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Backyard to Backpack: A solo mum, a six year old and a life-changing adventure
When her daughter Emmie was 6 years old, Evie Farrell left her corporate career, sold or donated almost everything she owned, rented out her house and, hand-in-hand with Emmie, began an epic two-and-a-half-year backpacking adventure that would change their lives forever. Evie farewelled a nasty break-up, long hours in a demanding job, a hefty mortgage and snatched hours with her daughter for a new life lived outside the lines, spending every day with Emmie exploring the world beyond the suburbs.
They camped on the Great Wall of China, hung in train doorways in Sri Lanka, swam with mantas in Indonesia, donated much-needed blood in Cambodia, spotted wild orangutans and pygmy elephants in Malaysian Borneo, prayed in Buddhist temples in Taiwan and were chased by monkeys everywhere. In their journey toward happiness and self-acceptance, they learnt more about each other and the beautiful world around them than Evie ever expected.
Backyard to Backpack is the inspirational true story that will have you asking yourself, what might be if you took a chance, stepped off the path of expectation and created your own adventure?
They camped on the Great Wall of China, hung in train doorways in Sri Lanka, swam with mantas in Indonesia, donated much-needed blood in Cambodia, spotted wild orangutans and pygmy elephants in Malaysian Borneo, prayed in Buddhist temples in Taiwan and were chased by monkeys everywhere. In their journey toward happiness and self-acceptance, they learnt more about each other and the beautiful world around them than Evie ever expected.
Backyard to Backpack is the inspirational true story that will have you asking yourself, what might be if you took a chance, stepped off the path of expectation and created your own adventure?
- GenresTravelNonfictionMemoir
296 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 2019
7 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 5, 2019
A wonderful and beautiful story of a mums journey with her amazing daughter through many countries. A previous review states that this mum was more well off than other single mums - not true. A well educated woman who is fantastic at saving money is an accurate description. If the reviewer followed her story she would know this. This book talks about so many of the feelings that get brought up while parenting, it hits home for sure because at the end of the day, we are enough! I loved reading about all the different places they visited, the people they met and the experiences they shared together. What an incredible gift to give your child, the opportunity to explore the world, and to share it together is truly magical. 11/10!!! Loved it.
November 4, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyable and hugely inspiring! Evie is the very definition of brave - something many of us are lacking. Evie and Emmie are both a delight (have met them in person) and I really think we can learn a lot from them both. They aren’t infallible and that’s what makes the story so much more relatable. Evie doubts herself but she continues to challenge herself too. She finds the joy and beauty in moments and her book touched on a few really important and relatable themes like self-doubt, facing your fears and living in the now. 10/10 would recommend. My only warning is that you’ll definitely want to travel after reading this so be warned haha
August 27, 2019
This book brought me so much joy. At surface level, it is a beautiful and intriguing story about a mum and daughter exploring the world, and their relationship, as they backpack through various countries. But at its heart, it is a poignant reminder that this one life is all we have, and we would be wise to give serious thought to our priorities and spend our time accordingly. A courageous and enchanting first novel - I hope there will be more to come.
October 29, 2019
An interesting but light weight travel read. The unrealistic, syrupy six year old's dialogue became irritating but I appreciated the mum's courage.
February 26, 2020
I loved writing this book and sharing my adventures with Emmie. Thank you to everyone who has supported us xoxo
October 11, 2019
2.5 stars. I would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't tried so hard to get me to see the point. A straight narrative of adventures would have appealed to me more. Travel narratives that try to tell you the meaning instead of letting you work it out on your own are never my favourite. This has a lot of high ratings so I'm clearly in the minority and isn't meant to be a commentary on the protagonists of this great story but just the repetition of themes, and repetition of mantras as if the narrator was very keen for me to exactly understand her motives bothered me. She didn't need to try so hard. She's a mum who loves her daughter and got to spend a lot of time with her - the absolute best bits of this were when she just described the things that they did.
October 26, 2019
This book brought me so much joy while reading. I’ve followed these pair on Instagram since 2015 and can not think of how anyone could’ve summed up their adventures together better. This is an incredibly deep and heartfelt tribute to the bonds between mother and daughter, and pushes the mystery of “what if we just leave it all?”
Hearing Emmie’s little dialogues, and knowing the richness that she got from this life changing decision, reminded me of how innocent and naive we can all be on our first steps into the wide world.
Seeing the world through their eyes, conquering obstacle after obstacle, and following their stories has always been a highlight of my day.
I am so glad Evie created something where I can experience it with them it all over again.
Hearing Emmie’s little dialogues, and knowing the richness that she got from this life changing decision, reminded me of how innocent and naive we can all be on our first steps into the wide world.
Seeing the world through their eyes, conquering obstacle after obstacle, and following their stories has always been a highlight of my day.
I am so glad Evie created something where I can experience it with them it all over again.
March 7, 2020
I do not give 5 stars very often but Wow! What a tremendous book for anyone who loves travel and wants to instill not only the love of travel for their children but the love of the world. Evie does an excellent job sharing the sacrifices she made so that she and her daughter could spend months traveling together. In doing so she is vulnerable and transparent about the social pressures she let negatively influence her self confidence. Through her travels with her daughter you see the empowerment transform Evie and subsequently transformed me as a mom. I will recommend those book to anyone regardless of their having children or their love of travel. It’s a beautiful book of a moms love for her daughter and wanting to experience all the world has to offer!
July 9, 2020
Loved it. I borrowed it as an e-book through BorrowBooks and couldn’t stop flicking the pages to read more on this mother-daughter adventure. I thought was an honest account of what happened during the year and a half of travel. Yes, they had a great time but it wasn’t without the odd or uncomfortable encounters, or the personal struggles that Evie wrote about. I follow Evie and Emmie on Instagram so this book gave me another dimension in their nomadic lifestyle. Thank you for sharing, Evie and
Emmie :).
Emmie :).
October 7, 2019
Such a great read.
Evie has made me want to travel so much more, making me realise there’s more to life and so much more to see in this world. She addresses certain issues in the book such as not riding elephants, not taking photos of children in third world countries etc. to educate others on why we shouldn’t do these things as some people just don’t see things until they are actually explained properly. Overall, great and easy read and I highly recommend it.
Evie has made me want to travel so much more, making me realise there’s more to life and so much more to see in this world. She addresses certain issues in the book such as not riding elephants, not taking photos of children in third world countries etc. to educate others on why we shouldn’t do these things as some people just don’t see things until they are actually explained properly. Overall, great and easy read and I highly recommend it.
October 3, 2019
A thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish. I managed to read the whole book within a day and a half. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys travel (even if it’s from a sofa remembering youthful days gone by). Evie’s honest account of her travel experience with her young daughter and how they ended up travelling for a long period of time is inspirational.
November 6, 2019
I absolutely loved this book!
Super easy to read, exciting and inspirational!
Wanting to slow down time, make memories, discover our world and savour every precise memory with our children is what life should be about!
Super easy to read, exciting and inspirational!
Wanting to slow down time, make memories, discover our world and savour every precise memory with our children is what life should be about!
November 3, 2019
Fabulous! Such an inspiration and a great travel blogger I've followed for about 2 years now!👍☀️
January 16, 2020
Enjoyed reading Evie and Emmie”s backpacking travels mostly throughout Asia.
January 22, 2021
You would have to be jealous when reading this book. 18 months of unfretted Mother-daughter (7) cheap travel in many countries sounds like heaven to me. I also grew up in 'The Shire' and had visited a number of places that the author visited.
September 13, 2020
Absolutely adored this book! I have been following Evie and her daughter on insta (@mumpacktravel) and had wanted to read this book for a while. I am not a huge reader so this book was perfect (not only because of the easy writing) to get through a couple of chapters each night before bed and dream of travelling and far off places. The morals and values explored in the book are relatable to those who value family time more than materialistic things in life. Choosing how and where to spend your money, both in your personal life and while travelling was also a great aspect of the book and educational. I could very much relate to the feelings the author felt about conforming to a 'normal' life. It was lovely to see throughout their adventures what mother and daughter both taught each other. I will be reading this book a 2nd time to write down all of the places they visited (some I have already visited so it was nice to reminisce on those too). Hopefully one day we can get a sequel but if not make sure you get onto social media to follow their journeys!
August 19, 2019
Full disclosure - I follow Evie and Emmie on Instagram, so bought this in advance because I was excited to read the background from days before I found them.
Was not disappointed.
A simple, heart felt and lovely coverage of the early days of their travels, through the first couple of years.
Inspiring work Evie!
Was not disappointed.
A simple, heart felt and lovely coverage of the early days of their travels, through the first couple of years.
Inspiring work Evie!
November 17, 2020
Cured the Covid Blues
Anyone suffering wanderlust-withdrawals must read this beautifully book brimming with intrepid fun and adventure. I savoured every page and, everything this spunky duo experienced! I particularly liked the author’s honesty in her internal struggles in the suburbs (so can relate). An inspirational and aspirational read too!
Anyone suffering wanderlust-withdrawals must read this beautifully book brimming with intrepid fun and adventure. I savoured every page and, everything this spunky duo experienced! I particularly liked the author’s honesty in her internal struggles in the suburbs (so can relate). An inspirational and aspirational read too!
August 22, 2019
I went to school with the author so bought the book to support her. I was very pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the book. I am not a fan of memoirs and don’t read travel books but yet I enjoyed this greatly. Evie writes well
April 15, 2022
The book starts out emotional as you delve into the early years and how Evie & Emmie's travels came about. The book is really detailed in each destination and keeps you coming back wanting to find out where they are heading next.
February 24, 2020
Inspiring mom and daughter travels through Asia
I have absolutely loved reading this book about Evie and Emmie's travels. It has been inspiring and informative about travelling backpack style through Asia.
I have absolutely loved reading this book about Evie and Emmie's travels. It has been inspiring and informative about travelling backpack style through Asia.
February 26, 2020
Such a great travelogue! This has made me dream of more travel as a family and had me googling destinations I wouldn’t have thought to visit. Wonderful to see a mum chasing her dreams and finding an alternate way to make some money. Highly recommend - devoured this in 24 hours.
April 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this book! I’ve followed this duo on Instagram for awhile and I loved hearing more in depth about their travels. It was a great read for COVID lockdown, because it is so happy. But, I also am a bit sad now because I can’t jump on a plane to explore a new place!
October 5, 2019
It was a really good book
October 26, 2019
Awesome book. One of the best books I have read, I dreaded getting to the end as I wanted to keep reading more. Serously hope they both write another book soon.
February 26, 2020
Love this book! Couldn't stop reading! and I'm hoping for another book from evie in the future.
April 17, 2020
I really enjoyed this book but what was I thinking reading a book about travel during this during this COVID shutdown...
April 20, 2020
God, this is such a hard book to review. Mainly because this book is so personal to the author. So I'm going to dissect and rate certain parts of this book and you can decide if this review is helpful.
Storyline 4/5: Yes, it's a biography, I know but the idea of just packing up and travelling with a 6 year old around SE Asia is mind-boggling to me. I am sure, there are a lot of people reading this autobiography with envy as there must be a lot of single mums who wish they could just pack up and travel with their children but either money, dealing with ex-partners and health reasons of both themselves and their children may stop this.
Inspiration factor 5/5: Before reading this book, I did not understand why people would want to travel to SE Asia, post B2B reading, it's the next travel destination on my list! This is a great promo for SE Asia. Evie also demonstrates how to 'shop local' when travelling and things they don't tell you on the tourist websites like Don't ride the Elephants, is it worthwhile teaching English in Cambodia. I never knew about the glass beaches in Japan, now I want to go!
Writing 3/5: The writing style is alright, it's Evie's first book and she's rushing to write it inbetween adventures and raising Emmy, I get it. I just found the narrative and writing style very basic. It's all tell, no show. Evie was recounting what she experienced in SE Asia. She's trying to convince you to go. Otherwise, she would be writing the book like YOU were actually there... but your not.
In other places, some of the messages like 'take a leap of faith' and 'the universe will work itself out' get a bit repetitive and OTT.
It's a good light read, especially if you are going to SE Asia. It's inspired me to go but I'm not selling all my possessions to travel for 12 months. I'll do it on my own terms, when I have the time and money to do so.
Which is why, I think some of the ratings for this book are so mixed. This book toots 'Drop everything and travel, you will become a better person'. This book will give some readers FOMO or even feel like failures because they do not have the resources to set off on a trip like Evie and Emmy's. Also being a mother-daughter trip, I can't see too many men lining up to read this book. This book is definitely aimed at women.
Good book but definitely not for everyone.
Storyline 4/5: Yes, it's a biography, I know but the idea of just packing up and travelling with a 6 year old around SE Asia is mind-boggling to me. I am sure, there are a lot of people reading this autobiography with envy as there must be a lot of single mums who wish they could just pack up and travel with their children but either money, dealing with ex-partners and health reasons of both themselves and their children may stop this.
Inspiration factor 5/5: Before reading this book, I did not understand why people would want to travel to SE Asia, post B2B reading, it's the next travel destination on my list! This is a great promo for SE Asia. Evie also demonstrates how to 'shop local' when travelling and things they don't tell you on the tourist websites like Don't ride the Elephants, is it worthwhile teaching English in Cambodia. I never knew about the glass beaches in Japan, now I want to go!
Writing 3/5: The writing style is alright, it's Evie's first book and she's rushing to write it inbetween adventures and raising Emmy, I get it. I just found the narrative and writing style very basic. It's all tell, no show. Evie was recounting what she experienced in SE Asia. She's trying to convince you to go. Otherwise, she would be writing the book like YOU were actually there... but your not.
In other places, some of the messages like 'take a leap of faith' and 'the universe will work itself out' get a bit repetitive and OTT.
It's a good light read, especially if you are going to SE Asia. It's inspired me to go but I'm not selling all my possessions to travel for 12 months. I'll do it on my own terms, when I have the time and money to do so.
Which is why, I think some of the ratings for this book are so mixed. This book toots 'Drop everything and travel, you will become a better person'. This book will give some readers FOMO or even feel like failures because they do not have the resources to set off on a trip like Evie and Emmy's. Also being a mother-daughter trip, I can't see too many men lining up to read this book. This book is definitely aimed at women.
Good book but definitely not for everyone.
January 4, 2021
In awe of the author who set off with her six year old daughter to "travel the world" but without any definite plans as to where, when and for how long.
When her daughter Emmie was 6 years old, Evie Farrell left her corporate career, sold or donated almost everything she owned, rented out her house and, hand-in-hand with Emmie, began an epic two-and-a-half-year backpacking adventure that would change their lives forever. Evie farewelled a nasty break-up, long hours in a demanding job, a hefty mortgage and snatched hours with her daughter for a new life lived outside the lines, spending every day with Emmie exploring the world beyond the suburbs. They camped on the Great Wall of China, hung in train doorways in Sri Lanka, swam with mantas in Indonesia, donated much-needed blood in Cambodia, spotted wild orangutans and pygmy elephants in Malaysian Borneo, prayed in Buddhist temples in Taiwan and were chased by monkeys everywhere. In their journey toward happiness and self-acceptance, they learnt more about each other and the beautiful world around them than Evie ever expected. Backyard to Backpack is the inspirational true story that will have you asking yourself, what might be if you took a chance, stepped off the path of expectation and created your own adventure?
When her daughter Emmie was 6 years old, Evie Farrell left her corporate career, sold or donated almost everything she owned, rented out her house and, hand-in-hand with Emmie, began an epic two-and-a-half-year backpacking adventure that would change their lives forever. Evie farewelled a nasty break-up, long hours in a demanding job, a hefty mortgage and snatched hours with her daughter for a new life lived outside the lines, spending every day with Emmie exploring the world beyond the suburbs. They camped on the Great Wall of China, hung in train doorways in Sri Lanka, swam with mantas in Indonesia, donated much-needed blood in Cambodia, spotted wild orangutans and pygmy elephants in Malaysian Borneo, prayed in Buddhist temples in Taiwan and were chased by monkeys everywhere. In their journey toward happiness and self-acceptance, they learnt more about each other and the beautiful world around them than Evie ever expected. Backyard to Backpack is the inspirational true story that will have you asking yourself, what might be if you took a chance, stepped off the path of expectation and created your own adventure?
January 3, 2021
Really good book, easy reading and an incredible journey.
The worst part was the incorrect grammar saying: Emmie and me.
The worst part was the incorrect grammar saying: Emmie and me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews