The Book That Continues To Inspire My Travels

Reading and travel are two of my passions and it was fun to be able to put them together in a recent guest post I wrote about the book Long Way Round. It was a pleasure to write How A Long Way Round Shaped Travel for A Traveler’s Library about how this particular book influenced my travels.

I originally heard about the trip (which book is based on) in a magazine my uncle handed me in 2003. The trip was still in the planning stages but it had me hooked and lusting for the road. I actually kept the magazine and still have it as a reminder of the joys of traveling, which can be easy to forget in the modern world.

A Traveler’s Library is one of my regular reads and if you love books and travel it’s an excellent site to keep up on. I hope that you’ll read my guest post How A Long Way Round Shaped Travel and check out some of Vera’s other wonderful posts.

[photo by: Fred Kranich]

8 Great Motorcycle Books That Will Ignite Your Wanderlust

These 8 books, most true stories of famous motorcycle rides, will inspire you to hit the road or at least look at in a different way. Usually you hear a lot about where to go and less about how to get there – aside from getting there cheap and quickly. You might not often think about motorcycles as anything more than for local travel but those two wheels and a motor can reconnect you with the joy – and act – of traveling.

Jupiter’s Travels

Ted Simon rode around the world on a Triumph motorcycle during the early 1970s and wrote one of the best travel books ever. Jupiter’s Travels is his account of the trip, 78,000 miles over 45 countries. Before the trip Simon was already writing as a journalist and Jupiter’s Travels flows on every page. In 2001, when he was 70 years old, Simon took the trip again – a similar route on motorcycle – and wrote Dreaming Of Jupiter. His observations from the first trip to the second one 30 years later are truly fascinating.

Long Way Round

One of my favorite travel books, this is a motorcycle trip around the world by two actors. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, inspired by Jupiter’s Travels, set off on their BMW bikes and head from London to New York. Long Way Round is a series of journal entries written separately by the pair and recounts an adventure with some interesting characters along the way (particularly in Ukraine). It’s not deep writing but very raw and gives you a sense for the joys of the long open road.

• There’s also a Long Way Round DVD that’s fun to watch after reading. (Who doesn’t like seeing what people described in books really look like?) Most of the footage is shot on cameras placed in the bike helmets and small hand held cameras.

The Motorcycle Diaries

The trip of Ernesto ‘Che” Guevara and Alberto Granada in South America is a book (and subsequent film) which is one of the most common mentioned when talking about travel. With The Motorcycle Diaries, as well as the other books mentioned, you begin to realize the road changes the riders in a way that travel by plane or train does not. The motorcycle cannot be separated metaphysically from the traveler and the trip is where Guevara transformed into Che. The Motorcycle Diaries is a powerful read and inspirational tale.

A Few More Great Motorcycle Travel Books

• One Man Caravan – Robert Fulton goes around the world by motorbike…in 1932.
• The Rugged Road – Two women, Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron, with a motorcycle and towing a trailer go from London to Cape Town in 1935.
• The Longest Ride – 10 years, 500,000 miles, 1 Argentinean named Emilio Scotto has one hell of a ride.

Two Books To Read If You’re Considering Your Own Motorcycle Adventure

You’ve been inspired by the trips in these books and found out why you need to take a motorcycle road trip at least once in your life. These are two books you can read if you’re considering taking your own trip (writing your own book optional).

• Sahara Overland, 2nd Edition: A Route and Planning Guide – Specific to riding across 9 countries, including Morocco, Algeria, Niger, and Chad.
• Adventure Motorcycling Handbook – You’ll need to know how to maintain, repair, and improvise with your motorcycle.

Ever since reading these books, in particular Long Way Round, I’ve made an RTW trip on motorcycle one of my dreams and life goals. These books will help you ignite your wanderlust and remind you of the joys of actually traveling. There are so many things you miss when moving by plane, car, or train that you can still reconnect with by getting closer to the road.

[photos by: Pez King, THEMACGIRL*, psd]

How To Build A Travel Blog eBook Review

Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) recently released his second eBook, How To Build A Travel Blog. Those of you interested in starting your own travel blog or are new to travel blogging can read my review of How To Build A Travel Blog on Travel Blog Advice. Erica Johansson who writes Travel Blissful also posted a review last week.

If you want to learn more about monetizing your existing travel blog you should check out Matt’s first eBook I highly recommend, How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog.

Overcoming The 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World eBook Sale

I promised that any money I made from the sale of my eBook, Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World, during the month of October would go towards supporting Kiva micro-loans.

I’m happy to say sales of the eBook were able to help fund micro-loans for 16 entrepreneurs around the world. If you haven’t heard of Kiva or know what micro-finance is I suggest you check out Kiva.org, a fantastic organization.

As a thank you for everyone’s support I’m having a sale on the eBook from now until the end of the year. You can download a copy if you haven’t already for $8.00.

Whether you’re still stuck at your desk or have been traveling for a while, I believe you’ll enjoy reading this book which really applies to more than just travel.

Recent Reviews

You can read some recent reviews of my eBook for a second opinion if you don’t want to take just my word for it.

• Review by Heather On Her Travels
• Review by Travel Blissful
• Review by Travel Wonders

About The Book

Long-term travelers aren’t lottery jackpot winners or capable of super-human feats. You can get out from behind that desk and travel, whether it’s full-time or a one year trip around the world my eBook breaks it down for you. Both the practical aspects of getting your life in order and the psychological barriers you’ll face and how to overcome each one.

You can also read some of the personal stories of these travelers: John Bardos, Marina Villatoro, Dan’s Adventure, The Q Family Adventures, Deb and Dave, The Road Forks, and Cody McKibben for more inspiration.

Affiliate Program

Earn some money by helping me spread the word about my eBook. By joining my affiliate program (a free and easy process) you’ll get 50% of every sale you make. I’ll also send you ad banners, links, and help you get set up.

eBook Sale

You can pick up a copy of Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World for $8 from now until Dec. 31 using one of the links below. I’m confident that you will enjoy reading it and find it useful whether you’ve been a vagabond for years or are dreaming about it. I hope by reading the eBook you’ll be able to bridge that gap and travel as much as you’d like and feel good doing it.

As always, thank you all very much for your support, -Anil

Interview With Grant Lingel, Author Of Imagine: A Vagabond Story

Grant Lingel’s story is an honest adventure of travel, partying, and exploration which I reviewed last week. As I was reading his book, Imagine: A Vagabond Story, I had a few questions about writing the book, his parents reactions to it (there’s quite a bit of drugs and sex), and his upcoming plans. I appreciate Grant taking the time to answer some questions I think many will have after reading the book.

How and when after your initial trip did you write the book?

I wrote the first chapter during February of 2007 and let it sit for almost a year untouched as I traveled some more and juggled other obligations and uncertainties at that time. I didn’t get things going again until May of 2008 and I basically wrote for 4 months straight before starting the whole editing and publishing process at the end of the year.

There are some touch-and-go moments, tales of partying and drugs in the book. Have your parents read it? If so, what were their reactions?

They have both read it. I think they expected some of it but didn’t realize until reading the extent of my partying. I have always had an incredibly open and honest relationship with both of them and they knew of almost everything that happened before reading anyway. There were a few surprises and I know my mother skipped over some parts of the story, but overall they have always been pretty cool and understanding. They were both hippies who did their share of experimenting back in the day so like I said, they expected it.

How about the other travelers you came across in the story, have you been in touch with them?

I am in touch with a majority of the people I met from the trip. I have gone to Montreal several times and returned to Mexico twice to see friends. Also, living in New York City makes it quite easy to see travel friends because it is usually a likely stop on most people’s journeys. In a world of Facebook, Skype and email it’s insanely easy stay connected no matter where you are.

Is there anything you wish you had or hadn’t included in the book?

When I initially finished writing the original manuscript, it was 30,000 words longer than it is now, so I did take out quite a bit. I don’t really have any regrets, that’s a heavy word, but it would have been nice to have talked about everyone I met along the way, but that just wasn’t feasible. Sometimes I wish I didn’t talk about all of the sex or drugs but hey, that’s how it was and it is what it is. I’m happy with how it all turned out.

What are you up to now?

I live in New York City with my girlfriend and our dog. I spend most of my time promoting the book. I have a couple other things in the works right now as far as other jobs/projects but I would rather wait for them to be in action before discussing them.

Do you have any upcoming travel plans?

There is a very good chance I will spend a good amount of 2010 in Africa. The plans are so completely up in the air so I can’t get into any details but that’s what it’s looking like at the moment. I have tickets to a World Cup game in Durban, South Africa in June so that is the only set plan for the time being.

Any advice for other travelers looking to write a book about their journeys?

I found that keeping in touch with my friends from the road and looking at photos from my trip really helped bring back memories when I was writing. Try not to fill the story with things that don’t progress the story. Everything from your trip may seem interesting to you, but only some of the things will seem interesting to others.

One last question, what ever happened to Noret?

Noret still lives in Mexico City. We keep in touch though I wish we could speak more frequently. She works in public relations for the government in Mexico City and is taking an intensive language program that will certify her as a translator for English, French, Italian and Portuguese.  I have seen her multiple times since my time in Mexico. We met up in Tulum, Mexico in 2007 and she has visited me twice in New York. She is an amazing friend and I couldn’t be happier that I have her in my life.

Grant, thanks again for taking the time to share a bit more about the book and yourself. Readers can purchase a copy of Imagine: A Vagabond Story from Amazon and check out some pictures from Grant’s trip in the video below.

Adventures On The Road, Imagine: A Vagabond Story

Traveler and author Grant Lingel was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book Imagine: A Vagabond Story. You can read more about Grant Lingel and preview the book on his website. Be the first person to comment on this post and I’ll send you a copy to read as well.

Grant Lingel was 7 credits shy of graduating college he decided to see what else was out in the world as many backpackers do. The book is an honest chronicle of New Yorker Lingel’s first trip as a vagabond down to Mexico and beyond. With little money to his name he just goes – setting the tone for the entire story. Imagine: A Vagabond Story is a slice of time in Lingel’s life and a familiar story for many perpetual travelers.

Initially it’s the drugs and sex that draw you into the story, but despite the occasional jolts along the way, the book falls into a flow and takes you along for the ride. Characters drift in and out of the picture. Corrupt Mexican police, a Texan with a taste for joints, and a beach full of Norwegian women. Events change without reason and plans are made on a whim. There isn’t a point or final destination, it simply is.

Imagine: A Vagabond Story is honest, without being presumptuous or pompous. Lingel is new to this type of travel and his naivety is refreshing and you’ll feel like you’re constantly putting yourself in his shoes. It’s a vivid scene brought to life through the intricate descriptions and details of each hostel, trip, and person Lingel encounters. As the story progresses however it makes you want to step out and get a grasp on Lingel in the ‘outside’ world. What his conversations with his parents were like the days after almost getting arrested or what his college friends back home are up to come to mind.

Lingel provides an excellent insight into a wild world that isn’t so mystical. Imagine: A Vagabond Story is Lingel’s backpacking adventure, without a set plan or permanent characters, save two. Partying, sex, and drugs are all part of Lingel’s backpacking trip as are some odd jobs along the way and one person whose prescience is felt throughout. Imagine: A Vagabond Story is a fun story with familiar elements for most travelers and some new adventures for others.

Overcoming The 7 Major Obstacles To Traveling The World eBook

It started with a simple list of 7 reasons you won’t travel the world, a post which I had planned on following up with one quick summary. My series on overcoming obstacles to traveling the world turned out to span 2 months, generated over 100 comments, and had my inbox filled with messages from people who wanted to, had, or were currently overcoming the 7 obstacles themselves.

That’s why I decided to convert the series into my first eBook Overcoming the 7 Majors Obstacles to Traveling the World which you can purchase here now.

What’s In The eBook?

• I’ve taken the series and put it into a single collection.
• Added some additional information to help you overcome the 7 obstacles.
• Personal stories and advice from other world travelers John Bardos, Marina Villatoro, Dan’s Adventure, The Q Family Adventures, Deb and Dave, The Road Forks, and Cody McKibben.
• Useful links to help you build your knowledge of how to prepare for and sustain long-term travel.

You may have already read some or all of the series over the last few months and having it all in one place and reading it through can have a powerful effect if you want to travel the world but don’t know where to start. It’s also a resource you can have with you to check on your progress or give you a boost when you need it from time to time.

Get A Copy of Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World

You can get you copy of my eBook, Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles for $8.00 by clicking the ‘buy now’ button below. (If you don’t have a Paypal account use the Google Checkout link.)

I really believe that many of you will find this eBook valuable and useful.

I’ll also send you free updates to the book which will include new additions to the series. I hope you’re ready to pick apart each obstacle and overcome them one by one.

Affiliate Program

Have you read and enjoyed my eBook? If you want to help spread the word and make some money doing so you can join my affiliate program by clicking here. Set up is fast and easy and you’ll earn 50% of all the sales that come from your website.

Use Sun Tzu’s The Art of War To Win Battles At The Ticket Counter

Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War, written more than 2,000 years ago is one of the world’s most famous books on strategy. While Tzu was writing for generals in the army, the fundamentals of his wisdom can help you overcome even the most stubborn airline representative.

Advice from The Art of War can turn you into a negotiating ninja and ultimately a warrior who wins battles without fighting.

“Use Anger to Throw Them Into Disarray.”

A recent study from Stanford University demonstrated that being slightly agitated can help you get your way in negotiations but getting too angry had the opposite effect. Airline personnel see really stressed out people everyday so chances are they you won’t be the first person they’ve seen that day complaining about extreme flight delays. Be firm not crazed.

“Cause Division Among Them.”

Don’t attack the person behind the counter – they aren’t who you’re fighting with, it’s the airline you need to deal with. Using confrontational words like “you do this” will only put you in a tense standoff. Rather, hone your stress to improve your travels and get the airline representative to work with you to get your way with the airline. You’re more likely to succeed if the person behind the ticket counter is by your side.

“…Even if You Are Winning, If You Continue For a Long Time It Will Dull Your Forces…”

While it’s important to be persistent and not to give up, don’t belabor a point into the ground. Doing so can quickly make the person behind the counter regret ever trying to help you in the first place. Any people behind you in line certainly won’t appreciate it either. Get straight to the point and lay everything out as simply as you can to fight the airlines effectively.

“…Overcome Others’ Forces Without Battle…”

The power of reciprocity is a powerful motivator and you can use it to make your experience at the ticket counter a pleasant and fruitful one. Start off with a simple question or request, then let the representative know they’re doing a good job and you’d like to tell their supervisor. They’ll be more motivated to help you out since this technique makes them feel indebted to you and resistant to being a disappointment.

“Even Though You Are Competent, Appear to Be Incompetent.”

There’s no need to act like an idiot but sometimes being seemingly ignorant can be to your advantage. Keep your mouth shut if you get the opportunity to hop an earlier flight or get an upgrade later and don’t be a know-it-all. Silence can put subtle pressure on a stubborn airline representative. It’s also not the best idea to volunteer some information (i.e. like when you miss a flight for no good reason).

“Those Who Know When to Fight and When Not to Fight Are Victorious.”

This piece of advice is for those of you who lose you cool easily and argue with everyone – even those staff who are trying to help you. Remember, you want to work with the airline agent and make them feel inclined to help you. Know who and when to put up a good argument is a big part of that. Know when to fight the airlines. A flight that’s an hour late isn’t a good reason to argue and if there’s nothing to gain by complaining – don’t waste your breath.

“Using Order to Deal with Disorder, Using Calm to Deal with The Clamorous, Is Mastering the Heart.”

Accept the circumstances, come up with a strategy to resolve what you can, and reduce your flight delay stress so that you aren’t a raging maniac when you walk up to the ticket counter. Besides there are at least 3 fun things to do at the airport if your flight gets canceled.

“Matters Are Dealt with Strictly at Headquarters.”

Go to the top of the command structure as fast as you need to address your concerns. Find someone with the authority to do what you need and keep going up the chain of command as long as you have to.

“Conflict Without Fighting is the Greatest Victory.”

Use everything to your advantage and find vulnerabilities in the other side. You may need to put a bit of frustration across the counter to resolve whatever issues you may have but you don’t always have to fight tooth and nail. If you travel enough you’ll get plenty of experience complaining at the ticket counter. Look at each instance as an opportunity to refine your skill as a traveling warrior.

[photos by: Emerging Birder, mellyjean, lewishamdreamer, blently, Jeff Bauche, ToniVC, b3ni, Richard Holen]

EDITED [8/27]: You can also see this post on The Consumerist.

Nomadic Matt’s eBook Teaches You: How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog

Nomadic Matt makes $3,000 a month with his travel websites. His eBook, How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog teaches you how he does it. The book is straightforward and informative for travel blogging beginners and veterans alike. I decided to review the  book for Matt and will send a copy to the first person to comment on this post.

Making money with your travel blog sounds like a great idea but few travelers understand how to leverage multiple sites (yes, you need more than one), search engine optimization (SEO), and how to get connected with their peers. How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog brings you from the ground up and leaves it up to you on how far you want to go.

The eBook is short, only about 30 pages, but is dense with information. You’ll learn how to create a travel blog with monetization in mind and for those of you with travel blogs, uncover some mistakes you’ve already made.

Many of the general ideas covered in the eBook may be old news to some of you, but the sections on SEO and increasing traffic offer more than generic advice. There are specific examples in each section that teach travel bloggers how to implement the key elements to creating a successful travel blogs and making money from them.

What makes the eBook How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog so compelling is that Matt is actually doing it and he spells it right out for you. The advice is sound and simple and attainable, provided you put in lots of work and don’t expect immediate results – two points Matt makes very clearly.

How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog is available for download for $27.

You can follow Matt’s blog at Nomadic Matt and his Twitter feed, @nomadicmatt. I’ve also posted advice on how to build a successful travel blog and keep your travel blog going for further reading.

My Interview With Tom Parry, Author of Thumbs Up Australia

Tom Parry is the author of Thumbs Up Australia which I reviewed back in April. Tom and his (then girlfriend, now wife) Katia hitchhiked their way across Australia and Thumbs Up Australia is his personal account of the adventure. He was kind enough to answer some of my questions about his trip, how it effected his relationship with Katia, and his return to “normal” life.

Why did you decide to go back to Australia and not somewhere new?

I had travelled to many places in the mean time but Australia retained an allure that had never gone away. As I describe in the book, it is the attraction of the emptiness, the unknown and unexplored parts of the Outback that attracts me most to Australia. I have not travelled for a great length of time in Oz for several years but even now still yearn to do so again.

How does one prepare for a long hitchhiking journey?

There are certain essentials: get up early; find a good spot a substantial walk outside the town limits, preferably on a straight stretch of highway; attempt to be presentable but not too well-dressed; most importantly of all, have enough provisions for a lengthy wait in heat and/or heavy rain. If one is hitchhiking for a long time one should familiarise oneself with the possible routes and be prepared for any number of unexpected diversions. For me, the greatest aspect of hitchhiking is that you cannot plan to be in a particular town on a particular day, so it offers spontaneous opportunities of being in places one would never have dreamed of deliberately visiting as a tourist.

It seemed that you and Katia kept a distance from the people you hitched with. Was this planned, a result of your personalities, or something that just happened?

On the contrary, I never set out to keep a distance from the people we got lifts with. I found that hitchhiking is one of the most unique ways of forming a brief, but sometimes meaningful, friendship with someone who was – until a few hours before – a complete stranger. I suppose we did keep a distance in the sense of not wanting to intrude or to impose our own views on the person being kind enough to offer space in their vehicle. We agreed that I would always sit up front and ask the first questions and normally, once the ice was broken, we would all talk happily about whatever the driver wanted to talk about. I think it is very important when hitchhiking to allow the driver to guide the conversation; but more often than not he or she is only too happy to have someone to speak to, especially in a country as vast as Australia.

Did the trip strain your relationship with Katia during the experience?Was it difficult to find alone time or be intimate for you both during the trip?

The trip solidified our relationship more than straining it. There were of course days when Katia thought the whole enterprise was ludicrous. I recall she was particularly infuriated with me when I insisted we walk a long way from the place we had stayed in in order to get a ride. This annoyed her because she was carrying a heavy rucksack, filled with clothing I kept telling her was unnecessary! Whatever the case, we are happily married today, several years on from our hitchhiking trip around Australia.

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