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What's Wrong With You?
After 5 years of hitchhiking twice from Croatia to French Polynesia, Ana summarized her whole experience in the book “What’s Wrong With You?”. This book is a combination of real-life stories and travel tips that explain how to hitchhike numerous boats and a helicopter, how much money is needed for a five-year journey, how to make money while traveling and what’s like to hitchhike such a long distance as a solo woman. There are chapters about sex, love and everything in between – along with the fears, risks and a psychological aspect of it all. The end of the book takes an unexpected and quite incredible turn.
In Editor's words:
It often happens that whatever people consider “wrong” with you is, in fact, your most peculiar trait, something that fuels your authenticity and inspires you to bring novelty into your life. Ana’s journey from a small European country all the way to the heart of the Pacific is a story about many things: a coming-of-age of a jaded businesswoman turning into a hardcore outdoor traveler; a collection of most unusual stories with Buddhist monks or Australian treasure hunters; and a diary-like handbook with practical advice for anyone planning on hitchhiking solo around the world.
But most of all, it is a story about friendship – between a traveler and the world around her, ever-changing as she slowly progresses through 25 different countries, between a hitchhiker and the road that little by little becomes her home, and most importantly, between Ana and her own self, her inner being she’s getting to know better and growing to like more with each passing day of her five-year journey.
With a little bit of magic provided by the universe, her story spirals through the reader, leaving behind lessons learned and the desire to trust this amazing world to provide a much-needed adventure for the human soul. You’ll find yourself asking: What’s stopping me fulfilling my long-time dreams? In Ana’s words, as you will discover reading this book – you’re only as free as you allow yourself to be.
In Editor's words:
It often happens that whatever people consider “wrong” with you is, in fact, your most peculiar trait, something that fuels your authenticity and inspires you to bring novelty into your life. Ana’s journey from a small European country all the way to the heart of the Pacific is a story about many things: a coming-of-age of a jaded businesswoman turning into a hardcore outdoor traveler; a collection of most unusual stories with Buddhist monks or Australian treasure hunters; and a diary-like handbook with practical advice for anyone planning on hitchhiking solo around the world.
But most of all, it is a story about friendship – between a traveler and the world around her, ever-changing as she slowly progresses through 25 different countries, between a hitchhiker and the road that little by little becomes her home, and most importantly, between Ana and her own self, her inner being she’s getting to know better and growing to like more with each passing day of her five-year journey.
With a little bit of magic provided by the universe, her story spirals through the reader, leaving behind lessons learned and the desire to trust this amazing world to provide a much-needed adventure for the human soul. You’ll find yourself asking: What’s stopping me fulfilling my long-time dreams? In Ana’s words, as you will discover reading this book – you’re only as free as you allow yourself to be.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 2019
6 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 26, 2020
Ana Bakran is a woman who decided to hitchhike from Croatia to Bora Bora (yeah, hitchiking to the middle of the Pacific), via crazy dictatorships like Iran and Turkmenistan. All alone! I’ve heard of her when she emerged in my FB feed due to the disgusting comments about solo female hitchhikers when she won a traveler award. Well, thanks to them I got an opportunity to support her book, and then I devoured all its 285 pages the same day. The world is full of hideous men who like to show their penises, but it’s also an amazing place, and this incredible woman decided to share with us all of it. She hitchhiked cars, buses, boats and AIRPLANES. She went gold-digging, but found the treasure far away from the gold. She made some dangerous mistakes, but stayed wise, although she had to redefine the term of common sense.
After Bora Bora, she ended up at an archipelago which served as a place of exile for persons who think independently in Huxley’s “Brave New World”.
What's Wrong With You? by Ana Bakran is not some Eat Pray Love shit and I recommend it to everyone, even to people who have never hitchhiked for a mere meter, like me.
After Bora Bora, she ended up at an archipelago which served as a place of exile for persons who think independently in Huxley’s “Brave New World”.
What's Wrong With You? by Ana Bakran is not some Eat Pray Love shit and I recommend it to everyone, even to people who have never hitchhiked for a mere meter, like me.
September 21, 2021
Ova knjiga… uh… i ja sam mislila da znam nešto o putovanju, kulturama i ljudima. Zapravo nemam pojma. Ana, međutim, zna. Progutala sam njenu priču. Nisam mogla da prestanem da čitam iako bi mi se spavalo ili me oči pekle od umora. Do poslednje stranice nisam je ispustila.
Ova knjiga nekako istovremeno mi je otvorila oči za jedan čitav, drugačiji svet u kom živim a za koji nisam bila sigurna da postoji, ali i potvrdila da ono u šta ja verujem u ljudima uistinu postoji. Pisala sam u više navrata da sam postojanog uverenja koje niko i ništa ne može promeniti - da je svet jedno divno mesto i da je 99 % ljudi u njemu dobro, da dobrota preovladava, samo da, nažalost, onih jedan posto rade mnogo ružne stvari koje završe na vestima blješteći šokirajućim naslovima.
To nije naš svet. Naš svet je onaj u kom ti stranac pomogne ne očekujući ništa zauzvrat, u kom nije bitno koje si nacije i pogotovu religije, u kome ti lokalno stanovništvo otvara vrata svog doma imali svega u izobilju ili nemali dovoljno ni za sebe.
Zbog Anine priče odlučila sam ne da putujem autostopom, već da u budućnosti više vremena posvetim istraživanju sveta i država koje obilazim, da više i bez straha interagujem sa lokalnim stanovništvom, da se ne plašim nikako (ni do sad se nisam plašila, ali od sad tek neću), i da nikad ne prestanem da putujem.
Volela bih da Ana napiše još jednu knjigu. Sigurno bih je progutala isto kao i ovu.
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This book left me stunned. Being a flight attendant for over five years, I thought I knew a lot about travel, when in fact I knew less than two percent. On the other hand, Ana does know what travelling means. She did it the right way. She did it the way you truly get to know places, cities, towns and sights, and especially people. I am jealous at her (in a good manner), but I mostly admire her and respect for everything she has done. I have learnt immensely from her story, about different countries, mentalities, but mostly in how to behave and deal with people of various backgrounds. I didn’t have much fear regarding travelling before, but now I’m determined not to have it at all. I will be cautious and on guard, but not afraid.
For example - one of the reasons I sometimes don’t travel (and I can, with all the discounts on plane tickets I have) is the problems I might face while applying for visa, or how I’ll communicate with the local authorities if I need something and they don’t speak any of the languages I do. After reading Ana’s story, I gave up on those fears. Now I will just go and do it and be persistent until I get what I need.
Furthermore, Ana made me want to go and explore the South-East Asia in detail. I was interested before, but mostly in Vietnam and Cambodia, thinking that for example entering Burma or some of the Indonesian islands might be complicated. Now I want to see it all. And also to enter Australia in Darwin.
Thank you, Ana, for this wonderful story. I am positively hoping you will write more.
Ova knjiga nekako istovremeno mi je otvorila oči za jedan čitav, drugačiji svet u kom živim a za koji nisam bila sigurna da postoji, ali i potvrdila da ono u šta ja verujem u ljudima uistinu postoji. Pisala sam u više navrata da sam postojanog uverenja koje niko i ništa ne može promeniti - da je svet jedno divno mesto i da je 99 % ljudi u njemu dobro, da dobrota preovladava, samo da, nažalost, onih jedan posto rade mnogo ružne stvari koje završe na vestima blješteći šokirajućim naslovima.
To nije naš svet. Naš svet je onaj u kom ti stranac pomogne ne očekujući ništa zauzvrat, u kom nije bitno koje si nacije i pogotovu religije, u kome ti lokalno stanovništvo otvara vrata svog doma imali svega u izobilju ili nemali dovoljno ni za sebe.
Zbog Anine priče odlučila sam ne da putujem autostopom, već da u budućnosti više vremena posvetim istraživanju sveta i država koje obilazim, da više i bez straha interagujem sa lokalnim stanovništvom, da se ne plašim nikako (ni do sad se nisam plašila, ali od sad tek neću), i da nikad ne prestanem da putujem.
Volela bih da Ana napiše još jednu knjigu. Sigurno bih je progutala isto kao i ovu.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This book left me stunned. Being a flight attendant for over five years, I thought I knew a lot about travel, when in fact I knew less than two percent. On the other hand, Ana does know what travelling means. She did it the right way. She did it the way you truly get to know places, cities, towns and sights, and especially people. I am jealous at her (in a good manner), but I mostly admire her and respect for everything she has done. I have learnt immensely from her story, about different countries, mentalities, but mostly in how to behave and deal with people of various backgrounds. I didn’t have much fear regarding travelling before, but now I’m determined not to have it at all. I will be cautious and on guard, but not afraid.
For example - one of the reasons I sometimes don’t travel (and I can, with all the discounts on plane tickets I have) is the problems I might face while applying for visa, or how I’ll communicate with the local authorities if I need something and they don’t speak any of the languages I do. After reading Ana’s story, I gave up on those fears. Now I will just go and do it and be persistent until I get what I need.
Furthermore, Ana made me want to go and explore the South-East Asia in detail. I was interested before, but mostly in Vietnam and Cambodia, thinking that for example entering Burma or some of the Indonesian islands might be complicated. Now I want to see it all. And also to enter Australia in Darwin.
Thank you, Ana, for this wonderful story. I am positively hoping you will write more.
February 16, 2020
I first heard of Ana's story in 2016. The very notion of a woman who's decided she's had enough and started charting her own course has always been deeply interesting to me. So by the point where I had the pleasure of interviewing her, I was up to my ears in curiosity. I wanted to understand how it all happened, and what gave her the bravery I've always attached to following your dreams.
So let me tell you, this book gives you exactly what you've always wanted to read in adventure books. From tips on hitchhiking as a solo female traveller, to unique experiences that Ana had on the road - it's perfect, through and through. It made me laugh and brought me to tears and ultimately, poured some courage into me.
And before you ask - no, you don't have to be passionate about travelling and adventuring to enjoy Ana's book. You just have to be curious. The lessons she shares between the lines are not unique to adventure travelers; they're much greater than that.
And even though I've finished it, I just keep on coming back to What's Wrong With You? for not only amazing stories of Tibetan monks and gold-digging in Australia, but for a dose of optimism. World really is a crazy place, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Thank you for this masterpiece!
So let me tell you, this book gives you exactly what you've always wanted to read in adventure books. From tips on hitchhiking as a solo female traveller, to unique experiences that Ana had on the road - it's perfect, through and through. It made me laugh and brought me to tears and ultimately, poured some courage into me.
And before you ask - no, you don't have to be passionate about travelling and adventuring to enjoy Ana's book. You just have to be curious. The lessons she shares between the lines are not unique to adventure travelers; they're much greater than that.
And even though I've finished it, I just keep on coming back to What's Wrong With You? for not only amazing stories of Tibetan monks and gold-digging in Australia, but for a dose of optimism. World really is a crazy place, but we wouldn't have it any other way.
Thank you for this masterpiece!
November 20, 2025
As a female traveller who also hitchhiked in many countries Ana did, I found the book “What’s wrong with you?” beyond fascinating.
Filled with wisdom and humour, kindness and a powerful spirit, Ana uncovers the world of what’s it’s really like to travel when the biggest resource you have is your own determination.
“As soon as you take action, the universe will move with you and eventually help you out in the most unimaginable ways. For some people that action is traveling, but in reality, any kind of action can dig you out. Every action will take you somewhere. It's up to you to choose the direction you want to go.”
“Only through love, can love be built. Through kindness, more kindness is shown. Through peace, more peace is built. They were no longer just words I had read in books - those words had come true through my hitchhiking.”
Thank you, Ana, for sharing your journey with such courage and honesty ❤️
My recommendation!
Filled with wisdom and humour, kindness and a powerful spirit, Ana uncovers the world of what’s it’s really like to travel when the biggest resource you have is your own determination.
“As soon as you take action, the universe will move with you and eventually help you out in the most unimaginable ways. For some people that action is traveling, but in reality, any kind of action can dig you out. Every action will take you somewhere. It's up to you to choose the direction you want to go.”
“Only through love, can love be built. Through kindness, more kindness is shown. Through peace, more peace is built. They were no longer just words I had read in books - those words had come true through my hitchhiking.”
Thank you, Ana, for sharing your journey with such courage and honesty ❤️
My recommendation!
July 4, 2019
An eye-opening book about travelling, I really enjoyed it from beginning to the end!
April 26, 2020
Amazing!!!
September 26, 2021
Such an insightful and positive book. Loved it from the first to the last page.
July 14, 2022
Easily one of the best books I’ve ever read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews