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Wherever the Road Leads: A Memoir of Love, Travel, and a Van
A wedding, a VW microbus, and two years on the road. Newlyweds (an artist and an engineer) meet the rigors of travel and the ups and downs of married life in a Volkswagen microbus that continually needs repair. Surrounded by exotic backdrops from Panama to India and beset by mechanical problems, Tom and Katie drive 39,000 miles across four continents in a world before the internet or cell phones. Everything from engine trouble to personal sanitation, from running out of funds to primitive roads, affects their journey. Will their beloved green van make it to the end of the trip? Will their relationship thrive or will it crumble under the pressure of living together 24/7 in a van?
- GenresTravel
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2020
11 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
K. Lang-Slattery
6 books8 followersKathryn Lang Slattery is a published author of fiction and memoir. She has become an expert on many aspects of the Ritchie Boys of WWII.
Born during World War II and raised in 1950s Southern California, Kathryn Lang-Slattery enjoyed a childhood filled with reading, drawing, and long days at the beach. College took her to Los Angeles where she studied art and English at UCLA, graduated with a BFA, and then undertook graduate work in art and education at the University of the Americas in Mexico City. In the following years she taught art, English, and cooking, travelled around the world, raised a daughter and a son, and devoted over 20 years to the Girl Scouts as a leader and community supervisor. Finally, she returned to her early love of writing. She has had stories and articles published in several highly rated magazines for the youth market, including Spider, Ladybug, Jack and Jill, Boys’ Life, and Faces.
In the 1990s, Lang-Slattery became fascinated with her uncle’s World War II stories and began taping his memories. Soon she knew she had found a fascinating untold story of Jewish refugees who became silent heroes. More than a decade spent researching, interviewing Ritchie Boys, and turning the true story of her uncle into fiction became an odyssey of discovery that resulted in her first adult novel, Immigrant Soldier, The Story of a Ritchie Boy. . “I wanted to tell this story,” she says, “because it was different from any other Holocaust story I had read. The young Jewish hero is not a victim, but a young man who gradually grows from a frightened and frustrated teenager, looking for a place to belong, into a confident US Army intelligence officer who struggles with the conflicting emotions of hate and forgiveness.”
Kathryn has become an expert on the secret heroes known as The Ritchie Boys and her experiences as an indie-publisher have given her insight into this long and complicated process. Always an educator, she is happy to share what she has learned along the way.
After two years spent promoting her novel, Lang-Slattery has returned to children’s literature. Her early chapter book series is based on her childhood memories of summer camp where her mother was the life-guard and backpacking specialist. Written for ages five to nine, Tagalong Caitlin is about a little girl with big ideas, a plan to help her reach her goal, and determination. Caitlin’s Buddy is about camp experiences and friendship.
Kathryn’s memoir, Wherever the Road Leads, recounts living and traveling in a Volkswagen van with her new husband. Their adventure lasted two years and took them across four continents
Kathryn (who prefers to be called Katie) lives in Laguna Beach, only steps from her childhood home. She finds tranquility simply by looking out the large windows of her living room toward a view of her garden and Aliso Peak beyond.
Also writes as Katie Lang-Slattery.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 14, 2020
For me, the definition of a good book is one which provides stimulation for my own thoughts and memories, making the process of reading an interaction between the author’s chosen words and my own words and images.
‘Where the road leads’ definitely did this for me. Katie and Tom’s experiences triggered my own similar ones in the same or different places, making me smile at recalling forgotten places, experiences and feelings. But there were a lot of places that were new to me too. And reading about them gave me itchy feet!
This odyssey of discovery for a young couple in the very early stages of a relationship is a fascinating one. It develops against a background of unusual and often very difficult circumstances, with only their mutual hunger for travel to keep them going at times. Their resilience and determination to carry on is quite incredible for ones so young.
They battle frequent mechanical problems with ‘Turtle’, their cleverly remodelled VW camper van. Very fortunately, Tom is an engineer and is able to either repair or diagnose most of these.
They learn about the kindness of strangers on many occasions - complete strangers who provide them with help, important information for their onward journey, food, comfort, and friendship.
They deal with sickness, fear, extremes of weather, landslides, the frustrations of foreign officialdom, hunger, thirst, and homesickness. But they are rewarded by the discovery of experiences and places that most people never encounter a fraction of in a lifetime. The beauty and romance of Paris, the stunning colors and sights of India, the undiscovered (at that time) beauty of Mexico and Central America, the (unexpected) diversity of Europe, the mysteries of the Middle East.
They also have the opportunity to experience a ‘practice’ family for a while, when Katie’s young nephew and niece fly out to London to tour the UK with them. A very positive experience which helps them to decide about having their own children.
Katie is already an enthusiastic cook, and she relishes the opportunities to broaden her skills by shopping for local ingredients and learning to cook traditional dishes from all of the countries they visit. All of this (amazingly) on a 2-burner stove!
I loved reading this astonishing story - made more pleasurable for me by the frequent insertion of drawings, photos, and maps.
All young people, at a point in their lives where their direction and purpose is unclear, should read this book. It will inspire them to travel, and show them that it is possible.
‘Where the road leads’ definitely did this for me. Katie and Tom’s experiences triggered my own similar ones in the same or different places, making me smile at recalling forgotten places, experiences and feelings. But there were a lot of places that were new to me too. And reading about them gave me itchy feet!
This odyssey of discovery for a young couple in the very early stages of a relationship is a fascinating one. It develops against a background of unusual and often very difficult circumstances, with only their mutual hunger for travel to keep them going at times. Their resilience and determination to carry on is quite incredible for ones so young.
They battle frequent mechanical problems with ‘Turtle’, their cleverly remodelled VW camper van. Very fortunately, Tom is an engineer and is able to either repair or diagnose most of these.
They learn about the kindness of strangers on many occasions - complete strangers who provide them with help, important information for their onward journey, food, comfort, and friendship.
They deal with sickness, fear, extremes of weather, landslides, the frustrations of foreign officialdom, hunger, thirst, and homesickness. But they are rewarded by the discovery of experiences and places that most people never encounter a fraction of in a lifetime. The beauty and romance of Paris, the stunning colors and sights of India, the undiscovered (at that time) beauty of Mexico and Central America, the (unexpected) diversity of Europe, the mysteries of the Middle East.
They also have the opportunity to experience a ‘practice’ family for a while, when Katie’s young nephew and niece fly out to London to tour the UK with them. A very positive experience which helps them to decide about having their own children.
Katie is already an enthusiastic cook, and she relishes the opportunities to broaden her skills by shopping for local ingredients and learning to cook traditional dishes from all of the countries they visit. All of this (amazingly) on a 2-burner stove!
I loved reading this astonishing story - made more pleasurable for me by the frequent insertion of drawings, photos, and maps.
All young people, at a point in their lives where their direction and purpose is unclear, should read this book. It will inspire them to travel, and show them that it is possible.
January 3, 2021
A page turner, pre electronic age rugged traveling lots of border crossing, cooking, small spaces and young love, shared adventure, family love and also sex, art, creativity, not your typical love story, practicality mixed with the realities of small spaces combined with modern romance.. adventure in the form of car trouble in isolated parts of the world. No mountain climbing, but plenty of hairpin turns. Engagingly rendered story of a time before electronic connectivity. I'm recommending it.
November 16, 2020
We are proud to announce that WHEREVER THE ROAD LEADS: A Memoir of Love, Travel, and a Van by K. Lang-Slattery is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells readers that this book is well worth their time and money!
October 6, 2020
Review of Wherever the Road Leads – A Memoir of Love, Travel and a Van
K. Lang-Slattery
Take a young couple in love, toss in a VW micro-minibus, a dream of world travel and you have the makings of an epic journey. Because that is what this two-year sojourn became.
Katie Lang-Slattery and her new husband take you with her on a trip from Southern California to New Orleans, then south through Guadalajara to the Mexican Pacific Coast of Barra de Navidad, all the way through Central America to Panama with the hopes of continuing south into South America. Thwarted at every turn—mostly due to much needed repairs and constant reconfigurations of the VW van and the dodgy steamers heading south—the couple is able to then put their van on a steamer bound for Barcelona, Spain. From there, they make a quick foray into France (Carcassonne), then return to traverse Spain to the west, then south through Morocco, east to Tunisia, south to Sicily, and on to Rome.
How this couple is able to handle language barriers, reconfigure their van as if they were Transformers (another era, another time), camp on the side of humanity, and make their lives and plans work is on the side of remarkable. From Rome, you can find this same couple zigzagging back and forth across Europe to complete their first full year on the road. Then, they head up into the northern Baltics, before heading south again—and I mean way south—through Germany (yes, this is the motherland for VW), Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan and onto the southern tip of India.
So, it’s not just the trip which is interesting, it is also the details of place, and food, culture and costumes which are clearly described and sketched. It is the harrowing crossing of lands (during the early ‘70s) which were formidable, or simply not possible to do easily. Again, the ingenuity and eager support each gives to the other makes this trip an exceptional one. Oh, and then they return all the way back to California.
My own husband and I fell in love in a VW van and held onto that van for ten years into our marriage, but we would never have contemplated this cross-the-world test of our relationship. Yes, we also believe in the theory if you can travel well together, you’re good candidates for a lifelong relationship—but, then we were already in our 40s. Youth does have its advantages and the skill and grit these two had was something beyond extraordinary. A delightful read, and one which you can thoroughly enjoy with gratitude—that you are simply reading and not having to tear that microbus apart one more time.
Carole Bumpus, Author
www.carolebumpus.com
K. Lang-Slattery
Take a young couple in love, toss in a VW micro-minibus, a dream of world travel and you have the makings of an epic journey. Because that is what this two-year sojourn became.
Katie Lang-Slattery and her new husband take you with her on a trip from Southern California to New Orleans, then south through Guadalajara to the Mexican Pacific Coast of Barra de Navidad, all the way through Central America to Panama with the hopes of continuing south into South America. Thwarted at every turn—mostly due to much needed repairs and constant reconfigurations of the VW van and the dodgy steamers heading south—the couple is able to then put their van on a steamer bound for Barcelona, Spain. From there, they make a quick foray into France (Carcassonne), then return to traverse Spain to the west, then south through Morocco, east to Tunisia, south to Sicily, and on to Rome.
How this couple is able to handle language barriers, reconfigure their van as if they were Transformers (another era, another time), camp on the side of humanity, and make their lives and plans work is on the side of remarkable. From Rome, you can find this same couple zigzagging back and forth across Europe to complete their first full year on the road. Then, they head up into the northern Baltics, before heading south again—and I mean way south—through Germany (yes, this is the motherland for VW), Yugoslavia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan and onto the southern tip of India.
So, it’s not just the trip which is interesting, it is also the details of place, and food, culture and costumes which are clearly described and sketched. It is the harrowing crossing of lands (during the early ‘70s) which were formidable, or simply not possible to do easily. Again, the ingenuity and eager support each gives to the other makes this trip an exceptional one. Oh, and then they return all the way back to California.
My own husband and I fell in love in a VW van and held onto that van for ten years into our marriage, but we would never have contemplated this cross-the-world test of our relationship. Yes, we also believe in the theory if you can travel well together, you’re good candidates for a lifelong relationship—but, then we were already in our 40s. Youth does have its advantages and the skill and grit these two had was something beyond extraordinary. A delightful read, and one which you can thoroughly enjoy with gratitude—that you are simply reading and not having to tear that microbus apart one more time.
Carole Bumpus, Author
www.carolebumpus.com
August 21, 2020
Wonderful read
This book grab my attention right from the start. Seeing and traveling that all the different countries. The ups and downs with each countries. The only thing is the ending shocked me a bit. The way they were in the beginning and the love they shared. I guess no matter how things start doesn't mean it will end well but in a way it did for them.
This book grab my attention right from the start. Seeing and traveling that all the different countries. The ups and downs with each countries. The only thing is the ending shocked me a bit. The way they were in the beginning and the love they shared. I guess no matter how things start doesn't mean it will end well but in a way it did for them.
August 18, 2020
In this charming memoir newlyweds Katie and Tom accomplish what many have only dreamed of; in the early 1970s left their jobs, hopped in the Turtle their beloved green VW van and traveled to the ends of the world and back to Laguna. Join them on this exciting adventure to experience astounding cultural sights, sounds, scents and customs in exotic lands. Delightful illustrations and vintage photos will enhance the fascinating stories for you too.
October 24, 2020
Part travelogue, part memoir, Wherever the Road Leads will satisfy any reader's wanderlust. The author, Katie Lang-Slattery, and her then-husband Tom, traversed four continents in their VW bus from 1971-1973. I don't have the courage to abandon my life to become an itinerate traveler, but I revel in reading the experiences of people who have that tenacity, like the author and her husband.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Lang-Slattery used many of her own illustrative drawings and her husband's photos from their odyssey. Maps were included at the beginning of each section, detailing the routes along each leg of their journey. I found these maps to be both extremely helpful and aesthetically pleasing, as was the timeline in the back of the book.
Slattery is a good writer. Her smooth prose is injected with warmth, humor, and insightful observations of the many cultures she encountered. I enjoyed the sights, tastes, and details she relates experiencing on travels from Mexico to India, and many points between. I loved her descriptions and drawings of the regional clothing, recipes she tried, and the local cuisine. She also included a drawing of their van's interior, fitted for habitation, a visualization I appreciated.
Slattery consulted the letters she had written to relatives during the course of their two-year jaunt to jog her memory. Her ex-husband assisted with information and lent his numerous notebooks, where he had jotted down every last cent spent. I marveled at his ingenuity, creativity, and talent for fixing or crafting just about anything they needed on the trip. The author shared personal feelings about her spouse, their fights, and the strains of living a mobile life style. After their magnificent trip ended, she continued with a brief account of their family life in California, although the couple divorced in 2003.
I enjoyed traveling vicariously with the adventuresome duo as they visited so many countries--some that underwent drastic transformations shortly after their trip, like Iran. Reading this book was experiencing a window of history, during a pivotal decade, pertaining to travel without the convenience of modern technology.
This book was reviewed for Story Circle Book Reviews by Janilyn Kocher.
I thoroughly enjoyed every page. Lang-Slattery used many of her own illustrative drawings and her husband's photos from their odyssey. Maps were included at the beginning of each section, detailing the routes along each leg of their journey. I found these maps to be both extremely helpful and aesthetically pleasing, as was the timeline in the back of the book.
Slattery is a good writer. Her smooth prose is injected with warmth, humor, and insightful observations of the many cultures she encountered. I enjoyed the sights, tastes, and details she relates experiencing on travels from Mexico to India, and many points between. I loved her descriptions and drawings of the regional clothing, recipes she tried, and the local cuisine. She also included a drawing of their van's interior, fitted for habitation, a visualization I appreciated.
Slattery consulted the letters she had written to relatives during the course of their two-year jaunt to jog her memory. Her ex-husband assisted with information and lent his numerous notebooks, where he had jotted down every last cent spent. I marveled at his ingenuity, creativity, and talent for fixing or crafting just about anything they needed on the trip. The author shared personal feelings about her spouse, their fights, and the strains of living a mobile life style. After their magnificent trip ended, she continued with a brief account of their family life in California, although the couple divorced in 2003.
I enjoyed traveling vicariously with the adventuresome duo as they visited so many countries--some that underwent drastic transformations shortly after their trip, like Iran. Reading this book was experiencing a window of history, during a pivotal decade, pertaining to travel without the convenience of modern technology.
This book was reviewed for Story Circle Book Reviews by Janilyn Kocher.
October 11, 2022
What a fun book! I loved reminiscing with the author and remembering my own travels. The little details she provided were wonderful and made the trip so real, both the good and the bad.
This is an especially fun book for book clubs where the participants are travelers and can compare their own travels with Katie's. My book club when almost twice as long as usual because we were having so much fun discussing the book.
This is an especially fun book for book clubs where the participants are travelers and can compare their own travels with Katie's. My book club when almost twice as long as usual because we were having so much fun discussing the book.
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October 29, 2021I am a lifelong traveller with a valid passport since the age of 16. My memoir, Wherever the Road Leads, recounts living and traveling in a Volkswagen van in the early 1970s with my new husband Tom as we spent two years on a 40,000-mile adventure that took them across four continents.
Wherever the Road Leads, a Memoir of Love, Travel, and a Van, takes you on a stunning two-year adventure. Newlyweds (an artist and an engineer) meet the rigors of international travel and the ups and downs of married life in a Volkswagen microbus that continually needs repair. A delightful memoir about a two-year, 40,000-mile journey in a world before the internet or cell phones. Tom and Katie’s new marriage develops against the unusual background of exotic locations and van travel. Descriptions of travel experiences are interspersed with sections about van-life chores, marketing and cooking on the road, mechanical problems, people encountered along the way, and intimate moments of love and discord. Beautifully illustrated with photos, pen and ink drawings, quick sketches, and hand-drawn route maps.
Wherever the Road Leads was awarded a Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal in the travel category (2020) from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
Wherever the Road Leads, a Memoir of Love, Travel, and a Van, takes you on a stunning two-year adventure. Newlyweds (an artist and an engineer) meet the rigors of international travel and the ups and downs of married life in a Volkswagen microbus that continually needs repair. A delightful memoir about a two-year, 40,000-mile journey in a world before the internet or cell phones. Tom and Katie’s new marriage develops against the unusual background of exotic locations and van travel. Descriptions of travel experiences are interspersed with sections about van-life chores, marketing and cooking on the road, mechanical problems, people encountered along the way, and intimate moments of love and discord. Beautifully illustrated with photos, pen and ink drawings, quick sketches, and hand-drawn route maps.
Wherever the Road Leads was awarded a Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal in the travel category (2020) from the Independent Book Publishers Association.
August 14, 2022
What a fascinating adventure! I am envious of the ability to travel the world for two years. This is what Katie Lang-Slattery and her newly wedded husband did. I would like to thank Katie for taking us on this adventure with her. In her book,
Wherever the Road Leads: A Memoir of Love, Travel, and a Van
, Katie shares the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of their nomadic trip across four continents. Read more
December 20, 2024
If you are craving an adventurous escape filled with heart, wanderlust, and self-discovery, then “Wherever The Road Leads” is the perfect read for you.
K. Lang Slattery takes readers on a transformative journey on her and her husband’s travels. The journey has unexpected twists and turns, and new horizons traveled.
This book delves into the bravery required to embark on a journey into the unknown, as well as the strength found in human connections. This isn't merely a travel tale; it serves as a heartfelt reminder to embrace life's unexpected turns and value the experiences that mold us. It’s not always about the destination, but the journey of how you get there, and who you share it with.
This one is perfect for fans of emotional romance with a side of wanderlust and heart.
K. Lang Slattery takes readers on a transformative journey on her and her husband’s travels. The journey has unexpected twists and turns, and new horizons traveled.
This book delves into the bravery required to embark on a journey into the unknown, as well as the strength found in human connections. This isn't merely a travel tale; it serves as a heartfelt reminder to embrace life's unexpected turns and value the experiences that mold us. It’s not always about the destination, but the journey of how you get there, and who you share it with.
This one is perfect for fans of emotional romance with a side of wanderlust and heart.
August 20, 2022
This book follows the same travels my ex-husband and I took in 1972. The only difference is we set off with backpacks and hitchhiked through a lot of it. Great memories reading your book, especially in India and Turkey. We explored many of the roads you traveled...many of the landmarks. I actually think we were there around the same time. So fun to read. I went down memory lane and loved it.
August 2, 2021
Today, in the age of instant communications from all over the world – and forever wars - to say nothing of the near-ban on international travel during the pandemic – it’s hard to imagine a young American couple shipping their retrofitted Volkswagen van across the ocean and driving alone across dozens of countries. And keeping in touch only by writing 73 long letters on thin airmail stationery, sent by snail mail. And blithely driving through Iran and Afghanistan and Syria. To say nothing of driving without air conditioning or a toilet across primitive roads with frequent mechanical breakdowns. I mean, like, really?
But that’s what Katie Lang-Slattery and her husband, Tom, did in 1971-3, shortly after their low-key garden wedding. He took a break from his career as a marine engineer and she from her job as an art teacher, and they traveled for two years – on a shoestring budget – across 39,000 miles, through 32 countries on four continents.
It was the ultimate in roaming free, a kind of adventure travel that’s impossible today. Now we as readers get to relive it through this delightful book, Wherever the Road Leads. The author’s whimsical maps and sketches of local people and roadside scenes make this curious tale even more compelling. A joy to read!
But that’s what Katie Lang-Slattery and her husband, Tom, did in 1971-3, shortly after their low-key garden wedding. He took a break from his career as a marine engineer and she from her job as an art teacher, and they traveled for two years – on a shoestring budget – across 39,000 miles, through 32 countries on four continents.
It was the ultimate in roaming free, a kind of adventure travel that’s impossible today. Now we as readers get to relive it through this delightful book, Wherever the Road Leads. The author’s whimsical maps and sketches of local people and roadside scenes make this curious tale even more compelling. A joy to read!
December 5, 2022
Around the world, almost, in a VW van...in the 70's. Fun to read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews