If you’ve gotten used to Google’s direct booking feature for purchasing flights, things are going to change soon. The company has announced that they will be disabling this feature, as most travelers actually just prefer to book directly on an airline’s website instead.

The feature will continue until March 23rd, 2023 in the US. The company shared in a statement with Travel + Leisure: “Over the next 12 months, we plan to phase out the Book on Google feature for flights. We originally offered this functionality to give people a simpler way to buy their tickets and to help our partner airlines and OTAs [online travel agencies] receive more bookings. However, we’ve found over time that people actually want to book directly on partner websites, and we always strive to meet user preferences whenever possible.”

Travelers will be able to continue to use the feature to book flights with the payment method that has been stored in their Google account, and any bookings that have been already made for a date following the feature being disabled will not be affected.

Those who use the feature receive a confirmation email from the airline or online booking agency that the flight was booked through. If the traveler has any questions or requests, they should contact the airline or agency directly.

After the direct booking feature will be disabled, users will still be able to search for flights using Google Flights. Users will also still be presented with other features like map “exploration” in order to try to save money on fight expenses, as well as setting price alerts for specific flights.

In its place, Google will offer features that will help with travel planning like a tool that will help you find accommodation within a specific distance from a landmark, event, or attraction that you’d like to be near. There will also be a “Live View” option in order to see the location ahead of time and also see directions and arrows on a live map on your smartphone.

They say that travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer. While this is very valid, there are many times when we are simply unable to travel, for a myriad of reasons. Money is the main culprit but so are jobs, responsibilities, and sometimes global pandemics. However, there’s still a great and affordable way to experience new places: books. There are plenty of travel and travel related books out there, but these are some of our favorites.

On The Road

Jack Kerouac’s classic 1957 novel is an iconic one from the Beat Generation that tells the timeless tale of being young, confused, and just getting on the road to try to figure it all out. The book tells the story of Sal, who is strongly based on Kerouac himself, leaving New York City and traveling around the country. Madness ensure, along with colorful characters and heartbreaking moments.

Eat Pray Love

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love became an instant classic. In this memoir, she tells the story of her painful and messy divorce that led her to a complete breakdown. She eventually decided she will travel to three places to figure out her life: in Italy she will eat, in India she will pray, and in Bali she will love.

Wild

Wild is Cheryl Strayed’s beautifully written story of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail for 1100 miles all by herself. Her journey of self-discovery and confronting her painful past is gripping and will keep you hooked from the first page up until the last. You will feel like you’re hiking alongside Strayed the whole time.

The Great Railway Bazaar

Paul Theroux’s book recounts his four month experience in 1973 traveling by train from London to Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia, as well as his return trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Theroux explored colonialism and imperialism, poverty, as well as ignorance throughout the book, which is often deemed to be a classic in the travel writing world.

The Caliph’s House

This book is by author Tahir Shah, whose experience of vacationing in Morocco throughout his childhood led him to move with his family from London to Casablanca. His writing is rich and engrossing and tells an incredibly enthralling story of their time living there.