I'm too busy exploring things.

Sometimes I am having a 'cultural' break with lots of visits to museums/ galleries/ sights of interest, and sometimes I am having a 'lie around and do nothing' break. Either way I read more on holiday - not just a time thing, but feeling more relaxed and able to focus on the books.

I finished 3 books. But I was camping, and it rained. We did loads of other stuff, but when eating, or having a cup of tea about half 5, it's nice to look at something.

I'm with you precisely. Many is the time that an planned evening outing has been cancelled while on holiday because we're just too knackered. As I said elsewhere, a laptop, a guide book and a magazine are enough for me although I wouldn't want to go anywhere these days without a copy of wikipedia in my pocket as well.

Three kids, not a big lying-down-in-the-sun person anyway, I read a fraction more than I do normally, usually in the transit and hanging around stage.

I go on holiday to see what's in the place I'm going to. If I want to read, and I often do, my sofa is a far better place to do it. My home is comfortable, fully plumbed, has a constant supply of snacks and hot and cold drinks and lighting designed for reading. I assume that none of us rushing to agree with you are lounging by the pool types.

I don't lounge by the pool, or bake on the beach, but quite often when I'm on holiday I find my sleep is disrupted : either I'm awake in the morning before the rest of the family, or occasionally can't settle at night.

So in those situations, a book is fantastic.

Also, on a family holiday there will often be points where we need to wait half an hour for something - as long as everyone else is sorted, I'll read.

I'd go mad if I didn't have a book with me at airports, on planes and trains, and lying on a sun lounger. On holiday its got to be something light and entertaining like a mystery, spy story or a crime/who dunnit. maybe the odd travel book about the actual place too.

We rarely book beach holidays and the destinations of choice usually have plenty to offer us in terms of sightseeing attractions etc. Like you we tend to leave the accomodation around 10am and return around 8pm, get the daughter asleep almost immediately and then have a couple of hours to read. The trip to Japan mentioned elsewhere involved lots of train rides where a book was a welcome friend.

...on holiday, even if it's a cultural sightseeing fest, purely because I have fewer distractions.

There's often no TV, so I'll read more rather than staring at 'Young, Dumb and Living with Mum' (something I did this week to my shame).

No Today programme in the morning so often time to read first thing.

No chores/normal household stuff to make me feel guilty for curling up with a book when I should be paying the bills/cooking/cleaning the windows etc.

Love the idea of hypercompetitive alien beings saying

94, and that was just a mini break