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The Exotic and the Mundane
In 2011, Joyce & Daryle were approaching 40 and had been married for almost ten years. From the day they met, they’d been talking about “travelling more”, but in ten years they hadn’t advanced very far toward that dream and it had become more of a nagging dissatisfaction than an inspiring goal. Every time they returned from one of their brief yearly vacations, Joyce would spend weeks depressed, thinking there had to be a way to do more than this. They gradually came to the somewhat obvious realization that “travelling more” wasn’t just going to happen, they would need to decide what exactly they wanted, make a plan and commit to a lot of work. In early 2012, they made a decision to go all in on their travel dream, sell everything, and hit the road for an open-ended period of time.
On March 31, 2013, they locked up their house one last time and left on a tour that would take them to 23 countries and 23 U.S. states over the next 14 months. This book is the chronicle of the first six months, spent in Central America and Africa, as they learned to slow down, look around and embrace wherever the heck they were. Alternately funny, frustrating and inspiring, their journey proves that anyone can travel more and that you don’t have to be rich, young or all that brave to get out and see the world.
On March 31, 2013, they locked up their house one last time and left on a tour that would take them to 23 countries and 23 U.S. states over the next 14 months. This book is the chronicle of the first six months, spent in Central America and Africa, as they learned to slow down, look around and embrace wherever the heck they were. Alternately funny, frustrating and inspiring, their journey proves that anyone can travel more and that you don’t have to be rich, young or all that brave to get out and see the world.
- GenresTravelNonfictionMemoir
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2018
173 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Dickens
2 books3 followersJoyce Dickens is the co-creator of Learning to Travel, a blog she and her husband Daryle have developed to help others identify and realize their dream trips, after taking one of their own.
Ten years into their marriage Joyce & Daryle started to really assess their dream of “travelling more” and what that meant. The result was an all-in life-changing 14-month journey to 23 countries and 23 US states. After hearing more “I wish I could do that” comments than they could stand, they realized that most people need a little push to believe their dreams are possible and a little guidance to turn them into reality.
Joyce’s first book, The Exotic and the Mundane is intended to inspire the traveler in all of us while Learning to Travel seeks to take the reader beyond inspiration to action by sharing helpful hints and the structure to turn those ideas into action.
Ultimately, Joyce writes to inspire others to pursue their dreams, to travel, and most of all to believe that anything is possible if they decide it must be so.
When she’s not writing and traveling, Joyce enjoys running, event planning and volunteering on her local search and rescue team.
She also has an especially soft spot for anything with four legs, the more rare and endangered, the bigger the spot. Knowing that there are places where elephants and leopards still roam free inspires her to dream and she believes making sure that the next generation has the opportunity to know that feeling is important. To that end, she also likes to visit and write about as many animals as possible in the hopes that others will fall as in love with them as she has.
Ten years into their marriage Joyce & Daryle started to really assess their dream of “travelling more” and what that meant. The result was an all-in life-changing 14-month journey to 23 countries and 23 US states. After hearing more “I wish I could do that” comments than they could stand, they realized that most people need a little push to believe their dreams are possible and a little guidance to turn them into reality.
Joyce’s first book, The Exotic and the Mundane is intended to inspire the traveler in all of us while Learning to Travel seeks to take the reader beyond inspiration to action by sharing helpful hints and the structure to turn those ideas into action.
Ultimately, Joyce writes to inspire others to pursue their dreams, to travel, and most of all to believe that anything is possible if they decide it must be so.
When she’s not writing and traveling, Joyce enjoys running, event planning and volunteering on her local search and rescue team.
She also has an especially soft spot for anything with four legs, the more rare and endangered, the bigger the spot. Knowing that there are places where elephants and leopards still roam free inspires her to dream and she believes making sure that the next generation has the opportunity to know that feeling is important. To that end, she also likes to visit and write about as many animals as possible in the hopes that others will fall as in love with them as she has.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 22, 2024
I need to begin with the disclaimer that I've known Joyce for nearly three decades, so I read this collection of her adventures within the context of that friendship. I enjoyed the opening pages as she described the plans she and Daryle made, and all the personal notes she included about her thoughts and expectations and reactions to their experiences. The book strikes me as part adventure story, part description of personal growth. Sprinkled with amazing photos to help set the scenes, the descriptions of various highlights and lowlights of traveling to far places was entertaining. The pacing was a bit uneven, and some sequence could have been tightened up a bit, but I definitely finished with the sense that I'd been tagging along with the two of them, riding down rough roadways, sweating in unair-conditioned rooms, and meeting animals I've only ever seen in books and films. I am looking forward to the second volume which covers the remaining months of their world tour.
July 16, 2018
I couldn't get past the first 30 pages
I love a good travel memoir. I've read quite a few good ones. This was not a good one. In all fairness to Ms Dickens, she probably does have a very interesting story to tell. A good editor would have blue lined the rambling and helped shape her book. I never got to the actual travel part of the book because of her rambling about everything she did, and I mean everything, prior to leaving. The first 30 pages could have been condensed into a 2 page prologue.
I love a good travel memoir. I've read quite a few good ones. This was not a good one. In all fairness to Ms Dickens, she probably does have a very interesting story to tell. A good editor would have blue lined the rambling and helped shape her book. I never got to the actual travel part of the book because of her rambling about everything she did, and I mean everything, prior to leaving. The first 30 pages could have been condensed into a 2 page prologue.
August 11, 2018
Very good read
I am looking forward to part two. I was able to live vicariously through Joyce and Daryle and now know which places to go and the ones to avoid. Loved the photos in the book which were like icing on the cake. Great job on converting to Kindle the pix enlarged for a good screen view. There is great potential for a coffee table book here with more photos and less dialogue. I honestly wasn't sure if i would like this book but can now say that i loved it!
Cheers, Dale stuntshool.ca
I am looking forward to part two. I was able to live vicariously through Joyce and Daryle and now know which places to go and the ones to avoid. Loved the photos in the book which were like icing on the cake. Great job on converting to Kindle the pix enlarged for a good screen view. There is great potential for a coffee table book here with more photos and less dialogue. I honestly wasn't sure if i would like this book but can now say that i loved it!
Cheers, Dale stuntshool.ca
October 9, 2018
Leaving life in Colorado for a trip to Central America and Africa
This is like reading a diary of a trip of a lifetime. With both the good and the bad, including lessons learned along the way. I especially enjoyed Joyces thoughts about her experiences and the life lessons she learned.
This is like reading a diary of a trip of a lifetime. With both the good and the bad, including lessons learned along the way. I especially enjoyed Joyces thoughts about her experiences and the life lessons she learned.
March 14, 2019
Loved it!
I loved all the unique adventures they shared, especially the off the beaten path ones staying with complete strangers and seeing the inside of other places not just the touristy spots.
I loved all the unique adventures they shared, especially the off the beaten path ones staying with complete strangers and seeing the inside of other places not just the touristy spots.
July 30, 2019
So this book was not blow my mind wonderful, but it was very enjoyable, I had a wonderful time reading it. Very quick paced and not a whole lot of details, some things felt rushed and spread up, but was quite nice.
February 4, 2019
Truly Inspiring
A great story & quick read. Most of all it reinforces the fact that if you want something bad enough you can make it happen!
A great story & quick read. Most of all it reinforces the fact that if you want something bad enough you can make it happen!
May 27, 2019
Wonderful Book about a Great Trip
Loved this book so much. Better than most travel stories. Includes photos of the places they visited over 14 months in 3 continents.
Loved this book so much. Better than most travel stories. Includes photos of the places they visited over 14 months in 3 continents.
November 15, 2025
I enjoyed it very much and I am hopeful that she writes the second part of their journey. I would love to read about their European and Asian experiences. Good pleasant read
January 11, 2020
It was interesting to learn about the different parts of Central America as well as Africa. The pictures added a lot to this book. I also appreciated the self-assessment of Joyce as she was admittedly outside her comfort zone so very often. Enjoyed the photographs included with the story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews