What do you think?
Rate this book
The Unsavvy Traveler: Women's Comic Tales of Catastrophe
-- A collection of comic and cathartic tales from more than 25 women travelersA soggy bicyclist takes shelter in an Irish pub, only to become the evening's inebriated musical entertainment. A staunch hiker battles a bear with a bag of M&Ms. A flustered tourist tries to figure out Japan's curious bathroom etiquette. These stories and the others in this volume embody the spirit of the intrepid adventurer.
283 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 2001
7 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 21, 2020
I found this book in an out of the way diner in a small town in Louisiana, somewhere off I-10, just before New Orleans. Don't ask me the name, I don't know it, but it was serendipity that my husband and I found it.
Not only was the down home cooking good, it also had, on the other side of the cash register, some tables laid out with used books for sale. I got this book for two dollars. The stories that were good certainly were worth the two dollars.
I love road trips and traveling all over the world and I have my own horror stories about certain places I traveled to, so I appreciated the nightmares these women went through.
A girl teaching in China finds a waitress at a restaurant has stolen her jacket. She chases her down, tackles her and then runs back to the school compound where she works with a mob of angry Chinese on her heels.
A woman decides to see the Gorillas in the Mist, in Central Africa. Her idea of a "romantic encounter" with the Silver Backed Greys turned out not remotely as she planned. But I'm sure she's ready for Survivor.
Another young lady learns that the Japanese are too polite to blame you when your toilet breaks and floods the apartment below.
Others went on cruises that went horribly wrong. Two women find that they're not on a cruise at all but have been duped by the one woman's brother in working on his sloop. Shanghaied by your own brother. Sad. At least they abandoned ship on one of the Caribbean Islands and somehow made it back to the States and home.
I think my favorite was of the woman who decided to join with another woman and man to cross the densely forested mountain range from one side of Papua New Guinea to the other only to find she was not ready for such strenuous hiking and is soon abandoned by her hiking partners and must find her way alone to civilization. All I can say is that she is very, very lucky to have survived to write about it.
I won't lie. Some of the stories stink. I really REALLY hate writers who shape their stories into propaganda for their political ideologies. (Cubans are starving to death because of American Republicans. If it were written today they'd blame Trump. He's such a useful scapegoat. I guess America/Trump is also forcing the Cuban government to imprison thousands of their own people for being stupid enough to believe that a country lacking individual freedom, including free enterprise is why they are starving. I guess that's why so many are trying to come to the U.S.)
That gripe aside, many of these stories are excellently written and provide a wonderful vicarious experience traveling all over the world. I'd recommend it.
Not only was the down home cooking good, it also had, on the other side of the cash register, some tables laid out with used books for sale. I got this book for two dollars. The stories that were good certainly were worth the two dollars.
I love road trips and traveling all over the world and I have my own horror stories about certain places I traveled to, so I appreciated the nightmares these women went through.
A girl teaching in China finds a waitress at a restaurant has stolen her jacket. She chases her down, tackles her and then runs back to the school compound where she works with a mob of angry Chinese on her heels.
A woman decides to see the Gorillas in the Mist, in Central Africa. Her idea of a "romantic encounter" with the Silver Backed Greys turned out not remotely as she planned. But I'm sure she's ready for Survivor.
Another young lady learns that the Japanese are too polite to blame you when your toilet breaks and floods the apartment below.
Others went on cruises that went horribly wrong. Two women find that they're not on a cruise at all but have been duped by the one woman's brother in working on his sloop. Shanghaied by your own brother. Sad. At least they abandoned ship on one of the Caribbean Islands and somehow made it back to the States and home.
I think my favorite was of the woman who decided to join with another woman and man to cross the densely forested mountain range from one side of Papua New Guinea to the other only to find she was not ready for such strenuous hiking and is soon abandoned by her hiking partners and must find her way alone to civilization. All I can say is that she is very, very lucky to have survived to write about it.
I won't lie. Some of the stories stink. I really REALLY hate writers who shape their stories into propaganda for their political ideologies. (Cubans are starving to death because of American Republicans. If it were written today they'd blame Trump. He's such a useful scapegoat. I guess America/Trump is also forcing the Cuban government to imprison thousands of their own people for being stupid enough to believe that a country lacking individual freedom, including free enterprise is why they are starving. I guess that's why so many are trying to come to the U.S.)
That gripe aside, many of these stories are excellently written and provide a wonderful vicarious experience traveling all over the world. I'd recommend it.
Read
October 16, 2007Definitely an easy and light read, it took two train days. Less actually, it didn't take all of today's rides. Some contributors were familiar from other anthologies, others were new to me but I can say I enjoyed most of the stories. Ayun Holliday was even palatable in this small dose, although I'm pretty sure this tale was also in No Touch Monkey.
Some favourite bits:
"A traveler's misguided expectations-especially a woman traveler, I think-are less about ignorance, and more about hope..."
I think this really hits the nail on the head - it's not that we don't know what's out there but rather that we have an idea, based on reality or fantasy, of what should await us.
"Inside anyone who's ever experienced wanderlust is a travel muse, and like certain other errant deities known for agitating strong desires, muses tend to work their powers on us at the most inopportune moments."
1000% agreed. I think that's part of the fun of it, however. You never know when you're going to want to go/be elsewhere. I do hope that I'll never have to spend the night at McDonalds, although I don't think that's much worse than Prague Airport.
"One could conceivably get lost in Shinjuku for days. I was lucky; I only got lost for one day, but with a heavy pack and a booty-kicking case of jet lag; it seemed more like a week."
Oh god yes. It really brought to mind my wanderings around NishiNakajima-minamigata station trying desperately to find my new apartment when I went back to Osaka. She also speaks well of the nature of the Japanese and their desire to help lost gaijin. I remember many times, not even lost but just paused on Shinsaibashi deciding which way to go, people stopping to see if we needed help. I love Japan, always will.
A wonderful read.
Some favourite bits:
"A traveler's misguided expectations-especially a woman traveler, I think-are less about ignorance, and more about hope..."
I think this really hits the nail on the head - it's not that we don't know what's out there but rather that we have an idea, based on reality or fantasy, of what should await us.
"Inside anyone who's ever experienced wanderlust is a travel muse, and like certain other errant deities known for agitating strong desires, muses tend to work their powers on us at the most inopportune moments."
1000% agreed. I think that's part of the fun of it, however. You never know when you're going to want to go/be elsewhere. I do hope that I'll never have to spend the night at McDonalds, although I don't think that's much worse than Prague Airport.
"One could conceivably get lost in Shinjuku for days. I was lucky; I only got lost for one day, but with a heavy pack and a booty-kicking case of jet lag; it seemed more like a week."
Oh god yes. It really brought to mind my wanderings around NishiNakajima-minamigata station trying desperately to find my new apartment when I went back to Osaka. She also speaks well of the nature of the Japanese and their desire to help lost gaijin. I remember many times, not even lost but just paused on Shinsaibashi deciding which way to go, people stopping to see if we needed help. I love Japan, always will.
A wonderful read.
September 19, 2017
great plane read.
November 22, 2025
A few good stories.
October 11, 2012
A nice collection of travel stories by female authors, this is a quick read as each very short chapter can be read individually or in continuation, depending on your mood. What was most interesting is that some of the stories are a bit dated (i.e. late 70's, early 80's) so just reading in context of modern times when no doubt some of the experiences may not even be attainable with politicial upheavals, environmental changes, and social norms which have altered the landscape of many of these journeys if an attempt was made to replicate. For those who enjoy reading of mildly humorous adventures of other women traveling the globe, you can't go wrong with this collection.
February 10, 2025
What a fun way to capture travel failings. Some of these catastrophe are worse than others but in all the paint and embarrassment of the woman reliving the situation is very wonderfully captured. I am grateful these women decided that a good story should be shared.
October 16, 2008
This was an excellent read; short, funny, vignettes of women's travels. Perfect reading for anyone with the travel bug.
November 9, 2010
I just didn't find the stories all that funny and didn't finish this one. Back to the library...
February 18, 2011
love reading this on the bus to and from work! except I probably look like a fool cracking up to myself. hilarious read and reminds me that my future travel escapades won't always be glamorous :-D
March 8, 2013
I'd say 20 of the 25 were both funny and well-written. I'm amazed, though, at some of the foolhardy choices made by some of these otherwise intelligent, well-traveler women.
April 13, 2015
Read while traveling in Nicaragua with two young children. Saved me from losing my mind. Helped me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry.
July 8, 2016
"That's one of the things I love best about travel: the loss of control. The feeling of being truly on a ride. Of being at sea, well, this time it would be literal."
July 31, 2022
This anthology was....really not for me. Fair number of white savior stories, or really petty stories, with one or two entertaining or truly epic ones mixed in
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews