1. 1990-2010. Read a lot of paper books, one, sometimes two novels a day, swapping what we brought with what was in the hotel's large library. English Granma widely available. Read a bit of French and tried out Spanish from the library offerings. Even when we coordinated our book selections for a trip we often had books comprising a third of our luggage. Complete break from Canadian News's other than RCI if we remembered to bring the portable shortwave receiver. Which we mostly did (forget i mean). Slow internet cafes at hotels pricy.
2. 2011-2020. Kindle. In early part of this era still reading some Cuban stuff but availability fades. Still at least looking over the hotel library for interesting stuff. Consumption rate steady though the format now 90+% digital. Slow internet connections mean home news and weather checks are a weekly event. Wifi appears but have to pay for and limited coverage. Typically you have to sit in the lobby to get a connection. Spend as much time dealing with dropped connections as online.
3. 2021-2025. With news and magazine sites accessible via fast internet connections reading long-form fiction and non- drops off steeply. Able to keep up with news from home so relaxing effect of holiday declines sharply and nearly disappears. Facebook usage as at home underlines this.
4. 2026-????. Reading patterns will be identical to those in play at home. VR will mean living in the same imaginary world as when at home only difference being you can tan while playing. Desire to holiday in Cuba will end when someone invents a safe tanning sun lamp.
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