Best way to read for free when traveling?

[ohsnap]

I like to read, and I prefer physical books vs. ebooks.  But my Kindle is so much easier to carry around, especially on longer trips, and we are even thinking of full-time travel in the not-so-distant future.  So how do I read more economically when traveling?  I've subscribed to some emails that notify me of free/cheap ebooks deals, but they almost never have anything I want to read.  I belong to 3 library systems and can check out ebooks that way.  Sometimes I have to wait a while for new books, but I usually don't mind.  But sometimes they don't have what I'm looking for.  Is it worth it to look for another library system or 2 to join?  (the ones in my area don't have any residency requirements).  Any other ideas?

[ixtap]

Many of the kinds of places that have frequent travellers also have take one leave one libraries. Hostels, campgrounds, marinas...

[Syonyk]

Yeah, "Little Free Library" locations are good for swapping paper books around while traveling.  I think there are some sites that list those.

There's always the Kindle Unlimited, though my wife has some complaints with the quality of books available there.

Used book stores are a good source - just budget $15/mo or so for used books, drop them off when you're purchasing the next batch.

[Cranky]

We always go to Goodwill when we travel, and pick up some $1 books for the beach.

And Amazon Prime includes some free kindle books every month, and a selection of magazines.

[ohsnap]

Thank you for the suggestions.  I didn't come back to the thread for a couple of days because I was busy...reading. :D

Cranky, I had forgotten about thrift stores.  I've purchased books there while traveling.  I try to avoid used book stores because they charge way too much.  Library bookstores are also good.

Ixtap, I'll keep my eyes peeled for book swaps when we travel.  I have left books in airports before (at the gate area).  I always hope a bored traveler picks it up. 

And Syonyk...thanks for bringing up Little Free Libraries!  I have only used these when I come upon them accidentally, but have found a few gems in them.  I'd never used their website to find a location.  So I just tried it out, and found one that's along the errand route I'm about to take.  I'm going to stop by and drop off a book just for fun and karma.

As for the Amazon options - I've never found anything good on Kindle Unlimited.  :(  But I just looked at Amazon Prime, and the first thing that popped up was the LOTR trilogy.  That's something that I read every few years, and wouldn't want to haul around in paper book mode.  So I'll check that next time I'm looking for a good book.

I looked at the daily book deals email today - it goes to my spam folder because I've tried unsuccessfully to unsubscribe.  As usual, the only "deals" were 2nd-rate romance books.  (I have no problem with 1st-rate romances, but these seem to be the self-published type).

Thanks again for the ideas...if anybody has any more, I'd appreciate it.

[galliver]

Libraries often have book sale sections...sometimes just a shelf and a cash box, sometimes a separate room. They're usually VERY cheap (25¢-$1) and I've definitely found good ones...fairly frequently even. Your chances are probably better at the main library in town...

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[Cranky]

I can go for weeks without seeing anything interesting on the kindle deals, but whenever I do, I spend the 99 cents. I usually have a couple of good things saved up that way.

[kenner]

If you don't mind older (considerably older, in a lot of cases) works, Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/) has a lot of books in the public domain.

[remizidae]

Why not just get a couple of thick paperbacks from the library? That's what I do when traveling--I don't find them that heavy.

[MrsPete]

We always go to Goodwill when we travel, and pick up some $1 books for the beach.

I was going to say the same thing.  Also keep your eyes open for yard sales and library sales. 

[sjlp]

I used bookmooch.com for a while and thought it was an affordable, environmentally-friendly choice. You list the books you want to give away, mail them to people who request them, and in exchange you get points that you can use to request books from other people. Basically, each book costs you postage which, if you use media mail, is about $3. It does require a bit of searching to find the books as well as going to a physical post office to mail the books.

I stopped because of the hassle, and then I found a book "club" in my community where everyone gets together about once a month to share what they've read and trade books. You could start a similar club!