Overland Before the Hippie Trail: Kathmandu and Beyond with a Van a Man and No Plan

by Patricia Noble Sullivan

As they drove through the hot flat Iraqi desert, Patricia looked over at her husband. He was guzzling water; sweat was running down his neck; the outside temperature was way over 100; and their 1963 VW camper van had no air conditioning. “Yikes,” she thought. “This is not how I pictured our honeymoon.” It was August of 1966. They had gone to Europe the previous summer after their wedding, and that trip had stretched into a two-year adventure that took them around the world on a bare-bones budget.

In those days with no mobile phones, no Internet, and limited maps, they were out of contact with family for months at a time while dodging a cholera epidemic in Iraq, staying in a palace in Pakistan, meeting with a maharaja in India, and floating on a barge down the Mekong River in Laos. The journey had become a way of life as they found themselves drawn into a culture of international overland travelers while exploring a world that was large, varied, and filled with people who were curious, welcoming, and generous.

Genres: Travel, Memoir, Asia, Nonfiction, Adventure, History

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2022

Reviews

[Fiona Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like listening to a story on a long bus ride or in a hostel kitchen. In 1965, newlyweds Mike and Patricia Sullivan set off on what would become the journey of a lifetime. Without Lonely Planet or TripAdvisor to guide them, they depended on luck and the kindness of strangers. Some things have changed hugely since their journey (in 1965, Afghanistan was open to travelers and Vietnam at war; today Afghanistan has shut down while Vietnam has a thriving tourist industry), while others haven't (there still is adventure and friendship and serendipity in the world, if you chose to look for it).

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this travel memoir of a newly married American couple travelling in their VW Camper-van through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Asia in the late 1960s. It includes photos, diary entries, and excerpts from letters home to their parents.
I enjoyed following Patti and her husband Mick on this huge adventure, long before satnavs and mobile phones, and sometimes even before maps in some places.
There were lots of memorable anecdotes and these are some of my favourites. Waiting at the Iranian/Afghan border for the guard to wake from his nap and eat his lunch. Experiencing a tribal wedding in Pakistan. Meeting up with the same fellow travellers at different points along the way, and comparing their trips. Hitchhiking across Malaysia and finding out about the political situation from the various drivers. Taking trips down memory lane in Manila, Hong Kong and South Korea, staying in the honeymoon suite on a Russian ship to Japan. Spending a night in a traditional Japanese house, including going to a public bath house. Visiting an old Mandarin teacher in Taiwan, and old family friend in South Korea.
The end of the book was really interesting as well, as the author and her husband didn’t stop travelling when they returned to the US, but continued when they worked overseas, particularly Patti.
Highly recommended if you enjoy travel writing, or just want to do some armchair travel.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Noble Press for my digital copy

[Susan Birrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book so much. A young couple newly married, a VW van, wandering the world during a better time in our world!!!

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Finished reading: August 24th 2026

"Many travelers find the most exciting moments to be the serendipitous ones."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Noble Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

I've gotten a real taste for travel memoirs in recent years, and not just because of the bookish travel... I love discovering new countries and cultures, and I'm always looking for new travel memoirs to add to my TBR. This means that I of course wasn't able to resist adding Overland Before The Hippie Trail as soon as I first heard about it. I actually recently read another travel memoir focusing on the so-called 'hippie trail', and I was curious to see what traveling this route was like before it was popular. I'm happy to announce that I ended up having an excellent time reading this book!

Overland Before The Hippie Trail reads like a travelogue, with the author looking back at her travels with her husband back in 1965-1967. Patricia Noble Sullivan switches her narration with excerpts from the travel journals of both herself and her husband, and there are quite a few photos incorporated into the text as well to help bring the different destinations to life. I really enjoyed her writing style, which made it really easy to keep turning those pages. True, there wasn't too much dept with a lot of the locations, but I personally didn't mind as we got at least an express visit for most countries.

If you enjoy bookish travel, you are in for an absolute treat with Overland Before The Hippie Trail, because their journey covers a LOT of different countries in both Europe, the Middle East and Asia. It's true that some countries are only briefly described, but there are other countries we do spend more time in and the descriptions and photos really made the destinations come alive. It was especially interesting to learn more about their travels during the 1960s, both to countries where it is now impossible to travel to and the way they had to travel without all the modern commodities. Their journey is without a doubt very inspiring, and it kind of makes you wish for simpler times, where information wasn't available with a simple click of a button.

I won't be going into all the different countries the author and her husband visited between 1965 and 1967, because there are simply too many... But I enjoyed reading about how they mixed travel with teaching in order to afford their next part of the journey. There were personal connections with certain locations as well, and this book definitely made me want to dust off my trusty backpack for another trip... The travel bug is contagious, that's for sure! If you enjoy reading travelogues that visit a lot of different countries, I can definitely recommend Overland Before The Hippie Trail. It does an excellent job showing us readers what it was like traveling in the 1960s!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read the introduction for this book, I thought that it would be an interesting and adventurous story. However, having now finished it, I'm left feeling a bit less enthusiastic.

While the main points of the story are based around a young American couple's journey in the 1960s, the travellers are, for me, somewhat annoyingly judgemental and opinionated about the cultures they come across. They constantly compared people, events, and experiences to Western ideals, which I was beginning to feel dampened their views and experience of their journey. Although the narrator goes to some lengths to justify this, I found it a bit tedious and off-putting.

I did enjoy the points made about there being no Internet or mobile phones and having to rely on letters, maps, and a good deal of trust to get where they wanted to go. I was born in the 60s and grew up without these things, so that was nostalgic to me, and it gave me a reason to continue reading on.

Each country they passed through seemed to be described by, we camped at a gas station, we met some people (mainly Germans), we ate food together, wrote letters home (giving details that must have worried their parents to death and asking them for money) and didn't seem to do much teaching at all... Can you feel my frustration?

On the whole, I think this story serves to show how the world has changed over the last 60 years and how, in many ways, it remains the same.

[Heep · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Overland" is a charming journal of the author's world travels with her husband during the mid-1960s - from Europe along the Silk Road to Japan and Taiwan. The times that formed the Woodstock generation are set as backdrop. That generation is passing now along with its fervent idealism and drive to explore. The world has shrunk and it is apparent that 1960s idealism was fueled in part by ethnocentrism. The author tries as a young woman to appreciate the diversity on display, but can't help using a Western lens when confronted with poverty, different cultural practices and alternative political systems. The book does not editoiralize - trying instead to recreate the enthusiasm and awe of that time in her life. And it succeeds in doing so. The audiobook is a bit stilted in presentation but the tone seems correct. In conclusion, the author provides a brief memoir from the time after this first great feat of personal discovery and it is so heartening to see how that journey laid a foundation for such a rich life.

[Dirk Ebener · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Journey Filled with Nostalgia and Immersion

Reading Overland before the Hippie Trail felt like stepping back in time. After traveling for forty years across more than sixty countries and five continents, I saw my own adventurous spirit reflected in the author's lively stories. Each chapter brought back memories of hitchhiking through Asia, riding old buses in Tunisia and Morocco, relaxing on Corfu’s beaches, and driving across Europe in my red Honda Civic in 1983.

The book stands out because the author skillfully blends travel stories with personal journal entries. Rather than feeling like a distant history lesson, these honest, firsthand moments make you feel like you are right there on the journey. You can almost feel the dust, the uncertainty, and the excitement of adventure before the world was so connected. Whether you have traveled widely or just dream of it, this book is a heartfelt tribute to the golden age of overlanding and is perfect for anyone who loves real adventure.

[Sara Aoyama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every minute of this book and loved being taken along on this trip with the author. So many places I've never been and will never get to, but yet I was intrigued and fascinated by the bravery of the author to do what she did. The time period is also interesting to me. Seeing the author pictured wearing a skirt and looking as if she was going on a flight rather than spending hours on a bus felt amazing in our age of casual dress. This is the kind of trip that could never be made today; I think anyone contemplating such a trip should read this book so that they can appreciate how WTs did things before the internet. Paper maps? So nostalgic!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's an eye opener and a delight.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this fascinating book in a day and a half. I’ve followed the hippie trail myself in the 90s, but Ms. Sullivan’s pioneering journey in the 60s provides a compelling look at a much more authentic experience. No banana pancakes or elephant pants here! Afghanistan in 1966? She had adventures that sadly are no longer possible.

Ms. Sullivan condenses what must be a lengthy series of journals into a delightful, eminently readable collection of adventures, misadventures and reflections.

This is easily the best travel book I have ever read. I was left wanting to learn more. I highly recommend it.

[Brian Rudert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I too am a WT (World Traveler) and have only resided in the U.S. for 6 years since 1973. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer (73 to 75) and served with the State Department for 28 years afterwards. The book highlights how much things have changed since the 1960s. Worldwide and instant communications today are a breeze with WhatsApp and no need for snail mail. Back then, the reliance on American Express and Thomas Cook offices around the World to receive mail was the reality of the moment. Also, calling home was prohibitive. Ms. Sullivan's book is an easy and enjoyable read. The trek she did is not possible today given the security situations in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Her interaction with other WTs and the locals is the most interesting part of the book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It gave me a chance to recall some of my own travels and then went farther and gave me insight into more exotic places I haven't experienced (and maybe never will). Given that the world has changed since the time of the author's travels, it gives us a bit of history. It's a time we won't be able to reclaim. I kept turning the pages, curious to know what happened next. It's a thoroughly fun read.

[Helen Latto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say it did take me a good while to get into this book, but once I was invested I really did enjoy hearing about Pattys travels and difficulties that they faced along the way along with the joy they had and the new things that they experienced. I really enjoy all of the photos aswell, they really did help set the scene. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I feel so inspired and a sense of longing after reading this memoir. Sullivan is a badass for completing this trip and everything she did after. Only removing 1/2 star because I want to know MORE. Gotta go look up how I can teach abroad in SE Asia!!

[Nancy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patricia offers a rich verbal and visual retelling of her very unique "honeymoon" travels around the world in the mid 1960s. I've never read anything quite like this story. One is left with a deep admiration for her adventurous, self-confident nature. Incredible photos.

[Esther Dushinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Coco · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Renewing old memories.

Reading Patti's book brought back memories of living in a VW van travelling through Europe, North Africa and North America. Being left with an increasing collection of small denomination coins after each currency exchange. Writing letters on blue aerogrammes and the delight of collecting mail at Poste Restante. Carefully unfolding large paper maps, inevitably finding our destination concealed within the fold crease.

I'm glad I read Patti and Mick's vastly condensed, two year journey, it was fascinating reading, tho low on details of the local people and the country they were visiting. Attempting a similar journey now would be impossible and inadvisable, due to restricted military areas and actual war zones.

Nostalgic reading for some and a history book for others.

Thank you NetGalley and Noble Press for this e-book, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.