soon as someone goes online and enters the registration code that you put in the book, you’ll be able to track its progress (and you can point out the different locations to your nieces and nephews on a map or globe, to help them feel involved). I once had a book make it all the way to China without me!

Whether you are traveling with books or your books are traveling without you, these are some fun ways to encourage your nieces and nephews to read, while learning all about the geography of the world around them.

Happy reading and safe travels!

Photo: hinnamsaisuy
Published: May 21, 2012