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Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler's Journey Home
Part memoir and part philosophical look at why we travel, filled with stories of Matt Kepnes' adventures abroad, an exploration of wanderlust and what it truly means to be a nomad.
"Matt is possibly the most well-traveled person I know...His knowledge and passion for understanding the world is unrivaled, and never fails to amaze me." ―Mark Manson, New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Ten Years a Nomad is New York Times bestselling author Matt Kepnes’ poignant exploration of wanderlust and what it truly means to be a nomad. Part travel memoir and part philosophical look at why we travel, it is filled with aspirational stories of Kepnes' many adventures.
New York Times bestselling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day , Matthew Kepnes knows what it feels like to get the travel bug. After meeting some travelers on a trip to Thailand in 2005, he realized that living life meant more than simply meeting society's traditional milestones, such as buying a car, paying a mortgage, and moving up the career ladder. Inspired by them, he set off for a year-long trip around the world before he started his career. He finally came home after ten years. Over 500,000 miles, 1,000 hostels, and 90 different countries later, Matt has compiled his favorite stories, experiences, and insights into this travel manifesto. Filled with the color and perspective that only hindsight and self-reflection can offer, these stories get to the real questions at the heart of wanderlust. Travel questions that transcend the basic "how-to," and plumb the depths of what drives us to travel ― and what extended travel around the world can teach us about life, ourselves, and our place in the world.
Ten Years a Nomad is for travel junkies, the travel-curious, and anyone interested in what you can learn about the world when you don’t have a cable bill for a decade or spend a month not wearing shoes living on the beach in Thailand.
"Matt is possibly the most well-traveled person I know...His knowledge and passion for understanding the world is unrivaled, and never fails to amaze me." ―Mark Manson, New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Ten Years a Nomad is New York Times bestselling author Matt Kepnes’ poignant exploration of wanderlust and what it truly means to be a nomad. Part travel memoir and part philosophical look at why we travel, it is filled with aspirational stories of Kepnes' many adventures.
New York Times bestselling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day , Matthew Kepnes knows what it feels like to get the travel bug. After meeting some travelers on a trip to Thailand in 2005, he realized that living life meant more than simply meeting society's traditional milestones, such as buying a car, paying a mortgage, and moving up the career ladder. Inspired by them, he set off for a year-long trip around the world before he started his career. He finally came home after ten years. Over 500,000 miles, 1,000 hostels, and 90 different countries later, Matt has compiled his favorite stories, experiences, and insights into this travel manifesto. Filled with the color and perspective that only hindsight and self-reflection can offer, these stories get to the real questions at the heart of wanderlust. Travel questions that transcend the basic "how-to," and plumb the depths of what drives us to travel ― and what extended travel around the world can teach us about life, ourselves, and our place in the world.
Ten Years a Nomad is for travel junkies, the travel-curious, and anyone interested in what you can learn about the world when you don’t have a cable bill for a decade or spend a month not wearing shoes living on the beach in Thailand.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 16, 2019
247 people are currently reading
5143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews
August 8, 2019
I occasionally enjoy reading travel themed biographies because I mostly travel in my mind via books. In fact, I haven't taken a proper trip since twenty years ago when I went to England. I'm about to correct that before summer ends when my family travels to Memphis, Tennessee for a musical historic journey to the home of Elvis- Graceland. Growing up, my family never went on a vacation and never owned a car, so I'm conditioned to be content at home...and I am. However, I do love travelling vicariously through others, which is why I requested to read this book.
Matthew was fresh out of college with an MBA and working in a hospital when he decided to chuck it all to go travelling around the world. Of course, his friends and family thought he was daft. But he had an overwhelming passion to travel, and did it anyway. I admire people that follow their passions. When he was working at the hospital and finally had some meager vacation time, he went on a brief vacation. It really whet his appetite and left him hankering for much more. As Matthew explains in his book, there is a big difference in going on a vacation and travelling.
My favorite part of his story was when he embarked on his first trip to Costa Rica. He planned it so carefully, but when he landed at his destination, the language barrier and the need to locate his pre-arranged driver thrust him into near panic mode. Multiple taxi drivers were pestering him with offers to take him to his destination where he would settle into a hostel for the night. Luckily, he was patient and eventually noticed his driver standing nonchalantly holding a sign with Matthew's name. The initial stress of adapting to foreign surroundings and finding the correct transportation with fears of getting lost was palpable, and I identified with that insecurity. On that first trip when Matthew managed to navigate all these challenges, save the few times he was tapped for a novice and scammed on some tour invitations, he grew in confidence and it only amplified his hunger to travel more widely.
Matthew discusses aspects of travelling like making friends, finding romance (often brief), making lifelong connections, how to make money to finance your trip while you're on it, and deviating from a travel plan on impulse, which is often a good thing. Matthew launched a travel blog which was a very new thing back in the early 2000's when he began it. He became known as "Nomadic Matt", and the blog burgeoned into a job in itself. Suddenly he had to carve out time to serve the needs of his blog by answering emails, posting photos, videos, etc., as well as other writing opportunities and speaking engagements. The job began overtaking the freedom and joy of his nomadic pursuits.
A good portion of the book depicted his seemingly never-ending inner struggle to be nomadic vs. settling down somewhere. He suffered from anxiety and stress over this conundrum, but was mostly nomadic for a decade. The book clocks at a fairly modest 240 pages, and I wouldn't have even minded if it was a little shorter. The endless internal struggle about travelling vs. settling down was grating on me after awhile. At the 95% mark there was an unfortunate political dig regarding a driving tour he took around the United States and pre-conceived notions he had about certain people, which I did not appreciate. I find recent biographies inserting these political comments more and more which are very divisive, and serve to alienate half the country. It calls to mind the true comedic talent and class of the legendary Johnny Carson, who would tell jokes even handedly about both political parties.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Matthew was fresh out of college with an MBA and working in a hospital when he decided to chuck it all to go travelling around the world. Of course, his friends and family thought he was daft. But he had an overwhelming passion to travel, and did it anyway. I admire people that follow their passions. When he was working at the hospital and finally had some meager vacation time, he went on a brief vacation. It really whet his appetite and left him hankering for much more. As Matthew explains in his book, there is a big difference in going on a vacation and travelling.
My favorite part of his story was when he embarked on his first trip to Costa Rica. He planned it so carefully, but when he landed at his destination, the language barrier and the need to locate his pre-arranged driver thrust him into near panic mode. Multiple taxi drivers were pestering him with offers to take him to his destination where he would settle into a hostel for the night. Luckily, he was patient and eventually noticed his driver standing nonchalantly holding a sign with Matthew's name. The initial stress of adapting to foreign surroundings and finding the correct transportation with fears of getting lost was palpable, and I identified with that insecurity. On that first trip when Matthew managed to navigate all these challenges, save the few times he was tapped for a novice and scammed on some tour invitations, he grew in confidence and it only amplified his hunger to travel more widely.
Matthew discusses aspects of travelling like making friends, finding romance (often brief), making lifelong connections, how to make money to finance your trip while you're on it, and deviating from a travel plan on impulse, which is often a good thing. Matthew launched a travel blog which was a very new thing back in the early 2000's when he began it. He became known as "Nomadic Matt", and the blog burgeoned into a job in itself. Suddenly he had to carve out time to serve the needs of his blog by answering emails, posting photos, videos, etc., as well as other writing opportunities and speaking engagements. The job began overtaking the freedom and joy of his nomadic pursuits.
A good portion of the book depicted his seemingly never-ending inner struggle to be nomadic vs. settling down somewhere. He suffered from anxiety and stress over this conundrum, but was mostly nomadic for a decade. The book clocks at a fairly modest 240 pages, and I wouldn't have even minded if it was a little shorter. The endless internal struggle about travelling vs. settling down was grating on me after awhile. At the 95% mark there was an unfortunate political dig regarding a driving tour he took around the United States and pre-conceived notions he had about certain people, which I did not appreciate. I find recent biographies inserting these political comments more and more which are very divisive, and serve to alienate half the country. It calls to mind the true comedic talent and class of the legendary Johnny Carson, who would tell jokes even handedly about both political parties.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
April 16, 2020
As someone that is passionate about travel and has followed Nomadic Matt’s past adventures on social media, I was genuinely excited to read this book.
However, not only is this book disappointing (none of the travel stories are actually interesting and there’s no depth to the “insight” that’s shared), it’s completely insufferable. Matt comes across as self-righteous, entitled and shockingly ungrateful for the life he has been blessed to have.
This book is 200 pages of complaint after complaint after complaint after complaint, and sparks ZERO joy.
That being said, I wish Matt all the best as he leads his non-nomadic existence now, but man he needs to check his privilege.
However, not only is this book disappointing (none of the travel stories are actually interesting and there’s no depth to the “insight” that’s shared), it’s completely insufferable. Matt comes across as self-righteous, entitled and shockingly ungrateful for the life he has been blessed to have.
This book is 200 pages of complaint after complaint after complaint after complaint, and sparks ZERO joy.
That being said, I wish Matt all the best as he leads his non-nomadic existence now, but man he needs to check his privilege.
April 5, 2019
I had never before heard of Nomadic Matt. I had never read his blog. My interest in this book was piqued by my own present state of perpetually being on the move. My wife and I spent a lifetime together working, raising a family, and taking far too-short vacations. However, for the last fifteen years we have owned a small, rustic cabin in northern Michigan and spent all of the last eight summers there. Our adult children visited frequently and we had some of the greatest times of our lives together. But last summer we sold our cabin, as well as our home in Florida, and together hit the road.
...The lesson is that travel is all about seizing the opportunities in front of you⸺especially when they’re opportunities to throw away your plans…
For the last year my wife and I, and our dog, have been traveling and living full-time in our 18.5’ travel trailer. It has not all been peaches and cream, however the trip has been worth the price of admission. We have yet to run into an “opportunity” to “throw away our plans” as Nomadic Matt encourages, but are certainly open to it.
...The real secret to life is that you get what you want when you do what you want…
I couldn’t agree more with Matt’s words of wisdom. And to seek out what it is you want. For most of us, perhaps, we do not know what exactly that is. Matt Kepnes certainly does a lot of tiresome explaining and lecturing, and based on his personal experience obviously feels he knows something others do not. Unfortunately, the last third of his book became a bore. I was expecting more from a veteran of ten years on the road. Instead, what I got was not what I wanted.
...It may seem scary just throwing yourself out there and talking to strangers, but we are all strangers in a strange land...
Something in life eventually forces you settle down. Either poor health, old age, a loved one needing you, or even the simple desire to lovingly tend a garden once again. Matt’s story is not unique. It is possible a younger person will discover something in this book to help guide them. But for me, I am not sure I learned anything I didn’t already know. And have no need to explain.
...The lesson is that travel is all about seizing the opportunities in front of you⸺especially when they’re opportunities to throw away your plans…
For the last year my wife and I, and our dog, have been traveling and living full-time in our 18.5’ travel trailer. It has not all been peaches and cream, however the trip has been worth the price of admission. We have yet to run into an “opportunity” to “throw away our plans” as Nomadic Matt encourages, but are certainly open to it.
...The real secret to life is that you get what you want when you do what you want…
I couldn’t agree more with Matt’s words of wisdom. And to seek out what it is you want. For most of us, perhaps, we do not know what exactly that is. Matt Kepnes certainly does a lot of tiresome explaining and lecturing, and based on his personal experience obviously feels he knows something others do not. Unfortunately, the last third of his book became a bore. I was expecting more from a veteran of ten years on the road. Instead, what I got was not what I wanted.
...It may seem scary just throwing yourself out there and talking to strangers, but we are all strangers in a strange land...
Something in life eventually forces you settle down. Either poor health, old age, a loved one needing you, or even the simple desire to lovingly tend a garden once again. Matt’s story is not unique. It is possible a younger person will discover something in this book to help guide them. But for me, I am not sure I learned anything I didn’t already know. And have no need to explain.
April 30, 2019
Received this book free from Netgalley
Honestly I really wanted to like this book but I could not get through it. This book could be condensed into 50 pages and I feel even then that would be long and dull. He reflects through a lot of his earlier travels and how he came about with his blog. I felt every chapter was excessively long and drowned out his point. This book was just repetitive and way too long. Not for me. Found it very “pity me” and “I chose a different path so feel sad for me” in almost every second line throughout this book. In the end, had covered 73% (somehow) and just couldn’t care to finish it.
Honestly I really wanted to like this book but I could not get through it. This book could be condensed into 50 pages and I feel even then that would be long and dull. He reflects through a lot of his earlier travels and how he came about with his blog. I felt every chapter was excessively long and drowned out his point. This book was just repetitive and way too long. Not for me. Found it very “pity me” and “I chose a different path so feel sad for me” in almost every second line throughout this book. In the end, had covered 73% (somehow) and just couldn’t care to finish it.
July 15, 2020
Really wanted to like this one, since I was looking for a novel analysis about modern times, nomadism, community v. travel, etc...
But I couldn't get past the cliches that Matt repeated dozens of times.
These include
-Constantly using the terms 9-5 life, 2 weeks vacation, white picket fence, 2.5 kids, corporate ladder.
-Talking about how he "woke up" from his American brainwashing about the above.
-Like, living in the moment is so much more fun than sitting at a desk, man.
If you've backpacked just once in your life, you'd already pondered this stuff and figured out that life isn't about work.
If you've ever had a great meal, fun adventure, good sex, engaging conversation, you've probably realized this too.
Yet Matt sets up a cliche-monster strawman of an average American: someone who quite literally never thinks about anything else other than work and drinking beer on weekends.
C'mon, I think most Americans realize they'd prefer to travel and go on adventures rather than sit in an office. Unfortunately, Matt's writing implies that it's some bold "authentic" idea he had to leave it all behind.
The main reason most Americans don't travel like this is because a) most people kinda like living where they do and 2) most jobs cannot yet be digitalized and parcelized to working off your macbook in Bali and 3) Our government is corrupt and doesn't grant 3-5 weeks vacation like the Europeans Matt met had. Most people can't all make travel blogs like the author did., or a drop shipping company, or become digital freelancers....
But I couldn't get past the cliches that Matt repeated dozens of times.
These include
-Constantly using the terms 9-5 life, 2 weeks vacation, white picket fence, 2.5 kids, corporate ladder.
-Talking about how he "woke up" from his American brainwashing about the above.
-Like, living in the moment is so much more fun than sitting at a desk, man.
If you've backpacked just once in your life, you'd already pondered this stuff and figured out that life isn't about work.
If you've ever had a great meal, fun adventure, good sex, engaging conversation, you've probably realized this too.
Yet Matt sets up a cliche-monster strawman of an average American: someone who quite literally never thinks about anything else other than work and drinking beer on weekends.
C'mon, I think most Americans realize they'd prefer to travel and go on adventures rather than sit in an office. Unfortunately, Matt's writing implies that it's some bold "authentic" idea he had to leave it all behind.
The main reason most Americans don't travel like this is because a) most people kinda like living where they do and 2) most jobs cannot yet be digitalized and parcelized to working off your macbook in Bali and 3) Our government is corrupt and doesn't grant 3-5 weeks vacation like the Europeans Matt met had. Most people can't all make travel blogs like the author did., or a drop shipping company, or become digital freelancers....
August 20, 2019
I picked up this book because I've read Matt's blog for a number of years and received great travel tips from him. I've also traveled for about the same length of time he has, although not internationally. Like Matt, I find myself trying to establish some stability for myself at this point, and I was curious about his process in coming to this decision.
The book is a mixed bag. This is not great travel writing. The narrative is frequently unfocused. It meanders into amateur philosophy and self-help, which just isn't very interesting. The main threw-line is Matt trying to figure out psychologically why he needs to travel full time, what it does for him, and how to stop. The text is repetitive and I found myself skimming in places.
That said, I did enjoy the book, particularly the second half. It's his own story and there's no wrong way to be yourself.
It does, however, feel like the story isn't complete. In fact, I wish he had chosen a different focus altogether, because the conclusion he comes to is not satisfying. We leave him at a point when he's trying to settle down (again), and this fact is supposed to give the reader closure. However, Matt has tried to stop traveling many times in the course of his memoir with no success. There's no reason to think he'll be successful this go around, either. If he really wants the story to end on a settled note, he needs to be years into a settled life, not just beginning it (again).
I also didn't understand why a total end to travel was necessary.
In the book, Matt seems fixated on a false dichotomy. (I say "in the book," because I can't imagine his thinking is this simplistic in real life.) In the book, he seems to feel that he has to choose between a desk job with two weeks of vacation a year, or being a homeless wanderer. Nothing in between! Even after he is solidly self-employed, he seems to feel like a decision to put down roots is a decision to stop traveling completely forever. He repeatedly tells friends that each trip is his "last trip." Why???
It never seems to occur to him that he could travel seasonally...or take a 3 week trip every quarter...or do a year on, year off. These are easy and obviously solutions. In the book, these solutions are not even considered, which makes it feel like he's trying to invent a problem that doesn't exist because he couldn't think of any other theme for his memoir.
But anyway, I did enjoy parts of the book and if you are a traveler, you probably will, too.
The book is a mixed bag. This is not great travel writing. The narrative is frequently unfocused. It meanders into amateur philosophy and self-help, which just isn't very interesting. The main threw-line is Matt trying to figure out psychologically why he needs to travel full time, what it does for him, and how to stop. The text is repetitive and I found myself skimming in places.
That said, I did enjoy the book, particularly the second half. It's his own story and there's no wrong way to be yourself.
It does, however, feel like the story isn't complete. In fact, I wish he had chosen a different focus altogether, because the conclusion he comes to is not satisfying. We leave him at a point when he's trying to settle down (again), and this fact is supposed to give the reader closure. However, Matt has tried to stop traveling many times in the course of his memoir with no success. There's no reason to think he'll be successful this go around, either. If he really wants the story to end on a settled note, he needs to be years into a settled life, not just beginning it (again).
I also didn't understand why a total end to travel was necessary.
In the book, Matt seems fixated on a false dichotomy. (I say "in the book," because I can't imagine his thinking is this simplistic in real life.) In the book, he seems to feel that he has to choose between a desk job with two weeks of vacation a year, or being a homeless wanderer. Nothing in between! Even after he is solidly self-employed, he seems to feel like a decision to put down roots is a decision to stop traveling completely forever. He repeatedly tells friends that each trip is his "last trip." Why???
It never seems to occur to him that he could travel seasonally...or take a 3 week trip every quarter...or do a year on, year off. These are easy and obviously solutions. In the book, these solutions are not even considered, which makes it feel like he's trying to invent a problem that doesn't exist because he couldn't think of any other theme for his memoir.
But anyway, I did enjoy parts of the book and if you are a traveler, you probably will, too.
October 31, 2020
This was a drag to get through. The work is presented as an insightful look into travel, but is a series of disconnected complaints with the common thread of drinking in hostels. Before he travels, the author complains about feeling unfulfilled at his job. On the road, he complains about not being able to find meaningful love connections, having to choose between working remotely or enjoying the moment, and eventually travel burnout. He would take breaks and immediately complain about feeling stagnant, but then get back on the road and have the same gripes. The positives he has about lifelong friendships don't seem to play out; the only names I see repeated at the ex girlfriends he's still pining for. Wasn't worth the time, and in general just felt vapid and shallow.
July 4, 2019
Why yes, I did win a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. You have been warned. If the publishers are really trying to influence me, the joke’s on them as most of my reviews rarely score more than half a dozen likes or so …
As with most nonfiction, there really isn't much to summarize about this book that isn't right there on the front cover. Matthew Kepnes spent the better part of ten years traveling around the world. He would pause to earn money when necessary--teaching English in Thailand, for example--but get back to traveling as quickly as possible. Eventually he was able to earn money from blogging about his experiences.
The book is not a travelogue--though that's certainly an aspect of it--so much as an examination of his life, an attempt to articulate his reasons for choosing this particular lifestyle. Why travel? Isn't it dangerous and/or expensive? And, after ten years, why put down roots? It's almost more of a philosophy book than a travel book.
As a longtime armchair traveler, I got the expected vicarious thrill from reading about Matt’s adventures. He’s an articulate writer, and does an excellent job of presenting the reasons for his choices. You don't just learn what he did, but why he did it.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. Recommended!
As with most nonfiction, there really isn't much to summarize about this book that isn't right there on the front cover. Matthew Kepnes spent the better part of ten years traveling around the world. He would pause to earn money when necessary--teaching English in Thailand, for example--but get back to traveling as quickly as possible. Eventually he was able to earn money from blogging about his experiences.
The book is not a travelogue--though that's certainly an aspect of it--so much as an examination of his life, an attempt to articulate his reasons for choosing this particular lifestyle. Why travel? Isn't it dangerous and/or expensive? And, after ten years, why put down roots? It's almost more of a philosophy book than a travel book.
As a longtime armchair traveler, I got the expected vicarious thrill from reading about Matt’s adventures. He’s an articulate writer, and does an excellent job of presenting the reasons for his choices. You don't just learn what he did, but why he did it.
I enjoyed this book a great deal. Recommended!
July 13, 2024
Wonderfully conflicted on this book. Wasn't familiar with NomadicMatt, but the premise of the book interested me. I'm very glad I read it, even though I'm not sure I'd fully recommend it. I would have preferred more about the places and less him narrating about himself, but that was probably poor research on my end before selecting this book. So if you're looking for a traditional travelog, this isn't it.
There's a lot of Matt in me, and me in him. In fact we both set off around the same time - him to Prague/Italy and me to Australia in late 2004. I'm not quite two years older than Kepnes, but that feels a lot larger at 23/25 than it does now. While he eventually grew out of the drink and smoke until dawn and sleep the day away backpacker phase, that never appealed to me. But I fully agree with him about sometimes you fall in love with a place instantly and end up chasing ghosts to recapture that magic, and other times a city never grabs you. Bangkok to him is Sydney to me.
While I eventually "grew up" and outgrew the hostel world, I don't think I'll ever stop traveling. I do wholly understand the burnout he faced. It hit me after a stint in Prague, and I knew it was time to come home from Japan round one. I also understand the feeling that so much has changed when you go "home", except it hasn't. We travelers have. I never experienced the frustration he did with friends when talking about his trip, but I didn't try to have those conversations. Just as "Hey I work FT and just bought a new house" didn't wow me, I wouldn't expect "I taught in Prague these last couple months" to wow them. I also never really felt the "American Dream" pressure that he did where traveling didn't fit as well. I don't see my two weeks vacation as a trade off for the rest of the year, it's about balance.
The other big difference between our experiences was technology. The iPhone changed his travel life - he couldn't commit to a sailing trip to Colombia because he couldn't stomach the thought of being offline and missing something. I traveled with a laptop, but relished being off line. It was the best of both worlds in that I could journal my trip, but it wasn't my line of work so it didn't tether me. Backpacking in an era of smart phones would have been very different for me. At the same time, he lamented losing touch with travelers and a portion of my Facebook is friends I met once upon a city ago. Diff'rent strokes.
Most of my challenges with the book were subjective, but the one issue I really had was the timeline. This book is organized into rough themes and isn't a chronological account of his time. Because he visited some cities multiple times, it wasn't always clear when in the timeline of his life a particular story was so it was hard to contextualize the point of the story. Similarly, he might reference writer Bill under one theme, but he didn't introduce him as Bill Last Name until later. I immediately recognized Scott Dinsmore's story though.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this.
2024 audio book:
I was about 20% in before I logged this on goodreads and round I’d already read it. Zero recollection even once I knew it. And rereading, I have some of the same thoughts. Covid changed travel and we’re all so glad to be back out, but we’re also older. I’m not sure I’d like Matt if I met him on the road (and vice versa), but I definitely knew some Matts.
There's a lot of Matt in me, and me in him. In fact we both set off around the same time - him to Prague/Italy and me to Australia in late 2004. I'm not quite two years older than Kepnes, but that feels a lot larger at 23/25 than it does now. While he eventually grew out of the drink and smoke until dawn and sleep the day away backpacker phase, that never appealed to me. But I fully agree with him about sometimes you fall in love with a place instantly and end up chasing ghosts to recapture that magic, and other times a city never grabs you. Bangkok to him is Sydney to me.
While I eventually "grew up" and outgrew the hostel world, I don't think I'll ever stop traveling. I do wholly understand the burnout he faced. It hit me after a stint in Prague, and I knew it was time to come home from Japan round one. I also understand the feeling that so much has changed when you go "home", except it hasn't. We travelers have. I never experienced the frustration he did with friends when talking about his trip, but I didn't try to have those conversations. Just as "Hey I work FT and just bought a new house" didn't wow me, I wouldn't expect "I taught in Prague these last couple months" to wow them. I also never really felt the "American Dream" pressure that he did where traveling didn't fit as well. I don't see my two weeks vacation as a trade off for the rest of the year, it's about balance.
The other big difference between our experiences was technology. The iPhone changed his travel life - he couldn't commit to a sailing trip to Colombia because he couldn't stomach the thought of being offline and missing something. I traveled with a laptop, but relished being off line. It was the best of both worlds in that I could journal my trip, but it wasn't my line of work so it didn't tether me. Backpacking in an era of smart phones would have been very different for me. At the same time, he lamented losing touch with travelers and a portion of my Facebook is friends I met once upon a city ago. Diff'rent strokes.
Most of my challenges with the book were subjective, but the one issue I really had was the timeline. This book is organized into rough themes and isn't a chronological account of his time. Because he visited some cities multiple times, it wasn't always clear when in the timeline of his life a particular story was so it was hard to contextualize the point of the story. Similarly, he might reference writer Bill under one theme, but he didn't introduce him as Bill Last Name until later. I immediately recognized Scott Dinsmore's story though.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this.
2024 audio book:
I was about 20% in before I logged this on goodreads and round I’d already read it. Zero recollection even once I knew it. And rereading, I have some of the same thoughts. Covid changed travel and we’re all so glad to be back out, but we’re also older. I’m not sure I’d like Matt if I met him on the road (and vice versa), but I definitely knew some Matts.
January 11, 2020
I enjoyed this book! Some did not because they said he got repetitive at the end. However, this was a memoir. It was interesting to see how he cycled through the want to travel and how making it a job became stressful. I am follower of his blog, so I was worried this would be repetitive of his blog posts. That is quite common of bloggers turned book authors. Yet, I felt this was all new.
I took a star away because I would have liked a little more travel stories to even out the introspective portion!
I took a star away because I would have liked a little more travel stories to even out the introspective portion!
October 13, 2019
Pretty pretentious. I skimmed the first 6 chapters because they were so unenjoyable to read, and almost gave up. It got a little better after that. I didn’t really learn anything about traveling as a nomad, it was mostly him generally discussing life lessons, but it felt preachy or a tone of him just talking down to the reader. It also felt like he was ungrateful regardless of the situation he was in.
October 25, 2020
*****SPOILERS*****
Release Date: July 16, 2019
Genre: travel biography
Rating: 🎃🎃 2.0
About the book: Matthew Kepnes knows what it feels like to get the travel bug. After meeting some travelers on a trip to Thailand in 2005, he realized that living life meant more than simply meeting society's traditional milestones, such as buying a car, paying a mortgage, and moving up the career ladder. Inspired by them, he set off for a year-long trip around the world before he started his career. He finally came home after ten years. Over 500,000 miles, 1,000 hostels, and 90 different countries later, Matt has compiled his favorite stories, experiences, and insights into this travel manifesto. Filled with the color and perspective that only hindsight and self-reflection can offer, these stories get to the real questions at the heart of wanderlust. Travel questions that transcend the basic "how-to," and plumb the depths of what drives us to travel — and what extended travel around the world can teach us about life, ourselves, and our place in the world.
What I Liked:
1. It's a travel book
2. He started off with the same complaints that many workers have.
What I Didn't Like:
1. It came off pretentious
2. He doesn't understand the real world
3. It was repetitive and boring.
Overall Thoughts: We started off great and then by page 30 I was annoyed. Who was this person to tell people that if we wanted to travel (not just travel) but live by backpack that we all could. That the world isn't a scary place. Matt doesn't take in account that the world is a scary place for women and people of color. People who have children to feed can't drop their jobs to travel living on scrapes. The book jumps a lot from thought to thought. In one he talks about quiting his job and then saving money. Saving money? How you have none coming in? Oh by that point he decides that his dream is going to involve his parents supporting him financially as he moves home to save money. So even though his parents don't believe in him doing any of this they now have to support him and pay for his food and needs? Oh Matt! Not everyone has those great parents that can take them in and possibly a family too just so they can backpack around Europe. It was there that I didn't believe in anything he says. Sometimes for fun I'll watch YouTube videos of people saying how to save money only for them to reveal they have moved home to save money. No no no you're just mooching off of your parents and using their money. He sounded like a juvenile talking about how everything is possible.
Final Thoughts: No thanks Matt I'll take my travel advice from people that aren't mooches off of mummy and daddy.
Release Date: July 16, 2019
Genre: travel biography
Rating: 🎃🎃 2.0
About the book: Matthew Kepnes knows what it feels like to get the travel bug. After meeting some travelers on a trip to Thailand in 2005, he realized that living life meant more than simply meeting society's traditional milestones, such as buying a car, paying a mortgage, and moving up the career ladder. Inspired by them, he set off for a year-long trip around the world before he started his career. He finally came home after ten years. Over 500,000 miles, 1,000 hostels, and 90 different countries later, Matt has compiled his favorite stories, experiences, and insights into this travel manifesto. Filled with the color and perspective that only hindsight and self-reflection can offer, these stories get to the real questions at the heart of wanderlust. Travel questions that transcend the basic "how-to," and plumb the depths of what drives us to travel — and what extended travel around the world can teach us about life, ourselves, and our place in the world.
What I Liked:
1. It's a travel book
2. He started off with the same complaints that many workers have.
What I Didn't Like:
1. It came off pretentious
2. He doesn't understand the real world
3. It was repetitive and boring.
Overall Thoughts: We started off great and then by page 30 I was annoyed. Who was this person to tell people that if we wanted to travel (not just travel) but live by backpack that we all could. That the world isn't a scary place. Matt doesn't take in account that the world is a scary place for women and people of color. People who have children to feed can't drop their jobs to travel living on scrapes. The book jumps a lot from thought to thought. In one he talks about quiting his job and then saving money. Saving money? How you have none coming in? Oh by that point he decides that his dream is going to involve his parents supporting him financially as he moves home to save money. So even though his parents don't believe in him doing any of this they now have to support him and pay for his food and needs? Oh Matt! Not everyone has those great parents that can take them in and possibly a family too just so they can backpack around Europe. It was there that I didn't believe in anything he says. Sometimes for fun I'll watch YouTube videos of people saying how to save money only for them to reveal they have moved home to save money. No no no you're just mooching off of your parents and using their money. He sounded like a juvenile talking about how everything is possible.
Final Thoughts: No thanks Matt I'll take my travel advice from people that aren't mooches off of mummy and daddy.
September 10, 2019
In the first several chapters of this book I was vastly disappointed. I have been reading Nomadic Matt's blog for several years now and had always found him to be encouraging of every kind of travel whether for two days or two years, and here in these chapters he was spouting the same intolerance of people who travel in the short term that I had come to expect from places like Lonely Planet's Thorn-tree forums. His story was interesting and the writing engaging enough that I wanted to finish but as a short term traveler who enjoys a day job as well I felt betrayed. In the last chapters however he returned to the more inclusive definitions of travel that I had come to expect from his blog and so I have (mostly) forgiven the temporary lapse.
August 16, 2019
Traveling and reading go hand-in-hand. Both take you to new places, confront you with new people and ideas, and in my opinion, can make us better people. In this book about traveling, the author attempts to expose the reader to the realities of travel.
Through several stories of his own travels around the world, Kepnes provides his own philosophy about living like a modern-day nomad. Instead of taking a chronological approach, he gives a theme to each chapter, skipping years at a time depending on which of his experiences serves his point best. Relationships on the road, planning the trip, and living like a local are examples of these topics, and he answers questions about them such as "Can anyone have a serious relationship while traveling full-time?" "How is traveling full-time financially possible?" "Can traveling give one a true sense of a country/city? Or does that require living in said country/city for an extended period of time?" His answers to most of these questions are positive and sometimes surprising. For a younger, inexperienced traveler like myself, there are great pieces of advice to be had in these chapters, including reasoning to back them up.
The writing style is very light, for the lack of a better word. This is not a novel, crafted by some literary genius who exerts full mental effort into every sentence she puts down, and I don't expect it to be. Nomadic Matt is a travel writer, and I doubt his primary concern was creating a work of art. This does make the book a quick read. However, he takes his writing too lightly at times and throws in awkward clichés when he could just as easily leave them out and continue with his point. In this way, his writing can become "fluffy," and makes the book longer than it needs to be. Yet, Kepnes does not malign any one group with his writing and, through his ideas, shows himself to be a mature and thoughtful person.
I think the novel idea in this book is actually a variation on Thoreau's exhortation to live deliberately. We have a set of choices in how to live life. Not everyone needs to take the typical American option of school, job, family, and retirement. For some, this may be the dream, but there are many others who have been taught that this is the only way to live and that deviating from this course is considered a mistake. If you want to travel the world or want an alternative to the 9-5 office job for 40 years, you can have that. You just may have to adjust how you live now. Consider your options, and don't denigrate others for choosing a different one.
Through several stories of his own travels around the world, Kepnes provides his own philosophy about living like a modern-day nomad. Instead of taking a chronological approach, he gives a theme to each chapter, skipping years at a time depending on which of his experiences serves his point best. Relationships on the road, planning the trip, and living like a local are examples of these topics, and he answers questions about them such as "Can anyone have a serious relationship while traveling full-time?" "How is traveling full-time financially possible?" "Can traveling give one a true sense of a country/city? Or does that require living in said country/city for an extended period of time?" His answers to most of these questions are positive and sometimes surprising. For a younger, inexperienced traveler like myself, there are great pieces of advice to be had in these chapters, including reasoning to back them up.
The writing style is very light, for the lack of a better word. This is not a novel, crafted by some literary genius who exerts full mental effort into every sentence she puts down, and I don't expect it to be. Nomadic Matt is a travel writer, and I doubt his primary concern was creating a work of art. This does make the book a quick read. However, he takes his writing too lightly at times and throws in awkward clichés when he could just as easily leave them out and continue with his point. In this way, his writing can become "fluffy," and makes the book longer than it needs to be. Yet, Kepnes does not malign any one group with his writing and, through his ideas, shows himself to be a mature and thoughtful person.
I think the novel idea in this book is actually a variation on Thoreau's exhortation to live deliberately. We have a set of choices in how to live life. Not everyone needs to take the typical American option of school, job, family, and retirement. For some, this may be the dream, but there are many others who have been taught that this is the only way to live and that deviating from this course is considered a mistake. If you want to travel the world or want an alternative to the 9-5 office job for 40 years, you can have that. You just may have to adjust how you live now. Consider your options, and don't denigrate others for choosing a different one.
August 12, 2019
I really wanted to love this book because I am interested in travel myself, I read Matt’s blog, and I read a lot of travel memoirs. Sadly this was difficult to finish, and I agree with one of the reviews here— it doesn’t really say anything. It doesn’t really inspire you to travel. If anything, it’s more of the author’s dissatisfaction with life in general, regardless of wherever he is in the world. The chapters are disjointed and they don’t tie together. Wish it could have been insightful and inspiring, sadly, it’s really not.
July 6, 2019
Felt guilty reading this, knowing the author had to work on writing this book instead of traveling for fun.
June 8, 2020
This book is geared towards people who are starting to get the travel bug or people who hasn't had the symptoms of the travel bug. I am not well-traveled yet (total of countries I have been in is six) but I have big dreams of travel. I have watched videos and read thousands of blogs. I have planned my dream itinerary if I win the lottery and if I don't win the lottery (a.k.a. the cheapest way to do it). In other words, I am in an unrequited relationship. Or maybe I'm a "stalker" for it.
If you're well-versed traveler or simply just a person who travel through books (like I do because well, money, work, family etc.), you would know what Matt is saying in the first fifty pages. And you wouldn't be astounded by all the travel stories that he tells that can get repetitive and cursory. You just nod along and say, "yeah, sure, work, bitch." ("work, bitch" is gay lingo for "yes kween" which is still gay lingo but more mainstream).
If you have a friend who's never been outside the country, or outside the city for over ten years (I have coworkers that are these), you can gift this book to them. Traveling, like reading, listening to music, or watching a movie, is really about transporting yourself to a different place that is magical, entertaining, and fascinating. A book like this, accessible and inspiring enough to the mainstream, will certainly make your friend like you more.
Ten Years a Nomad is a diary of his own emotional journey which can be important. If you like that, then go ahead support Matt! To be honest, this book was about Matt trying to process his travels more than Matt trying to give you tips on the emotional and physical tolls of full-time travel.
I recommend The Best American Travel Writing if you want more facts, fascinating history, more vivid description while tasting works of different travel writers who have more emotional stakes in the places that they travel to.
It's 1:30 a.m. Grammar is weird. My mind is dizzy. I'm incoherent. But thanks for reading.
If you're well-versed traveler or simply just a person who travel through books (like I do because well, money, work, family etc.), you would know what Matt is saying in the first fifty pages. And you wouldn't be astounded by all the travel stories that he tells that can get repetitive and cursory. You just nod along and say, "yeah, sure, work, bitch." ("work, bitch" is gay lingo for "yes kween" which is still gay lingo but more mainstream).
If you have a friend who's never been outside the country, or outside the city for over ten years (I have coworkers that are these), you can gift this book to them. Traveling, like reading, listening to music, or watching a movie, is really about transporting yourself to a different place that is magical, entertaining, and fascinating. A book like this, accessible and inspiring enough to the mainstream, will certainly make your friend like you more.
Ten Years a Nomad is a diary of his own emotional journey which can be important. If you like that, then go ahead support Matt! To be honest, this book was about Matt trying to process his travels more than Matt trying to give you tips on the emotional and physical tolls of full-time travel.
I recommend The Best American Travel Writing if you want more facts, fascinating history, more vivid description while tasting works of different travel writers who have more emotional stakes in the places that they travel to.
It's 1:30 a.m. Grammar is weird. My mind is dizzy. I'm incoherent. But thanks for reading.
January 11, 2023
I expected this to be slightly less negative.
I just don’t get what the point was? All those chapters about all the things people will say to you when you decide to travel long term - that you’re crazy, a hippie, running away from something - and in the last chapter he goes “they were right, I was running away from something.”
Ouch, Matt.
I just don’t get what the point was? All those chapters about all the things people will say to you when you decide to travel long term - that you’re crazy, a hippie, running away from something - and in the last chapter he goes “they were right, I was running away from something.”
Ouch, Matt.
January 12, 2020
Full of insightful on-the-road musings similar to my own about feeling other-dimensionally away from home, this bored former Bostonian seeks, finds, and loses love during his wanderlust. Disappointing that a book can be uplifting and depressing at the same time.
December 6, 2022
Yes I did read this in one day, on a flight to Norway in fact. Such a great dissection into long term travel and it’s effect on a persons life, or in this case specially his. So very relatable and great advice for this kind of lifestyle. Covers everything from the highs and lows mentally and burnouts
March 25, 2019
I had not heard of "nomadic Matt" before reading this book. I agree with so much of what the author is saying.
People often think that we travel too much and why do we travel. I absolutely loved that the author pointed out that for most people we, travelers, are breaking the norm.
I liked that the author was truthful about his anxiety, his wants, his needs, and at the end, the decision to make a home.
I think that everyone should read this book. It was eye opening and yet, left me with some wanderlust.
Keep traveling, keep taking those vacations, keep on moving forward. You learn something new every day!
People often think that we travel too much and why do we travel. I absolutely loved that the author pointed out that for most people we, travelers, are breaking the norm.
I liked that the author was truthful about his anxiety, his wants, his needs, and at the end, the decision to make a home.
I think that everyone should read this book. It was eye opening and yet, left me with some wanderlust.
Keep traveling, keep taking those vacations, keep on moving forward. You learn something new every day!
January 14, 2021
Honestly, this book was about as coherent as Matt's travels, which given his nomadic nature, is non-existent.
This read not as a "how to" manual for travel, but as a modern and terrible philosophy text. Think about some garbage you had to read for a humanities class, fast forward about 3- or 400 years. You'd have this book.
In between flashes of saving up money (I guess having a $30,000 job and living with your mum helps?) and actually telling us about some of the logistics of his travels, Matt does nothing but repeat the same stuffy monologue about how he was bored with the American Dream that had supposedly been forced down his throat, talk about his restlessness, and his anxiety managing a blog, a sporadic dating life, and his travels. (You know, the thing he wanted to do).
It would be one thing if he complained once and sort of moved on. But this book spends most of its time either complaining about traveling or complaining about how he's "different" from people with real jobs that settle down. All of which is compounded by his awkward and nerdy nature.
I guess if you don't mind repetitive or circuitous books, then you might enjoy this. But as someone who has done the world travel and the nomadic life for a little bit, I found this incredibly masturbatory.
All of this was bemusedly insufferable until he got to mentioning the women. Oh, these poor women. So objectified. Charlotte becomes his "dream girl," the one who's "the whole package." Yikes. Can't believe I have to say this in a shitty Goodreads review, but women are not your playthings, your symbols, your bookmarks for your life. They're their own people and the way he wrote about them was unbearable.
I honestly skimmed the last 50 pages or so, which dealt with Matt's anxiety and how he couldn't find a work-life balance, despite assuring us for 150 pages that he was desperate to escape this. It's supposedly ameliorated with dubious amounts of Xanax, but I couldn't help spending the entire time wondering how a nomad got ahold of a controlled substance.
This read not as a "how to" manual for travel, but as a modern and terrible philosophy text. Think about some garbage you had to read for a humanities class, fast forward about 3- or 400 years. You'd have this book.
In between flashes of saving up money (I guess having a $30,000 job and living with your mum helps?) and actually telling us about some of the logistics of his travels, Matt does nothing but repeat the same stuffy monologue about how he was bored with the American Dream that had supposedly been forced down his throat, talk about his restlessness, and his anxiety managing a blog, a sporadic dating life, and his travels. (You know, the thing he wanted to do).
It would be one thing if he complained once and sort of moved on. But this book spends most of its time either complaining about traveling or complaining about how he's "different" from people with real jobs that settle down. All of which is compounded by his awkward and nerdy nature.
I guess if you don't mind repetitive or circuitous books, then you might enjoy this. But as someone who has done the world travel and the nomadic life for a little bit, I found this incredibly masturbatory.
All of this was bemusedly insufferable until he got to mentioning the women. Oh, these poor women. So objectified. Charlotte becomes his "dream girl," the one who's "the whole package." Yikes. Can't believe I have to say this in a shitty Goodreads review, but women are not your playthings, your symbols, your bookmarks for your life. They're their own people and the way he wrote about them was unbearable.
I honestly skimmed the last 50 pages or so, which dealt with Matt's anxiety and how he couldn't find a work-life balance, despite assuring us for 150 pages that he was desperate to escape this. It's supposedly ameliorated with dubious amounts of Xanax, but I couldn't help spending the entire time wondering how a nomad got ahold of a controlled substance.
June 14, 2020
Given my previous enthusiasm for Matthew Kepnes' blog, I was exceptionally disappointed by this book.
1. The book itself should have been 50 pages. By the halfway point, I started skimming paragraphs just to make it go faster. The writing was repetitive, uncreative, and trite. There were cliches that made my eyes roll into the back of my skull. All this, from a guy who's been writing for the past 10 years as a career?
2. If Matt's been traveling for 10 years, yet readers feel that his book could have been 50 pages, that shows that he didn't really learn much at all. I saw very little growth, personal development, or self-awareness in these pages. There was a healthy dose of self-pity sprinkled among the pages, the same sense of smug superiority, but nothing that indicated the true joy of travel. Instead, Matt Kepnes is clearly the protagonist around whom entire casts of 2D characters and settings revolve. There is no sense that the locations he visits are different, special, or worthy of any attention except as stationary manic pixie dream girls. This is extremely disappointing in a travel book.
3. He's pretty rude, both within the book and as the narrator. It was irksome when he put down his old flames and he seems to look down upon non-"nomads", while vehemently denying his negative attitude.
4. He's so unaware that he constitutes his worldview - a limited one, by nature of being one specific person who can't speak for the experiences of others - as universal. His statement of "99.999% of the world aren't murderers, rapists, and robbers" ground my gears in particular, because his sweeping statement reflected not the truth, but rather a belief he had, grounded in the basis that he is NOT a woman, and thus statistically so much less likely to be victimized by sexual assault.
Overall, reading this book was a waste of my time.
1. The book itself should have been 50 pages. By the halfway point, I started skimming paragraphs just to make it go faster. The writing was repetitive, uncreative, and trite. There were cliches that made my eyes roll into the back of my skull. All this, from a guy who's been writing for the past 10 years as a career?
2. If Matt's been traveling for 10 years, yet readers feel that his book could have been 50 pages, that shows that he didn't really learn much at all. I saw very little growth, personal development, or self-awareness in these pages. There was a healthy dose of self-pity sprinkled among the pages, the same sense of smug superiority, but nothing that indicated the true joy of travel. Instead, Matt Kepnes is clearly the protagonist around whom entire casts of 2D characters and settings revolve. There is no sense that the locations he visits are different, special, or worthy of any attention except as stationary manic pixie dream girls. This is extremely disappointing in a travel book.
3. He's pretty rude, both within the book and as the narrator. It was irksome when he put down his old flames and he seems to look down upon non-"nomads", while vehemently denying his negative attitude.
4. He's so unaware that he constitutes his worldview - a limited one, by nature of being one specific person who can't speak for the experiences of others - as universal. His statement of "99.999% of the world aren't murderers, rapists, and robbers" ground my gears in particular, because his sweeping statement reflected not the truth, but rather a belief he had, grounded in the basis that he is NOT a woman, and thus statistically so much less likely to be victimized by sexual assault.
Overall, reading this book was a waste of my time.
July 1, 2019
3.5/5 I have to say, I picked up this book because I recognized a little of myself in the title- though I guess my story would be called Ten Years an Expat since I lived and worked abroad. I was really looking forward to hearing a fellow traveler's stories, but it turned out the actual stories were few and far between. For the most part, Matt reflects on why he started traveling, his motivation for continuing, how his family views his travels, and random friendships/loves along the way.
I think this would appeal to young 20 somethings who are having their first case of itchy feet and are looking for inspiration. Matt focuses on the backpacker lifestyle, staying in hostels, and living on the cheap- which, honestly, is how most people have to travel in their 20s. The only thing I didn't care for was his insistence that hostel hopping is some sort of rite of passage and that those who don't do that, whether because they go on organized tours or stay in nicer places aren't traveling the right way. He says that getting ripped off is just part of travel. Well, let me tell you, if you stay in one place long enough to actually learn something about the culture instead of just hopping all around, then you make local friends. And friends don't let friends get ripped off. Taking the time to read up on a place, learn the language, meet local people (instead of just hanging out with the hostel crowd) can really add a lot about your understanding of the place your visiting.
So, overall, an interesting read, but I guess I'm more interested in how he is going to spend his next ten years now that he is aging out of the hostel set and, you know, might want some decent health care at some point (I know that's what got me).
I think this would appeal to young 20 somethings who are having their first case of itchy feet and are looking for inspiration. Matt focuses on the backpacker lifestyle, staying in hostels, and living on the cheap- which, honestly, is how most people have to travel in their 20s. The only thing I didn't care for was his insistence that hostel hopping is some sort of rite of passage and that those who don't do that, whether because they go on organized tours or stay in nicer places aren't traveling the right way. He says that getting ripped off is just part of travel. Well, let me tell you, if you stay in one place long enough to actually learn something about the culture instead of just hopping all around, then you make local friends. And friends don't let friends get ripped off. Taking the time to read up on a place, learn the language, meet local people (instead of just hanging out with the hostel crowd) can really add a lot about your understanding of the place your visiting.
So, overall, an interesting read, but I guess I'm more interested in how he is going to spend his next ten years now that he is aging out of the hostel set and, you know, might want some decent health care at some point (I know that's what got me).
January 30, 2021
I don’t like writing negative reviews, but this book was extremely disappointing. What I thought would be an exciting travel memoir ended up reading like one long, boring blog post. Instead of diving into a few of his most memorable experiences, the author breezes over everything and gives us basic summaries. It's hostels, beaches, and bars over and over again.
I think the narrative is intended to be in chronological order but it also jumps around at some parts to cover "themes." The chapter order was generally chaotic and hard to follow. I kept waiting for him to get into the meat of the story and he never did. It felt the author was preaching to readers as most of the book was written in the second person, even though he was telling "his" story. He also resorted to some metaphors that came off as offensive to me. You're not a soldier going to war. You're not an addict getting your fix. You're a privileged white male on a long vacation, avoiding long-term responsibilities while hanging out at hostel bars getting drunk with strangers.
I think what bothered me the most was that the author spent so much of the book complaining about the monotony of office life and then literally did the same thing over and over again while he was traveling. To each his own, but his trips sounded boring to me. Eventually, he addressed this, and then even complained about the monotony of traveling.
The only highlight of the story was when a local Greek man took Matt to a festival and told him to write about it, stating "It will make a better story than you getting drunk with other backpackers."
Agreed. I think Matt's story had potential but with the poor writing and editing, it totally flopped for me.
I think the narrative is intended to be in chronological order but it also jumps around at some parts to cover "themes." The chapter order was generally chaotic and hard to follow. I kept waiting for him to get into the meat of the story and he never did. It felt the author was preaching to readers as most of the book was written in the second person, even though he was telling "his" story. He also resorted to some metaphors that came off as offensive to me. You're not a soldier going to war. You're not an addict getting your fix. You're a privileged white male on a long vacation, avoiding long-term responsibilities while hanging out at hostel bars getting drunk with strangers.
I think what bothered me the most was that the author spent so much of the book complaining about the monotony of office life and then literally did the same thing over and over again while he was traveling. To each his own, but his trips sounded boring to me. Eventually, he addressed this, and then even complained about the monotony of traveling.
The only highlight of the story was when a local Greek man took Matt to a festival and told him to write about it, stating "It will make a better story than you getting drunk with other backpackers."
Agreed. I think Matt's story had potential but with the poor writing and editing, it totally flopped for me.
April 29, 2021
Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Goodreads for a free copy of this book!
I don’t necessarily believe in the concept of YOLO, but I do agree that life is short. We are here NOW and we should live life that way. However, I DO like that this book is just as philosophical as the next travel book. I like that he is true in saying he isn’t running from something or someone. I like that he doesn’t give in to society’s ideals of who we are supposed to be and how we are supposed to live based on everybody else’s rules or follow the path that their parents followed. If I would have known 20 years ago that traveling like a nomad would still lead me to where I am today, I would have done things differently. This book does give me hope that some day I will leave the mundane lifestyle of shift work and computers and bosses and actually go LIVE.
I don’t necessarily believe in the concept of YOLO, but I do agree that life is short. We are here NOW and we should live life that way. However, I DO like that this book is just as philosophical as the next travel book. I like that he is true in saying he isn’t running from something or someone. I like that he doesn’t give in to society’s ideals of who we are supposed to be and how we are supposed to live based on everybody else’s rules or follow the path that their parents followed. If I would have known 20 years ago that traveling like a nomad would still lead me to where I am today, I would have done things differently. This book does give me hope that some day I will leave the mundane lifestyle of shift work and computers and bosses and actually go LIVE.
August 1, 2019
This book read like a too-long travel blog post. Somehow the book doesn't really say anything, either, and it skips over a whole lot of "the middle part" of the story. He goes from a bright-eyed new traveler to a jaded overworked digital nomad in the span of a few pages, without explaining the transition. He elaborates on non-interesting bits and then glazes over the potentially insightful parts. There were a few quotables, but it was overall a skippable narrative whose gist you can get by reading his free content.
March 20, 2020
I wish the author avoided the 'lecturing/preaching' predominant tone of the book and instead wrote more about his personal experiences. The best parts are those where he actually describes what happened and how it happened without going too 'philosophical' and 'preachy' why everyone should travel. Overall, the editor should have done a better job. There are way too many repetitions of the same things. Instead of giving more examples of why he thinks something, he repeats the same thing several times with different words. All in all, interesting, but could have been much better.
August 24, 2022
Great nomad memoir. He writes eloquently and his story is interesting. There were times my heart was beating fast and I couldn't put down the book. He truly knows how to describe that inner wanderlust feeling. The need to get up and go and see the world. I'm in love with his story!
March 13, 2020
Just ok, I found myself skimming pages and not really getting into his words.
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