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Flightless: Incredible Journeys Without Leaving the Ground
Is Getting There Really Half the Fun?The 26 real-life stories in this extraordinary collection explore the complexities, delights and insights of surface travel, from walking to pedal boating, from camels to cargo ships and anything from two to four wheels - or no wheels at all. Ever wondered just how far a tuk-tuk can take you? Who do you call when the ice cracks as you're walking across the Bering Straits? Do you know how long it takes to rollerblade across the US? Ever considered riding a pizza-delivery bike through South America?
Some of these writers explore a single destination, be it Oman, Japan or Italy, while others cross whole continents or circumnavigate the world. This inspiring and eclectic anthology includes contributions from well-known travel writers such as Tony Wheeler and Rory Stewart, environmentally responsible travel-bloggers, some favorite Lonely Planet authors and record-setting expeditioners. So sit back, relax and let your imagination do the flying.
Some of these writers explore a single destination, be it Oman, Japan or Italy, while others cross whole continents or circumnavigate the world. This inspiring and eclectic anthology includes contributions from well-known travel writers such as Tony Wheeler and Rory Stewart, environmentally responsible travel-bloggers, some favorite Lonely Planet authors and record-setting expeditioners. So sit back, relax and let your imagination do the flying.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 31, 2019
This is a better than average anthology / collection of short travel stories. Twenty six of them in here, all loosely themed around - well basically travelling but remaining "flightless". EG all the travel is by ship, car, motorcycle, bicycle, foot, hitch hiking, train, camel, tuk tuk, vespa, pedal-boat (!), dhow and other methods... which presently escape my memory.
The stories vary, and cover numerous locations, which I have noted in my shelf selections, so look there, I am not re-typing them.
To arrive at a 4 star rating, I looked at the 26 stories, and considered than 6 or 7 were ***** reads, there were another 9 or 10 which were ****, a couple of ** stories, the remainder were ***. On balance 4 is right, as I mentioned above, this collection from Lonely Planet is slightly better than others I have read.
The few two star stories suffered from trying to fit too much in. They were typically very long journeys 'around the world' over a number of years, and were reduced to paragraph summaries to join short fragments of narrative. They don't really work, and just feel rushed and lack detail.
Overall, a good book for 15 minute reads, which is how I used it.
The stories vary, and cover numerous locations, which I have noted in my shelf selections, so look there, I am not re-typing them.
To arrive at a 4 star rating, I looked at the 26 stories, and considered than 6 or 7 were ***** reads, there were another 9 or 10 which were ****, a couple of ** stories, the remainder were ***. On balance 4 is right, as I mentioned above, this collection from Lonely Planet is slightly better than others I have read.
The few two star stories suffered from trying to fit too much in. They were typically very long journeys 'around the world' over a number of years, and were reduced to paragraph summaries to join short fragments of narrative. They don't really work, and just feel rushed and lack detail.
Overall, a good book for 15 minute reads, which is how I used it.
July 8, 2011
Makes you want to take your bicycle/feet/moped/train/car/motorcycle/vespa and explore the world :)
July 3, 2024
I really didn’t know what to expect, but what an unexpected delight.
This consists of 26 stories all in which are based around travelling but they remain flightless. This means all the travelling is done by either car, train, walking or cycling etc.
This is a book that I have read between books, I picked it up whenever I had a little time to spare which is perfect because the stories are short enough to start and finish within a short period of time!
Highly recommend for those seeking out smaller stories for times when it is limited or you are on a short train ride etc
This consists of 26 stories all in which are based around travelling but they remain flightless. This means all the travelling is done by either car, train, walking or cycling etc.
This is a book that I have read between books, I picked it up whenever I had a little time to spare which is perfect because the stories are short enough to start and finish within a short period of time!
Highly recommend for those seeking out smaller stories for times when it is limited or you are on a short train ride etc
November 4, 2021
An unexpected delight. I got this book from a dead lady's box of giveaways, and put very little stock in the quality of any of the books in the box. However, the universe holds great surprises for all of us, and this was one of mine. Would recommend to just about anybody, and am seeking out more essay-style books from Lonely Planet for myself.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews