I’ve got the bug. No, not the kind that sends you to bed with a fever and a pile of tissues.

I’ve got the travel bug.

As you read this, I may be 60 feet underwater, floating among coral and fulfilling my daydreams. Scuba has tugged at my imagination ever since I snorkeled as a tadpole with my family. For years, I assumed I’d never again see a sea turtle glide past me or watch the electric shimmer of a Caribbean Blue Tang flicker in the sunlit blue. But every time I see the radiant covers of Marcus Pfister’s “Rainbow Fish” books, that familiar awe returns.

By mid-December, I’m usually plotting my escape from cabin fever. This year’s odd winter will not deter me from traveling. I found inspiration in our library’s travel guides and memoirs. The covers alone —National Geographic, Frommer’s, DK, Moon, Fodor’s — are enough to steal my breath.

Japan? Yes, please. Belize, Vietnam, Australia? Absolutely! African safaris and hidden Colorado treasures? Sign me up.

Places I’ve been fortunate to visit sit alongside places I still long to see, all mingling in my memory like postcards pinned to a wall. And when I’m not boarding a plane, I’m reaching for a book, a warm cup in hand and a blanket on my lap.

A couple of these newest travel titles may even sneak into my suitcase:

• “Into the Ice: The Northwest Passage, the Polar Sun, and a 175-Year-Old Mystery,” by Mark Synott, is summed up by the title. It’s a thriller.
• “Here We Go: Lessons for Living Fearlessly from Two Traveling Nanas,” by Eleanor Hamby, takes the reader on global adventures on a budget with a powerful couple of octogenarian-aged friends who make the most of every moment.
• “Arctic Traverse: A Thousand-Mile Summer of Trekking the Brooks Range,” by Michael Engelhard, invites laughter throughout this journey and is described by Booklist Review as “a true Alaskan treasure.”
• “A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon,” by award-winning author Kevin Fedaro, encompasses the buddy-comedy genre, along with ancestral history and Indigenous voices during an epic hike through the canyon.

Books — print or digital — are the most magical travel devices ever invented. With nothing more than a library card, you can time travel, country hop, or wander across continents without spending a dime.

And if you are planning a real-world adventure—swiping your credit card at a train station, airport, or gas pump — we’ve got you covered there, too. Visit GCLD.org, tap the Online Resources icon, and open AtoZ Databases by World Trade Press. Their “living guides” offer practical essentials, insider tips, cultural insights, maps, and more. It’s free, ad free, bot-free and downloadable for offline use.

In other words: the ideal travel companion.

But maybe you’re not traveling beyond your own backyard. That’s perfectly wonderful, too. March 2 is Read Across America Day, a celebration the National Education Association launched to honor the joy of reading and celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday. His books inspired generations of kids — and grown‑ups —to experience the delight a good story can spark. Who didn’t giggle at his rhymes? And isn’t a giggle one of the world’s most underrated treasures?

Wherever you are — underwater, under a blanket, or under the spell of a good book — I hope you find your next adventure.

Tallie Gray is the director of library resources in Grand County. Reach her at tgray@gcld.org.