The Distance Between: A Travel Memoir

by Mike McIntyre

From the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Kindness of Strangers, a vivid, humorous, and utterly candid exploration of incurable wanderlust

Mike McIntyre can’t stand still. Luckily, something remarkable happens wherever he roams. With his keen eye and original voice, he portrays evocative travel moments both big and small. In Sarajevo, he skis with soldiers at the height of the Bosnian War. Outside a Mexican bullring, two boys mistake him for their idol, a professional wrestler. And returning to a tropical paradise, he’s assigned the same hotel room where an older woman broke his heart five years earlier.

Along the way, he challenges a rival to a goat race in Saudi Arabia, searches for his missing shoes with barefooted villagers in Honduras, plunges through the Himalayas in aviation’s most terrifying final approach, and joins the U.S. Navy—for one week, anyway. To top it off, he reveals his favorite travel tip gleaned from forty years of globetrotting.

By turns hilarious, wistful, and dramatic, The Distance Between draws a captivating self-portrait of a lifelong vagabond and a writer critics call “a reader’s dream” (San Diego Union-Tribune).

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, Memoir

242 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2014

About the author

Mike McIntyre was a late bloomer, latching onto journalism at age twenty-seven. He's been a travel columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a theater columnist for the Washington Post, and a feature writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Budapest Sun. His first book, The Kindness of Strangers, was a Wall Street Journal bestseller and featured on Oprah. He's lived, worked and traveled in more than eighty countries. He spent much of his youth in Lake Tahoe, later earning degrees from the University of California, Davis, and the University of Michigan. These days he and his wife divide their time between San Diego and the world.

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Reviews

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's so hard to assign a ★-rating to a compilation of travel essays. I found some of chapters hard to plod through. at times I felt irritated with the author. other times I was entertained or moved. overall McIntyre's travel writing is evocative, and that is worth 3 stars.

[Evelyne Fallows · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy reading this book, not because of the writing and McIntyre's style but because there was no order whatsoever: no chronological order, no geographical order...just a series of travel vignettes dropped randomly. Shame, because he has loads of stories to tell, has been to many places and has met colorful characters.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved his book “going penniless across the U”—it was a 5* but this one let me down. The first 3/4 of the book was disjointed and while it was nice to see where he went it was a bit disturbing that he was leaving bad checks so many places. The last 1/4 of the book looked more like the Mike I read before and was enjoyable.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many Journeys

Mike writes stories about the many trips he took all over the world. Sometimes there are to find a story to write. Other times he takes these solitary trecks to see someplace he has never been. It is an interesting enjoyable book though some of the stories seem incomplete like he could have written more about the circumstances he found himself in.

[Ruth Dresher-Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than a three but just shy of a four. The benefit of the four is that the guy writes well. I enjoyed the essays, I prefer chronological memoirs, but that's me. OK, now we're here, next chapter another place and time and maybe with Ann - or maybe Andrea - early on or later in the relationship. It made me kind of antsy. But, I did finish it and as I mentioned he has a good writing style. I've heard of his book about traveling penniless in America, and it's supposed to be very good. I might read it being a full time traveler, but never a penniless one. I am aware of the beauty and generosity of people of every nation and country.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

This was an enjoyable book to read over the holidays. There’s a real nice cross-section of stories and the nice mix of stories short and longer, make it all very easy to read, digest and savour.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow did I not like this book. I made it 38% (according to my Kindle) before throwing in the towel. The stories were very disjointed (one of them mentioned a name that I assumed I should have known, but it definitely wasn't even mentioned before, so I had no idea who the person was...) I also didn't appreciate his early struggles as I thought he just needed to grow up a bit.

Not what I hoped.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a harder time with this than I like. lots of good and interesting bits, but found it a bit mish mash, disjointed. Glad I read "Penniless" first or I might have quit, but liked his style there. Moving on to Wander Year now. Also, had a hard time with some of the unexpected graphic negativity, when I was looking for something lighter.

[Robert Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series of essays written by a travel journalist over his 30 year or so career. The book was kind of scattered and goes back and forth and highlights different memorable events he's been through. It was a little confusing, but moderately interesting.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

McIntyre muses over his experiences in far away and hidden corners of the world, from Sri Lanka to Bhutan and many in between. I liked this. It was written so that I seemed to be there next to him. I look forward to read his "The Kindness of Strangers>"

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some essays were interesting, enjoyable, and painted a beautiful picture. Otherwise I would've rather skipped. Sounds a lot like life.
If you're going to read Mike McIntyre read The Kindness of Strangers.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book although it jumps around a little. Each chapter is a different story of the authors travels. It is an easy and enjoyable read.

[Ben Wideman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter is a different moment - a bit disconnected and scattered, but if you like his writing you'll enjoy this read.

[Melissa Fasken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any lover of traveling and the written word will enjoy and appreciate this book.

[Anne Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. Several stories. After reading his other two books this one was too disjointed for me to enjoy as much as I enjoyed & loved The Wander Year or The Kindness of Strangers.