No Sense of Direction

by Eric Raff

No Sense of Direction is a highly enjoyable tale of an adventurous advertising executive who traded his briefcase for a backpack and a one-way ticket. With a sharp eye for detail and a keen sense of humor, No Sense of Direction describes what it's like to hit the road with no plan and no destination. If you've ever thought of giving it all up to take off and travel, No Sense of Direction might just give you the incentive to do it. At the very least, this is one journey you're sure to enjoy.

Genres: Travel, Memoir, Nonfiction, Adventure

331 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

Reviews

[Susan]

An interesting book, and I liked the author as a person. I gauged his knowledge and the veracity of his storytelling by comparing what he wrote, to my experiences in places where I also had traveled. His descriptions were accurate, so that made reading the rest of it entertaining and I knew he likely wasn't exaggerating. I liked how he described his various travel companions and personal encounters. And he seemed very human in his reactions to things good and awful. Overall I enjoyed it, although just as he began to tire of his travel, so did I begin to tire of his subjects. I think he could have wrapped it up with more about what it had all meant to him, the big things he learned, and what the rest of us could expect in the way of personal growth from a similar year of travel. He seemed in as much a hurry to wrap it up as he was to get home. I liked the book though, and I liked Eric Raff. I hope whatever he is doing now is bringing him happiness and contentment.

[Lori]

It Was About Average

I knew that I was ordering a book about the author's decision to travel and his adventures doing exactly that. However, because I have little familiarity or interest in some of the places he visited, it really was not anything I could relate to. And although I would love to travel more, I think in today's world it is unwise and reckless to cross into ANY foreign country without a visa or to smuggle currency or goods across the border from one country to another as it could give a reader the impression that it will "all work out" as opposed to "IF it DOESN'T work out, you may find yourself in a foreign courtroom of a communist country , judged by authorities who are suspicious of you AND who might consider your home country an enemy. As such, you may be found to be guilty, incarcerated as a prisoner and/or a political pawn, sentenced to hard labor, interrogated under duress, etc so proceed at great risk!" I felt that not at least mentioning these risks was irresponsible.
When we travel, we must do the research and assume responsibility for notifying the U.S. Embassy, having proper and legal documentation and be aware of the laws and customs of our host country! Know what the currency is, how to obtain it, what number to use for emergency when in country, have adequate travel insurance, leave an itinerary with loved ones, and find out what areas are considered high crime areas, where the nearest medical facility is, and if needed, the public transportation system.

[Carol Rode]

Great book

This book was interesting. Had some good descriptions of the places he went to. I have read better books but this one was still good.

[D. Thrush]

I enjoyed this intrepid traveler’s journey. He yearns to break out of his routine and quits his job to travel living out the fantasies many of us have. He buys a one-way ticket to Denmark, goes to Russia and travels more extensively throughout Asia. I was hoping he’d get out of Asia and continue on to other places. I agree with some of the reviewers that he sometimes spends too much time describing trivial details such as being on a plane or landing. I thought his writing style was otherwise solid. He meets many other travelers along the way who he befriends and who accompany him on parts of his journey. There seems to be a camaraderie among travelers, especially Westerners. I did find the last part of the book depressing as he describes child beggars and young prostitutes. The poverty of many of these countries makes travel cheap but depressing. Overall, I enjoyed the book up until I started to feel a little overwhelmed by the conditions in which some people live. I was hoping for a short epilogue to describe what it was like to come back home to the States and be sucked back into an ordinary routine. Mostly enjoyable.

[Vic Heaney]

Not far into the book before I groaned. This New Yorker, on his way to Copenhagen, lands at "London's Manchester Airport". Not much point travelling around the world if it doesn't help your geography, is it.

I hope he doesn't eventually fly back to New York's Los Angeles Airport.

(Later) I have now finished the book and found it quite an enjoyable read. Eric Raff conveys well the feeling of travelling without much of a plan, meeting up with, and parting from, new companions, almost all much younger than him and in fact leading him astray at some points.

Through his eyes I saw the soft underbelly of travelling as he uses pretty downmarket accommodation most of the time and takes risks such as entering Russia, with the intention of crossing it to China, without a passport.

But he survives, and gives us a very interesting tale while doing so.

[Maurene]

The stories in this book were just interesting enough to keep me reading, but the writing was horrible! I felt like I was reading an essay written by a high school student. I did enjoy reading about the author's travel adventures. I just couldn't help but think (through the entire book), "when is this going to end?" Not a good quality in a book.p

[Val Wilkerson]

A fun read. I loved the fact that Eric was a normal guy, working a good job, however when the dentist told him he needed some deep cleaning or he would loose some teeth he left wondering what he should do before he lost his hair & teeth...so he quit his job and took off with a backpack. Some fun stories of his adventures.

[Janice]

2-1/2 stars...It was a free Kindle book. For the most part I found traveling with him fun. He exhausted me about the time he got to Vietnam so I was relieved when he decided to go home soon after that.

[Alison]

kindle

[Alissa]

Made me want to quit my job and travel the world

[J]

Kindle edition was available for free on Amazon.com. Not bad for a free book and was an interesting read.

[Eleanor]

I enjoyed reading about the author's travel adventures. Interesting, easy reading. It made me want to set out on my own journey. Someday .......

[Bev]

Actually, I didn't finish this book since it didn't keep me engaged. To me the author came across as immature and there was nothing refreshing about his adventures.

[Rodney]

Interesting book.

[Jenna]

This was as good of a travel book as I have ever read, and I have read a few. It is well written, clear, unpretentious, humorous and quick. Well done!

[Don Anderson]

Fun

Truly enjoy reading about an ordinary person going to the places I'll never get to. He covered the good and the bad....Thanks for sharing!

[Susie Davi]

Travels by the author

Loved this book! Learned some interesting facts about other countries and the author made me feel like I was there too!

[Dallas]

Loved it - very humorous & Eric was so adventuresome! I held my breath during a few of his escapades!