The Little-Known Airport Bookstore Perk That’ll Save You Money
Updated: Jul. 18, 2024
Want to pick up that new bestseller at the airport bookstore but don't want to blow your budget? This money-saving hack will change your mind.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
Cinnabon’s sweet, warm scent may be an airport’s most tempting attraction, but readers know the real allure is in an airport bookstore. Whether you need something to do when your flight is delayed or want to stay entertained from takeoff to landing, the answer is simple: Dive into a story. With the surge in leisure and business travel, there’s a good chance you can take advantage of an airport bookshop this year. And when you do, don’t miss out on the travel hack that’ll save you money on some of the best books you’ll ever read.
Thanks to the amazing and little-known Read and Return program, travelers can purchase a book at their departing location and return it to the airport bookstore at their arrival destination—and receive 50% off the purchase price. Whether they’re shopping for a page-turning beach read, gripping thriller or swoon-worthy romance, readers can get bestselling fiction and nonfiction at a steep discount.
Ahead, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about the program, including where to find it and how it can help you save money on airport books. Because the only thing better than traveling the world is visiting bookstores while you do it.
Join the free Reader’s Digest Book Club for great reads, monthly discussions, author Q&As and a community of book lovers.
What is the Read and Return program at airport bookstores?
Paradies Lagardère operates 850 airport bookstores throughout the United States and Canada. In 2003, the company launched its Read and Return program. The concept works exactly how it sounds: You buy a book at any Paradies Lagardère–owned airport bookstore, read it and bring it back to get a partial refund.
Awesome, right? Could this be the best-kept airport secret, or have we just had our make-it-to-the-gate blinders on all this time?
“Our Read and Return program has always been a popular and fun ‘find’ for travelers,” says Mollie Quinn, a buyer in the retail merchandising division of Paradies Lagardère. “There is signage promoting and explaining the program in all our stores that sell books. However, there are always new customers entering the world of travel, so we’re excited to introduce this great program to new people all the time.”
How does the Read and Return program work?
So here’s exactly how the airport bookstore Read and Return program works in practice: If you’re going on a trip, buy the book you’ve been dying to read and read it on the plane or throughout your trip. If you’ve finished the book within six months, bring it and your receipt (use it as a bookmark!) to any of Paradies Lagardère’s airport bookstores throughout North America. Just make sure the book is in decent condition.
With your used airport book in hand, the shop will refund half of what you paid. You might as well use the cash back to get that other book you’ve been dying to read. Or the sequel to the book you’ve just finished. In a way, it’s like you’re getting a book for half price—or two books for the price of one. Either way, count us in.
“Reading a physical book is still a very appealing and satisfying activity for so many people of different ages, backgrounds and interests,” says Quinn. “Because of that, our publications program in our stores across North America offers an incredible variety, so naturally a traveler can always discover a great read.”
What happens to the books you return?
It gets better: The store will resell your gently used airport book for half price. So if you don’t think you can read a book in six months (or won’t be passing through an airport bookstore in order to return it), you can still save money by shopping these discounted books.
If your book isn’t in great shape—hey, drops in the ocean happen—you won’t get cash back, and the store won’t resell the book. Instead, Paradies Lagardère donates these books to local libraries.
“How many products can you buy that can be returned for a 50% refund after you use it?” asked Quinn. “The added value of certain books being donated to libraries in the local communities in which we serve is yet another attractive aspect of the program.”
Are there other ways to get free or discounted airport books?
While the Read and Return program is operated throughout North America at Paradies Lagardère–owned airport bookstores, there are many independent programs run by individual airports.
Little Free Libraries
Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that has built a community of readers through a global network of volunteers and book-exchange box locations. There are even some airports with their own Little Free Libraries!
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was one of the first airports to provide a Little Free Library, a sweetly decorated box full of various books for travelers to take for free. Today, you’ll find two Little Free Library spots within the airport, one for younger readers and one for adults.
- Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport features a Little Free Library where you can take a book (or leave one!) during your travels.
And those are just two of a growing number of airports where you can find these book-swap boxes.
Library kiosks
Some libraries have partnered with their local airports to provide travelers with access to free books. Halifax Public Libraries and Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia, Canada, teamed up to provide two book kiosks where patrons can grab a free book to take with them. And Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, partners with the Kent District Library to offer a range of books in different languages.
Airports are big, and little libraries are, well, little. It’s easy to miss out, so make sure to research the airport locations you’ll be departing from and arriving at to find out if your next destination offers free books to travelers.
What should you be reading?
You can, of course, find gems galore at any airport bookstore, but below are some popular airport reads worth checking out.
You Like It Darker by Stephen King
Best for: Those looking to dip in an out of reading during their travels
In 1974, Stephen King debuted his iconic novel Carrie. But long before that, King had been writing and publishing short stories. For the past half-century, he’s been known as the master of the horror genre, but he’s also a star when it comes to short fiction. In this collection of 12 short stories, King shares a combination of iconic short reads and never-before-seen tales. Perfect for the traveler who wants a fast-paced and quick read, this collection dives into the darker side of fate, mortality and luck.
James by Percival Everett
Best for: Anyone interested in a modern masterpiece
A masterful retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, James quickly captured the hearts of readers. It became an instant New York Times bestseller and has already been optioned for a feature film adaptation produced by Steven Spielberg. Told from the perspective of the enslaved Jim from Mark Twain’s original story and punctuated with Percival Everett’s signature dark humor and brilliant observations, James maintains much of the original narrative of Huckleberry Finn. But it’s written with a keen eye toward nuance, humanity and compassion.
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Best for: Fans of emotional beach reads
This relatively short book is the perfect story to take to the beach and finish in a day. Rocky has been making family memories in the same rustic Cape Cod beach rental for the past 20 years. This year, she’s sandwiched between her two young adult children and her aging parents—not to mention her sweet and slightly aloof husband. She struggles with hormonal bouts of rage, nostalgic reminiscing and laugh-out-loud thoughts about seasoned marriages and aging bodies. This reflective and relatable novel will leave you wiping tears from your eyes.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Best for: Readers who want an immersive mystery
In this highly anticipated and multilayered mystery novel, Liz Moore takes us to summer camp in the Adirondacks in 1975. A camp counselor wakes up one morning in August to discover one of her campers’ beds is empty. The missing camper isn’t just anyone, though. She’s Barbara Van Laar, the owners’ daughter. Not only that, but Barbara’s brother mysteriously disappeared 14 years earlier and was never found. This page-turner takes readers on a wild journey as the Van Laar family secrets come to light, all of it set against the blue-collar town that has spent decades serving the high-power family. This is the perfect novel for any reader who wants a fully immersive and engaging read.
Additional reporting by Brianna Bell.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more books, travel, tech, humor and fun facts all week long.
About the expert
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Mollie Quinn, buyer in the retail merchandising division of Paradies Lagardère; interview May 2021
- Travel Pulse: “Leisure Travel Boom Propels Travel & Tourism Industry to New Heights”
- Little Free Library: “Books Fly Off Airport Little Free Library Shelves”
Originally Published: May 06, 2018
