Travels Along the Edge: 40 Ultimate Adventures for the Modern Nomad--From Crossing the Sahara to Bicycling Through Vietnam

by David Noland

A travel writer describes in detail forty of the world's most singular and offbeat travel adventures, from paddling by sea kayak around the fjords of Greenland to an elephant safari through Botswana, detailing tour outfitters, gear, health tips, and more.

Genres: Travel, Adventure, Nonfiction

410 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 1997

Reviews

[Vicki NewMath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. A bit outdated with outfitter information, but it the stories describing the travel adventures makes you want to pack you bag and just go!

[Nupur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun to leaf through for some armchair/fantasy travel. Brief essays of adventure travel followed by practical tips for the brave souls who want to undertake it.

[JDK1962 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, though not what I thought it would be. Describes 40 guided trips, but the descriptions range from straightforward experiences (such as bicycling the Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies) to more journalistic tales (such as the experience of a Vietnam vet returning to bicycle along the main highway from Hanoi to Saigon). And after some descriptions--such as the gruesome, in-depth recitation of the four major insect-borne diseases that can kill you when you raft the Omo river in Ethiopia, or the relentless wind crossing the Patagonia Ice Cap--you have no idea why anyone would do those trips at all. But if you finish the book without finding at least five trips you're dying to do, you have no business reading travel books.

[Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an assemblage of articles from various magazines - hiking, cycling, travel, etc. As such it lacks a cohesive style - some articles are travel literature, some are detailed descriptions of the trips, etc. It is certainly broad in its subjects, with trips from both north and south hemispheres and from all climes. Among the nicer features the editors added was a recommended reading list at the end of each entry, providing further reading for those whose interest was piqued by the preceding article.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the trips described are no doubt great, but the list is only as inspired as any greatest hits can be. It was written as the adventure travel industry was really taking off in the late 1990s. As a resource it's quite a bit out of date.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when it came out and I was 40. I wanted to reread the trip to the Greenland fjords, wondering how much it has changed with the large loss of ice fields on that island.

[Emills]

warning: will make you plan a ridiculous trip to fabulous, far-off destinations.

[Irina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I just had completely different ideas of what this book was about. I was a bit disappointed.

[Skye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Less a description of his travels than a guide for people wanting to expand their horizons.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling adventurelogs.