Matador Member – Miguel Lasala

Photos by Miguel Lasala

Before I die, I’d like to raise donkeys. I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when playing a guitar with Paola in Cahuita, CR.

Be sure to check out Miguel Lasala’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Journey to the end of the night, by Celine, The Patagonian Express, by Paul Theroux, The Voyage That Never Ends, By Malcolm Lowry, (reading now) The Lawless Roads, by Graham Greene

Matador Member – Nati 27

Photos by Nati 27

To see the buildings of Gaudi in Barcelona, smell roses in Uzbekistan, touch the coast of Norway, drink some vodka in Moscow, see stars in Honduras….that’s what I want to do

Before I die, I’d like to live my life the best I can. And when I will be dying, I would look in my past and I will think ” yes, I had great time.”

Be sure to check out Nati 27’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Andrzej Pilipiuk…all his books are fantastic.

Matador Member – TreeGuy

Photos by TreeGuy

I believe that the meaning of life is to acquire virtues. I think travel makes that process a whole lot more interesting.

I’m writing a travel blog of fishing adventures from around the country. I would like to publish articles, and even compile a book. If any kick-ass photographer wants to join me at any point and for any duration, you’re welcome. I’m headed to Alaska on June 1st.

Before I die, I’d like to live boldly!

Be sure to check out TreeGuy’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Tibor Fischer; Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin.

Photo by Horia Varlan.

He was following in the footsteps of a Sixth Century Byzantine monk, John Moschos, who had embarked on a pilgrimage around the Levant in 578 AD, at a time when the Byzantine Empire was very much in decline.

Dalrymple’s journey begins at Mount Athos in Greece, and takes him through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, Israel and finally to Egypt. Visiting some of the same monasteries, churches and shrines as Moschos, he uses this journey to give a vibrant, erudite account of the different sects of Eastern Orthodox Christianity that flourished during Byzantine times, as well as observations on the current state of Christianity in the Near East.

Along the way he is harassed by the Turkish army, witnesses possibly the oldest religious music in the world, and meets a whole host of colorful characters. These include war reporter Robert Fisk, a family of Christian Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, a Maronite hermit who spends all day praying and fighting off temptation, and a monk who can’t stop raving about Masonic conspiracies and claims the Pope is a devil worship per.

From the Holy Mountain is an incredibly ambitious book: a mixture of travelogue, history, theology, and contemporary socio-political commentary. The book is packed full of information, and Dalrymple sweeps effortlessly back and forth through the ages.

He covers such topics as the Armenian genocide (and the Turkish government’s deliberate policy of erasing the Armenian archaeological record), the Stylites (Byzantine hermits who spent their lives on top of a tall pillar, and were believed to act as intermediaries with heaven), and the often surprising links and overlap between ancient Orthodox Christianity and Islam.

Yet despite the seriousness of the subject matter, and its sometimes scholarly tone, the book is not heavy going in the slightest.

Dalrymple has a deft way with words, a keen ear for dialogue, and a knack for using very appropriate imagery.

Honest, engaging and inquisitive, much of his writing is also colored with a sly, self-deprecating humor.

From the Holy Mountain is both entertaining and informative, but more than anything else it is a moving, often shocking meditation on the decline of Christianity in what was once its heartland.

Thoroughly recommended!

Community Connection

Looking for more recommended travel books? Check out Matador’s Focus on Travel Reading archive.

Photos of Morocco by Paul Sullivan.

Have you ever been at a crossroads in life, a point where you were actively looking for the next thing but weren’t sure what you were looking for?

That’s exactly where we find Erik Mirandette in his travelogue, The Only Road North. It’s not just an emotional travel tale, but but in fact a powerful, visceral book that took me on a journey on several levels. It was a book that immediately jumped out at me when I heard it, and when the publisher sent me a copy I was quite eager to dive in.

The Story

So Erik is a man on a mission: to find his mission. He’s lost his sense of self-identity, and he goes on a crusade of volunteering to find it. He ends up in Morocco, risking his personal safety to help a tribe of homeless Moroccans in Al Hoceima.

While you might find this storyline less than exciting, Erik has a way with words and this is just the opening act for this adventure. After being told he can never return to Morocco or risk being permanently banned from the country forever, Erik has to abandon the very thing that finally started to give his live some purpose and sense of direction.

Dropping back into his emotional void, Erik proposes a ridiculous move: to rent dirt bikes with his brother and a friend, and drive 9,000 miles along the east coast of Africa, from South Africa to Egypt.

It might sound silly, and perhaps it was, but what really is silly in the spirit of adventure. They were guaranteed an experience of a lifetime, and one they would never forget. Unsurprisingly, some of the post poignant parts of the journey were not things you could have even expected.

Traveling Africa

‘

Their route was to take the boys across no less than 10 African countries – somewhere white men hadn’t ventured for at least a decade. There were countries rife with genocide and lawlessness, and countries split in the midst of civil war.

Not to say they were stupid, as these guys were more prepared than a pack of boy scouts, but unexpected mishaps weren’t just a possibility, they were to be expected.

Erik takes us along the journey through a series of well edited snapshots that really bring to life every stage of the route, from the bribing of the border guards to worries of being eaten at night by lions (yes, seriously).

The nice thing is that this book doesn’t just focus on the most interesting tales – yes there was some sightseeing here and there when possible – nor does it only focus on the worst of the worst. It also includes a fair balance all types of experiences, so when you put down this book, you really understand what their circumstances were like.

Sometimes, you see what’s coming and other times, it is unexpected. As Erik mentions:

I had seen poverty, people who live and die with nothing; last year’s work in Morocco accustomed me to such suffering. But in Burundi I saw something I had never seen before.

War was in your face all the time, everywhere you looked. The people here were poor, yes. They lived without what we consider bare survival essentials – but it was more than that.

Uncertainty loomed over their heads every day. War had come and gone and a person alive in this city had not lost someone.

Erik and his crew are fairly young, so one could imagine them taking a fairly cynical view of the events and happenings in more salubrious nations. But these guys are far wiser than they give themselves credit for – these are the kind of people who should be ambassadors and political representatives. People who listen first, act, and never judge.

And Then, The Ending

‘

Normally, I hate book reviews that reveal the ending, but in this case I don’t feel out of place, given that the ending is previewed in the first chapter and I feel a journalistic need to warn you that this is not a happy tale.

As the introduction says, “[This story] is of love and hate, life and death, brotherhood and utter solitude, faith and doubt.

The last thing the world needs is another self-help or feel-good-faith book, seven simple steps to whatever….The truth is that life is far too complex to be put in a box….I write to you as a mere seeker , a fellow traveler….”

At the end of their journey, Erik and his friends end up in Egypt for several days of sightseeing and relaxing before catching their flight back to the United States.

Cairo is probably one of the safest and least-risky places in all of the 9,000 miles of countryside they covered. However, just a couple of days before their departure, the boys are walking down a lane near one of the popular markets, when a suicide bomber detonates a backpack full of nails and explosives while standing in the middle of the boys.

In Summary

This book really shook me to my very core. I questioned whether it should be featured here, because I feel like it’s an outstanding piece of literature, but recommending it carries a weight of responsibility.

I asked myself, are Sharing Travel Experiences readers ready for a text like this? I came to the conclusion that if you are ready, you’ll buy a copy, and if you aren’t sure, you probably won’t. Hopefully simple as that.

For me, the reality of this book and the lesson one must take away is that we as human beings are terrible at judging risks. We can die any day – often our risks at home aren’t that different than some foreign places, just that we are more comfortable with ways we could die at home (car accidents being by far the majority for most of us), whereas abroad it seems every little foreign quirk could be a lethal move.

Risks should be acknowledged, but they shouldn’t be a barrier to travel.

My lingering question as this book came to a close was simply, was it worth it? Did Erik feel like their journey was wasted, given the unfortunate circumstances in which it resulted?

Well, I didn’t have to ask, as Erik answers my question, and I’d like to close with his words, because they’re powerful and I couldn’t really do them justice.

I still have a lot of unanswered questions. A lot of things will never make sense to me. I may never have quite the faith that I used to have. I will live the rest of my life deeply scarred both inside and out….

The truth is that we can never escape that risk, be it in a lonely dorm room or across the ocean in the midst of a civil war, whether it be for something great and noble or for nothing at all; with each breath we roll the dice and hope for the best.

There are things in this life that are far worse than death. A grave awaits each of us, and in the grand scheme of things, is being alive for eighty years any longer than eighteen years?

Our life is just a breath, whether we die old and gray or young and vibrant. When death comes for us, it will not matter how many years we managed to preserve our existence but rather what we did with the short time we were given on this earth.

Community Connection

Check out more book reviews and essential travel books under Matador’s Focus page on Travel Reading.

]]> http://matadorgoods.com/book-review-the-only-road-north/feed/ 2 http://matadorgoods.com/my-favorite-books-members-pick-for-week-071210/ http://matadorgoods.com/my-favorite-books-members-pick-for-week-071210/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:53:59 +0000 Matador Team http://matadorgoods.com/?p=6035 In a series here on Goods, we will be spotlighting various Matador community members and providing links to their favorite books.

Matador Member – S.S. Love

Photos by S.S. Love

I stumbled into travel writing a couple of years ago. I absolutely adore and love travelling and observing/absorbing everything around me while I travel. I am the staff travel writer (and I take all the photos on my sojourns) for Valley Living Magazine and am launching to bigger wider reaching publications.

I weave bits and pieces of song lyrics throughout my travel pieces. I begin all of my articles via song.

I want to make a difference by sharing my stories and inspiring a better understanding of other vibrant cultures. Take people on a word journey that leaves them feeling exhilarated, happy and intrigued.

Be sure to check out S.S.Love’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: To Kill a Mockingbird, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Alchemist, The Grapes of Wrath, The Complete Dictionary of Symbols, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, Eat Mangos Naked.

Matador Member – Caladner

Photos by Caladner

I want to make a difference by teaching younger kids about the environment and ways to take care of it now.

I want to make a difference in the lives of animals.

Before I die, I’d like to see all 50 states if I don’t ever get to leave the country.

Be sure to check out Caladner’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Harry Potter, The Beach, The Giver, Hot Flat and Crowded.

Matador Member – Molly Freedenberg

Photos by Molly Freedenberg

I travel because it inspires and delights me. It’s the time I feel most like myself, and the most at home.

Before I die, I’d like to live in New York, publish a book, own a red pea coat, have a million dollars.

Be sure to check out Molly Freedenberg’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Dharma Bums, Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Cunt, A Wrinkle in Time.

Matador Member – Scott Alexander Young

Photos by Scott Alexander Young

What makes me unique? My third arm. No. I’m a Travel Writer, Actor and Filmmaker, who is as happy being serious as making people laugh.

I want to make a difference by being a completely selfish hedonist.

I kid.

I want to make a difference with thought provoking books and films.

Be sure to check out Scott Alexander Young’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Spectator Book of Travel Writing, Holidays in Hell, Diaries of Evelyn Waugh, The Letters of Byron

Who is this book for?

This is a book specifically for women who don’t have extensive travel experience, particularly solo travel.

While the Girl’s Guide is geared more for women, it contains plenty of solid — some surprising — information for all people planning on striking out on their own.

What type of travel?

Budget. Stephanie’s entire year of travel cost 15 thousand Australian dollars. Even so, she leaves enough room to treat yourself to a good dinner or spa treatment.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Stephanie’s break down of what she spent and where plus another full section on how to save money prior to your trip and while on the road.

What was most useful?

Her packing checklist. You’d think after four years of travel, I’d be a well tempered packing artist. Alas, no. So Stephanie’s well-tried list of everything you’ll need plus warnings of what you won’t need — no matter how much you think you will — sang out to me.

My packing downfall? I am a total and utter product whore. I always think I’m going to need far more than I do. The bare bones toiletries list in the Girl’s Guide is extensive enough to assuage any fears I have that I might find myself out somewhere in a dry wind without enough lotion or lip balm, yet short enough to actually fit into one bag weighing 15kg or less.

I love that she includes one travel luxury item. Meaning, something we all know we don’t really need and shouldn’t bother bringing along, but we want to anyway. Hers is a hair dryer. Mine would be nail polish. What would your luxury item be?

What information surprised me?

I didn’t expect to see a gadget overview paired with advice as to whether it’s worth taking said gadget along.

Here, she discusses laptops, e-book readers, smart phones, music players, mobile phones and digital cameras.

Another section I didn’t expect? How and why you should use Google tools on your trip.

I use Google every day for work but hadn’t thought of how useful an iGoogle home could be for travel when set up properly with currency converter and translator among other tools.$12.97

I was also surprised to find a discussion of the types of bags you can possibly take. Usually, it’s assumed you’ll be carrying a backpack.

Discussion follows of what pack to take. Done. The Girl’s Guide discusses other possible options.

What about Couchsurfing?

As an avid couchsurfer, I am often frustrated by people who recommend Couchsurfing mainly as a way to ease the burden on your wallet. Ues, this is very much one of the benefits of being on the website, but too often, people forget that Couchsurfing is a community. Stephanie gets that. “I had many experiences I would never trade for the best hotel in the world even if I could afford it,” she says.

Because Stephanie is an experienced couchsurfer, you can trust her tips for finding hosts and being a valued part of the community

How does this e-book appeal specifically to women?

Stephanie discusses safety in a practical way designed to support your travel without being overly cautious or frightening. She mentions each of the countries visited on her trip and provides straightforward evaluations of comfort levels, ability to go out at night as well as what to do if you’re feeling threatened.

She also includes an entire section dealing with loneliness, eating on your own and how to find community and center yourself when homesickness hits. For me, someone who is well traveled but rarely travels alone, those tips provide a brief glimpse at how wonderful the challenges of solo travel can be.

BUY: $12.95 | Visit Website

Affiliate Program

The affiliate program for the Art of Solo Travel: A Girls’ Guide is available.Visit Indie Travel Podcast to find out more about signing up.

Matador Member – Alexandra Kram

Photos by Alexandra Kram

Striving to make roots in Croatia. Worked as a tour guide, hiked many trails here.

Working on writing about experiences here…

Before I die, I’d like to get my book published and be living abroad.

Be sure to check out Alexandra Kram’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Paul Theroux, Dirt Music by Tim Winton…

Sean working with the Air Force / Photos by Ian Mackenzie

I was slightly hesitant to review the book.

He is best friends with Ian Mackenzie (Editor at Brave New Traveler) and I’d met him in Vancouver and we’d celebrated Team Canada’s gold-medal win in men’s hockey together.

So what if I didn’t like the book?

That would be… awkward.

Luckily for me, I did like it. I was a bit worried that it would be egotistical and just about Sean.

But it’s not. In fact, it’s as much about the people he meets on the way and the lessons they share as it is about him. The jobs he did ranged from dairy farmer to florist to bartender to cattail picker to mayor.

And just about everything else in between.

He wasn’t so much testing the occupations out to see if they suited him, but gleaning what he could from the different experiences and picking up valuable lessons from the mentors he had in each role.

He learned to deal with adversity. For example, as a dairy farmer he had to deal with having cow dung all over his hands and occasionally splashed in his face.

His attitude?

“It’s like walking in the rain. We may initially struggle to avoid it…but if we can accept that getting soaked is unavoidable, then we allow ourselves to stop worrying and actually enjoy the experience.”

He began to realize the role he had in influencing others: “Every person who comes into our life, no matter how briefly, we have the ability to affect — through a kind word, a smile, a door held open.

Each one of these simple interactions leaves us altered in some way — whether it’s positive or negative change is up to us to decide.”

He had to deal with his doubts about the project and reaffirm for himself why he was doing what he was doing. As exotic and exciting as the whole prospect sounds, it’s obvious that the daily and weekly rigors were trying at times.

As he says in the book, “no matter how many jobs I tried, cities I visited, people I met, or miles I traveled, the one thing I could never escape was myself.”

And when Sean wasn’t learning profound life lessons, he was busy falling in love, reflecting on his friendships, and dealing with a family crisis. He weaves his personal life into his stories of the different job experiences seamlessly.

So not only do we get interesting glimpses into different industries, we get to know Sean, which adds depth and a personal touch to the book.

Community Connection

Be sure to read Carlo’s exclusive interview with Sean Aiken on Matador Life.

Matador Member – Samyuktha

Photos by Samyuktha

I am a student with a passion to travel, doodle, sing, and write…and know many more people and cultures.

I want to make a difference by speaking out.

I travel because I want to see things. Before I die, I’d like to do a lot…

Be sure to check out Samyuktha’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: One hundred years of solitude, small steps, holes, the crane, the little prince, the god of small things, funny boy, the danish girl, the second sex….

Matador Member – smallbutgreat

Photos by smallbutgreat

I am very antsy if I have to stay one place for more than two /three years.

I believe that the world is too large and there are too many different peoples and cultures to see, for me to get stuck in one place.

I love to taste different foods and share my own cuisine.

Be sure to check out smallbutgreat’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Jane Austin.

Photos courtesy of Charity: Water

Last November, Katie Sorene of Tripbase posted her three best-kept travel secrets, along with a challenge: She nominated five other travel bloggers to do the same, with the additional nomination of five more bloggers each.

In addition to contributions from travel bloggers Rolf Potts, Harriet Baskas and Peter Greenburg, several Matadorians also shared a few of their secrets, including:

• Lola Akinmade
• JoAnna Haugen
• Abbie Mood
• Neha Puntambekar
• Nick Rowlands
• Julie Schwietert Collazo
• Kate Sedgwick
• Richard Stupart
• Candice Walsh

For all 500 secrets from 200 travel bloggers, check out the seven Travel Secrets E-Books, which include Family Travel, Foodie Travel, and Worldwide Beaches. For each book you download, Tripbase will donate $1 to Charity: Water, which is striving to bring clean, safe water to those in developing nations by building freshwater wells.

Matador Member – Earth Journeys

Photos by Alison Perry (Earth Journeys)

I live for those awe-inspiring moments that move the heart and take the breath away.

The delight in the eyes of a child having fun…

The wag in a dog’s tail that shows he/she is happy…

The breath-taking beauty of mountains, oceans, rivers, sunrises & sunsets, waterfalls, butterflies, people of all shapes and sizes and ethnicities.

I am interested in the diversity of this place we call Earth…In the differences in culture. I want to visit indigenous people and learn from them. I experience JOY when I have a camera in my hand, taking photos. I want to perfect my images so that someday perhaps others will be taken, moved, and inspired by the beauty my lens captures.

Be sure to check out Earth Journey’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Mists of Avalon, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, The People Series by W. Michael Gear, many more…

Matador Member – Max Chapati

Photos by Max Chapati

My intellectual interests are pushing me towards grad school but my wanderlust dries at the thought of committing to one place for so long: I’m looking for a compromise.

I want to make a difference by living an examined life, experiencing all I can to make that examination more practical, and sharing my experiences with others.

Be sure to check out Max Chapati’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Travels with Charlie, The Jungle Books, The Tao of Pooh

Matador Member – themattsavage

Photos by themattsavage

2010 is shaping up to be the year changes for me where I have my sights set on the world, and all that I might experience within it.

I love to draw whatever I see, photograph and record things, observing and thinking about life and how it works fascinates me and fuels a big part who I am.

I believe in trusting your heart and my instinct, intuition and insight; They’ve never let me down before and I’m sure they’ll be my best guide to tour the world alone…

Be sure to check out themattsavage’ Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Alchemist

Matador Member – Kate Holmes

Photos by Kate Holmes

I’m fired up on romance and road trips. I travel because I want to know about everything.

I want to make a difference by changing the world’s perception of Americans.

Be sure to check out Kate Holmes’ Matador profile.

Favorite books: Fitzgerald, Herodotus, Kesey, Kerouac, J Maarten Troost, Rough Guides, The Dalai Lama

Feature photo by Diego Cervo. Photo above by holisticmonkey

Courting the Bull: An Anthology of Expatriate Literature in Spain – Edited by Sarah E. Rogers

In her introduction to this anthology of essays, stories, and poems written by expats who have settled in Spain, editor and Matador member Sarah E. Rogers writes,

“Expatriate literature blends the worlds the writer has emerged from and the world the writer now lives in,” the result being intersections of cultural identities and experiences that can be explosively funny or equally sentimental, and sometimes–—often–completely unsettled.

As I read the works collected in this anthology, the experiences common to most expats were in plentiful supply: translation mishaps that are both embarrassing and entertaining; efforts to connect with “locals” that sputter after coming up against cultural differences; and sizing oneself up against other expats to determine whose reasons for leaving home are more compelling and who has been more successful in acculturating.

Initially, I kept wishing these pieces were more polished; there’s roughness around almost all their edges, and I wondered why these particular selections were included (and what others were rejected).

None of the pieces really stood out for its exceptional writing, and many, like the short story “The Lute and the Fiddle,” seemed to be contrived, with forced dialogue or associations with Spanish culture that didn’t quite ring true.

Yet as I kept reading, I thought that the entire collection represented something much more interesting, namely, the ways in which we evolve in our identities as expats. The book’s essays, stories, and poems are, like many expat experiences, stumbling and unsure of themselves, their voice not quite authentic but striving so hard to be true.

In that sense and within that context, I was able to become more appreciative of this collection, which I’d recommend for other expats who intend to settle in Spain.

Marielitos, Balseros, and Other Exiles – Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes

I was deep into the second or third story in this collection before I realized the book was not a collection of ethnographic essays about Marielitos, Balseros, and other exile groups who have left Cuba for the United States since 1980, but instead a grouping of short stories.

Author Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes’ 14 short stories are almost miniature lessons in Cuban American history, though they’re far more engaging than a footnoted history book.

Rodriguez Milanes’ particular skill is inhabiting the diverse voices of each story’s protagonist convincingly, no small accomplishment considering that those characters include gays, old people, young people, middle-aged people, moneyed Cubans, totally broke and homeless Cuban Americans, and just about anyone you could imagine in between.

The plots, dialogue, and character development are all exceptional; Rodriguez Milanes clearly knows her subject and—, thank God,— manages to convey the realities of many different kinds of Cuban American exiles without pushing a political agenda of any sort.

My husband, a Marielito, read a couple of the stories before putting the book down, claiming it was “too depressing, too stereotypical.” The reality though is that while the stories Rodriguez Milanes tells may be fictionalized, they do reflect the true experiences of plenty of Cuban Americans, which he knows first-hand (and which is why he refused to read the rest of the book).

Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good short story and readers with a particular interest in Cuba.

The End of Belonging: Untold stories of leaving home and the psychology of global relocation – Greg A. Madison

Matador contributor Greg Madison’s book The End of Belonging, is the result of an academic thesis, but what makes it readable and fascinating is that it’s also about Greg’s own experiences as an “existential migrant,” a person who “chooses to leave [his] homeland, pushed out by deep questions that can’t be answered at home, and pulled into the wide world in order to discover what life is.”

Greg’s book remains academic, reporting on extensive in-depth interviews with 20 existential migrants, but it’s also wholly transparent. It’s clear throughout the entire text that Greg is undertaking this study because it is a topic that’s close to him, and one that he hasn’t entirely resolved for himself.

The End of Belonging is heady and deep, exploring ideas likely to be of interest to many Matador readers, especially those who find themselves migrating not because of political or social unrest, nor because of economic factors, but because of a deep need to understand the world and oneself.

Greg examines both the highs of this lifestyle (which is portrayed as a compulsion that is inescapable), and its lows, including what many experience as a persistent confusion about what and where home is and whether one ever really needs to belong anywhere at all other than to be at home in oneself.

Highly recommended for people who are perpetual nomads or long-term expats.

Community Connection

For more travel reading and book reviews, check out Matador’s In Focus page on Travel Reading.

Matador Member – travelwoman33

Photos by travelwoman33

I travel to experience, laugh, cry, connect, disengage, challenge, relax, absorb, learn, and become a better human being in this world.

I want to make a difference by connecting communities with one another in interesting and unique ways. I help nonprofits strategize in order to make the most impact with the resources they have.

Be sure to check out travelwoman33’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: “Best Travel Writing” series.

Matador Member – poubelle

Photos by poubelle

I’m fired up on feeling the grass between my toes, eating food with my fingers, sitting on a train, final year of the degree, sitting in the sun, the feeling you get when an aeroplane fires its engine, laughing so much it hurts, gin.

I want to make a difference by changing the word, piece by piece.

Be sure to check out poubelle’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dead Poets Society, Mrs Dalloway, The Art of Travel, On The Couch.

Matador Member – K.D. Hume

Photos by K.D. Hume

About me: A consummate water babe, foodie, bookworm, and nature enthusiast with an unfortunate tendency to be chased by angry animals, my worst fear is to be stuck in Mideast America, surrounded by angry mother bears whose cubs I sold on Ebay, and without a good Thai restaurant or bookstore for miles.

I want to make a difference by convincing the thoroughly unadventurous to become just a less afraid, and a little more adventurous.

Be sure to check out K. D. Hume’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Good Omens, The Bone People, Animal Dreams, West with the Night, Tar Baby, Les Liaisons dangereuses, The Virgin Suicides, I Capture the Castle, The Years of Rice and Salt, Women Without Men, The Naked Tourist, East of Eden, Frankenstein

Photo by Lola Akinmade.

If you want a story about traveling with children, this book is also not for you.

If you want a story about two 30-somethings who quit their jobs, put all their belongings in storage, and took off around the world, you have to read this book.

Grounded is the story of how the author, Seth Stevenson, and his girlfriend, Rebecca, circumnavigate the world with just two rules in mind: cross every longitudinal line (including the Equator) and no flying in airplanes.

Their adventure starts in August on a cargo ship that leaves from Philadelphia and takes them to Antwerp in Belgium. They continue on by train, ferry, rickshaw, bicycle, car, and even on a luxury cruise ship until they arrive at home, in Washington, D.C. in December.

Despite the fact that conditions are, at times, the very opposite of ideal, Stevenson keeps the journey going with a (mostly) positive attitude and doesn’t succumb to buying a plane ticket.

Thoughts

The author makes no mistake in letting the reader know his anti-airplane sentiments, saying that traveling in an airplane is like “pressing the fast-forward button on your journey” and that you lose something by flying over instead of traveling through the landscape (not to mention the jetlag, tiny seats, and expensive airline food).

I have to admit I was partially intrigued by this book because I’m slightly anti-flying myself.

I was curious to see how it all worked out.

Seth Stevenson is a solid writer, and I felt as though I was listening to a friend tell me about his travels around the world. With lines like, “let me pause here to pay tribute to Valium and its many useful applications for the traveler,” and “this seems like a decent place to mention that Rebecca is crazy,” there is rarely a dull moment.

It’s easy to get caught up in the fast-paced story and is a hard book to put down.

The book is due out on April 6, 2010.

Community Connection

Looking for ways to circumnavigate the earth without flying? Learn how to travel by cargo ship.

Matador Member – georgiep

Photos by georgiep

I’m fired up on all things creative – cooking, craft, mural painting, writing, reading (especially travel books), surfing lovely small waves and walking long distances.

I want to make a difference by being myself and carving out a unique and creative life.

Be sure to check out georgiep’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Isabel Allende

Photo by acme.

For a recent trip, I needed to pick up a few phrases of Hungarian quickly. One look at Magyar text, and I knew there was no way I was going to memorize those phrases in time for my trip.

I needed something quick and practical…a pocket-sized guide that won’t add any extra weight to my gear. So I searched for “printable language guides” and came up with this site, single-serving.com.

Single Serving provides quick access to printable PDF files of basic phrases you need to know in various languages: from essential salutations and expressions of gratitude to asking for directions and shopping. They also include a number chart and days of the week.

Once you’re ready to download your 1-page PDF file, the site provides folding instructions that teach you how to fold the page into a pocket-sized phrasebook.

Some languages come with accompanying MP3 audio files that are also downloadable. The site provides a wide selection of languages such as Afrikaans, Slovene, and Bulgarian as well as your basic French, Spanish, and German guides.

Check out their complete listing of 30+ available languages.

Price: Free

Community Connection

For more language resources, check out Matador’s Language Learning focus page.

Matador Member -keet

Photos by keet

My name’s Keturah. I adore life: the ups and the downs and everything in between. I’m currently on an 11-month missions trip to 11 different countries on 4 continents. Pretty excited about all this traveling I’m doing…

Why I Travel: I want to break out of the bubble. I want real life, raw experiences, true stories to tell later.

Be sure to check out keet’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: On the Road. Crazy Love. The Screwtape Letters. The Alchemist. The Irresistible Revolution. The Kite Runner. The Bell Jar. The Bible. All kinds of CS Lewis, Kerouac, Palahniuk, Vonnegut

Feature photo by aussiegall.

What This Book Is

As Matt says early on, this book is not meant to motivate you or allay all possible fears you may have.

It is intended to provide you with the blueprint for making your trip possible.

He begins with all the details you need to know for initial planning, takes you through the day to day of your travel and finally follows you safely back home where you will need to readjust to life after travel.

The World Travel Guide is indeed comprehensive, covering everything from how much money you should bring with you to travel routes to finding cheap flights and how-to choose and pack your backpack. With each section, you’ll find options, vendors and tips to steer you in the right direction.

Much of the information contained within can be found by scouring the internet and reading the thousands of travel websites and blogs, but you’re unlikely to find it all in one place, laid out in such an easily digestible and manageable format.

In addition to basic planning and ways to manage your life on the road, Matt includes much useful information on how to support yourself and other work you can do while on the road.

These include WWOOF-ing, Peace Corps, volunteering and a particularly extensive guide to teaching ESL overseas.

What This Book Isn’t

While much of the book would be useful for anyone wanting to backpack travel, it seems most well suited for people like Matt.

That is, males in their twenties or thirties traveling alone.

Women, families, older travelers or those with physical disabilities will need to look elsewhere for additional information.

Photo by TheGiantVermin

A few examples:  He covers student discounts but not senior discounts. The Health & Safety section covers travel insurance but doesn’t address particular safety concerns for women.

Not that women should be afraid, not at all, but there are certain cultural and religious guidelines that women would benefit from knowing.

And aside from links to family travel websites, there’s really nothing in here to prepare you for long term travel with children.

My Reactions As A Long Time Traveler

I’ve learned much of what’s in this e-book from my own experiences and mistakes as did Matt. And yes, I’m all for trial-and-error learning, but some things, like how to avoid paying international bank fees, are better addressed prior to your first flight or bus.

Matt’s take on volunteering makes a lot of sense. Never pay to work for free, he advises. “I’d rather give my money [directly to the people in the place you’re volunteering] then hand it over to some company who will take a fee.”

The section on coming home also resonates strongly with me. Here, Matt writes eloquently on the nature of and reasons why after traveling the world, you can’t ever really go home again.

Instead, home becomes a place you visit to rejuvenate when you’re burned out on travel.

Price: $20.00 | BUY

Community Connection

Want to travel the world for free? Check out Tim Patterson’s popular guide, How To Travel The World For Free (Seriously).

Scared of flying? learn how to travel the world without flying.

Matador Member – Captain Nemo

Photos by Captain Nemo

I like to travel in which ever way allows me to do so, with curiosity, open mind, and in search of that which is unknown to me.

I want to make a difference by sharing who I am, listening, and learning so I might be able to give it back.

Be sure to check out Captain Nemo’ Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Shack by William Young, Trout Fishing in America, Tolkien, The Tales of Huckleberry Fin, Robinson Crusoe, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Five Rings, Life of Pi, Blue Like Jazz, James A. Michener novels, Kon-Tiki, Tolstoy, To Kill A Mockingbird, Night.

Matador Member – Shamps

Photos by Shamps

I’m fired up on being a traveler my whole life.

I’m fired up on Anthony Bourdain and other travelers that inspire me.

I’m fired up on the ocean, I can never get enough of it.

I’m fired up on the Seattle local music scene.

I’m fired up on hiking, which works out because WA has so many beautiful places to hike.

Be sure to check out Shamps’ Matador profile.

Favorite books: Hunter S. Thompson, Elizabeth Gilbert, and anyone else with a good perspective.

Matador Member – akimbo

Photos by akimbo

I’m fired up on social justice issues and environmental conservation. Photography and writing along those lines too.

I want to make a difference by treating the world with respect, others with compassion and my dreams with diligence.

Be sure to check out akimbo’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Matador Member – Rebecca Eller

Photos by Rebecca Eller

I want to make a difference by protecting the defenseless and empowering the weakened; knocking the stools out from beneath the self-righteous and corrupt; knowing my place; meeting the connection with perfect energy; being a good life partner.

Be sure to check out Rebecca Eller’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Writers: Herman Hesse, Reinaldo Arenas, Ken Kesey, Graham Greene, John Steinbeck, Rohinton Mistry…

All photos courtesy of Joyce Major

In the introduction to her CD-based PDF, On the Road to Voluntourism: Inexpensive Voluntourism Around the World, Joyce Major explains that this comprehensive 88 page voluntourism resource is the result of her own experiences as a voluntourist and her extensive online research, which earned her the nickname “Queen Google” among friends.

On the Road to Voluntourism is an exceptional resource for the traveler who is serious about making a commitment to volunteering.

In addition to compiling hundreds of volunteer opportunities around the world (listed both by country and by type of experience), Major’s PDF includes tips and resources for topics as diverse as insurance (Bottom line? You need it.), hostels and free places to stay (There’s a lot more to life than just Couchsurfing), packing (Prepared, but light), and grants and fundraising (You CAN get someone else to pay for your travel).

In addition, she offers book and movie recommendations about voluntourism and about specific regions, as well as a special chapter on voluntourism for seniors.

You could easily look up any of this information yourself, but you don’t need to, as Major has done it for you.

She earned the Queen Google title.

What makes On the Road to Voluntourism more than a simple round up of voluntourism resources, though, and what gives it credibility is the fact that Major curated the entries carefully using her insight and experience from volunteering at dozens of programs around the world.

The writing is highly conversational and the overuse of non-specific adjectives like “great” detracts a bit from helping the reader understand exactly what to expect from a voluntourism opportunity.

Another concern is how this PDF will hold up over time; it’s possible that websites like Voluntourism.org and Idealist.org may be more comprehensive and current, though Major plans to update On the Road to Voluntourism each year.

Those factors taken into consideration, I still think On the Road to Voluntourism is a highly useful resource for people interested in spending time volunteering while traveling. The $10.00 spent on this PDF guide will save you hours of Googling.

Let Major keep the title; she deserves it.

Price: $10.00 | BUY from Inexpensive Global Volunteering

Community Connection:

Visit Matador’s Volunteering Abroad Focus Page for all of our archived resources related to voluntourism.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

@lilian_sg, @GirlInCobras, and @amytheexplorer

They’ll each be receiving a copy of the voluntourism CD

Want to win more free stuff from Matador? Follow us here @matadornetwork and keep your eyes peeled for the next contest!

Photos by Lola Akinmade

Granted, the Mid-Atlantic states are currently buried under a least 3 feet of snow and most, if not, all flights have been canceled. However, this shouldn’t deter you from thinking about traveling. In fact, now is as good a time as any to start sketching out possible itineraries for the year and planing your getaway.

Looking for where to start? GlobeTrekker’s solid Year Book will stoke your wanderlust with month by month recommendations of where to go and what to see.

For offbeat travel itineraries and mind-blowing photo essays, head over to Matador Trips for suggestions on backcountry travels and treks that take you off the well-worn tourist paths.

The Matador team also recently rounded up its favorite destinations for 2010 – from Mongolia to Benin, and other far-flung places to explore. And if you’re into riding waves, check out the Top Surf Destinations for 2010.

Still looking for more travel ideas? Pick up one of the books below.

Matador Member – Travisty

Photos by Travisty

I was a late starter but now I am a traveler permanently. I have been traveling around the world for last 2 years and am setting up shop in Bogota, Colombia. This is the location for my newest adventure, Home Hostels Colombia.

I want to make a difference by creating a world class chain of hostels in Colombia, my new adopted home, linking them to charities that make a difference less fortunate people.

Be sure to check out Travisty’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: East of Eden, White Tiger, Screw it, Let’s Do it.

Photo courtesy of the British Library

For us geography nuts, the world’s largest book – the Klencke Atlas – in the possession of the British Library will be unveiled to the public for the first time in over 350 years this summer.

Yes, the book is three and a half centuries old.

The Atlas contains 37 encyclopedic maps which provide summary views of the world at the time of its inception.

Here are just a few stats on this stupendous book.

• It takes six people to carry it
• It is 5ft tall
• It is 6ft wide
• As previously mentioned, it is 350 years old

Given as a gift to the king by Dutch merchants and preserved in the king’s cabinet of curiosities for centuries, its pages have never been publicly opened until now.

The grand exhibit featuring the Atlas is called Magnificent maps: Power, Propaganda and Art, and will be on display at the British Library in London from April 30th to September 19th, 2010

And the smallest map in the world?

A bird’s eye view of Nuremberg etched on a fingernail-sized 1773 German coin which will also be on display as part of the exhibition.

Matador Member – Indian Jim

Photos by Indian Jim

I love wilderness, wild places, and the various participatory pursuits related to wilderness and wild places. And I’m a devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

My writing is related to my passion for both.

Be sure to check out Indian Jim’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: “The Old Man and the Sea” by Hemingway, “The Old Man and the Boy” by Robert Ruark, “Goodbye to a River” by John Graves

Matador Member – Ekua Impraim (Girl Unstoppable)

Photos by Girl, Unstoppable

I travel to learn about the world firsthand and to gain strength and creativity.

The ideal place to watch the sunrise is at amazing ruins such as Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu or on the beach in Brazil after being up all night

Be sure to check out Ekua’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Kite Strings of the Southern Cross, Tales of a Female Nomad, Adventure Divas

Photo of Madrid by Lola Akinmade

Beebe Bahrami’s Historic Walking Guides Madrid offers a refreshing change to typical mainstream travel guides. While you get must-see museum and monument stops around Madrid, you also get an amazing slice of rich history.

Historic Walking Guides Madrid offers eight specific walks through Madrid’s history. These walks include historic eras such as Medieval Madrid, Hapsburg Austrian Madrid, Bourbon enlightenment, writers, artists, wine taverns, and mysteries.

Each walk includes a simple map and step by step walking directions – being a challenged map reader, I truly appreciated the directions. Additionally, Bahrami includes anecdotal historic notes for each stop on the walk that actually allowed me to visualize and imagine I was literally part of Madrid’s history.

Not being your typical tourist content with well-known pit-stops, I was thrilled to read behind-the-scenes stories of Madrid’s different ruling dynasties from Muslim influences to modern day contemporary lifestyles.

Bahrami’s stories about significant writers and artists influential to Madrid’s past give a sense of being in these people’s shoes by weaving in the day-to-day human element – a detail that many mainstream travel guides seem to lack.

Being a huge fan of the Spanish practice of eating tapas while sipping a little wine, I personally favored the historic wine taverns walk, and can’t wait to experience the walk myself when I return to Spain this summer.

Historic Walking Guides Madrid is a reasonably priced book, and for those of you who live large, glossy photographs, there are none in this book. However, the black and white photos in this book give a general idea of what Bahrami is writing about. Quite frankly, Bahrami’s vividly descriptive language is such that I didn’t miss seeing colorful photos.

Simply put, Historic Walking Guides Madrid is an easy, informative read that I am looking forward to using on my next trip to Spain.

Price: £9.99 / €10.99 / $12.99

Community Connection

Check out these articles covering Spain by author Beebe Bahrami: Eat, Pray, Love In Spain, and How to Rock a Tapas Bar When Traveling Solo.

Matador Member – Chris Vandenberg

Photos by Chris Vandenberg

I want to make a difference by helping those without voices to be heard, especially in issues dealing with homelessness, mental illness or drug addictions. I’ve worked and volunteered around Vancouver’s DTES and have blogged for various activist groups in the area.

I think the key is to start locally and begin expanding outwards, and through writing and blogging around the world, I hope to help bring serious issues into the mainstream.

Be sure to check out Chris Vandenberg’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Mostly post-war “beat” lit; Naked Lunch, On the Road, etc. Also Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Prophet, Burmese Days, 1984, Into The Wild, Walden and similar

Matador Member – Bridget K

Photos by Bridget K

Travel keeps me breathing, thinking, living and the more I understand, I don’t understand, Ahhh the human condition!

Before I die, I’d like to tour the world with purpose while meeting like minded souls.

Be sure to check out Bridget K’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: David Sedaris

Feature photo by Caitlinator. Photo above courtesy of Lola Akinmade

I once hopped a Florence-bound train at 5:30am on a Saturday just as light peeked its head above Termini station in Rome. I was lucky enough to have several new friends by my side, including one acquaintance who we’ll call “Cathy”.

Cathy’s value as a travel buddy initially seemed promising. She was talkative, outgoing, and intrigued by culture, art, and most importantly, il panini oozing with mozzarella, basil and olio.

As we searched for an internet café to look up our hostel address, Cathy shrieked:

Photo by Matt Murf

“WHOSE job was it to remember the address??”

Slightly mortified by her reaction, my friends and I spent the rest of the weekend dodging Cathy’s snide comments about our poor planning.

In retrospect, I understand that Cathy was by no means a terrible person; she was a bit more high-strung than I am when on the road.

For our friend Manny, who was extremely quiet (passive even), Cathy provided a rare equilibrium by taking charge—the kind necessary in messy, unplanned travel situations.

If we all look for different qualities in a travel cohort, wouldn’t we seek that same compatibility when selecting a guidebook?

For some travelers, these texts are the only form of companionship on the road; providing advice, consoling, entertaining, challenging, or even providing some calm during their journeys.

If you like to travel with…

Significant Others/Current Fling

Lonely Planet – LP is definitely interesting, attractive and casual enough to keep your attention (at least for the moment). With a commitment to detail, the guides feature various neighborhoods and a highly useful color-coded system to decipher its extensive knowledge on culture, dining, and tourist hot spots.

Parents

Fodor’s– Everyone enjoys occasionally gallivanting around with Mom and Dad. They front the bill, allowing some small luxury into your travels. I never would have made it to Villa Borghese or that great restaurant in Trastevere if it weren’t for Mom’s aesthetic eye or Dad’s zeal for wines. Even more importantly, there’s something special about traveling with family.

With its glossy pages and intimate accessibility, you’ll feel right at home the whole trip.

Grandparents

Photo by Caitlinator

Frommer’s – With its majestic cover and thick, course pages, Frommer’s may not be as glossy as LP or Fodor’s (re: if you’re a fan of picture books, then beware, Frommer’s are few and far apart).

Then again, Grandma and Grandpa are always thinking of you.

The G-rents have a wealth of knowledge and knee-slapper anecdotes waiting to be unleashed. They may be set in their ways, but those ways may just open your eyes to something you wouldn’t have noticed riding solo.

Professors/Academic Chaperons

Blue Guides – I couldn’t even open this one. The cover is totally unwelcoming and impersonal; I felt like I was about to open The Old Man and the Sea. Serious snooze alert so beware, as this might be your only companion for months.

Still, while traveling abroad I was always impressed at my professors’ approachability and enthusiasm once they opened up.

Maybe you just need to get them slightly drunk off wine at a Tuscan vineyard before you can appreciate their company?

Adventurers/Vagabonds

Rough Guides – It’s hard to hate on travelers when you are one! But everyone has “flaws.”

Known for their carefree attitude, vagabonds frequently lack the foresight to plan excursions, meals, or even (oops?) lodging.

So maybe I’m stereotyping. Regardless, deep down there’s a reason for all the disorganization: adventurers want to be immersed in local culture—how can you find what’s real other than by simply stumbling upon it?

Rough Guides provides this authenticity.

Other Writers/Friends

Matador Travel Community – Don’t worry, no one bribed me to write this. If you’ve got access to a computer while traveling, Matador’s extensive network of seasoned travelers, wanderlusts, and have provided a web of travel advice: from how to travel ‘green’ to the best gadgets to how to take better notes and photography.

It’s like traveling with yourself—except the reading material is much better!

Community Connection

Have you considered tossing your guidebook altogether? Check out 6 Simple Ways To Travel Without Your Guidebook and 5 Reasons Wiki Travel Guides Are Better Than Guidebooks.

What’s your favorite guidebook? Tell us below

Admit it.

You’ve already started planning your 2010 travel schedule.

Well, we’ve got the perfect handy guidebook to help you out. New from the widely popular TV travel series, Globe Trekker, comes a month by month compilation of solid travel suggestions that ultimately answer the question…”When is the best time to go where?”

The ultra lightweight Year Book designed to literally fit in your pocket packs in a ton of travel tips sprinkled with vivid photography throughout for its teeny, weenie size.

The Lowdown

Each month starts with a summary of suggested activities in various countries such as marveling at the Aurora Borealis in Tromsø, Norway in January or heli-hiking to the Fox Glacier in New Zealand in September.

Where the Year Book truly shines is that it breaks down recommended activities into three categories to suit the varying tastes of travelers:

For the party animal, the “Party the Planet” section lists various festivals and celebrations going on during your month of choice.

The Great Outdoors takes more intrepid travelers through adventurous activities such as desert treks, whitewater rafting, and mountain hikes.

Looking to bask under sunlight for hours? Sun, Sea, and Sand will introduce you to world-class snorkeling and scuba diving destinations in addition to relaxing island life.

For those wondering where to go and what to do in any random month, here’s an excerpt for May:

Take off to Africa for an epic trek across the spectacular Dogon Escarpment in Mali….Kick off safari season where four eco systems in Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Feel like a fiesta? Then head off to Mexico for the Battle of Puebla festivities – make merry like a mariachi and celebrate history and heritage and all this Mexican.

Viva el Cinco de Mayo!

Each monthly section is then wrapped up with “Get a Taste” which features international cuisine recipes from Pilot Productions’ travel food shows such as the recipes for Tom Yum Soup in May from Planet Food Thailand and Vanilla-Lime Flan in February from Planet Food Mexico.

The Year Book also lists useful websites such as tourism boards and online resources which tie right back to preceding travel recommendations

Bonuses

As many sights and landmarks are closed during holidays, the book outlines public holidays in major travel hotspots to guide your planning. Additional resources include a chart listing countries, their capital cities, dial in area code, currency, and time difference (+ or – GMT). GlobeTrekker’s TV presenters also share portrait shots and random quotes to round out the Year Book — an excellent start for planning out your travels in the upcoming year.

Best part?

We’re giving away two copies of Globe Trekker’s Year Book.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

@travelsofadam and @oldbay3

We will be sending each of them a copy of GlobeTrekker’s Year Book.

Want to win more free stuff from Matador? Follow us here @matadornetwork and keep your eyes peeled for the next contest!

Matador Member – saintnick88

Photos by saintnick88

I am a major movie buff! I see them all from foreign to funny to ridiculous. I enjoy volunteering. It’s great to spend time with people who are plugged in because they choose to, not because they have to.

Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels get the bulk of my time. I am a manicurist by trade, by way of private school and pre-law.

Go figure.

What started as a creative way to meet women and and make a few easy bucks in college ended up taking me places I never imagined…from magazine layouts, to opening four salons/ spas over the years, to being the former personal manicurist to Madame Nazik Audeh Hariri (Wife of the former Lebanese Prime Minister).

I love to travel, make new friends and find something new and comical each day.

Be sure to check out saintnick88’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Four Hour Work Week, Raving Fans, Rich Dad Poor Dad Series, Where The Sidewalk Ends, Does Calvin and Hobbes count?

Editor’s Note: Yes, Calvin and Hobbes counts! Huge fan also.

Photos by stuartpilbrow

Though I had a few Christian friends growing up, being brought up Hindu meant my family’s religion and festivals were more important to us. Years later, I would experience Christmas in all its splendor, and my first introduction to this tradition would come in the form of books.

Here are four books that have been instrumental in the way I perceive Christmas.

A Doll’s House- Henrik Ibsen

A Doll’s House, a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is set on Christmas Eve. The playwright articulates the notion of Christmas by clearly defining the birth of one’s self and the decay of another self. In the opening scene, we are introduced to Nora Helmer, who is perceived as being “childish” by her patronizing husband.

Nora’s self-discovery and her decision to walk out on her husband was considered scandalous when the play was written.

When Nora declares that she has no home, no religion and that she wishes to travel all by herself – she wishes to discover her desires independently outside the patriarchal space, it signals the birth of the independent self and brings to light the plight of the woman masquerading in support of patriarchy, an imposition anointed by her husband.

Ibsen’s German agent said that it would not work well with audiences. In Germany, the lead actress refused to play Nora unless the ending was changed. This play is truly an inspiration because in as early as 1879, a man was talking about women’s rights. It is thus hardly surprising that the play is often referred to as “the first feminist play.”

The theme of Christmas in A Doll’s House is literal in that the setting of the play is on Christmas Eve but the exploration of the theme is largely symbolic. Her husband, for instance, promises her that if any calamities befell her, he would protect her and he would act as her Christ figure. However, when he does need to protect her, he accuses her of having slighted his honor.

Christmas is considered to be the birth of Jesus Christ and, in this case, it is the birth of the woman Nora, because she attains self-hood.

A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol by 19th century English writer Charles Dickens is about how a miserly man named Ebenezer Scrooge revises his notions of the world after four ghosts visit him in his dreams.

A Christmas Carol also begins on Christmas Eve when Scrooge’s deceased business partner, Jacob Marley appears in a dream and warns him about his impending misery if he does not mend his ways.

The book taps into Scrooge’s inner demons and portrays how a man has been hardened by the tryst of fate. At first, The Ghost of Christmas Past appears, taking Scrooge back down memory lane and enabling him to relive his boyhood years.

The Ghost of Christmas Present takes him to the house of his clerk, Bob Cratchit, who Scrooge pays a rather measly salary and whose son, Tiny Tim is too ill and will die unless the family receives some financial assistance. The Ghost of Christmas Present predicts that Tiny Tim will die, but Scrooge turns over a new leaf and becomes a changed man by helping everyone around him and thanks to Scrooge, Tiny Tim’s life is saved.

The book deals with moral virtues which are associated with Christmas- kindness, altruism, philanthropy and a sense of community. It captures the spirit of Christmas and resorts to an allegorical mode of storytelling rather than a didactic approach. It is worth noting that A Christmas Carol, ever since it was published, has not been out of print.

The Dead – James Joyce

The Dead is a short story written by Irish writer James Joyce. It is the final short story in his book Dubliners. The Dead is set between Christmas and New Year and tells the story of Gabriel Conroy who realizes that his wife Gretta’s deceased childhood acquaintance, Michael Furey was the Christ figure in her life.

It is a story about evaluating oneself.

While the image of Furey was in Gretta’s mind, Gabriel had constructed an image of his wife in his head where his wife could not think about anyone else apart from him.

The first character to be mentioned in this story is the caretaker’s daughter, Lily. The flower, Lily is the traditional symbol of the Blessed Virgin and is also a common sight at funerals. Gabriel’s first encounter with Lily marks the destruction of Gabriel’s fictional self and the beginning of the resurrection of Michael Furey.

The Dead is a story that tells us that Christmas is a time of both decay and regeneration.

The Journey of The Magi – T.S. Eliot

The Journey of the Magi is written in the form of a monologue – from the point of view of one of the Magi who went to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Christ.

The poem draws from one of Lancelot Andrewes’ sermons of nativity and makes use of several Christian symbols. “The Three Trees” are symbolic of the crucifixion while dealing with Eliot’s constant theme of alienation when the narrator talks about going back home to “an alien people clutching their gods.”

The Journey of The Magi deals with birth and death and how the self is fragmented in its quest for absolute knowledge.

Community Connection

To find more Christmas-related articles on Matador Network, check out our archives.

Do you have a favorite Christmas classic? Please share it below.

Matador Member – Lysscm

Photos by Lysscm

I love writing and traveling. I can’t imagine a future without either one.

I want to make a difference by putting my experiences down on paper; Volunteering in impoverished communities; Living a consciously green and healthy lifestyle.

Be sure to check out Lysscm’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Broom of the System, Walden, Eat Pray Love, The Kite Runner

Photo by kretyen, feature photo by borkur.net

World Heritage Sites of Great Britain & Ireland: An Illustrated Guide to All 27 World Heritage Sites

by Victoria Huxley and Geoffrey Smith

If you’re a nerd with a particular geographical and cultural penchant for the U.K., this book is a worthy addition to your collection. I love the particular focus of this book—UNESCO World Heritage sites, of which there are 27—and the execution of the guide is first-rate.

Authors Victoria Huxley and Geoffrey Smith make the guide completely accessible by organizing the information about each of the sites in a logical, clean presentation. They explain why the site received UNESCO World Heritage designation, the location, the historical context, and practical visitor information.

Their prose is no-nonsense, a welcome relief from the overblown, hyperbolic language of so many guide books. The glossy pages are loaded with photos to give you an idea of what you’ll be seeing and simple maps to get you oriented. Interlink: I’d love to see a series based on the World Heritage Sites theme.

Cadogan Guides Barcelona & Catalonia

by Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls

The quick review of this guide: If you’re headed to Barcelona and Catalonia, it’s a sturdy companion. Though prone to occasional effusions of overly peppy adjective-laden descriptions, the authors are knowledgeable and comprehensive in their treatment of the region.

Heavy on art—as are Barcelona and Catalonia themselves—Facaros and Pauls don’t skimp on information about outdoor activities. This guide is thin on pictures, which are confined to a glossy, appetizing front section, but heavy on practical information and entertaining historical anecdotes.

Kilimanjaro: A Photographic Journey to the Roof of Africa

Text by Michel Moushabeck; Photography by Hiltrud Schulz

I almost feel bad for not liking this book, as the author’s enthusiasm for Kilimanjaro is evident. Nevertheless, this book reads like a “What I did on my summer vacation” essay, what with Moushabeck’s painstaking documentation of pre-, during, and post-trip minutiae.

These unnecessary details– “On board our nine-hour flight to Nairobi, I read Hemingway’s short stories, watched BBC News, browsed through the in-flight magazine, and tried—unsuccessfully—to get some sleep.”– become tiresome quickly, especially for a seasoned traveler or regular reader of travel narratives.

The plodding prose might be forgivable if redeemed by the photos, but again, these are only mediocre. The reader rather feels that he or she is being subjected to the book equivalent of a vacation slideshow, and is left wondering what relevance the book has for a larger audience.

Matador Member – Vanessa Harris

Photos by Vanessa Harris

I love the sensation and excitement and learning from the experience of different cultures, nature, food, customs, landscapes and hearing the stories of people from a completely different world to myself.

Be sure to check out Vanessa Harris’ Matador profile.

Favorite books: Bryce Courtenay

Photo by Unhindered by Talent

Jay Reilly, a commercial/ editorial photographer with a client list that includes the likes of Nike, Sony, Hyatt, and Conde Nast, rounded up some of his favorite coffeetable/photo books over on his blog.

Making his list are The Photo Book by Phaidon, The Polaroid Book by Taschen, Metro by Larry Yust, and No Particular Order which features Gilles Bensimon’s Photography.

He touts The Photo Book by Phaidon as:

…a fantastic collection of any and all photographers that have made serious contributions to the art and evolution of photography.

All in alphabetical order, not one more important than the other, but very insightful, inspiring and collective.

These are photographs that matter.

Anything from art, journalism, fashion, portrait… images that stop you in your tracks and you want to know more.

The nice thing is there is some layman insight to the images included that does give you just enough to move on to the next one.

But in many cases leaves you wanting to know more about the image and the photographer….Jay Reilly.

For more inspiring book ideas, check out Matador contributor and photographer Ryan Libre’s roundup of 10 Photography Books You’ll Never Get Tired Of.

Matador Member – AmandaH

Photos by AmandaH

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when I’m drinking wine and eating bratwurst at the Bad Durkheim Wine Festival or when they shut down traffic on our entire block and rocked it out Xanadu-style with people dancing on skates, skateboards, roller-blades, and bikes while a cover band jammed some early nineties music until the wee hours of the morning.

Be sure to check out AmandaH’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Jellicoe Road, A Great and Terrible Beauty, Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison, and so many more I would run out of space.

Matador Member – thefuturexpat

Photos by thefuturexpat

I travel because I feel wanderlust deep in my soul. The first time I left the country was for a school exchange in 5th grade and I haven’t looked back since!

Be sure to check out thefuturexpat’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Malcolm Gladwell

Photo by ubrayj02

Mapes’ book is best appreciated in contrast to its cinematic counterpart, Veer, a documentary claiming to cover all elements of bike culture. Unlike Veer, which never looks beyond Portland, Oregon, Mapes’ new book actually accomplishes its tagline.

Mapes, a Portland-based journalist, looks far beyond the subcultures of his city to other urban areas such as Davis, Chicago, Minneapolis, and New York. He even ventures overseas to European bicycle bastions Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where cyclists are ubiquitous. Mapes is a trained reporter but doesn’t let that stop him from participating in his own story; he actually rides a bike in each of the cities he visits. This strengthens his assertions and makes his research more accessible.

The book first runs through a history of the cycling movement in American cities, then includes chapters on Amsterdam, Davis, Portland, New York, with a smattering of other cities dropped in. The book covers bikes and safety, the health benefits of biking, and children on bikes.

Mapes touches on both the recreational aspects of cycling (the World Naked Bike Ride and Zoobombing in Portland, for example) to more technical urban planning issues.

Supporting his extensive research are interviews with an impressive array of cyclists and cycling advocates. Mapes manages to visit and document a daunting collection of cities and issues without losing sight of his central tenant: that cycling is a vital part of the future of healthy, livable American communities.

Bikes present an attractive solution to a number of urban problems, Mapes argues. “The bike offers a non-polluting, non-congesting, physically active form of transportation in a country, and in a world, that increasingly seems to need such options,” he explains.

The heightened global competition for the world’s oil supplies has ended the era of cheap fuel that made our automobile dependency possible. Our increasingly sedentary lifestyle raises the specter of an obesity epidemic that could shorten the life span of the next generation. And we’re outstripping our ability to maintain and expand our network of roads and bridges….Pedaling Revolution

The Pedaling Revolution eventually proves that the movement towards bicycle-friendly streets goes beyond just cycling; it fits into the larger solution for smarter urban planning and more liveable cities. “Imagine fewer parking lots and more public plazas,” Mapes writes.

“Think of urban neighborhoods that have the walkable ambiance of an old European city, not wide streets and strip malls. Or maybe just the kind of street that is safe enough for kids to once again play in.”

My only criticism is that the book’s many unfamiliar terms would be easier to remember had Mapes included a glossary. Ultimately, though, Pedaling Revolution is the best source out there for understanding how and why cyclists are slowly accomplishing the unthinkable: wrestling American cities away from automobile drivers and changing the very landscape of our cities.

Community Connection

For more on the biking culture around the US, check out these articles:

A Pedaler Amongst Lead Foots: Biking to Work

May is National Bike Month in the US

Bike Touring Montana: Classic Big Sky Rides

How To Be Good (Better) Drivers and Cyclists

Matador Member – Reeti Roy

Photos by Reeti Roy

I want to make a difference by writing, fighting for my own rights and for the rights of others.

Be sure to check out Reeti Roy’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Bell Jar, Little Women, At the bottom of the river, In an antique Land, My name is Red, Midnight’s Children, The God of Small Things, The Jungle Book, The Steam House, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, The Namesake, Atonement.

Feature Photo by Hljod Huskona. Photo Above by eflon

To me, this means curling up with a hot beverage and a travel memoir so I can live vicariously through someone else’s adventures. I’m partial to travel memoirs written by women, rather than men, because I can usually relate to both their inner and outward journeys more.

I have found a few good options beyond the ubiquitous Eat, Pray, Love. Here are some suggestions:

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman

During an impending divorce, Rita Golden Gelman makes her first solo journey to Mexico. This trip transforms her. After her divorce is final, she decides to give up everything to become a global nomad and does not settle for observing cultures from a distance.

She finds a way to become a member of each community she visits as she travels from palaces to jungles and everywhere in between.

She shows us that as long as one’s spirit remains young and open, there is no age limit for adventure. Gelman allows us to see deep inside her evolution from a timid traveler to a confident adventurer ready to take on the world.

This is a great read for anyone needing the inspiration and courage to travel independently.

Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for Women Who Are Changing the World by Holly Morris

In this memoir, Holly Morris recounts her story of the creation of the Adventure Divas documentary series. The Adventure Divas project highlights powerful and unconventional women around the world who are doing amazing things for their communities.

Parallel to the inspirational stories of the women interviewed in this book is the author’s own journey. Morris reveals the intimate details of the struggles and triumphs she encounters while striving to achieve her goal.

On the first Adventure Divas trip, Morris and her crew illegally venture into Cuba where she interviews female rappers, a Santeria priestess and the American activist in exile, Assata Shakur. From there, she travels to India, New Zealand, and Iran.

Most of the women interviewed are people you’ve probably never heard of, but they are all positively impacting small areas in major ways. This book will inspire you to travel and make beneficial changes in the world.

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah MacDonald

After Sarah MacDonald first traveled to India in her early 20s, she vowed to never return again. Several years later, her boyfriend takes a job in India and she apprehensively decides to join him. Upon her return, she still finds India to be a challenge.

But this time, rather than letting the country exasperate her, she fully takes on the challenges India presents. She travels around the country to learn about its unique culture and experience its diverse array of religions.

She dabbles in both major and obscure faiths with a self-deprecating sense of humor and an open mind. This is a hilarious and insightful account of the two years she spent in India and how she finally learns to accept the country as it is.

Stalking the Wild Dik-Dik: One Woman’s Solo Misadventures Across Africa by Marie Javins

Marie Javins goes boldly where few travelers have gone before. In this memoir, she writes about her journey from South Africa to Egypt which was part of a year-long challenge to travel across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa without using airplanes.

On her trip, she was particularly captivated by Africa. As she treks through remote villages, wilderness, and buzzing cities, she strives to share all of what she sees, not just the typical images of war, disease and wild animals.

While this memoir was not the most poetic read, the author still managed to draw me in with unique tales of her exciting off the beaten path adventures.

Kite Strings of the Southern Cross: A Woman’s Travel Odyssey by Laurie Gough

This is a wonderfully descriptive and passionate account of traveling in the South Pacific and South East Asia. Like Gelman, Gough is not content to be a spectator. She spends time living, working, and immersing herself in the cultures of the countries she visits.

She maintains a strong sense of self while exploring different ideas and ways of thinking. Gough is a travel writer who writes for travelers. Her words beautifully express what continuously draws relentless journeyers to the open road.

Reading this memoir is a fantastic way to fill the space between your travels. Not only does Gough make you feel as though you’re alongside her on her adventures, she lets you know that your infatuation with travel is well understood.

What are your favorite travel memoirs written by women? Please share them below.

Matador Member – PeteMcKeown

Photos by PeteMcKeown

Why I Travel:
I want to gain a greater global perspective, and selfishly follow my inner urge to see as much of the Earth as I can. I want to make a difference by making people laugh and get a reprieve from responsibility with my articles.

Be sure to check out PeteMcKeown’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Gates of Fire, Lord of the Rings, The Great Gatsby, A Separate Peace, Watership Down, Azincourt.

All photos courtesy of author James Workman.

“Some Bushmen told me that if you listen carefully your can hear the stars, and one night in the Kalahari silence it seemed possible.”

-from Heart of Dryness by James Workman

This is the only book I’ve ever read that made me thirsty. It made me conscious of the glass of water on my nightstand, of where that water came from, and of the water I flushed down the toilet so many times that day.

Heart of Dryness begins in the Kalahari. In 2002, soldiers from the Republic of Botswana drive into the desert, destroying the Bushmen’s water supplies, acting on orders given by President Festus Mogae.

The act is an attempt at forcing them out of their rightful and legally protected homeland.

What follows is an intimate and emotive account [Workman traveled to the Kalahari, visiting, and living with Bushmen on and off for 7 years] of a small group of Bushmen who, in spite of being ‘forced’ from their homeland, decide to resist, to stay.

Cut off from water supplies, they must draw on their ancient wisdom and knowledge of how to survive in one of the driest places on earth.

The book is an amazing synthesis of compelling narrative writing and insights / analysis on the ever-increasing scarcity of potable water worldwide. In the interview at his website, Workman notes:

Even if we stop all carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, the world will keep warming. As it does, sudden deluge will alternate with longer, hotter, droughts. Floods let us store less; droughts leave us less to store. These extremes affect irrigation, depleting food supply.

The lack of water also cuts energy production, depleting power supply. So climate adaptation literally boils down to water adaptation. And there is no civilization better adapted to doing more, with less water, than Kalahari Bushmen.

The book’s thesis is that “We don’t govern water; water governs us.” Workman explores what this principle means in practice, both for the Bushmen, and how it might look for “us” if we were to adapt their strategies for survival.

I admit, when I first saw this title, I thought the easy reference to Conrad’s masterpiece seemed facile. I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as I started reading, however, I forgot about anything else besides the characters and their struggle, something so heroic, you have to keep reminding yourself ‘this actually happened.’

The title galvanizes the whole book, when after the narrative’s climax, we see how Qoroxlooo has made sacrifices almost impossible to imagine.

This book is timely and vital for people everywhere. I strongly encourage you to read it, and, if possible, to contact James Workman with any opportunities to read, speak, or present. He’s doing some of the most important work of anyone I know.

Community Connection

Please visit James Workman’s website for more information, and to order Heart of Dryness.

Also, be sure to read some of his original stories on Matador.

Matador Member – LittleRaven525

Photos by LittleRaven525

About me:
I will sometimes travel light with minimum supplies but I typically like to work seasonal jobs in amazing places. 8 months here. 7 months there. There is nothing like being able to go climb a mountain and go back to your cabin all in the same day. I don’t like to just pass through.

Be sure to check out LittleRaven525’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, Brave New World.

Matador Member – elasticfate

Photos by elasticfate

About me:
I want to make a difference by volunteering on different project wherever I go, educating people about living in harmony with the earth & their souls & inspiring people to walk their own walk.

Be sure to check out elasticfate’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Critical Path by Buckminster Fuller, The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk, The People of Paper by Salvordor Plascencia, The Alchemist, No More Prisons and so many more.

I wondered if the author could pull off writing about two different travel experiences and a love story without losing the narrative, but author Eve Brown-Waite engrossed me with a style that is refreshingly down-to-earth.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria is a compelling story of a woman who falls in love—in more ways than one—in Ecuador and Uganda.

The book opens at a logical beginning, when Brown-Waite meets John, the Peace Corps recruiter she tries to woo at least in part by joining up. The Peace Corps assigns the self-described “pampered city girl” to Ecuador, where hilarity—and some serious stuff, too—ensues. Brown-Waite finds a worthwhile project when she begins returning lost boys living in an orphanage to their families.

Destinations

Community Connection to Uganda

But Ecuador wasn’t meant to be. Circumstances change and Brown-Waite returns to the U.S. She marries her Peace Corps recruiter but laments her unfinished work in Ecuador.

Brown-Waite gets a chance at a karmic finish to her Peace Corps work when she and John move to unstable Uganda. As expected, more hijinks follow.

In Uganda, Brown-Waite hopes to finally live out her self-professed dream of becoming another Angelina Jolie. She admits she feels the need to prove herself after being unable to complete her stint in the Peace Corps.

As her husband begins his humanitarian work, Brown-Waite must again find her own purpose while an entertaining cast of characters and situations bombard her life. She eventually begins to work on AIDS education and prevention, which opens up yet another set of challenges.

She and John start a family, battle critters in their home, work and live amid political instability, and get caught in a civil war before their Ugandan adventure ends. And, as expected, she contracts malaria.

Brown-Waite’s story offers a refreshing balance between the struggles of Western humanitarians in the third world and self-deprecating humor. The result is a relatable story any reader would enjoy. Brown-Waite includes letters sent to friends and family while living abroad at the end of each chapter, which further enriches her narrative.

While some may be grossed out by the mushy love story, the book provides fascinating insights into both Peace Corps and ex-pat life in developing countries. Brown-Waite vividly relays scenes that are both humorous and heartbreaking. She manages to convey the severity of the problems in Ecuador and Uganda while remaining upbeat for an engaging read.

The book provides a hard look at what it means for a Westerner to try to heal the wounds of developing countries while facing the cultural divide and adjusting to a jarringly different lifestyle. Brown-Waite’s honesty and wit make real those conflicts.

After reading First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria, I’m eager to read more about the Waite family’s adventures. For now, though, I’m content to follow her at her blog.

First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria is a must-read for anyone considering joining the Peace Corps or working in a developing country. It’s one that will resonate with anyone who has dreamed—maybe a little naively—of saving the world.

Matador Member – Kirsten1981

Photos by Kirsten1981

About me:
A former ex-pat with a case of wanderlust. Originally from Boston, I lived and worked in Ireland from 2006-2009 and I’m back in the States now but I miss Europe and return every time I have the chance. I’ve traveled to four continents so far and hope to eventually visit all seven.

Be sure to check out Kirsten1981’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Badlands, Ruinair, On The Couch, A House in Fez

Matador Member – Giramonda

Photos by giramonda

I want to make a difference by writing, sharing, giving, volunteering, exploring, learning, discovering, developing sustainable, socially-minded projects, living…

I’m living out my dreams everyday… I’m already doing it!

Be sure to check out giramonda’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Santaram; Eat, Pray, Love; The Red Tent; Tale of Two Cities.

Photo by Terry Wha

From their impressive list of photojournalists (Paul Fusco, Megan Lewis, Jack Picone, Masaru Goto, Gerhard Joren, Ed Kashi, Gary Knight, Marcus Bleasdale, Adam Ferguson, and many more), one particular name in the mix drew me to the event.

Ed Kashi.

His unprecedented access to and coverage of the oil business and its social repercussions in the Niger delta has always fascinated me; a volatile area of Nigeria which even her citizens understandably avoid. His book, 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, is filled with powerful and evocative photographs that chronicle the country’s violent love-hate relationship with the oil industry.

Here on Matador, we’ve covered the struggles and issues surrounding big oil in articles like The Trouble with Black Gold: 7 Sins of Oil Production and Big Week Ahead for Big Oil, where we followed the proceedings of the Wiwa vs. Shell case, and spotlighted advertisements against Chevron’s environmental impact.

While many aspiring photojournalists may never reach those difficult regions Ed Kashi has been able to navigate, pick up one of his books below to travel along and delve into some of the world’s most challenging stories to tell.

Matador Member – justdanny

Photos by justdanny

I want to make a difference by working hard and trying to be a credit to my god and my country.

Be sure to check out justdanny’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, The Kite Runner, Crime and Punishment, and of course, Into The Wild.

Adventure Cookbook Author Sofia Brandon

“I wasn’t always so interested in every detail of what went into my food; a few dramas shocked me into it,” writes Sofia Brandon in The Adventure Cookbook. In a completely fresh form–part memoir, part travel book, and part cookbook–she reveals how, after a decade in the corporate world she “pushed the eject button.”

A pair of traffic accidents and then a prolonged recovery period (where she discovered she was pre-diabetic) forced her to reconsider everything about her life. She writes:

For my entire life I’d been sporty and attentive to weight, so I had never imagined that I could get into such a mess in my early thirties. I had the kind of disease one suffers from when their life priorities are upside down. Instead of of spending time in nature and with people I loved, I had been working myself into oblivion, ignoring my needs, squeezing in five minutes of sunlight during lunch breaks. My body was giving me the finger.

Sofia Brandon in Istanbul.

Sophia was able to treat and ultimately reverse her conditions without pharmaceuticals by strictly monitoring her diet.

This process became her point of entry into a new way of life based on clean food (food made with fresh, local, and chemical-free ingredients), self-discovery, and travel, all mixed together.

Travel

The Adventure Cookbook follows Sofia over the next 6 years as she goes all over the world—India, Tibet, Turkey, Tunisia, Thailand, Australia, Italy, and Provence—living with and learning how to cook from locals.

The scenes will be familiar and oftentimes hilarious to anyone who has ever spent extended time living abroad: counting silent victories at the market after the vendors give you the local price, struggling to maintain cleanliness in a hostel kitchen, and having small culinary miracles occur in a single pot on a camping stove.

Recipes

I love how the recipes are presented in this book. Each one comes at the end of a chapter, a kind of reflection, a way of bringing together the adventures and experiences in each place. Many of them are influenced by the spices and culinary tradition in Provence, where Sofia writes and essentially narrates the book from.

Sofia starts with the simplest possible recipes, things you ‘assemble’ more than cook (such as an olive oil and fresh herb dip, or spicy tofu spinach salad), then progresses through more involved dishes such as Fusilli Perisillade with Mushrooms:

Fusilli Persillade with Mushrooms

“I could kneel at the feet of the immortal genius who first came up with the idea of sautéing garlic with parsley. This magic alliance, known as persillade, is called upon by the Provençal to accompany fish and meat. . . ”

Ingredients

*1 pound wholegrain fusilli
*1 pound button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
*4 medium garlic cloves
*1/2 bunch Italian parsley
*3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
*1/4 lemon for corrections
*sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

The recipes are all accessible in terms of ingredients, implements, and level of cooking experience. Instead of esoteric, multi-step meals, Sofia focuses on the classics. She teaches you how to make Tabouleh. She shows you how to make Thai Green Curry. Paneer. Yogurt. Raspberry Jam. A fail-safe “formula” for “The Wow,” a one-pot meal with nearly endless variations.

The Adventure Cookbook is all about fresh,

accessible recipes.

There are also great general information sections, things like what makes extra virgin olive oil better, how to cook pasta al dente, how to improvise when things go wrong, and how to balance tastes.

Throughout all of the chapters is a tangible sense of Sofia’s intention. She’s not writing to impress you with her cooking skills or food knowledge; she wants you to begin building a new relationship with food.

Nutrition

“I don’t wear a string of initials like MD, MSC, PHD, but I’ve read from people who do that raw food injects us with vitamins and minerals. They’re also loaded with the fibers we need for transit and the enzymes that fuel digestion and give us vitality. Then there’s the theory that that disease simply cannot take hold in an alkaline body. Apparently, raw foods make your body less acidic, more alkaline.”

-Chapter 5 “Some Like It Raw”

One of the things I appreciated most about The Adventure Cookbook was the way Sofia explores the nutritional and health benefits of various foods without coming off as preachy or didactic.

She gives you the sense that she’s a student of nutrition rather than a teacher–writing hilariously about detox programs in Thailand, ‘fruitarians,’ and extreme ashram diet ‘experiments’ turned into extended love sessions. It makes you want to go out and learn more.

Mind, Body, Spirit

It’s unusual for a book to hit me on so many levels. I may appreciate the information or enjoy the writer’s style, and in rare instances I’ll find myself emotionally absorbed in a story. But with The Adventure Cookbook it went beyond these things. Since reading this book I can honestly say I’ve begun to consider more about the way I eat, and how we cook as a family.

For the most part, my family and I eat organic. My wife and daughter are vegetarians. But we find ourselves cooking up the same pastas, rices, and omelets. We always use the same spices. We don’t eat enough raw food. And we spend way too much money on yogurt and other foods that we could begin to make ourselves.

At its core, The Adventure Cookbook is about connection. No matter where you are, traveling or at home, what you eat reflects your relationship to (or lack thereof) the place and the people you’re with. This book inspires you to bring it back to the kitchen, to have fun with it, to bring it home.

Community Connection

Please visit The Adventure Cookbook website for more information, and to get the book.

Matador Member – deuglish

Photos by deuglish

I feel the most immersed in a foreign culture when I take the time out to ask the locals questions, learn a bit of the language, and at best, live and work among the natives to get a sense of their wants, worries and self-proclaimed identities.

Be sure to check out deuglish’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything from T.C. Boyle or Haruki Murakami.

Photo by Fauxen

There’s something appealing—especially to Matador readers—about the narrative of someone who has it all—the coveted job, a nice house that’s been paid for, a satisfying social life—chucking it to explore a completely different path.

Most of Matador’s editorial team has done just that, as have a number of our community members and MatadorU students, including JoAnna Haugen and Amiee Maxwell.

So we tend to like books like Lucinda Fleeson’s Waking Up in Eden, a memoir of her transition from a respected big city reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer to her time as a cottage-dwelling employee of the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kauai, Hawaii who wasn’t welcomed warmly or easily by her peers.

The best part of this book isn’t Fleeson’s own story, though — even the part where she gives herself over to a brief but passionate sexual fling with a local surfer.

Instead, it’s the parts where she takes a journalistic approach to the other subject of the book, the Eden referred to in the title. Hawaii’s plant life—its story of invasion, resistance, and near extinction—is a metaphor for Hawaii’s social and cultural history, over which Fleeson demonstrates a knowledgeable command.

She’s able to choose some of the best anecdotes about the islands’ people and plants to help make this history real to readers and, importantly, to make Hawaii matter to a country that has often allowed the geographic distance of the islands translate into a distance of identity and relationship as well.

It seems particularly appropriate that Fleeson’s book was published this year, the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s incorporation into the U.S. as the country’s 50th state. Perhaps her gentle insistence that Hawaii is worth our attention as more than a vacation destination will encourage readers to nurture a deeper interest in the islands.

And that would be the very best part of her book.

Matador Member – Ms Lala

Photos by Ms Lala

I love to laugh and converse into the night with complete strangers. I cry and dance when I listen to music. I don’t let my skin color stop me from carrying a tray of brownies and crashing a party full of locals. I’m always embarrassing myself.

To me, the most attractive thing in a man is…his mind. If you can outwit me, then you got me.

Be sure to check out Ms Lala’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Alphabet of Manliness, The Lorax, The Poisonwood Bible, Everything Is Illuminated, Musicophelia, Anthropologist on Mars, The Razors Edge, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being.

Feature Photo by Cessna 206. Photo Above by reurinkjan.

The only time I find the desire or need for travel damning is when I am without the means to do so but with the desire to do so. It’s in moments like these that I am forced to seek solace in others who have suffered before me and done the great service of recording, with pen and paper, their experiences.

William Henry (W.H.) Hudson

A quintessential writer of travel per se who captures the romantic novelty of foreign places and Quixotic escapades of wandering in distant lands, W.H. Hudson personifies the alluring spirit of roaming abroad.

Although marginalized by some of his contemporaries during the late 1800s and early 1900s, Hudson was popular enough to have his book, The Purple Land, mentioned in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.

The Purple Land is a tale of elopement – fleeing Buenos Aires and seeking a new life in the once tumultuous but now semi-docile Uruguay.

The book is without doubt my favorite oeuvre of Hudson’s even though it’s not very well known. Hudson himself has largely been neglected—a real pity as most people who read him savor the experience.

The one book of his that may be remembered is Green Mansions, a tale of an Englishman in Venezuela who falls in love with a woman from an endangered tribe of natives. I’ve always felt it was misclassified as ‘fantasy’. The terms ‘romantic’ or ‘transcendental’ would have better reflected the spirit of the late 1800s and Hudson himself.

Harold William “Bill” (H.W.) Tilman

Being a staunch realist however, there is only so much romantic writing I can enjoy without wanting to delve once more into harsh reality.

Perhaps H.W. Tilman might be considered more of an adventure writer than a travel writer, however his Shackleton-esque accounts of sailing and climbing would be impossible without travel.

A slightly eccentric Englishman, Tilman spent a fair amount of his life sailing around the world aboard his own ship, making landfall at unclimbed mountains, climbing to the summits, and filling in the lacunas of mid-20th century maps when at all possible before returning home.

The compendium, The Eight Sailing/Mountain-Exploration books, has a very self-explanatory title and is the perfect introduction to tales of adventure and misadventure in Patagonia, Greenland, and Antarctica.

Tilman knew and worked with Eric Shipton doing reconnaissance in the Himalaya. Shipton was well-known in the world of climbing and was the original candidate for the famous 1953 Everest Expedition in which Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay summitted the peak.

Heinrich Harrer

Not unlike Shipton and Tilman, Austrian climber-turned-writer Heinrich Harrer was no stranger to the Himalaya, other high peaks, and the precarious in general.

Although best known for his Seven Years in Tibet, Harrer was by no stretch of the imagination a ‘one-hit wonder’.

White Spider is a classic in the world of climbing dealing with the infamous Eiger’s north face.

For those not interested in climbing, he wrote Return to Tibet, his condemnation of Chinese-occupied Tibet stemming from a 1983 return to what he called ‘his second country’, and a photography collection entitled Lost Lhasa.

In addition to his climbing fame, Harrer explored the Amazon with the former king of Belgium, Leopold III. While adventurous and exciting, his works are more than thrill and peril, and Harrer himself would have surely been the first to admit the importance of culture and the conflict of juxtaposed culture.

Chinua Achebe

Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe was another who knew that lesson well. His masterpiece Things Fall Apart is most certainly a required read for anyone traveling to a former European colony, especially in Africa, and definitely Nigeria.

Although a ferocious critic of Joseph Conrad—citing Conrad’s racism towards Africans—Achebe could also be included in that group of authors who dealt with the imperialism of Europe’s past. But from an astonishingly refreshing point of view, Achebe writes from the side of the subjugated.

Strictly speaking as an author, Achebe doesn’t fit the profile of a travel writer, but the lessons he teaches about cultures collocating and even competing is something paramount for anyone who travels abroad.

With the litany of tales, opinions, and books available, this small list of authors is just the tip of an iceberg.

That travelers are capable of maintaining their sanity while trying to choose the perfect location for the next sojourn is utterly amazing. Even more amazing is the fact that armchair travelers don’t become insane from jealously and envy.

Maybe the prospect of a forthcoming trip provides some meaning to normal life.

Matador Member – Neha

Photos by Neha

I write because it keeps me sane. I travel because it gives me something to write about – a circle that conspires to keep me busy and broke.

Be sure to check out Neha’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Handmaid’s Tale, My Name is Red, City of Djinns, The Piano Tuner, Maximum City, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Atonement, The English Patient …

Matador Member – Kcarriedo

Photos by Kcarriedo

I’m a capricorn–with that, I mean I really justify what it means to be a capricorn! I’m driven, ambitious, very frank sometimes and doesn’t want to be stuck in one place–my feet itches.

Be sure to check out Kcarriedo’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: All Mitch Albom books, A Walk to Remember, Love in the Time of Cholera, Water for Elephants.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

I loved rediscovering Idealist.org all over again – the leading network that connects volunteers, students, and professionals with nonprofit organizations, groups, campaigns, and programs all over the globe. Last October, I’d already touted their benefits over at Travel Channel’s World Hum, excerpted below:

….as I started compiling my ever-expanding list of possible 2009 volunteer locations (now at letter “M”—Mongolia, Mozambique, etc.) for some photojournalism work, I needed a one-stop shop to help centralize my search efforts.

Opportunities offered through the site range from volunteering as photographers with local Red Cross satellite offices to executive management of nonprofit and aid programs across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It fed my wanderlust—and served me a heartwarming spoonful of service and volunteerism.

So when I found out they’d published a handbook, grabbing a copy for review was imperative.

Brief Overview

The handbook is divided into three distinct parts:

Part I. And Idealist is Born delves into the whole concept of idealism, helping readers discover why they want to volunteer.

It also breaks down how nonprofit organizations are structured and how they operate, and it also suggests the best fits based on your experiences.

Part II. Taking Action moves to the next level, teaching you everything you need to know about volunteering, serving on boards, and personal philanthropy.

Part III. Idealism at Work shows you how you can start small – from volunteering through your workplace to changing the world and actually making a career from it.

A juicy Appendix A thrown in talks about the Nine Types of Nonprofits – from organizations dedicated to arts and culture to those covering environmental issues and health.

Why I love it

What I loved about this book is that it doesn’t assume there’s one particular reason why people choose to volunteer which usually is “I want to make a difference” or ”I want to give back.” Rather, it outlines 14 other possible reasons such as honing leadership skills, exploring new career options, and even, “just for the fun of it!”

This all inclusive tone lies beneath the entire book as you browse through chapters, driving home the message that idealism comes in various forms. Edited by Stephanie Land, the book is peppered with links to organizations you can connect with right away and personal anecdotes and empowering stories in blurbs called “Idealism in Action” that showcase real world examples.

One of my favorite quotes is from Cliff Landesman, a donor and volunteer.

One of my lifetime goals is to be as generous as I can be. I am not the most brilliant thinker in the world, so I am not going to push forward the frontiers of human knowledge. Nor am I especially ambitious in my career, so I am not going to be the CEO of the next Google.

However, I do have moral ambition. I would like to stretch myself to be the most generous person I can be. I think that is in my power.

Even if I fail, it can’t hurt to try…..Cliff Landesman

Some Criticism

The first few pages, besides the introduction to what Idealist.org is, start off really basic. It assumes that someone picking up the book for the first time is extremely clueless as to why they want to volunteer.

While this was probably done for mass appeal, chances are a first time volunteer flipping through knows what they would like to do but is mostly looking for advice on how to execute it.

Conclusion

Idealist Handbook is a thorough journey of self discovery which uses questions to help you uncover key pieces of your persona and identify your particular brand of idealism, and how those parts can be appropriately channeled to leave a mark on the world.

It leaves you with a section “Stay True to Your Passion” that implores you to stay the cause and the timeless adage “Action Speaks Louder than Words”, that challenges you to take the plunge now that you’ve been armed with all the information.

I consider this book an excellent blueprint for building a better world…and building a better you.

Matador Member – ErthDrift

Photos by ErthDrift

I believe we should allow ourselves the freedom to be surprised and amazed by whatever beauty, irony, tragedy, or humor each new day brings.

We should allow our senses to experience these things with a childlike wonder and curiosity, and we should let the daily newness profoundly and constantly change us.

Be sure to check out ErthDrift’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Bill Bryson, My Antonia by Willa Cather.

Matador Member – Boya

Photos by boya

I like to travel without an agenda ( or a camera) and take my time to enjoy the moment.

Be sure to check out boya’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: American Pastoral, Naked, Their Eyes Were Watching God, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, The Bell Jar.

Photo courtesy of Rick Steves

I’ve never thumbed through one of his guidebooks. My introduction to Steves–who’s been in the travel business for the past 30 years–was through his latest book, Travel as a Political Act, published in April by Nation Books.

The title appealed to me, suggesting that Steves shares many of the beliefs the Matador community is built upon.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The book opens with the author’s vivid recollections of powerful moments from a lifetime’s worth of travel, reaffirming how profound a journey is for both the person taking it and the people being visited. These stories draw the reader in and lead to Steves’ direct statement of the book’s premise: “that thoughtful travel comes with powerful lessons.” By sharing some of his lessons, he hopes to “inspire others to travel more purposefully.”

Over the course of nine chapters, Steves takes his reader to his favorite European countries, as well as El Salvador, Turkey, Morocco, and Iran, and shows what traveling more purposefully means. In each country, Steves compares what works, what doesn’t, and what we can learn about our home countries as a result. He is honest about the experiences that confuse or frustrate him but is always motivated by the desire to understand others and himself more fully.

By sharing all of his experiences candidly, he helps the reader to be more thoughtful about his or her own travel.

Steves describes the common thread binding all of his business ventures–the TV and radio shows, the guidebooks, the tours his company hosts–as his desire to teach people how to travel. And he’s good at doing that: what’s so engaging about this book is Steves teaches through example.

When he talks about “letting an impression breathe,” to open ourselves up to experiences that stretch us and challenge us and to be willing to revise our conclusions about what we see, the reader understands what he means because all of his stories show exactly how to do that.

And what about the “political act” part of the book?

Steves views travel as a way to go out into the world and learn and then to come home and live more purposefully. He provides lots of tangible examples about how his travels have shaped his activities back home in the U.S.: his advocacy of drug policy reform, his voting habits, his commitment to remain in a church that’s not particularly progressive rather than move to a congregation more aligned with his politics.

He doesn’t tell you how travel should become a political act in your own life– that’s not his style. Consistent with his teaching method throughout the book, he just shows you what he’s done, what works for him, and motivates you to make decisions that resonate with your own values. And he doesn’t leave you hanging at the end of the book; you can continue on to the Travel as a Political Act blog he’s set up on his website.

Travel as a Political Act would be an especially good read for someone who’s new to travel, but it’s just as likely to be enjoyed by experienced travelers because Steves’ lessons–while familiar, maybe–will invite you to reflect upon your own travel memories and the ways they’ve shaped your life.

Photo: Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire

“Having been mostly disappointed with my university classes, I needed my internship to be meaningful, educational, and an experience that would prepare me for my future.”

–K. Angel Horne, “Finding Sanctuary,” a chapter in The Voluntary Traveler

Full disclosure: I just received this book and am still finishing it. It’s huge, nearly 500 pages, almost two dozen stories from around the world. What I’ve read so far I’ve loved.

Although the structure of each chapter (a firsthand account of volunteer / travel experience followed by program and contact information) is the same, the stories themselves are remarkably diverse. There are tales of everything from playing with street kids in India to teaching in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica to helping street dogs in Lebanon.

One thing which interested me in particular was the different motivations behind people’s decisions to begin their volunteer experiences. For some it was the love of a certain place. For others it was missing a certain place, such as contributor Colleena McHugh. She missed her native desert southwest, saying “Even though I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I still have cactus in my heart.” She writes about how, after a quick online search, she found Los Médicos Voladores and was, literally, flying down to Mexico just two days later, where she was able to help administer dental care to local people in Hidalgo.

For others it was the simple but profound recognition of–as Matador’s own Julie Schwietert articulated–”just how integral service is to the well-lived life.”

But regardless of their motivations, everyone in The Voluntary Traveler seems to be having a damn good time, or at least staying positive and keeping a sense of humor even when dealing with places, situations, and issues which are super serious–poverty, environmental degradation, lack of education and opportunities.

The only drawback with this book is that it’s so voluminous, packed with so much information, much of it would simply be easier to utilize via internet. It would be helpful to have a cd-database that was included with the book.

That said, The Voluntary Traveler gives wonderful insights into life as a volunteer traveler as well as what it means to face up to real problems and issues at ground level. Most importantly, it provides great points of entry into some of the most inspiring programs (and people) around the word.

Community Connection

Please visit Dog’s Eye View Media for more details on this title, and to purchase, please click here.

Sure, learning a language can get you closer to a culture, but mastering its local lingo can speedtrack you right into its heart.

That’s what the Speaking Boricua! series accomplishes.

Penned by Jared Romey, an American expat who has lived in Chile, Argentina, and Puerto Rico; Jared has compiled the unique words and phrases of Puerto Rican Spanish into two books which we will be giving away.

We will pick two winners and both winners will receive copies of the following books: Speaking Boricua! (Puerto Rico) and Speaking Phrases Boricua! (Puerto Rico).

Be sure to check out Matador review’s of Speaking Boricua! (Parts One & Two) as well as Jared’s 6 Tips for Sounding Like a Local.

AND THE WINNERS ARE…

@photogjenn and @catauskali.

We’ll be contacting them directly to send them copies of the books.

Want to win more free stuff from Matador? Follow us here @matadornetwork and keep your eyes peeled for the next contest!

Photo by René Ehrhardt

“Damn sex tourists,” I thought, spinning out my own narratives about the two sleazebags… and the women they’d ultimately take up to their hotel rooms.

Their motives seemed clear enough to me: these comparatively wealthy men were in Cuba for a sex holiday, looking for the most exotic Cuban beauties they could find and willing to spend whatever they were asked to fulfill their fantasies.

Mother-daughter writing team Annika and Annabella Ardin took a more objective approach after observing similar scenes in Thailand’s girl bars.

Having spent a good bit of time in the country, the Ardins noticed that scores of Western men seemed to fall—and hard—for Thai women. So hard, in fact, that men would often upend their entire lives in order to see or be with these women time and again.

The Ardins saw the phenomenon as something more complex than a form of prostitution.

They also considered the phenomenon to be sufficiently different from other forms of sex tourism around the world, and so they set out to answer a few questions:

What makes Thai women so alluring to Western men? Should the Western world consider these women victims?

And, as they ask early in the book, “Could it be that we Western women have lost our ability to communicate with the opposite sex, and is it…us [sic] who are driving our men to our Asian sisters?”

To find out, the Ardins spent lots of time talking to Western men in girl bars.

This is one of the shortcomings of the book, as the Ardins themselves concede: their methodology involves talking mostly to men, not women, resulting in conclusions that are rather one-sided.

While their observations are often interesting, they also become redundant the farther one wades into the book.

And their entire chapter devoted to developing a typology of the kinds of Western men who go to Thailand looking for love is tempting to adopt (after all, I was doing the same categorizing on that hotel patio in Havana), but it’s also terribly stereotypical and seems to undermine the very purpose the women set out to achieve in writing this book.

Still, the book—a quick read—is an interesting attempt to understand the dynamics of Western-Thai “love.”

The final explanations offered by the Ardins, which you’ll have to read for yourself, failed to convince me that the kinds of situations the authors describe are significantly different from your garden variety sex tourism anywhere else in the world, which is always characterized by the desire to experience “the exotic.”

That being said, though, the book is an honest attempt to reflect critically on one’s observations by trying to look beyond superficial scenes rather than assuming we understand what we see and making up stories about it.

Matador Member – phishtopher

Photos by phishtopher

Before I die, I’d like to set my heels to every nation’s soil and raise children who make a difference in the world.

Be sure to check out phishtopher’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Road, On The Road, The Idiot, The Trial.

Matador Member – Janet

Photos by Janet

I want to make a difference by educating people, via travel writing and photography, to appreciate the beauty of the natural world, so that people may be inspired to value and preserve it.

Be sure to check out Janet’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Feature photo by R.P. Piper. Photo above by pashasha.

The Matador Team started us off with the Top 7 Summer Road Trips in the US/Canada, highlighting various regional routes such as Southwest classics that take travelers through national parks as well as a Nova Scotia Loop itinerary.

You can follow Matador members and brothers, Josh & Dustin Johnson as they hit Yellowstone National Park and other iconic spots on their Montana Road Trip as well as Roads Scholar Kyle Smith as he dispatches along the way – most recently from Zion National Park.

In Roadtrip Australia, Matthew Lynch takes us through the alternative scenic drive from Melbourne to Sydney along the Sapphire Coast.

If you’re ready to hit the road, here are 8 ways to save money on a U.S. cross-country road trip.

Can’t hit the road on a long haul journey this summer? Pick up one of these books about great road trips and ride along with the authors.

I don’t think I’ve come across any other book, though, that combines those two favorite themes as enjoyably as David Farley’s An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town.

The book follows Farley, a New York City-based travel writer (and Matador member) as he journeys to an isolated Italian village with his wife, Jessie, and trusty chihuahua, Abraham Lincoln, for an extended stay.

The reason for the expatriation? Calcata, the village in question, is home to a bizarre Christian relic, the foreskin of Jesus Christ. Or rather, Calcata was the relic’s home – until it was stolen.

What follows is an entertaining, endearing and, yes, educational mix of history, conspiracy, humor, and personal travelogue.

There are two main threads running through “An Irreverent Curiosity”.

First, the story of the Holy Foreskin, how it came to be placed in and then stolen from Calcata’s church, and, more broadly, how the Catholic Church came to revere and then downplay a whole array of holy relics over the centuries.

And secondly, how Farley managed to settle in a small village, learn Italian, and gain the trust of the locals in order to pursue his quest.

That first thread could easily have become dry and academic, or oversimplified, but Farley is able to keep the sections on the history of relics approachable and entertaining without ever dumbing them down.

On the other side of things, Calcata’s odd assortment of characters – the hilltop medieval village was re-settled by artists and other “freaks” after a bureaucratic twist pushed all the original residents out – could easily have become cartoons, quirky foils for Farley’s story. Instead, the residents who pop up most frequently feel fleshed-out and real.

David Farley, Author

While it’s still clear that many locals are decidedly unusual, Farley’s humor and self-deprecation means that the reader never feels as though the Calcatans are being mocked or their hospitality abused.

I’ll be honest: I’m a bit of a church history geek. So I suppose it’s possible that not everyone will find the story of the relic itself as absorbing as I did.

Luckily, though, the various elements of the book are woven together so tightly it’s not likely that anyone will have time to get bored, no matter how disinterested they think they are in relics.

Before that happens, Farley will be off on another sneaky research trip to the Vatican Library (where he once introduced himself to a priest as Gary Coleman), or drinking dangerous quantities of wine in a Calcatan cave, or recalling his high school days in the “special ed” class.

Bottom line: “An Irreverent Curiosity” is the story of an unlikely holy relic, true, but it’s also the story of a very unlikely village, and of one man’s (very funny) obsession with both.

Go ahead, snicker and make an off-color joke if you will, but for my money there should be more travel books like the tale of the holy foreskin.

Community Connection

Be sure to check out Matador’s exclusive interview with David Farley about “An Irreverent Curiosity” at The Traveler’s Notebook.

Matador Member – Zuke of the North

Photos by Zuke of the North

Before I die, I’d like to set foot on all 7 continents…learn new languages, live in a place that that would make my friends say “why the hell would you want to live there?”

Be sure to check out Zuke of the North’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Desert Solitaire, Into the Wild, Into Thin Air.

Matador Member – bearshapedsphere

Photos by bearshapedsphere

I travel to engage my five senses, to become honest with myself, to reduce myself to the three true needs (food/drink, sleep, bathroom), and to lose contact with mirrors, appearance, egotistical trappings of home.

Be sure to check out bearshapedsphere’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Animal Dreams.

Photo courtesy of Little Passports

Even in the digital age, is there anything more exciting for a child than a package arriving in the mail? And if that package is from an exotic, far-off country, all the better! The creators of Little Passports use a combination of real, tangible items and interactive online games that are guaranteed to get kids excited to learn about our neighbors around the globe.

As a Little Passports member, your child will receive a package every month from “Sam” and “Sofia”, their traveling friends. Each package will include a personalized letter describing their current location, as well as local souvenirs and fun activities. And the fun doesn’t stop there! Also included is a collectible boarding pass with a secret access code, which kids can use to log into a “Boarding Zone” online with lots of country-specific games.

For their first year with Little Passports, Sam and Sofia will guide children through countries like Japan, Brazil, Mexico, China, France, Australia, Egypt and South Africa.

The founders of Little Passports are determined to help the next generation of Americans become more globally aware.

In addition, the company proudly donates 1% of its sales to non-profits working to improve the conditions of children around the world such as SOS Children’s Villages – USA and Ubuntu Education Fund.

Price: $10.95/month

Matador Member – steph_360

Photos by steph_360

I’m fired up on learning new things everywhere, reading anything and everything (I’ve been really into travel narratives recently), cooking for and with my closest friends, seeing new movies and re-watching favorite ones, taking pictures everywhere, spending time with my family.

Be sure to check out steph_360’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Realm of Possibility, by David Levithan. A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes.

Matador Member – Jules Atkins

Photos by Jules Atkins

I want to make a difference by sharing myself and my life with others. Listening to their stories. Spreading peace one person at a time.

Be sure to check out Jules Atkins’ Matador profile.

Favorite books: Soldier of the Great War, Saturday, Son of the Circus, Huckleberry Finn, Still Life with Woodpecker, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, A Fine Balance, Behind the Scenes at the Museum.

Matador Member – Migrationology

Photos by Migrationology

I’m also fired up on meeting wonderful people, being addicted to the internet, taking lessons from cultures around the globe,

Be sure to check out Migrationology’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Black Swan, Made To Stick, The Consolations of Philosophy, Collapse, The 4 Hour Work Week

Matador Member – KatieHammel

Photos by KatieHammel

I’m learning to cook and am addicted to truffles. I read at least a book a week, thinks maps are the most beautiful art man has made, and survive each workweek by planning my next trip.

Be sure to check out KatieHammel’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Unaccustomed Earth, The Time Traveler’s Wife

After browsing through our readers’ comments submitted as part of our latest book giveaway, Keith Jenkins‘ comment below instantly transported the Matador editors right there with its ripe descriptions and thus made him our winner!

I find Bali very therapeutic.

It can be very hectic & the traffic is sometimes horrendous (especially around the main tourist areas) but there’s something about the charm and grace of the Balinese, the enchanting scenery and temples, and the amazing spas (the concept was probably invented there!) that I find absolutely soothing.

Sinking my feet into the cool sand of Jimbaran or Seminyak with a cold beer and a lobster platter while watching the sunset is my idea of bliss!…Keith Jenkins

He wins a copy of the new book Travel Therapy: Where Do You Need To Go? – filled with stunning photos of exotic locations from around the world.

Check out the accompanying mouthwatering photo essay on Matador Trips that spotlights locations described in the entries.

Thanks for participating!

Photo by Lola Akinmade

Overview

The driving assumption of Travel Therapy is that you–a stressed out female reader–need a break. You’ve got relationship, work, or health problems (or worse, all three) and you just need to get away– “change your attitude by changing your environment,” as the author says.

Realizing this, the author has put together a quiz-based approach to help you decide what type of vacation you need, and then offers a menu of options about destinations and activities that would fulfill your specific needs.

It’s an approach that isn’t likely to appeal to most Matador readers– check out our community members’ profiles and you’ll see that most don’t have any lack of ideas about where they want to go or what they want to do– but perhaps it works for some women.

Verdict

Travel Therapy is a pretty book, with glossy pages and enticing photos.

But it’s loaded with exclamation marks and cliches that might turn off the seasoned traveler.

If you’re really stymied about where to go on your next trip or what kind of getaway you need, then this book might be a useful place to start.

But you could get even more varied ideas just by hanging around Matador for a while.

Contest Giveaway

Where’s the most therapeutic place you’ve ever been? What place helped you wash your blues away?

Post a link to a photo of the place that blissed you out and a short description of its therapeutic qualities by midnight on Thursday, June 11 PST.

We’ll pick our favorite and give away a copy of Travel Therapy. We’ll also feature the photos on Matador Trips.

Community Connection

Want to know more about travel therapy? Head over to Brave New Traveler for our interview with author Karen Schaler.

Matador Member – YpsiJo

Photos by YpsiJo

I’m currently deciding between life as a teacher or a marine archaeologist despite the fact that my only two encounters with large bodies of water ended badly!

Whatever I do though, I know it has to involve plenty of travel.

Be sure to check out YpsiJo’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Count of Monte Cristo, Captain Blood, The House of the Dead, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

After browsing through our readers’ vacation tips and their top family getaway spots submitted as part of our latest giveaway, Carol S’s comment below was randomly selected.

Our family’s favorite destination so far has been Washington DC-all the sights and history is incredible and it is so green!…..Carol S

She wins the slick new book from National Geographic – The 10 Best of Everything Families – full of valuable information for planning her family’s next adventure.

Carol S’s submission in addition to a couple favorites are featured in a spectacular photo essay on Matador Trips.

Thanks for all your tips and suggestions!

Matador Member – MarquiseBrack

Photos by MarquiseBrack

I’m just a girl. I like to travel minimally, with fewer people, possessions, and plans.

Be sure to check out MarquiseBrack’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Anything by Hunter S. Thompson and Jack Kerouac.

Matador Member – MichelleS

Photos by MichelleS

I play the steel drum, a beautiful instrument native to Trinidad and Tobago. I’ve played with the Desperados steel band in Trinidad and was a member of One Credit Hour, a steel band in the DFW area, for six years. Here in Seoul, I’m in a reggae funk band and a jazz combo. I also love writing and just finished my first science fiction novel.

Be sure to check out MichelleS’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Hitchhiker’s Guide, His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, anything by Roald Dahl.

Photo by mikebaird

This elegant book compiled by author Susan H. Magsamen for National Geographic pays homage to the whole institution of family travel and is laid out like a buffet of vacation ideas that can easily keep you planning sample itineraries for months.

The Layout

Succinct and to the point, the first section of the book (Part One) breaks down the entire US into manageable chunks of travel spots.

From the Best 10 local farmers’ markets to buy fresh strawberries to favorite pastimes like amusement parks, focused within each region of the country.

It also includes top 10 ice-cream spots and other regional specialties to try such as Po Boys and Key Lime Pies when visiting the Gulf Coast, along with mouth-watering, instant hunger-inducing photographs.

Price: $21.95 | BUY from National Geographic Online

I quickly flipped to the section on Mid-Atlantic travel to see if they’d missed anything and was pleasantly surprised to see local favorites like Rita’s Ice in there.

Chapters are broken down into interests such as sports, parks, and outdoors including best of lists like the Ten Best Beaches and Shorelines, Ten Best Bike Trails.

There are tons of vacation ideas for planning family reunions, extreme adventures, or even workout vacations.

Part Two focuses on personal enrichment through travel with emphasis on “traveling to learn” with chapters such as the Ten Best Peaks, Ten Best Depths, Ten Best Deserts, etc. Was definitely happy to see the dramatic Na Pali Coast on the island of Kauai, Hawaii under the Ten Best Coastal Cliffs.

The Chesapeake Bay also gets its very own chapter.

In addition to travel information, there are resource chapters from preserving memories using photography and video to scrapbooking, writing journals, and making photo albums. There are packing lists, planning and wishlist worksheets, and every (well, almost) imaginable family travel tip you can think of.

What I Liked

Besides the fact that the book is square (my favorite shape), like with all National Geographic publications, it’s aesthetically pleasing in its layout with lots of photographs and a clean presentation.

It can be tricky when trying to sum up the rest of the world under a Ten Best list, but Magsamen and team approached it sensitively, breaking the interests down by culture and not necessarily pitting one culture against another.

Photo by Lola Akinmade

For example, Ten Best African Gatherings, Ten Best Hispanic Experiences, and Ten Best Native American Ways focuses on where to experience these within the United States.

There is also a short “See the World” section which focuses on what to see on each continent, and I’ve definitely added a few to my running list from the book.

Lots of countries were left off the list and I had to constantly remind myself that the book is geared towards family vacations especially with young children so classics like trekking the Inca trail were rightfully left out.

Under Africa, Kruger National Park wasn’t included which made me wonder if there are age-limits.

Intermittently sprinkled throughout are also random travel quotes and vacation stories from everyday folks which definitely answered my initial questions about how the book was compiled.

As if already anticipating this question from their reader, the entire compilation and research process is laid out in detail at the end.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

Minuses

Because it tries to be an all-in-one resource, it does jump around in terms of information delivery.

Finding a random recipe for making s’mores under the “Ten Best Ranches” threw me a little, and then I found more randomly inserted pieces of information (though important) like “Safety Rules for Biking” squeezed in under the Ten Best Bike Trails.

So I would have to specifically bookmark that page if I needed to find that random tip later on.

Short biographies of local personalities are also randomly inserted in various sections, so initially, I wasn’t sure if they actually contributed to the book, were being spotlighted as regional celebrities, or both.

Summary

With this book, you’ll definitely be flipping back to the table of contents every time you open it up for reference because it’s literally chock full of pretty solid information.

But then again, with an all encompassing title – “Best of Everything” – I guess that was the point all along.

If you’re planning on some family travel this summer, rest assured, this is all you’ll need (besides plane and hotel reservations) to plan your most memorable family adventure to date.

Giveaway – The Book

Have a favorite family vacation tip or favorite travel location for your family? Share it with us below by Friday, May 22, 11:59 PM PST and a winner will be randomly picked to get the review copy of this book.

After browsing through some spectacular submissions as part of our Book Review + Giveaway – Nepal: 25 Classic Treks and 12 Climbing Peaks, your Matador editors have picked their favorite shot:

The Khopara Ridge in Nepal – Shot by photographer Andris Bjornson

He wins the slick new book – The Andes – which outlines 26 treks and 18 climbing peaks around the region.

Andris’ shot, in addition to a couple favorites will be featured in an accompanying photo essay on Matador Trips.

Stay tuned!

Photo by Eric Lon

And, upon arriving in Kathmandu, many realize that such a trip really is like a dream: Disorienting, chaotic, confusing, and dizzying. Sorting out itineraries, finding the best gear, acquiring the necessary permits, and hiring a trustworthy guide or porter are difficult tasks to complete on the busy streets of Thamel.

Distractions from touts and other travelers abound, and rumors of weather conditions, permit situations, Maoist activity, and thefts circulate continuously.

It quickly becomes clear that simply getting to Nepal is the easy part. Organizing your trek and pulling it off safely and successfully requires foresight, planning, and preparation.

Nepal: Trekking and Climbing, 25 Classic Treks and 12 Climbing Peaks is an excellent resource for that planning stage.

With beautiful photographs, color maps, and detailed information about Nepal’s most popular and least traveled trekking routes, the book helps would-be trekkers prepare for their dream trip.

From adequate albeit brief introductory sections on Nepal’s history and culture, to special features on low-impact trekking and mountain photography, Nepal: Trekking and Climbing has all the requisite introductory information in addition to detailed overviews of 25 outstanding treks.

The best part of this book, however, is the treatment it gives to less-traveled routes and regions.

Of the nearly 100,000 people that apply for a trekking permit in Nepal each year, most of these people, as many as 60 percent, head into the Annapurna region to complete the classic Annapurna Circuit, the trek into the Annapurna Sanctuary, or any number of other shorter treks in the area.

Of the remaining trekkers, 17 percent visit the Everest region and 13 percent visit the Lantang region.

This means that only 10 percent trek in all other parts of the country.

Photo by Eric Lon

While Nepal: Trekking and Climbing covers the classic Annapurna, Everest, and Lantang treks extensively, it also details treks like the Mount Kangchenjunga circuit and those in the Mustang and Dhaulagiri Himal regions.

This makes the book appealing to both first-time visitors to Nepal and hardened trekkers who have already completed the popular classics.

Summary

While the book does a superb job providing background and information to trekkers, it falls short when it comes to climbing.

Though brief profiles of 12 of Nepal’s most popular “trekking peaks” are provided, they are really too superficial to be of value in planning a mountaineering trip.

Ultimately, a book like Nepal: Trekking and Climbing should do two things: Provide the basic information needed for the early planning of a trek and inspire travelers to pursue the trip of their dreams. This book does both, making it a valuable resource and an excellent addition to any trekker’s library.

Price: $13.60 | Buy

Giveaway: Win A Copy of The Andes: Trekking + Climbing!

Have a favorite photo that captures a memorable trek or climb you’ve taken? We want to see it!

In fact, we will be publishing our favorite shots provided in a photo essay on Matador Trips.

To win a copy of The Andes: Trekking + Climbing book which spotlights 26 classic treks and 18 classic climbs in the region,

1) Submit a link to one of your trekking or climbing photos in the comments below. You can upload your photos via Flickr.

2) Leave a short caption telling us the location and a little about your experience.

3) Complete this by Monday, May 11th, 11:59 PM EST

The Matador editors will pick their favorites for the photo essay and the standout shot will win the free book.

Matador Member – SierraKiloEcho

Photo by SierraKiloEcho

Before I die I’d like to live unconventionally. Travel unconventionally. Sail across an ocean.

Be sure to check out SierraKiloEcho’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Three Cups of Tea, Tuesday’s With Morrie, Maiden Voyage.

Feature photo by Ben Fredericson. Photo above by Mussels

Squirting on inordinate amounts of antibacterial sanitizer. Doubling up on face masks. Incessantly washing hands. Covering mouths with both hands to protect a sneeze.

Daily rituals such as handshakes and simple hugs are being limited as an extra level of precaution, and swine flu is already leaving a huge dent on international travel as Julie Schwietert describes.

This got me thinking.

How would locals that greet each other with a cultural kiss adapt? What other norms would be affected by this latest health scare?

Ironically, we’ve been talking a lot about common etiquette this week. From taking your shoes off while visiting homes to keeping your cheesy grins at bay, Chris Tharp introduces us to 10 Korean Customs To Know Before You Visit Korea.

Along the same lines, Turner Wright rounds up ten Japanese customs you need to know – from table manners and wearing masks, to taking baths and using chopsticks correctly.

Rachel Turner describes 5 Common American Gestures That Might Insult The Locals, and in his classic post, Put Some Damn Clothes On!, Tim Patterson implores us to show a little respect when dressing abroad.

Want to know what other cultures consider common etiquette? Check out some of the essential reads below.

Photo by thivierr

7 años secuestrado por las FARC (Spanish Edition) by Luis Eladio Perez, December 29, 2008

Luis Eladio Perez’s account of his time in captivity was released scarcely a few months after his liberation and cornered the market to begin with.

This account shines due to the politician’s clarity and sincerity and can be recommended to any Spanish speaker who wishes to understand further the situation in Colombia.

Cautiva (Spanish Edition), Clara Rojas, October 2009

Perhaps this could be the memoir that sheds light onto all of the happenings in the jungle regarding Clara Rojas, the birth of her son Emmanuel, Ingrid Betancourt and Luis Eladio Perez and of course, the three American hostages.

While the book is not yet for sale in stores, pirated editions have been spotted on the streets of Bogota.

News of a Kidnapping by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, May 1997.

A sobering take on the state of play in Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s when kidnapping was a very real threat to people of every social strata in Colombia.

Garcia Marquez combines brilliant journalism with his abundant literary talent and creates a novel that moves every reader.

The Cloud Garden: A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture by Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder, December 1, 2005.

Published a few years ago, this is a recommended true story written by two travelers – perhaps somewhat eccentric – who decided to cross the notorious Darién Gap from Panama in Colombia on foot.

For an interesting and perhaps different take on captivity, be sure to pick up a copy…after all, how many people have you heard of that created orchid gardens to remain sane?

Of course the big seller will be Ingrid Betancourt’s memoirs of her time in the jungle as a captive if and when it comes out.

The former presidential candidate is said to be working on her account and it will likely answer many of the questions put to her from the other books written by her fellow hostages.

Photo by George Donnelly

Over the past few years of living here in Colombia, I have seen all of the Harry Potter novels presented to me at intersections and stop lights in major cities, but last week, remained surprised when the vendor approached our window with a copy of Fuera de Cautiverio (Out of Captivity) translated into Spanish just a week and a half after it was shipped here in English.

I guess it should not be too much of a shock really as the book – put together by Gary Brozek and three Americans (Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes) who were kidnapped by Colombia’s notorious FARC guerrillas and held for 5 years and 4 months – is presumed to offer so much in the way of answers and shed some light on various questions surrounding their captivity and the captivity of other notable figures.

To a casual reader, Out of Captivity provides an insight into the horrendous conditions that “prisoners of war” in Colombia are subjected to, the illnesses they suffer, their struggle for sanity, comprehension of events and some information about their captors.

To a Colombian, and therefore revealing why it needed to be translated so fast, the book serves to try and unravel some of the great questions about the enigma that is former Colombian Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, her character, her politics, her survival.

Of course, the whole story is not revealed in the slightest and the book takes the form of three separate narrations from each of the protagonists during similar and eventful periods of their captivity.

Great emphasis is placed upon their own thoughts and spirituality as it should be, in particular their thoughts for their families.

Perhaps there are two great gaping holes in this body of work and these come in the form of lack of information about the Dutch FARC guerrilla who the three contractors met early on during their stay in the jungle and whose diary was discovered after a bombing raid on a FARC encampment in the southern jungles.

Photo of Ingrid Betancourt courtesy of Wikipedia.org

In addition to this, there is no firm speculation about who the father of Clara Rojas’ child Emmanuel is.

For those who are in the dark as to who Clara Rojas is, she was Ingrid Betancourt’s campaign manager who became pregnant while in captivity. The saga of her son Emanuel – born in captivity, taken from his mother and then after months, delivered to Colombian social services – became a cause followed all over Colombia.

Not for genuine interest in the humanity of the situation, but rather, it became a somewhat farcical soap opera in which the only thing people seemed to really care about was the identity of the boy’s father.

Could it be a high ranking FARC official, was she raped, was it one of the Americans?

Operation Check Mate (Operacion Jaque), the daring and now legendary rescue of the Americans, Ingrid Betancourt and other politicians, is addressed as the closing finale to their Colombian sojourn. It makes compelling reading but ultimately leaves one wanting…as it should and as we should expect from the very beginning.

After all, there is a long running civil war in Colombia and the present government will have done everything in its power to stifle the distribution of any classified information.

Classic literature Out of Captivity is not, but a riveting and compelling read it surely is – entailing the personal struggles of the three hostages, the politics and conniving nature of the FARC and the struggles of the guerrilla themselves.

This is a book that can be read cover to cover within a sitting and will leave the reader astonished at the hardships endured by those who have undergone similar experiences.

Keep this work circulating as it will serve to remind the authorities in Colombia that there are an estimated 2,000 people still in captivity in this country.

Matador Member – Tsraveling

Photo by tsraveling

I enjoy watching people and learning how communities work, and then communicating what I learn in creative ways.

Be sure to check out tsraveling’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: The Deluge, Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Endurance.

Matador Member – Beth (bethdod)

Photo by bethdod

I am restless. I have always been this way, even as a child. I cannot stand to be in one place too long. I feel that the world is too large to not want to constantly explore it and see what else is out there.

Be sure to check out Beth’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Memoirs of a Geisha, I am Charlotte Simmons, Getting Stoned with Savages.

Matador Member – Heather (heathercarreiro)

Photo by heathercarreiro

My ideal place to watch the sunrise is on a rooftop hotel in the Moroccan city of Fez, on the morning of Eid-al-Ftr when the Muslim fast is broken.

Be sure to check out Heather’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Afghanistan: Where God Only Comes to Weep, anything by Khuswant Singh, William Dalrymple, or Salman Rushdie

Library of Congress Photo retouched by 20after4

Montana: Portrait of a State

This catalog of vivid photographs shot by musician-turned-photographer Vasapolli covers rustic landscapes of the state including Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks.

Price: $11.53 | BUY

The Montana Cowboy

A powerful photographic essay that takes us behind the scenes of life as a cowboy on the range and the century old history behind this iconic slice of Americana. This collaborative effort pairs photographs taken by David R. Stoecklein with narrative text written by Pat Dawson, a native of Montana, and illustrations from renown artist, Buckeye Blake.

Price: $42.00 | BUY

Montana: A Scenic Treasure

In Scenic Treasure, Photographers John Lambing and Wayne Mumford go in search of hidden Montana – its remote lakes and scenery, historic monuments, and “elusive wildlife”.

Price: $16.47 | BUY

Montana Wildlife Portfolio

Wildlife photography requires an inordinate amount of patience and for photographer Donald M. Jones, it pays off in this collection of over 140 color photographs spotlighting Montana’s varied wild animals in their habitats.

Price: $18.96 | BUY

Photographing Montana 1894-1928

For vintage shots of early Montana, this book with more than 150 of Evelyn Cameron’s photographs shows early pioneer settlements within the state. The shots include landscapes, farms, cattle and horses, and other glimpses into turn-of-the-century lifestyle.

Price: $25.55 | BUY

Matador Member – Jon Brandt (jgbrandt)

Photo by jbrandt

The things I’ve seen and done, the people I’ve met in my travels, all have led me to believe that there’s something great out there worth experiencing while it’s possible. And the best part I’ll keep for myself.

Be sure to check out Jon’s Matador profile.

Favorite books: Fight Club, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, anything by Hemingway

Well…for the downloadable travel guide that is.

This comprehensive eBook provides solid information to help you prepare for your European adventures – from visa requirements and transportation to accommodation and money matters.

It includes chapters covering solo and family travel written by contributing authors.

And now for the low price of $5.95, you can pick up Travelling Europe – a practical travel planner published by the award winning Indie Travel Podcast team.

Travelling Europe is also available in audio form for $5.95.

Price: $5.95 | $9.95 (+ Audiobook) | BUY

Photo by Taro Taylor

In the hilarious, off-the-wall public events in Finland article compiled by Carlo Alcos, we’re introduced to the up-and-coming sports of swamp soccer, wife carrying, and mobile phone throwing.

Via a breathtaking essay shot by Taro Taylor titled Wild Places Exposed: Papua New Guinea in Photos, we journeyed through this mysterious South Pacific island.

In Melbourne: A surprise awaits you at every turn, Carlo takes us around this laid back, down to earth yet vibrant Australian city.

Want to try couchsurfing in Petrozavodsk, Russia? Words from Russia: A Couchsurfer’s Take on its Culture also penned by Carlo is worth a read.

So if you’re thinking of island hopping around the South Pacific or exploring the vast Arctic north, check out these travel guides to whet your appetite.

Photo by garryknight

This review will not begin with a description of the book’s cover, the title page, or the table of contents, and it will not end with an evaluation of the index.

I will not start by telling you I received the envelope in the mail and I will not end by illustrating the room from which I now type. This would be tantamount to beginning a travel narrative with the plane’s takeoff and finishing with a description of returning home.

Avoiding this kind of narrative arc is a classic first lesson of travel writing, one that the author of Backpacking with Brian has unfortunately not learned.

Instead of telling you about how the book was packaged for mailing, I will begin with a question: What is the value of a travel journal?

We know that keeping a journal while traveling is important. Documenting the details of your trip, from the clothing of people you see to the food you eat for each meal, allows you to relive the experience years later.

Photo by swimparallel

By writing your thoughts you can gain perspective. It creates an opportunity for otherwise obscured connections to arise. Beyond helping you remember your travels, a journal helps you understand them.

So, if it is important to keep a journal, what do we do with these personal tomes once they are completed?

The first impulse, I believe, is to share it with others. Lending your journal to family and close friends is one way. Using it to tell stories at the pub is another. You can put it online.

You can even use it as an archive of information that could be transformed into more polished articles and narratives. You could also publish the journal in whole and, if an editor takes an interest, join the ranks of some great authors.

If an editor does not take an interest, there is the option of self-publishing, and it is this that finally brings us back to Bryn Parry’s Backpacking with Brian.

The journal of Parry’s travels through Europe is intriguing mostly for all it does wrong. It begins with a trip on a bus from the author’s hometown and takes us, hour by hour, day by day, through the rest of the journey.

It lacks real character development in a way that, at the end of the 319 pages, we are left still wondering who Brian even is.

It suffers from awkward and elliptical writing…”the inverted image which I was thereby treated to was of the salivating jaws of a ‘highly conditioned’ Jack Russell Terrier.”

The manuscript uses non-standard formatting, misuses quotations to the point of confusing the story, and has an overabundance of ellipses “I NEEDED a treat (of the highly sugar-rich, comfort-fodder kind)!…….”

That said, there is much to admire.

The simple fact that Parry got the story, all 300-plus pages of it, onto paper is certainly one. The way he portrays himself in the narrative is honest and self-effacing in a way that is reminiscent of Bill Bryson’s at his best. The one-sided correspondences with Cathy, a love left at home, are tender and the highlight of every chapter in which they appear.

If you find yourself ripping through online travel journals and wishing you could take one along when away from the computer, Backpacking with Brian will be a quirky delight. It is, perhaps by virtue of the text’s raw nature, an intensely personal account.

It may not illuminate new corners of Europe, or win a great award, but it does give the reader the feeling that the author, a close friend, has invited her to read his personal journal.

For what it’s worth, I am grateful.

Thank you Bryn, keep writing.

Price: $17.99 | BUY

Photo by Lola Akinmade

After a full day of binging on shopping mall food in Bangkok Binge Eating 101, Tom Gates aims to appease his pasta craving in Random Restaurant Review: Authentic Italian In Bangkok.

Ross Tabak goes in search of the best barbecue around the world and Hal Amen follows the waft of garlic, chilies, and ginger into a Korean store in Mexico City.

To wash down your grub, Juliane Huang even explored the benefits of drinking tea over coffee in Tea v. Coffee: Which One is Better for You?.

Want to try your hand at bringing a taste of the world home? Catherine Melton gives us 7 Reasons To Take A Cooking Class.

Not ready to jet off quite yet or sign up for a class? Why not pick up an international cookbook and experiment?

Photo: vanz

Four weeks ago I was doing a Google search for “literary writing + web 2.0.” I found the name Tao Lin. I started reading his stuff. I started reading his friends’ stuff.

They all seemed to write like each other but different from everyone else. It reminded me of a crew of skaters all going off on variations of the same style.

I got the feeling they tried to make everything they wrote sound like it was just scribbled down super fast when actually they spent hours editing.

Tao started a publishing company called Muumuuu House in October 2008. Sometimes My Heart Pushes My Ribs, by Ellen Kennedy, is the first title they’ve published (3/09). There was a stain on the press release Tao sent with the book, and a handwritten note pointing to the stain that said “beer”.

The night I started it I’d been up since 5:20 am writing and editing then worked a full day laying bamboo floors. When I got to one poem I started reading:

I am going to make boxes and put things in them and then
write your name and addresses on the boxes, then bring them
to the post office to be mailed to you

okay?

and I thought I could feel the entire universe slowly expanding in the white space between those last two lines.

A lot of people will be repelled by this book. Or not repelled: they simply won’t ‘get’ it. It’s not safe and comfortable. (I’m thinking of something Miles Davis said in an interview: “I can’t be around comfortable people.”)

There are lines about ordering a pizza with no cheese and feeling alienated. Stories about Norm MacDonald wondering if he should commit suicide. Poems about nipples the size of cds. Scenes of kids in the car with their parents on the way to Walmart. A world constructed out of people with various levels of alienation sitting around refreshing their Gmail inboxes.

As with everything that means anything, its what’s between the lines that matters. I could try and dissect it here. I could come up with names and comparisons like Raymond Carver or Amy Hempel. But all of that feels like turning something off.

What matters is the the ‘overall effect’. Sometimes My Heart Pushes My Ribs makes you want to give Ellen Kennedy a hug.

To give somebody a hug. Your girlfriend or wife or dog. To eat better. To write better. To have sex. To have sex in some public place like the characters in her poems, and realize if anyone is watching “it will just make their lives more interesting and maybe help them reevaluate what really hurts people.”

Visit Muumuu to order this book , or hit up the amazon link above.

Photo by pocketwiley

I need a travel book for getting around and a history book to help me understand what I see. Your average backpacker book provides some historical and cultural explanation.

However, the balance of hostel details compared to location background information never sits right with me.

So I was excited to find the On the Road Histories book series, which takes the opposite approach, and I’ve just finished reading South Carolina, by Kenneth Townsend.

The bulk of South Carolina reads like a popular history book. That makes sense; the author is a professor of American History who lives in Myrtle Beach.

The book is written in chronological order and provides a good overview of the state’s history. It starts out with the Native Americans and leads us up through the present day.

Photo by humbertomoreno

There is little mentioned about recent decades. This makes the end feel abrupt. However, I think more people are interested in what happened during times such as the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Maybe I assume too much, but I know I don’t really care about the South Carolina of the 1980’s.

While proud of South Carolina’s history, the book doesn’t sugarcoat negative aspects.

For example, while recounting the life of native son Andrew Jackson, the author doesn’t hide Jackson’s part in causing the Trail of Tears, calling it “among the most deplorable actions perpetrated against Native Americans”.

What makes it a book for travelers are the highlighted sidebars that point to historical places to visit.

“Must-See Sites” are scattered throughout most of the chapters, along with modern and historical photographs, famous battles, festival descriptions, and celebrated South Carolinians.

I would still want to pick up a traveler’s guidebook (or rely on the web) for information about common tourist items – where to eat, where to sleep – but this book is a great way to get to know South Carolina, whether you are a visitor or a resident.

If a visit to South Carolina isn’t in your future, consider other books in the On the Road Histories series: Alaska, Mississippi, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Price: $15.60 | BUY

Thanks to Planet eBook, I can finally finish up Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy without having to lug around a 700+ page beast of a book.

Planet eBook touts itself as the “home of free classic literature”. A generous collection of classic novels have been provided in downloadable, high-quality PDF documents.

Titles available for download (amongst its 70+ online novels) include:

• Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• The Odyssey by Homer
• The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Worried about copyright infringements?

The electronic books published by Planet eBook are out of copyright and are within the public domain.

Can’t find your favorite literature classic on their site?

You can actually suggest a book.

Price: FREE | Visit Planet eBook

I wasn’t going to make it. I didn’t know how to drive a stick shift. That accident at the construction site just outside Auckland Airport marked my first day in New Zealand.

Photo by Robyn Gallagher

Memories long forgotten but instantly revived when I picked up my worn out travel journal one lazy Sunday afternoon.

This week, we put out a call for submissions to the new Notes from the Road series over at the Traveler’s Notebook, inviting you to dig up those travel journals and send us engrossing narratives.

And you did.

Eric Warren takes us on a poignant romantic journey in On the other side of the world.…..

In a prolific piece that spotlights race and class in a non condescending way, Julie Schwietert explores racial dynamics during the world renown Carnaval in On the Ropes.

With a fresh contributor’s copy of Fodor’s Patagonia in hand, David Miller is instantly transported back to that sandy coastal road en route to Bahia Bustamante, and we ride along in his Econobox Ford.

Photo by sukhjeet

Notes from journals and travel memoirs make us voyeurs – peeking into the lives of others as they navigate and grow through life and at the end, we find ourselves enriched as well.

Recommended by Matador members, here are three travel collections and memoirs definitely worth picking up.

The World: Life and Travel 1950-2000 by Jan Morris

Jan Morris is quite possibly the greatest travel writer of our time – and certainly among the all-time greats.

The essays in here span Morris’ entire storied career, from her big break, at Everest Base Camp for the Hillary expedition, to her thoughts on Hong Kong’s return to Chinese control at the end of the last century…..Eva Holland

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin

In Patagonia is one of the few travel books I’ve read while actually traveling through the place being described…and the descriptions were so spot on, and so poignant, that it felt like I couldn’t decide which was more real, the landscape or the book.

Chatwin manages to make his writing very real and very simple; no exaggerated descriptions or depictions of local characters. …..Sarah Menkedick

West With The Night by Beryl Markham

The tales in this book chronicle Beryl Markham’s life in Africa – from childhood encounters with tigers to buzzing trees as a bush pilot.

It’s told in a way that can make anyone envision Africa perfectly, even if that person has never seen a picture taken on the continent.

West With The Night is one of those few books that can be read at different points in your life, possibly swerving your brain in a direction that it didn’t pivot upon the last pass…..Tom Gates

Have a favorite travel book or memoir you’d like to share? Do tell us below.

The title mimicked lifesaving instructions I received in 1983 during my first year with the United States Forest Service. Though at that time my boss referred to bears I might encounter in the Idaho wilderness, advice gleaned from this book applies in any location where you, as a human being, represents a lower rung of the food chain.

Photo by Adam Annfield

Peter Allison weaves thirteen years worth of stories as a safari guide in South Africa and Botswana into a playful, staccato narrative . Whatever You Do, Don’t Run is an observant, wickedly funny memoir you can either read straight through or snack on like a good collection of short stories.

Price: $6.99 | BUY

I’d initially winced at the cover – a female lion holding a gray safari hat, which was obviously photoshopped to be “cute”.

Thankfully the author’s words go deeper into his colorful existence employed in sub-Saharan Africa’s chief tourist trade – Safaris.

Peter’s self-effacing humor prevails throughout this book.

It’s easy to imagine him sitting under the African sky by a campfire as he quips about drowning a Land Rover in hippo pond, reviews behaviors of tourists from various countries, and recounts his transformation into a “bird nerd”.

The anecdotes peppered throughout this book will induce everything from a wide smile to hearty laughter.

Without giving too much away, there are multiple lions encounters, a naked baboon, cheetah intimacies and a pet honey badger.

Photo by Jean-Louis Vandevivère

Other assigned duties include playing strip poker with members of Britain’s Royal Family, trying to impress bored German tourists who want more than close encounters with the Big Five, and entertaining a young woman better prepared for a Vegas trip with Paris Hilton than a trek in the African bush.

In life and storytelling, comedy and tragedy are close cousins. Africa’s AIDS epidemic strikes close and animals Peter had observed for a long time succumb to nature’s whims.

Sad emotions attached to such events get their due, but being an Australian who nicknames everything he comes across, Allison’s melancholy soon segues into more lighthearted stories intended to entertain.

Photo by Sara & Joachim

It’s an action packed read, so frenetic at times that the beauty of the landscape gets lost. Luckily, color photographs are included as visual references. For those who haven’t traveled to Africa, visualizing the places where these adventures occur may not do the stories enough justice.

But as the author would say, “No worries.”

Photo by sfmission.com

Who knew Carnaval was celebrated in Oruro, Bolivia?! Hal Amen’s spectacular photo essay gives us a glimpse into the colorful festivities in this Altiplano city.

Ian Mackenzie also shows us some highlights from the Barranquilla Carnaval, Colombia in yet another stunning photo essay of unique costumes and vividly-clad dancers.

In Brazilian Carnaval: Going Beyond Rio, Julie Schwietert dispatches from the cities of Recife and Olinda in Brazil, taking us on a photographic journey through their unique ways of celebrating this festival.

Still looking for more classic shots from Carnaval? Check out these coffee-table gems:

Carnaval – Photographed by Claudio Edinger

A collection of semi-risqué photos taken by photographer Claudio Edinger that captures the rawness of Brazilian Carnaval.

Price: $7.37 | BUY

Carnaval! – Edited by Barbara Mauldin

Over 300 colorful photographs take you through various celebrations around the world. From New Orleans and Trinidad and Tobago to Basel, Switzerland and even rural Bulgaria.

Price: $7.27 (Used) | BUY

Carnival In Rio mini: Samba, Samba, Samba

Accompanied by a CD of select Samba sounds from Rio, you can flip through this coffee table book while listening to music to instantly transport you there.

Price: $10.17 | BUY

Café Life Venice is a remarkable hybrid: part guidebook, and part coffeetable book. Written by Joe Wolff, and beautifully illustrated with photographs by Roger Paperno, the book profiles 17 traditional, family-run establishments in Venice.

The cafés, trattorias, pasticcerias and bacari (Venetian-style wine and tapas bars) listed in the book are scattered across Venice: some in tourist-thronged San Marco, and some in the lesser-visited — and totally magical — sectors of the city, like Cannaregio or Dorsoduro.

At every location, the author-photographer team interviewed the owners and staff, and photographed the establishment and its surrounding neighborhood, providing the reader with a rich history and context.

The book is compact and informative enough to be worth packing away for your next trip, and it’s also sufficiently compelling (both in terms of the photography and the mouth-watering content) to make for a good armchair read.

If you’re headed to Venice (or even if you’re not!), you’re interested in learning more about the city’s unique culinary traditions, and you’d like to avoid the usual tourist-trap meals in favor of some locally owned gems, I’d recommend Café Life Venice.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some serious Venetian daydreaming to get back to…

Photo by josef.stuefer (Creative Commons)

If you’ve ever crossed time zones, no doubt you’ve probably experienced these decades old symptoms of jet lag at some point:

Fatigue, irritability, nausea, anxiety, dehydration, constipation, diarrhea, headache, sweating, temporary memory loss….am I missing any?!.

Finally, beating the inevitable jet lag is possible and each crucial step on how to fight it has been detailed in The Cure for Jet Lag.

Authored by Lynne W. Scanlon and Charles F. Ehret, Ph.D, this book demystifies jet lag and scientifically breaks down its symptoms with various ways of treating them.

The first two chapters cover symptoms of jet lag such as fatigue and their expected duration and effects on the body.

Subsequent chapters are dedicated to explaining the different time zones, how they impact the body, and how to trick the body into naturally adjusting without incident.

The Cure’s three step program outlines how to overcame jet lag using specific foods, tea, coffee, low/high calorie meals, physical/mental activity, light/dark settings, and how to use them preflight, inflight, and postflight.

If you’re ready to kick jet lag for good, you may want to grab a copy.

Price: $20.00 | BUY

Are we, as our own love doyenne Carrie Bradshaw once posited, living in the “Age of Un-Innocence”? Did romance die somewhere between the 20th and 21st Century?

Photo by MorphorMir

Romeo and Juliet have long since jumped ship. Jane and Rochester are distant memories. And Mimi and Rodolfo have certainly had their last swing.

Moreover, in a reality and hyper-reality-saturated world, our tastes towards the romantic have demonstrably dwindled.

Currently on the New York Times Bestseller list are such passionate tomes as Ann Coulter’s Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and their Assault on America (swoon), Artie Lange’s Too Fat to Fish (oh, yes, baby), and Denis Leary’s Why We Suck (give it to me, daddy-o!).

But, like true love, hope is not lost. The following ten books are examples of romance’s resurrection between the mid-50s and today.

Whether you have a significant other or just other significants, you’ll find one tome to get you through the airport delays, daily commute, or a quiet night at home.

1. Kiss & Tell (Alain de Botton, 1995)