2026 is the year of the book club, and there’s never been a better time to explore a new city based on your favorite read. In fact, according to a recent study from Skyscanner, 55% of travelers have booked or would book a trip based on literature. Whether you’re looking to get between the pages of your favorite tome by spending time on a reading retreat or just want to walk the streets that inspired (or appeared in) a hit series, there are many ways that books can influence where you travel next.
I’ve personally done my fair share of self-guided book-themed tours across the world—including running around Twilight’s Forks and dragging my sister to Harry Potter spots in Edinburgh—so I know that it can be easy to miss some key book locations if you don’t know the city you’re visiting well. To take all the stress out of researching and planning, tour operators are now starting to offer trip itineraries based on hit BookTok titles.
Perhaps one of the most timely and exciting tour options on the market right now is a cruise around Croatia inspired by Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation, which was turned into a movie set to premiere on Netflix on January 9th. The EF Ultimate Break trip follows the footsteps of the book’s protagonist, travel writer Poppy Wright, and her homebody best friend, Alex Nilsen, through seven cities in Croatia.
“This trip is almost like a readers’ retreat for the community,” explains Alyssa Sands, director of tour development at EF Ultimate Break. “Set on a private boat cruising the coast of Croatia and stopping in different ports, this is an amazing opportunity to connect with [the book] and live out the essence of it.”
In the novel, Croatia isn’t the happiest location for the pair, but EF is excited about rewriting the country’s story in readers’ minds: “We’re eager to give readers and EF Ultimate Break travelers a completely different experience!” says Sands. “One that’s filled with island hopping on a private boat with their new best friends.” On the tour, guests will wander through Dubrovnik’s Old Town, where Poppy and Alex’s first kiss attempt took place (and where their relationship originally fell apart), as well as through other coastal towns in Croatia.
The People We Meet on Vacation tour is just one in a new collection of BookTok-inspired trips from EF, with tours spanning Europe and Egypt. The 2026 lineup includes six different itineraries, with trips inspired by childhood favorites like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, as well as more recent bestsellers like Fourth Wing and A Court of Thrones and Roses (ACOTAR). Tours like these can be a great way to see classic vacation destinations in a new light, plus you’re bound to meet other fans of the book while you’re traveling.
