When I am off being a digital nomad in the U.S., I don’t particularly enjoy reading on an electronic device. After staring at a computer eight hours a day (plus one or two on my phone, amirite?), I feel like my poor eyes need a break from screen time. This presents a problem because 1) I can’t pack very much when I go on a U.S. based work trip, 2) I am frugal and prefer not paying for my books, and 3) I am not a permanent enough resident of a place to get a library card. Allow me to present my solution: the Little Free Library.
What is a Little Free Library?
The Little Free Libraries are just what their name promises. They are small book collections where a person can take a book at no cost. Generous book enthusiasts construct a small shed, mailbox, dollhouse, etc. and post it on their property. In these weatherproof boxes they place some books that they no longer want. Prospective readers select a book to read. Prospective book sharers leave a book for the next person. What a glorious, symbiotic idea!
Taking advantage of a Little Free Library as a Digital Nomad
You have probably seen the little treehouse looking things in random neighborhoods, but have you ever investigated? I used to feel intimidated to peruse the merchandise in a Little Free Library, but then I began my digital work and travel existence. I grew really tired of not having anything to read and realized there was an obvious solution. The folks who put these in their yards want others to use them! There is no reason to be embarrassed to do so. When I begin a work or travel trip now, I will typically take a book that I am currently reading. That way, after I am finished, I can donate it to a Little Free Library at my new location and take an existing one in exchange.
Take a book, leave a book
The obvious downside of using a Little Free Library is that there are only so many books that can fit in a 2-foot X 3-foot box. There is no guarantee that half the books won’t be instructional guides on how to get your two-year-old to sleep through the night. You can tell how uninterested I am in a topic like this by me having no idea if two-year-olds don’t commonly sleep through the night.
Admittedly, I have read a lot of random books or books I typically wouldn’t read because there wasn’t anything better. Mary Higgins Clark’s daughter writes a book? Sure. Biography of a nuclear scientist? Why not? Cowboy/wolf shifter romance? Don’t mind if I do. (Alright, I would totally check out that last one from my home library, but you get the point). I will not lie and say all of the books I’ve picked up from a Little Free Library on my travels have been great. They haven’t. But, if I’m not feeling something I can simply return it or drop it off at a different spot.
Conclusion
If you are a digital nomad or on a trip and you enjoy reading physical books, check out a Little Free Library. You can do so by downloading the app or by visiting the website, littlefreelibrary.org. I prefer the app because of the map features. I can pull up Google or Apple Maps and cross reference the LFL locations. If you don’t want to just stumble upon one, search in a location and see what is close to you. In my experience, the map is accurate most of the time. Most of the time means I have gone to a couple of locations where there was no box in sight. Likewise, I have stumbled upon Free Little Libraries that weren’t on the app.
My advice would be to hit one up when you see one, instead of relying on the app. Since I am a U.S. based digital nomad and an English-only speaker, I have only used the Little Free Library while in America. However, the app’s map does have a worldwide option. I will keep my eye out for one on my future adventures overseas.
Happy reading!
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