hey, personally I'm not a very good flyer.so i cant really concentrate on anything.but with magic,whenever im travelling(apart from flying

) i tend to prefer books concentrating more on the history etc....
some of my favourites are:
Hiding the elephant : Jim Steinmyer
The Great Illusionists : Eddie Daws
Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women : Ricky Jay
Extraordinary Exhibitions : Ricky Jay
The Magician and the Cardsharp : Karl Johnson
I find these books(amongst others) greatly entertaining, and they are really easy to read.Giving you an impression of what it was like back in the golden days. They are great travel companions, because its almost as if your reading a novel,or story that you cant put down,and by the end of your journey you are dying to start on some new effects or sleight that these books have made you think about. There are loads more of them out there, i would suggest giving them a bash.
cheers