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Restless: Memoir of an Incurable Traveller
***WINNER OF THE READERS' FAVORITE 5 STAR AWARD***
Their wedding presents were brand new backpacks. They filled them with a deep longing to see the world and little else.
It began in 1983, a time before the Internet, Instagram or Skyscanner. It was a journey of connections with people and situations that stretched the limits of their patience and perseverance. It was often hard and sometimes dangerous. But it was a journey of self-discovery, to places where simple choices led to profound transformation, where anything was possible if you just believed in yourself and the power in your hands and heart.
Grab your copy today and follow the path of this young woman who set out to find herself in the world and find answers to the eternal questions who am I and why am I here?
Their wedding presents were brand new backpacks. They filled them with a deep longing to see the world and little else.
It began in 1983, a time before the Internet, Instagram or Skyscanner. It was a journey of connections with people and situations that stretched the limits of their patience and perseverance. It was often hard and sometimes dangerous. But it was a journey of self-discovery, to places where simple choices led to profound transformation, where anything was possible if you just believed in yourself and the power in your hands and heart.
Grab your copy today and follow the path of this young woman who set out to find herself in the world and find answers to the eternal questions who am I and why am I here?
- GenresTravelNonfictionMemoir
Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2020
143 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Heather Hackett
2 books10 followersHeather is not just an author. She is also a poet, a traveler, a photographer, a musician, a free spirit, an adventurer, a thrill seeker, a wife and a mother.
She has searched for meaning in our often insignificant and trivial lives across three continents, mostly in Asia, and found various forms of spiritual fulfilment, some very powerful and life-changing. She has experienced some awesome highs and some wretched lows, known scarcity and prosperity in not so equal measures, and learned how precious life really is.
Her new book is a memoir of all her experiences, hilarious and pitiful, gained while dragging her sorry ass (and her two young kids) up and down the Himalaya, through the monsoons of Asia and along the bike paths of Europe.
Heather currently lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia with her partner, Iain, where she writes, cycles and drinks far too much coffee.
She has searched for meaning in our often insignificant and trivial lives across three continents, mostly in Asia, and found various forms of spiritual fulfilment, some very powerful and life-changing. She has experienced some awesome highs and some wretched lows, known scarcity and prosperity in not so equal measures, and learned how precious life really is.
Her new book is a memoir of all her experiences, hilarious and pitiful, gained while dragging her sorry ass (and her two young kids) up and down the Himalaya, through the monsoons of Asia and along the bike paths of Europe.
Heather currently lives on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Australia with her partner, Iain, where she writes, cycles and drinks far too much coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 5, 2017
Restless is an excellent travel memoir written by a truly adventurous soul.
A young couple, James and the author Heather, buy a one way ticket to India with no plans to return to Australia. Along the way they travel across much of Asia, first as a couple then later as a family with their young son and daughter in tow.
I experienced this book as two parts: before and after Heather’s first unexpected pregnancy. The pacing of the first part of the book was slower and the author provided an extremely detailed account of the places they went and people they met. For some reason, I had trouble getting into the story and as a result it took me almost a week to read the first part.
The second and longer part of the memoir, recounting their adventures after they had their children, captivated me completely and I finished the novel in one night. The tempo was faster, there were fewer details, yet more than enough to let me experience what she was going through and travel alongside her. They embark on a wondrous yet challenging journey together as a family, one most singles wouldn’t dare to do. Her descriptions of the places she visits, especially Nepal, India, China and Thailand are wonderful and enchanting. And her descriptions of life on the road are honest yet inspiring. It was quite lovely to revisit countries I haven’t been to in a while and travel to others I haven’t yet seen.
This was a highly enjoyable retelling of a fascinating journey I would recommend to both armchair travelers and anyone thinking of chucking it all to travel the world. I look forward to reading the sequel.
4.5 out of 5 stars
A young couple, James and the author Heather, buy a one way ticket to India with no plans to return to Australia. Along the way they travel across much of Asia, first as a couple then later as a family with their young son and daughter in tow.
I experienced this book as two parts: before and after Heather’s first unexpected pregnancy. The pacing of the first part of the book was slower and the author provided an extremely detailed account of the places they went and people they met. For some reason, I had trouble getting into the story and as a result it took me almost a week to read the first part.
The second and longer part of the memoir, recounting their adventures after they had their children, captivated me completely and I finished the novel in one night. The tempo was faster, there were fewer details, yet more than enough to let me experience what she was going through and travel alongside her. They embark on a wondrous yet challenging journey together as a family, one most singles wouldn’t dare to do. Her descriptions of the places she visits, especially Nepal, India, China and Thailand are wonderful and enchanting. And her descriptions of life on the road are honest yet inspiring. It was quite lovely to revisit countries I haven’t been to in a while and travel to others I haven’t yet seen.
This was a highly enjoyable retelling of a fascinating journey I would recommend to both armchair travelers and anyone thinking of chucking it all to travel the world. I look forward to reading the sequel.
4.5 out of 5 stars
March 26, 2017
Restless is a thoughtful, honest, and sincere read about a couple who take off traveling with only a couple of backpacks between them. They rough it through several countries experiencing the cultures, people, and landscapes, while learning about themselves, and each other. Then the babies come, and without missing a beat, they continued their traveling lifestyle.
I was carried along with Hackett's delightful descriptions as she traversed the Himalayas, rode crowded buses through China, and experienced the ever present contradictions of India. Throughout her book she also entertained readers with her own musings, thoughts, and feelings of the places she visited and what she encountered while traveling, making her writing personal and unique.
Restless is a great read about a woman who had a strong desire to travel and made it happen despite the naysayers, and with children in tow. I was enthralled with the places she traveled to, some of which I visited enabling me to relive my own experiences. I highly recommend this book to other readers who enjoy in-depth travel memoirs.
I was carried along with Hackett's delightful descriptions as she traversed the Himalayas, rode crowded buses through China, and experienced the ever present contradictions of India. Throughout her book she also entertained readers with her own musings, thoughts, and feelings of the places she visited and what she encountered while traveling, making her writing personal and unique.
Restless is a great read about a woman who had a strong desire to travel and made it happen despite the naysayers, and with children in tow. I was enthralled with the places she traveled to, some of which I visited enabling me to relive my own experiences. I highly recommend this book to other readers who enjoy in-depth travel memoirs.
September 2, 2017
It was an okay book, she traveled to interesting places. I didn't like her tone though, so it was hard to really like the storytelling.
March 17, 2017
Richly detailed, a very enjoyable travel memoir.
This was a great read, just my kind of book and was very nicely presented. There is a free accompanying photo book download included at the front of the book.
I've read a lot of travel memoirs but this is really interesting as this person travelled for over 10 years in total! I really liked the simple conversational style. Heather and James took off to travel and work-eventually with two small children in tow. Heather’s mum saved her letters and she used these to write this book. Friends understood their need to do this, to travel, see the world. Their parents didn't get it at all.
So many countries are covered: First stop was Thailand. They spent a month in Kathmandu then next stop would be India, Taj Mahal, China, and Nepal, then heading for Everest Base Camp, Amsterdam, and London. They also lived and worked in Japan.
This was richly detailed, enjoyable writing. It was quick, easy, fascinating reading. Hours and hours they walked each day. Sometimes all day. This was not an easy ride trip and often put a strain on their relationship. It was hard, but such a life experience and it makes wonderful reading.
I love travel memoirs, particularly ones in eg. India, Thailand, Nepal etc; places I've never been, where it's hard travelling, not a luxury beach holiday. Where people get right back to basics, the different things they eat-the disgusting stuff, and eating sublime Tibetan food too-contrasts. How little they manage with and on. This is a great example and a fascinating read. Certainly an action-packed trip! This was a wonderful read and I was left wanting more. I do hope she writes of further travels and adventures……. Ooh ooh!!!! She IS writing a sequel-a sample chapter or so was included here via a link at the end of the book! I can’t wait!
This was a great read, just my kind of book and was very nicely presented. There is a free accompanying photo book download included at the front of the book.
I've read a lot of travel memoirs but this is really interesting as this person travelled for over 10 years in total! I really liked the simple conversational style. Heather and James took off to travel and work-eventually with two small children in tow. Heather’s mum saved her letters and she used these to write this book. Friends understood their need to do this, to travel, see the world. Their parents didn't get it at all.
So many countries are covered: First stop was Thailand. They spent a month in Kathmandu then next stop would be India, Taj Mahal, China, and Nepal, then heading for Everest Base Camp, Amsterdam, and London. They also lived and worked in Japan.
This was richly detailed, enjoyable writing. It was quick, easy, fascinating reading. Hours and hours they walked each day. Sometimes all day. This was not an easy ride trip and often put a strain on their relationship. It was hard, but such a life experience and it makes wonderful reading.
I love travel memoirs, particularly ones in eg. India, Thailand, Nepal etc; places I've never been, where it's hard travelling, not a luxury beach holiday. Where people get right back to basics, the different things they eat-the disgusting stuff, and eating sublime Tibetan food too-contrasts. How little they manage with and on. This is a great example and a fascinating read. Certainly an action-packed trip! This was a wonderful read and I was left wanting more. I do hope she writes of further travels and adventures……. Ooh ooh!!!! She IS writing a sequel-a sample chapter or so was included here via a link at the end of the book! I can’t wait!
January 4, 2017
An absolutely wonderful memoir
I was drawn to this very well written memoir because I travelled in a lot of the same areas of Asia, but two years earlier than when Heather started her travels in 1983.
We crossed paths several times, so to speak, in Chiang Mai (Thailand), Kathmandu and Pokhara (Nepal), Varanasi, Agra, Delhi and Darjeeling (India) and Hong Kong. The experiences that she had during the first part of the book closely resembled my own, even down to the heightened atmosphere in the Yin and Yang bar in Kathmandu.
This was a book that I could not put down and read Part 1 in one session and Part 2 in another. It is an amazing story of the travels that Heather, her husband James and later their children undertook over a number of years. The early chapters bought back so many memories and I am full of admiration for the strength of character that Heather and James had in travelling the way they did.
After being absorbed in familiar places I was whisked off to Burma and China, places I had not visited, before the first part of the book ended. The second part covers a period in which Heather and James have moved to Japan with their first child. It does not, however, cover their time in Japan. There will be a second book which recounts their experiences there.
Instead it follows the growing family as they take various trips back to Asia and also Europe. I found this section fascinating in a very different way as I was amazed how Heather and James coped with travelling along with their young children.
This is an absolutely wonderful memoir that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. So will you, if you enjoy reading about other people’s travels and experiences.
I was drawn to this very well written memoir because I travelled in a lot of the same areas of Asia, but two years earlier than when Heather started her travels in 1983.
We crossed paths several times, so to speak, in Chiang Mai (Thailand), Kathmandu and Pokhara (Nepal), Varanasi, Agra, Delhi and Darjeeling (India) and Hong Kong. The experiences that she had during the first part of the book closely resembled my own, even down to the heightened atmosphere in the Yin and Yang bar in Kathmandu.
This was a book that I could not put down and read Part 1 in one session and Part 2 in another. It is an amazing story of the travels that Heather, her husband James and later their children undertook over a number of years. The early chapters bought back so many memories and I am full of admiration for the strength of character that Heather and James had in travelling the way they did.
After being absorbed in familiar places I was whisked off to Burma and China, places I had not visited, before the first part of the book ended. The second part covers a period in which Heather and James have moved to Japan with their first child. It does not, however, cover their time in Japan. There will be a second book which recounts their experiences there.
Instead it follows the growing family as they take various trips back to Asia and also Europe. I found this section fascinating in a very different way as I was amazed how Heather and James coped with travelling along with their young children.
This is an absolutely wonderful memoir that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. So will you, if you enjoy reading about other people’s travels and experiences.
August 26, 2017
I feel like Ms. Hackett and I are kindred spirits. She has a restlessness in her that makes her want to go from country to country absorbing the views, the people, the cultures. To quote her “The true reality of being a traveler is that life often leads us in directions we never expect, to places we would never imagine going, people we wouldn’t meet otherwise.” I certainly can relate to that.
Family and friends did not understand the drive that kept Heather and her husband (and later their children) on the go, leading to them living out of backpacks for more than a decade. But Heather recognized the lessons to be learned when traveling. In her travels throughout Thailand, Nepal, India, and Burma she found that no matter how little people had they were willing to open their homes to strangers.
Unlike many people outside their comfort zones, Heather showed appreciation and respect for other cultures. In her beautifully written journal she reveals the good and not so good that she encountered. Some experiences were quite frustrating but they persevered. I particularly appreciated her recognition that we often think we are entitled to items that to us are basic necessities (soft bed, three meals, hot showers, clean clothes, etc) but to some are luxuries. “Small things, things we often took for granted or overlooked the value of, became monumental gifts.”
This was a delightful read.
Family and friends did not understand the drive that kept Heather and her husband (and later their children) on the go, leading to them living out of backpacks for more than a decade. But Heather recognized the lessons to be learned when traveling. In her travels throughout Thailand, Nepal, India, and Burma she found that no matter how little people had they were willing to open their homes to strangers.
Unlike many people outside their comfort zones, Heather showed appreciation and respect for other cultures. In her beautifully written journal she reveals the good and not so good that she encountered. Some experiences were quite frustrating but they persevered. I particularly appreciated her recognition that we often think we are entitled to items that to us are basic necessities (soft bed, three meals, hot showers, clean clothes, etc) but to some are luxuries. “Small things, things we often took for granted or overlooked the value of, became monumental gifts.”
This was a delightful read.
February 28, 2020
In my "younger days" (I'm seventy-one and somewhat frail) I'd have reveled in the opportunity (and the financial wherewithal) to grab a backpack, a quality camera and a traveling partner and trek off into the sunset! Heather Hackett's book allowed me to get as close as I'll ever get - in this life - to such an amazing journey. 4* (read 2/24/20 - 2/25/20 I can't get the dates to publish *correctly* on Goodreads)
December 31, 2017
A view into travel before the internet was everywhere. I appreciated that the author is honest about challenges she faced and consequences of decisions she made. I was confused by the jumping around in time during the second part of the book. I would have loved to hear more about how things went when she and her partner got back home.
February 23, 2020
Enjoyed this book.. good story of a young family's backpack trek through Asia and Europe in the early 80's ..
April 4, 2020
Honest adventuring young lady
Heather has done a wonderful job in describing the experiences life has offered her whilst traveling through her early year with and withouut her young children along side.
The journal clearly give her heart felt warmth of traveling as well as full on Sense of adventure.
Loved every page, well worth the time reading, I'm just sorry it was over too quick
Heather has done a wonderful job in describing the experiences life has offered her whilst traveling through her early year with and withouut her young children along side.
The journal clearly give her heart felt warmth of traveling as well as full on Sense of adventure.
Loved every page, well worth the time reading, I'm just sorry it was over too quick
May 29, 2018
Interesting memoir
Overall solid read. It seems that a lot of 'travel writers' are actually only travelers OR writers.. Restless highlights some of the life experiences of a person that does both well.
Overall solid read. It seems that a lot of 'travel writers' are actually only travelers OR writers.. Restless highlights some of the life experiences of a person that does both well.
March 23, 2018
Fantastic
I had to purchase immediately after reading sample because I wanted to keep reading. So captivating and descriptive. Fun read!!!!
I had to purchase immediately after reading sample because I wanted to keep reading. So captivating and descriptive. Fun read!!!!
May 22, 2017
Travel memoirs are my favorite kind of memoir. I like to sit in my comfy chair and read how others are having an adventure and/or a mishap. This book is a great travel memoir about how an undaunted traveler can overcome the most stressful and difficult situations while traveling with a limited budget and KIDS!!! This is a perfect read for those who’ve traveled and for those who want to travel. I loved this book and the photo book that was offered with it. Can't wait to read the sequel.
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March 30, 2023SPOILER ALERT HARSH REVIEW:
Have you ever read a book and wished the author would just be quiet? Or have you ever read a book and couldn't immediately pick out what it was that really annoyed you about it?
Both of these happened to me while and after reading this book.
Long story short,...Rich girl suffocating from having everything handed to her and never having to struggle (except when her mom didn't buy the baby doll she really really wanted for Christmas one time) (yes this is the example the author uses as her first time dealing with adversity) uproots herself out of boredom. Complains constantly about how difficult it is traveling the WORLD.
I was immediately turned off by the first chapter and the rich girl who has everything but she's bored attitude of the author. Maybe it's me but I'm tired of stories about affluent people who have everything handed to them but they're bored so they do something crazy to fill the void occupied by all their stuff. Over it. Give me a successful woman who didn't have a blanket of wealth to support her should she have failed.
The week the author spent in Taiwan not having access to her money was especially horrendous to read how she "struggled" through it. Knowing she had tons of money in her bank waiting for her as soon as she got home the following week. She had a timeline of when she would be just fine again. I'm much more interested in women's struggles who have no idea when they will be ok and yet they persevere.
There is nothing courageous or brave about a woman traveling around the globe knowing she is financially secure and has a dad willing to bail her out if she ever needs it.
Another nauseating chapter is her description of the Great Wall of China. She describes it as not as pretty as post cards she's seen and that it's ugly and mostly dead looking. THE GREAT WALL OF EFFING CHINA. People save up their entire life just to see it and walk on it once in their life time. And the author was complaining, wishing she had come in the sprig time instead. Also it was too cold to enjoy so she just mostly sat and huddled in her jacket while other people enjoyed it.
Also your sons foot gets caught in your bicycle spokes and is "gushing blood" and you still don't want those nice people offering help to send for the doctor who lived right next door?? WHYYYY???
Because it slows down your arrival time to the next town a little bit? Ughhh I wish this stupid baby of mine wasn't always slowing me down on all my travels. That's what I took from that incident. Get his freaking foot looked at, bandage it up and continue on. You don't have to derail the trip but if there is a Doctor RIGHT THERE willing to check out your injured child do it!!!
Aside from me not liking the author I did enjoy reading about the travels and the countries she visited. That is when she wasn't whining.
Have you ever read a book and wished the author would just be quiet? Or have you ever read a book and couldn't immediately pick out what it was that really annoyed you about it?
Both of these happened to me while and after reading this book.
Long story short,...Rich girl suffocating from having everything handed to her and never having to struggle (except when her mom didn't buy the baby doll she really really wanted for Christmas one time) (yes this is the example the author uses as her first time dealing with adversity) uproots herself out of boredom. Complains constantly about how difficult it is traveling the WORLD.
I was immediately turned off by the first chapter and the rich girl who has everything but she's bored attitude of the author. Maybe it's me but I'm tired of stories about affluent people who have everything handed to them but they're bored so they do something crazy to fill the void occupied by all their stuff. Over it. Give me a successful woman who didn't have a blanket of wealth to support her should she have failed.
The week the author spent in Taiwan not having access to her money was especially horrendous to read how she "struggled" through it. Knowing she had tons of money in her bank waiting for her as soon as she got home the following week. She had a timeline of when she would be just fine again. I'm much more interested in women's struggles who have no idea when they will be ok and yet they persevere.
There is nothing courageous or brave about a woman traveling around the globe knowing she is financially secure and has a dad willing to bail her out if she ever needs it.
Another nauseating chapter is her description of the Great Wall of China. She describes it as not as pretty as post cards she's seen and that it's ugly and mostly dead looking. THE GREAT WALL OF EFFING CHINA. People save up their entire life just to see it and walk on it once in their life time. And the author was complaining, wishing she had come in the sprig time instead. Also it was too cold to enjoy so she just mostly sat and huddled in her jacket while other people enjoyed it.
Also your sons foot gets caught in your bicycle spokes and is "gushing blood" and you still don't want those nice people offering help to send for the doctor who lived right next door?? WHYYYY???
Because it slows down your arrival time to the next town a little bit? Ughhh I wish this stupid baby of mine wasn't always slowing me down on all my travels. That's what I took from that incident. Get his freaking foot looked at, bandage it up and continue on. You don't have to derail the trip but if there is a Doctor RIGHT THERE willing to check out your injured child do it!!!
Aside from me not liking the author I did enjoy reading about the travels and the countries she visited. That is when she wasn't whining.
July 2, 2017
This was one crazy travel memoir. I'm not a traveler, but reading about this woman's travel adventures was pretty entertaining. She and her husband traveled to Thailand, Nepal, China, India, and Europe pretty much without any plan whatsoever and on a shoestring, staying in hostels, camping, hitchhiking, bicycling, and riding buses everywhere. They even had a couple of kids while doing this. Not the way I would do it, but it was sort of interesting to see what kind of people can actually live like that. They spent a lot of time standing around waiting in lines and trying to get transportation to different places and trying to communicate with people who spoke languages they did not. Seemed like a lot of wasted idle time to me, but they thought of it more as blending in with the other culture and living like the locals. They traveled for months and months at a time, and I wondered who was paying for it since they had no jobs? Even shoestring budgets need some funds. That question was never answered. If you like travel memoirs, you might like this one.
April 4, 2017
Entranced by the lives of others, Heather glides beautifully between the expected and unexpected worlds of travel. For example her time living as Thai with a Thai family who make a living from the river of backpackers flowing through their country is a wonderful insight into what travel looks like from the other side. Her candor about her motivations, experiences and the wedge traveling drove between her and her family brings a depth which elevates this book into a must read for anyone interested in the nature of travel.
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July 19, 2017Memoir of an Incurable Traveler is a unique story that weaves together the journey of the life of Heather Hackett on two levels. I enjoyed traveling the world as a spectator while watching the life journey of Hackett as she grew and changed. Her many stories make traveling the world a little more personal. Her memories remain constant even though the world has changed. I would recommend this book to anyone who has been bitten by the travel bug but has yet to decide to destroy their world in order to find the world.
October 8, 2017
There are a lot of journeys in this book. From A to B via a lot of very hot squashed trains and buses, on bikes and hitchhiking across Europe, on foot into the Himalayas and throughout it all the journey from restless youth to parenthood is taking place.
The reader is taken to many places they might otherwise not see, there is a lot of self discovery here, and a brilliant retelling of life lived on the road. Sometimes this makes you want to pack your bags and get out there. Sometimes it makes you glad you don't live in a tent on the motorway!
The reader is taken to many places they might otherwise not see, there is a lot of self discovery here, and a brilliant retelling of life lived on the road. Sometimes this makes you want to pack your bags and get out there. Sometimes it makes you glad you don't live in a tent on the motorway!
August 21, 2018
This is a very different travel book, written by a woman who said," Why not?", rather than how or why or can't do. I am both impressed and amazed at the feats in this book and realize my age and my inhibitions and planning nature would make me a poor candidate to go off and travel as Heather did. And she took her kids. I think I see this book as more of a protest against our trip- planning, vacation in resortsetting, or group travel mentality. This is quite a book!
February 5, 2017
I got goosebumps from reading the first chapter. Reading this book will give you a glimpse of Asia and all its hidden gems. I absolutely love this memoir!
March 24, 2021
I was very disappointed with this book. It was quite disjointed and jumped around from place to place with no pattern. Seemed lots lots of complaints and very little description.
March 5, 2023
I enjoyed this memoir and the unique experiences of the author traveling to and through places many would not go, with little money and even less of a plan. The conversational tone took a little getting used to for this reader but as I read I realized this was as much a part of the author's story as the words she placed on the page.
Tucked within the conversational prose were lovely nuggets of beautifully written self-reflection:
"Standing alone on the edge of one of the many cliffs, not a soul in sight as far as the eye could see, Mother Ganges at my feet, I felt very small and insignificant. I realized I could believe anything I wanted about my life, because here it made no difference to anyone or anything. There was only me and the mountains in my field of view, blended into one past, present and future. Only now had any meaning."
It was moments like this I enjoyed most in "Restless."
I was a bit aback by the negativity the author had toward the native people of the places she visited, especially in the beginning of the book while in India. I would have appreciated more curiosity and less judgement but I've also never been to India. It was an interesting and at times confusing dichotomy I wish the author had explored more--this love/hate relationship with Asia.
Overall an amazing story of having the strength and perseverance to do what you want, risk discomfort for adventure, and making your life exactly the way you want it to be.
Tucked within the conversational prose were lovely nuggets of beautifully written self-reflection:
"Standing alone on the edge of one of the many cliffs, not a soul in sight as far as the eye could see, Mother Ganges at my feet, I felt very small and insignificant. I realized I could believe anything I wanted about my life, because here it made no difference to anyone or anything. There was only me and the mountains in my field of view, blended into one past, present and future. Only now had any meaning."
It was moments like this I enjoyed most in "Restless."
I was a bit aback by the negativity the author had toward the native people of the places she visited, especially in the beginning of the book while in India. I would have appreciated more curiosity and less judgement but I've also never been to India. It was an interesting and at times confusing dichotomy I wish the author had explored more--this love/hate relationship with Asia.
Overall an amazing story of having the strength and perseverance to do what you want, risk discomfort for adventure, and making your life exactly the way you want it to be.
May 4, 2018
Wow! What a book and what a brave couple to give up the luxury and easy lifestyle they were used to and venture into the unknown. I think when you are young, one tends to be more adventurous and willing to take risks. The couple travels for years on their own initially and then with their children. They travelled as cheaply as possible getting around on local buses and trains, staying in basic accommodation, sometimes with local families. They walked for miles each day and biked through Europe and the UK. The book takes you to many Asian and European countries, trekking the Himalayas to Everest Base camp while pregnant. The list goes on. A fast-moving enjoyable read and covers many years of the author's life.
May 6, 2020
Puzzling
I kind of liked the book for the sheer nightmarish way these people travelled. She did not have many nice things to say about any country they went through. Still she stayed addicted to going on and on . I have been to all those countries too, but my experience was a bit different. I must say they roughed it a lot but the constant enormously long horrible bus and train rides made me wonder how they wanted to go on, not seeming to enjoy any of it. Still an interesting read.
I kind of liked the book for the sheer nightmarish way these people travelled. She did not have many nice things to say about any country they went through. Still she stayed addicted to going on and on . I have been to all those countries too, but my experience was a bit different. I must say they roughed it a lot but the constant enormously long horrible bus and train rides made me wonder how they wanted to go on, not seeming to enjoy any of it. Still an interesting read.
November 16, 2022
Incurable Traveler
The book is entertaining enough. At times it was a bit whiney about things they had chose to do for themselves and she does admit this. It was not a quick and easy read for me, sometimes simply because of not knowing the cultures she was speaking of or following along the travels. The book is highly informative, even if it may be outdated information, I wouldn’t know for sure as someone who has never traveled internationally. I enjoyed the vicarious adventure none the less. Happy trails.
The book is entertaining enough. At times it was a bit whiney about things they had chose to do for themselves and she does admit this. It was not a quick and easy read for me, sometimes simply because of not knowing the cultures she was speaking of or following along the travels. The book is highly informative, even if it may be outdated information, I wouldn’t know for sure as someone who has never traveled internationally. I enjoyed the vicarious adventure none the less. Happy trails.
April 10, 2022
An adventurous and fascinating travel story
1983 and Heather and her partner set off to see the world, with very little planning or knowledge of where their feet would take them next. A richly descriptive and at times painfully honest account of a journey of self-discovery, adventure, and back-packing. Heather writes with a searing introspective honesty about her travels and life choices, and I really warmed to her adventurous spirit and fascinating story.
1983 and Heather and her partner set off to see the world, with very little planning or knowledge of where their feet would take them next. A richly descriptive and at times painfully honest account of a journey of self-discovery, adventure, and back-packing. Heather writes with a searing introspective honesty about her travels and life choices, and I really warmed to her adventurous spirit and fascinating story.
July 14, 2020
Better get than me!
I enjoy international travel a great deal, but never in my wildest nightmare, would I think of taking some of the risks that Heather does. An amazing and often amusing tale from the road.
I enjoy international travel a great deal, but never in my wildest nightmare, would I think of taking some of the risks that Heather does. An amazing and often amusing tale from the road.
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