Travel Year

What happened when a young man ditched the office and headed to the outback of Australia for the adventure of a lifetime? In 2002, a young Englishman left London behind to try something new on a working holiday. One year; 2,000 sheep: 4,000 km travelled. Horses and quad bikes; two light aircraft; one Ford station wagon. He uncovered real life far from the hustle and bustle of the beaches and coffee shops of the East coast. There were "Skimpies", surly farmers, tough miners, vets and call-girls. How did he go learning to fly, and getting behind the wheel of a ten-tonne truck? A must-read for...

In 1985 I moved to a fishing village on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan peninsula. I lived in an abandoned house and slept in a hammock. My first night I got a crash course in mosquitoes. However, the second night, a mosquito net lovingly in place, I swayed in the hammock, felt the trade winds touch my skin, and learned how magical sleeping with the sound of the surf sliding up the sand can be. Although I was camping in the shell of a house, I was happy. Sometimes I had to drive to Cancun to get a tomato, or to trade a VCR player for dental work. The one tin roof market in town got beef ...

A few years ago, Mark Adams made a strange discovery: Everything we know about the lost city of Atlantis comes from the work of one man, the Greek philosopher Plato. Then he made a second, stranger discovery: Amateur explorers are still actively searching for this sunken city all around the world, based entirely on the clues Plato left behind.

Introducing "Exploring the World in your Golden Years," the ultimate guide for senior travelers who want to experience the joys of travel, without the stress and uncertainty. Written by a seasoned traveler, this comprehensive eBook is packed with invaluable advice and recommendations to help you plan and enjoy your dream getaway. From budget-friendly accommodations to cultural immersion and international travel, this guide covers it all. You will learn how traveling can benefit your overall health and wellbeing, and discover tips for a safe and enjoyable journey. You'll also discover top ...

Against the backdrop of the Vietnam War—with the ongoing saga of his draft status and other historical events of the time—Ron White’s adventures, at home and in numerous locations around the world, began with a schoolboy yearning to travel. His quest was to explore the world as well as to escape. With the tragic loss of several of his best friends, and being the victim of endless abuse at home, it was travel and music that kept him sane. If you lived during this era, the pages of this inspirational book drip with nostalgia; if you’re too young, then you can be wonderfully ...

A little over 10 years ago, Janine Marsh and her husband gave up their careers in London to chase the good life in the countryside of northern France. Having overcome the obstacles of starting to renovate her dream home - an ancient, dilapidated barn - and fitting in with the peculiarities of the locals, Janine is now the go-to expat in the area for those seeking to get to grips with a very different way of life. In this book, Janine regales us with the delights and dramas of a year attempting to live the rural idyll.

Erik and Emily skillfully reveal that it is possible to live big on a shoestring budget while giving their family an astonishing education in adventure, creativity, purpose, and grit. Told alternately by Erik and Emily, Seven at Sea is a portrait of a captivating and resilient family and a celebration of the courage it takes to head for something over the horizon.

Voyage to the outcrops of the tropics, where dreamers and degenerates mingle in an exotic setting of mysterious jungle ruins, narcotic drinks, and secret un-surfed waves. In this encomium to his experience teaching English in Micronesia, S. Jacques Stratton offers a wry portrayal of the ex-pat life, conveyed through vignettes and characters that evoke a lost, limnal latitude. Both memoir and travelogue, augmented with photographs from the author's collection, Islands on the Fringe will spark the wanderlust of those who crave offbeat adventure beyond the main-traveled routes.

A chance discovery of letters written by her immigrant grandfather leads Jessica J. Lee to her ancestral homeland, Taiwan. There, she seeks his story while growing closer to the land he knew. Lee hikes mountains home to Formosan flamecrests, birds found nowhere else on earth, and swims in a lake of drowned cedars. Throughout, Lee unearths surprising parallels between the natural and human stories that have shaped her family and their beloved island.

When the struggle to save oil-soaked birds and restore blackened beaches left him feeling frustrated and helpless, John Francis decided to take a more fundamental and personal stand: He stopped using all forms of motorized transportation. Soon after embarking on this quest that would span two decades and two continents, the young man took a vow of silence that endured for 17 years.

Magnus shoved in another big bite of food, chewed and swallowed. “I am going tae take most of the vessels. I will secure them, guard them, and will live the rest of m’life as the keeper of the vessels. Nae a king but a guardian.” Lady Mairead tossed her napkin to the table and threw up her hands. “This daft idea makes a mockery of thoughtful decisions.” Magnus took a sip of coffee. “Tis nae a mockery, tis a wise idea. Dost ye want tae ken how I hae came tae it?” “It canna possibly be through deliberation.”

"Paul Wright's tribute to the robust pleasures of village life brings out the generosity and humanity of the inhabitants of Lake Como” Desmond O’Grady, Italian Insider Review:- What is it like for a foreigner to live and work in a village in Northern Italy, and become part of the community? How tough is it to leave your home country and settle in a new one? What do you have to do to be accepted by the people who live in a village by Lake Como, which has existed for over five hundred years? Award-winning artist and stage designer Paul Wright and his partner found out the hard way, ...

Twice divorced and reliant on her weekly appointments with her therapist, Cristie is a complicated fifty year old who is in for the ride of her life. Making her own schedule as an independent courier, her latest client needs a car part picked up in Laughlin, giving her the opportunity to enjoy a little break from her routine single life in Tucson. While she more than over packs for her two day car trip, she definitely was not prepared for the fate that awaited her at the Gateway. Fall back in time with Cristie to the year 1852 when the Gateway Casino and Laughlin, Nevada didn’t exist, but...

Many childhood summers, Mark Woods piled into a station wagon with his parents and two sisters and headed to America's national parks. Mark's most vivid childhood memories are set against a backdrop of mountains, woods, and fireflies in places like Redwood, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon national parks. On the eve of turning 50, and a little burned out, Mark decided to reconnect with the great outdoors. He'd spend a year visiting the national parks.

Amy was never very keen on New Year's Eve - and that was before the time-travel accident that sent her spiraling back into the past. Now she's living every New Year of her life over again in reverse. As soon as each is over she is thrown back a year in time to the previous one. Starting at 39 years old, she grows progressively younger, revisiting snapshots of her life along the way. From dealing with an unfaithful boyfriend to trying to help her alcoholic mother, she attempts to make the most of her second chances, with varying degrees of success.

Restless sixty-nine year old Sharon Waters buys an RV, leaves everything behind except her devoted pets, and embarks on a solitary journey akin to the proverbial wandering in the desert. Her three-year trip along harrowing highways and in freezing parking lots tests her strength, ingenuity, and resilience. She digs deep into her personal marrow, meets many, and learns much along the way, but mostly it’s a search for herself. This inspiring memoir relates a wealth of practical knowledge and tells a cautionary tale for those new to RV living. For more experienced travelers, she shares ...

Dorthe Nors's first nonfiction book chronicles a year she spent traveling along the North Sea coast—from Skagen at the northern tip of Denmark to the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. In fourteen expansive essays, Nors traces the history, geography, and culture of the places she visits while reflecting on her childhood and her family and ancestors' ties to the region as well as her decision to move there from Copenhagen.

At age 34 Jo Piazza got her romantic-comedy ending when she met the man of her dreams on a boat in the Galápagos Islands and was engaged three months later. But before long Jo found herself riddled with questions. How do you make a marriage work in a world where you no longer need to be married? How does an independent, strong-willed feminist become someone's partner - all the time?

Join a retired couple from Maine as they break outside of their comfort zone in an effort to see Every Bird From Sea to Shining Sea. Follow Ethan and Ingrid Whitaker as they spend an entire year traveling around the Continental United States doing a Big Year . . . a contest to identify as many species of birds as possible in a calendar year.

TEACHING IN CHINA? LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT WE HAD LET OURSELVES IN FOR! These are the emails we sent home to Australia from the two schools in China at which we taught. They were usually written only hours after the experiences and emotions which they describe. They were written to friends from whom nothing was held back. They describe the schools, the teachers, the students, places we visited, and the experiences which took over the greater part of our lives during those two years, experiences which, it could be said, turned those lives upside down. They have not been edited, nor have they...