The book, film or series TV for four different types of journeys

When you plan a holiday months in advance and then the day comes when you leave or return, it is always said that time has literally flown by. And as you struggle with your suitcase, how many clothes and swimsuits to pack, whether to take one or two sunscreens and, in case of doubt, what to leave at home because you can buy it at your destination, we make your job easier by giving you a few suggestions based on the length of your trip. Useful tips that you can do yourself while lying under the parasol on the beach or in the evening when you want to enjoy your rented flat. Or even on the way back, so you don't get too homesick for your holiday.

When you travel by train

We think your destination is quite easy to reach with a maximum travel time of four to six hours. If you like reading, you'll enjoy My Husband (224 pages) by Maud Ventura, which has also been recommended by Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss' bookish Instagram profile @bellatrist. The plot: the protagonist is still in love with her husband, with whom she shares 15 years of marriage and two children. But she believes he doesn't love her anymore and starts spying on him, making herself more and more desirable. It will be an intense yet light read that you can relate to and even laugh at. For the series TV, we recommend instead The Other Grace, the one-season title available on Netflix, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood. The 6 episodes are about 40 minutes long (less than 4 hours) and the events surrounding Grace - a young 16-year-old girl arrested for being accused of murdering two people she worked for as a maid (will she or won't she?) - will have you arriving at your destination without even realising it.

If you are travelling by plane

If your destination is a faraway, exotic place or a 3.0 city, we recommend a fast-paced TV series that lasts no longer than a season. Perfect and captivating may be a newcomer that just landed on Amazon Prime, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, an adaptation of Holly Ringland's bestselling novel. Seven episodes, lasting about 50 minutes (5 hours in total), are set in the stunning landscapes of Australia and deal with the secrets hidden at Thornfield Flower Farm. Sigourney Weaver and Alycia Debnam-Carey will not disappoint. Instead, we recommend you read ahead to be prepared when the Hunger Games prequel hits cinemas in November. The Ballad of the Nightingale and the Serpent, the latest book by Suzanne Collins (469 pages), is about young Snow and how he twists the laws of the most dangerous games ever played. You probably won't finish reading it, but it will also make a great companion for the journey back. Because, spoiler, the possible connection with a certain Katniss will be addictive.

If you're travelling by ship

It will be a long but not (quite) endless journey, but one where you will have plenty of time to be with yourself. We recommend a double book: It Ends With Us (2022, 384 pages) and It Starts With Us (2023, 320 pages), both written by Colleen Hoover. It's one of the most popular books on TikTok and is about Lily's love for two men that will overwhelm you. On the other hand, if you prefer to watch a movie, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy James Cameron's Avatar: The Way to Water, which is over three hours long. And if you have a journey of more than eight hours ahead of you, you can also watch the first film in which it all began on Pandora.

If you're travelling by car

What could be better than a classic like On the Road, which is both a book and a film review. The mythical story that revolutionary Jack Kerouac wrote on its pages (403 pages, to be exact) in 1957 tells of the ongoing personal quest of young people at the time of the Beat Generation. They wanted to travel the world and sought their way with the desire to identify themselves in the work of their desires, such as becoming writers. The classic American dream that somehow always comes true even for Generation Z, for whom travel and dating are at the top of the list of the most important things that can enrich a person. We have to tell you, though: if the book is a 20th century work of art, the film (two hours and 20 minutes long) is decidedly lighter, or rather, the vision of director Walter Salles, who also made The Motorcycle Diaries, is in a faster and more modern key. But it is no less beautiful (and in which Kristen Stewart is excellent).