This unique travel retreat keeps selling out in Canada
Published October 9, 2025 at 1:25 pm
A unique travel retreat keeps selling out in Canada.
Relatively new to the travel world, Canadian company Book Huddle hosted its first reading retreat in 2023, and even the founder is surprised at how popular they are.
Book Huddle was born out of a passion for reading and a desire to connect book lovers, founder Lauren Moore told YourCityWithin.
Moore had a successful freelance career helping businesses with websites, social media and branding. She started posting about books on TikTok in 2022, as a way to familiarize herself with the platform. One particular post—about an idea to hold a reading retreat—went viral in April of 2023.
“I genuinely had no idea that it was going to change my life,” Moore said. “I was shocked because over 60,000 people liked the post.”
People began commenting on how much they wanted to go on a reading retreat.
“Within minutes of posting, I realized that reading retreats were something that people were desperately craving,” she said.
Moore made the dream a reality and hosted the first reading retreat in Kenmore, Washington State, in October 2023. While she was nervous about that first retreat, it proved to be a success.
“A lot of the people who came to that retreat made lifelong friends who they still text with on a daily basis,” Moore said. “Many of them have come back for multiple retreats and been roommates, and they didn’t know each other before the event. It’s incredible.”
That first trip sold out in just under 13 hours of going public, but now trips sell out within minutes of being posted, Moore said.
The latest trip to Prince Edward County, Book Huddle’s 18th retreat, sold out within five minutes, she said.
While Moore knew people loved discussing books online, she was surprised at how many people wanted to meet for a reading retreat.
“I never expected people to be craving something that was a step further than that, and seeking in-person connections,” she said.
Although the average age is 38, people of all ages join the retreats—from 21 to 66 years old. They are often introverts who are looking for a way to get out of their comfort zone and connect with other people who love reading as much as they do, Moore said.
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Moore chooses retreat locations with unique accommodations that also combine a proximity to nature and good food. They are typically locally favourite travel spots but lesser known to people outside of the region.
The Prince Edward County retreat at the Drake Devonshire Inn checks all those boxes, she said.
Attendees choose from four featured book titles, from different genres—fiction, romance, fantasy and mystery thriller. The book is mailed to them before the retreat starts, then people are put into huddles of no more than eight people who read that same book, and Book Huddle provides discussion questions.
Guests also get a gift bags with about six to eight books, reader-friendly goodies and exclusive merch. The weekend includes outings such as an exclusive tour to a local bookstore. Writing workshops, crafting, games and walks can also be part of the retreats.
The number of people at each retreat depends on the accommodations—there have been as many as 50 people.
Moore and her retreat attendees aren’t the only ones to combine a love for literature with travel.
This type of travel was named as a top trend by travel search aggregator Skyscanner in its Travel Trends 2026 report.
“Reading is having a global renaissance, translating into literary-led travel behaviours—from visiting destinations inspired by beloved books, to planning holidays around reading retreats,” Skyscanner said in the report.
The report found that 48 per cent of Canadian travellers have booked, or would consider, a trip inspired by literature.
Skyscanner found top literary travel experiences people would consider in the future are:
- Visiting a destination mentioned in a book (27 per cent)
- Visiting a famous bookstore or library (24 per cent)
- Visiting a book-related place they saw on social media (15 per cent)
See more about Book Huddle here.
Lead photo: Dan Dumitriu