Ryanland

by Philip Nolan

In this hilarious, no-holds-barred account, journalist Philip Nolan packs his bag (maximum 10kg, please) and takes us on an adventure that is not for the faint-hearted as he flies with Europe 's biggest low-cost airline. Using Ryanair destinations as a route planner, we grab our boarding passes and fight for the first available seat as we travel with him to towns we've never heard of ( Tampere and Wroclaw , anyone?) and to cities we've always wanted to visit. From watching the pilgrims completing the Camino in Santiago de Compostela to cheering with the fans in Frankfurt during the World Cup, from having his alpha waves channelled at a spa in Austria to a little soul cleansing at the baths at Lourdes, from the all-night party that is Riga to the eerie hush of Beauvais on a slow Monday night, we are treated to a kaleidoscopic snapshot of the quirks and foibles of a continent. Ryanair has opened up Europe 's treasures, and a few complete dumps too, in a way never before possible. From Biarritz to Blackpool to Bratislava , Pau to Pisa to Porto, Vienna to Valencia to Venice , Philip Nolan completes a whirlwind tour of the continent he calls Ryanland. The journey is whimsical, wistful and laugh-out-loud funny, as we travel on a spellbinding no-frills odyssey.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published April 4, 2007

Reviews

[Maryann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a lot of strong feelings about this book. From just a few chapters in I deduced that Philip Nolan can certainly write, and he is obviously humorous, but he also appears to be completely in love with himself. I went back and forth, alternately loathing him and then wanting to know more about where he was going next. I came to the conclusion that he is overly critical with certain destinations based on his mood du jour and enjoys making himself sound clever at the expense of others. All that said, I feel like if I met him at the bar (where, it seems, you are most likely to find him), I would probably end up liking him a great deal. But, I would not travel with him. I would rather holiday with Bill Bryson, or, if it came to it, my in-laws.

It is an interesting book if you want to know a bit about the places RyanAir flies to, though don't expect this to actually give you an idea of how to travel on a shoestring budget. The flights may be cheap, and some of the accommodation and dining options are decently priced, but thrift is not really the aim of this book.

[Seamus Enright · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's only 5 years old but it seems like a paean to a lost era of wanton excess and boundless optimism, when the reason Irish people got on a plane was to party in Riga rather than emigrate to Australia.

He has a few interesting experiences and the odd witty turn of phrase but he's no Kerouac...the result of budget airline is that travelling round Europe isn't nearly the adventure that it used to be, which makes the book a little redundant.

Ruinair by Paul Kilduff is a little better, with a far more scathing critique of Ryanair's business practices.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love travel, and you have ever experienced the 'joy' of flying with Ryan Air or any other budget airline...then this is the book for you!

Laugh your way across Europe with Phillip Nolan as he takes us on his back-packing, low budget adventure! Best read in private due to the possiblity of loud 'guffaws'.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this book not that long after it was published - re-reading it now made me realise how much smaller Europe feels since then, partly due to the no-frills, low-cost travel which it features.
It is still very amusing, although I would have preferred a less frenetic pace and a bit more depth - and less seen via Irish pubs, which tend to be the same wherever you are!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was pretty amusing for the most part, though it did make me sadly aware of how horrific my sense of geography is. the chapter on the author's trips to poland and germany are surprisingly moving.

[Annmarie Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has a love/hate relationship with Ryanair and love for seeing the funny side of things - I really enjoyed this and have read it more than once. Reading it now it's easy to see how cut throat RA has become - they make themselves a lot less easy to laugh at than Philip Nolan does.