An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington

by Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant

The companion guide to the hysterical television show of the same name, in which Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant force their arrestingly simple pal Karl Pilkington on a global journey
 

"He'd have been happier in medieval times in a village where you didn't travel beyond the local community."  —Stephen Merchant
 

A cult celebrity due to his role in The Ricky Gervais Show, the most-downloaded podcast ever, Karl Pilkington has been accused of being a comic creation, so unburdened is he by complex thought—but that is truly just him. The trio's newest project mines Karl massive provinciality: put simply, Karl is not big on traveling. Given the choice, he'll go on vacation to Devon or Wales or, if pushed, eat English food on a package tour of the Mediterranean. So what happened when he was convinced by Gervais and Merchant to go on an epic adventure to see the Seven Wonders of the World? Does travel truly broaden the mind? Find out in Karl Pilkington's hilarious travel diaries.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Humor, Comedy, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Karl Pilkington is a Sony Award-winning English radio producer, poet, podcaster, raconteur and author, best known for producing and co-presenting The Ricky Gervais Show on London radio station Xfm from 2001 to 2005 and later in the form of podcasts and a television show on HBO. In October 2006, Pilkington's first book The World of Karl Pilkington was published, featuring original ideas and drawings by Pilkington, based upon the subject matter discussed in the podcasts. His second book, Happyslapped by a Jellyfish, was published in October 2007, and he was the subject of the Comedy Lab episode "Karl Pilkington - Satisfied Fool", which aired in October 2007. His third book, Karlology, a musing on his views on his own intelligence, and attitude to learning, appeared on 1 October 2008.

Reviews

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons to be found reading about Karl Pilkington's journey to the Seven Wonders -- otherwise known as the folksy wisdom of a round-headed Manc twit:

#1. Ricky Gervais is a serious asshole. #2. Stephen Merchant will never be happy in his friendships. #3. Round heads were meant to be capped by a Fez. #4. Michael Palin is a much better celebrity to follow around the world. #5. In Cairo no one "walks like an Egyptian" because they're all driving. #6. Every city that's ever been influenced by England has a shitty hotel called The Windsor. #7. Pavlov would have ejaculated while watching the Muslim call to prayer. #8. Ricky Gervais really is an asshole. #9. KFC is way cooler in Cairo (they have an outlet staffed entirely by deaf folks, and special methods of ordering to accommodate their handicap) -- same shitty food, though. #10. Cruelty abounds when a chance to be on camera presents itself. #11. Karl Pilkington is obsessed with his poo time. #12. There's sand in Egypt. Lots of it. #13. Dr. Zahi Hawass is smarter than I thought; he missed his appointment with Karl Pilkington. Wise man. #14. There are Western wackos everywhere -- even lying in sarcophagi. #15. The world is a pretty beautiful place. #16. A drag queen in Rio de Janiero, named Celso, just might be gay. #17. Hostels are dirty and unsecure. #18. Nude beaches are for naked people. #19. Christ the Redeemer is a wonder of the world (here I thought it was Epcot Center). #20. Stephen Merchant is a pushy bastard. #21. One can actually go to Brazil without watching a football game (but why would anyone do that?). #21. The Samba is exhausting. #22. Brazilians have much more comfort with their bodies than balding, round-headed Mancs. #23. India is crowded! #24. India gives one dysentery. #25 Indians worship cows. #26. Freaks and gurus, gurus and freaks abound in India. #27. Ricky Gervais is a fuckwit. #28. Karl wasn't familiar with Kipling, apparently. #29. Mexicans love danger and make great chicken. #30. Chichen Itza has better curb appeal than the Great Pyramid. #31. Ricky Gervais is like a burrowing tick that only a pair of sharp tweezers can remove. #32. Mexico is loud during a festival. #33. Fireworks can blow off digits. #34. Tequila isn't yummy, it's disgusting, especially when you eat a worm. #35. The Mayan descendants remain thoroughly screwed -- just like the rest of the North American indigenous peoples. #36. If your voice bounces off a step pyramid, it echoes. Wow! #37. The Great Wall of China isn't so great. #38. The Chinese eat crazy shit. #39. Karl Pilkington needs walls and a door to take a poo. #40. Stephen Merchant wants to be Henry Higgins, and Karl's his Miss Doolittle. #41. Fingers are weapons on the hands of Kung-Fu masters. SKEDOOSH! #42. Ricky Gervais would have made a successful plantation foreman. #43. Ricky Gervais is a cunt -- and not in the good way. #44. Dogs taste like beef instead of chicken. #45. Apparently, Muslim men aren't impressed when bald headed Mancs date sixteen year olds. #46. Israel is dangerous. #47. Ricky Gervais is a son of a bitch. #48. Karl Pilkington is too forgiving and far too trusting. #49. Jesus is alive and well and driving a blanket laden motorbike in Jerusalem. #50. The Dead Sea keeps boogers afloat. #51. Petra appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. #52. Sleeping in a cave isn't so bad. #53. You can discover a place, even if other people are sitting there cooking dinner and living life when you arrive. #54. Folks in the jungle don't need to worry about nudity. #55. Connect 4 can be played solitaire. #56. Poo is Karl Pilkington's sole concern. #57. Ricky Gervais will use anyone to succeed. #58. Machu Pichu is really high up. #59. This is the book for you if you want to know the state of toilets the world over. #60. Stephen Merchant isn't such a bad guy. #61. It's kind of hard not to love Ricky Gervais. #62. Karl Pilkington could be pitied, if he wasn't such an ungrateful git.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all: Karl Pilkington is not an idiot. He's one of the more intelligent men alive today, I think.

Second of all, this was an odd book. If you haven't watched the tv series (and what is WRONG with you if you haven't!) I'm not sure this book would interest you. It's pretty skimpy on content, mainly serving to remind you of what you saw on the show. But if you have watched the series, there's not a lot of new content for you. A lot of it is word-for-word what Karl says on the show. There are just enough new inside info, though, to keep this die-hard fan interested.

Now I need to get the rest of this man's books...and watch his second travel series.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a few years since I checked in with Karl. I used to love the Ricky Gervais show on XFM and even the podcasts/audiobooks that followed have been good (but not as good as the radio shows) and I loved the subsequent books "Happyslapped by a jellyfish" and "Karlology" and would recommend anyone who enjoyed "An Idiot Abroad" to check those out. So it was interesting to check back in with Karl after a break of years to see what he's been up to. Thankfully, he hasn't changed. At all.

The moaning Manc is still talking about his various body parts as if they're individual to him: "me legs get tired before the rest of me body does" and "me brain was stressing me out - it knows I don't like it so why does it do that?". And of course he's still being picked on by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, this time from afar, as they send him into the world to see the Seven Wonders and throw obstacles in his path. When he goes to Israel he's kidnapped and held captive except Karl doesn't know it's not for real, it's training. When he goes to China he's made to fight trained Shaolin experts and when he visits Mexico he's put in the ring with other Lucha Libre wrestlers. And of course wherever he goes he's challenged to eat the local delicacies involving animal parts like eyes, brains, as well as various bugs.

Karl handles it as best he can but as a reader you're always rooting for him, he's just too likeable. His no-nonsense approach to life coupled with his strange outlook and way of seeing the world are what has made him so famous, and if you're a fan (a KP nut) of his previous books and recordings, you'll enjoy seeing Karl deal with these odd situations and places in his own unique way. "An Idiot Abroad" is a great read and had me laughing throughout, the only thing missing was Monkey News. Karl really is a national treasure and should be titled the Eighth Wonder of the World.

[Sohna Ravindran · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off really good- funny and Karl's opinions were so odd that they were quite interesting to read. And, then, after the second location, it just seemed to go downhill. The jokes got stale and he got more and more whiney & annoying. The only thing he was bothered about was the toilet. I get it; it's hard getting used to it in strange places especially when they aren't very clean but I do not want to hear about it on every page!

I haven't seen the TV series, which is supposed to be brilliant, but the book was a disappointment.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with the mindset of a blog. The writing is not literature. The jokes get stale.
But, it's readable, and heaven knows, there's no boring travel going on there.

Karl's cynical, earthy perspective of travel, foreign countries, and the wonders of the world is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Likely they'll be bored with the whining in a chapter or two. Karl is the giant crack in the rose colored lenses of armchair travel.

But, it's refreshing in its own weird way.

Why? Because he says what many likely feel when standing in front of such sights, but tactfully do not say. I sense his comments are more offensive in the sense of these things being sacred cows we hold dear... I mean, heavens, the pyramids! How much dreaming and planning went into going to see them? How much money? And then this guy toddles up to say: well, it's all garbage isn't it? they're not that big, there's litter everywhere and a KFC right down there...

I could see a random traveler strangling him with their camera strap.

Despite his whining and grumping, I get the sense that he's a good guy at heart. The things that bother him would also throw me off my game. Actually, all things considered, he really handles himself a heckuva lot better than I'd manage in some situations. It's just not pretty to watch or read.

I picked the book up because the tv series is not yet available here on DVD. I'll probably give it a watch when it is, though I've seen a few clips. I think that, overall, the book - like Ewan McGregor/Charlie Boorman's Long Way Round/Long Way Down books - will give some perspective and insight that might not come across on camera, but don't expect real depth here. It is still blog-like, and should be read with a grain of salt - or a beer - whichever makes not-so-great writing go down easier.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karl Pilkington has, over the past four or so years, become one of my favorite human beings. He is an unlikely hero to myself and so many others. I began listening to him on the podcasts that he appears on with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and I soon found a plethora of radio shows he appears on during the early to mid 2000s with the same two people.

He has since written a number of books, and appeared on television shows such as the one this book is based on. His writing style is excellent, and his unique humor comes through perfectly in the text.

This was a very good and fun read. Karl continues to impress me with everything he does.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes!!!! So funny!!! Loved the HBO series, love the books.

Karl Pilkington is a legend. He hasn't seen much of the world before being sent out by his friends to discover it. Some would say he is a little dumb, but I think he is very smart, he just isn't really open to the world around him. He really appreciates his usual life without surprises. So sending him out to countries where he barely even heard of is hilarious. He says exactly what he thinks and people think he's odd, but they're charmed by him.

And that's the same for me. I think Karl's odd, but also very charming. Definitely nice travel memoirs to read!

[Kim (Wistfulskimmies Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely bloody hilarious. Loved it!!

[Annerlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it!!

[Saul Connelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

don’t judge me

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One of my wisdom teeth is playing up. My dentist said it is known to happen with some people when they’re stressed. My teeth seem to know I’m stressed before I do. Maybe that’s why they’re called wisdom teeth."

[Campbell Mcaulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

An innocent abroad,

So I watched bits of a couple of episodes of the An Idiot Abroad TV series but never really enjoyed it. I couldn't quite work out if Karl Pilkington really was as dopily parochial as he seemed or if it was put on, either way the series seemed exploitative and designed to make its viewers cringe.

I bought the book (in Kindle format) because:
a. it was on offer,
b. there was at least a little honest entertainment value to the TV series, and
c. because I wondered whether the book might shed a little light on KP.

Well it's not too bad. As a travel diary it is a bit useless: the series was never really about travel, rather about putting a small-minded little-Englander into discomfiting situations and laughing at his attempts to deal with the culture-shock. This is somewhat reflected in the book, albeit in not quite so extreme a way. It does read rather like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in that respect, with Karl playing the part of Arthur Dent (Gervaise and Merchant, as Zaphod Beeblebrox and Ford Prefect respectively don't figure in the book very much at all, thank goodness).

Actually, I found Pilkington's stream of consciousness description of his trips to India, Peru, Mexico, Jordan and so on to be a quite entertaining read: mildly humorous with a few laugh-out-loud moments. And instead of the slightly retarded, handbag-clutching clown from the TV series, Pilkington comes across far better in the book. Still a little-Englander, to be sure, still very much out of his depth in the face of camp carnival goers and Amazonian savages but willing to try out new experiences and then take a naiive, sideways glance at them. Indeed, on the telly he seems to make quite ridiculously stupid statements (e.g. about how Chinese people don't age well) but, reading them in the book (perhaps it's having the time to think about what he's saying) many of these inanities have their own, slightly twisted, left-field sort of way. So it's that naiive, slightly grumpy, off-kilter view of the world that gives the book a certain charm.

I am still unsure as to whether the Pilkington persona is manufactured by him (and Gervaise and Merchant) or genuine (or a bit of both) but at least it's not as extreme her as in the series and if you can look past that this is a perfectly acceptable bit of humourous travel writing - not quite Bill Bryson, but enjoyable none-the-less.

The book includes a number of rather nice colour photos of KP and his travels. These don't fare very well in Kindle format, I'm afraid, but I have been reading the book on my Tablet where they show up rather nicely.

"I did some yoga with a baba. He laughed because I couldn't stretch as well as he could. It was hardly surprising really as he was stark b0ll0ck naked apart from a pair of shades, while I was wearing combat pants with the pockets stuffed full of toffees I'd taken from the first-class lounge at the airport. The guide said if I gave him some more money he would show me more. I don't know what more there was to see from this fella. The way he was bending upside down in my face I could have checked his prostate gland."

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well first and foremost, I absolute love the show, and I think Karl Pilkington is one of the funniest guys in the world. While I have great respect for almost all of Gervais's work - (The Office, Extras, Cemetery Junction, Life's Too Short, Ghost Town and his stand-up shows are all exceptional) - I have found myself disliking the man more and more of late. It's hard to really like Gervais if you're a Christian sometimes because man does he hate them. But Pilkington hasn't any of the arrogance of Gervais or Stephen Merchant. He's much more likeable, although I'm often surprised to find that many people do not like him.

All the same, the show is hilarious. But the book just doesn't cut it like the show does. It's not the sort of thing one can read and get much enjoyment out of. While Karl's lack of interest or appreciation for all these magnificent places is funny and entertaining on the screen, to read his whinges is much less enjoyable and actually gets kind of annoying. I would say definitely stick with the show.

[Stephen Clynes · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Idiot Abroad is a tie-in with a popular television programme of the same name. I have NOT seen this TV show, so I read this book with open eyes. But my eyes became tired and I found the writing style to be newspaper column-like, bright but lacking depth. Karl is very much the bloke-in-the-pub who offers his narrow-minded opinions to anyone who will listen.

Karl’s commentary on the Seven Wonders of the World and the countries they are in, is amusing in the same way as drunks can be funny in a party. He offers an alternative view of tourism and history but this comes across as a bored holiday-maker making a claim against the tour operator in the hope of getting some compensation.

An Idiot Abroad is NOT top class comedy but is very similar to a travel blog from a disappointed tourist. It is NOT good writing and is padded out with transcripts of telephone conversations between the three authors. To create a feeling of dumbing-down to the script, Karl deliberately keeps using bad grammar, misusing me instead of my, as in “I had to get me coat out”. I found this very annoying.

Because the writing was lacking, it was supported by the inclusion of some very good photographs so that the reader could get a better understanding of the atmosphere. Although this book is amusing, I found it to be a POOR read. The commentary is more of a moan and lacks punch. I really noticed the difference when I finished this book and moved onto the next in my collection, thinking BANG! this is more like it.

I was disappointed by An Idiot Abroad and it offered very little reading pleasure. I will NOT be bothering with another of Karl Pilkington’s books and this one only gets 2 stars from me. Karl offers his view of the Seven Wonders of the World, so I will offer below the seven most amusing quotes I can pull from this disappointing read, so that you will NOT have to bother reading the whole book.

1: He took me to a mosque. Praying and religion are a big deal in Egypt. Ahmed prays five time a day. I would never keep to it if I lived here. I struggle having my five fruits a day.

2: We went to a block party today. It was the worst party I have ever been to. Aimlessly walking about as people blew whistles and made noise with air horns. I would normally avoid things like this. I remember not enjoying the Queen’s Jubilee street party when I was a kid. Scruffy Sandra ate loads of trifle me mam had made and didn’t bring anything to the party. This block party was worse. There was no trifle whatsoever. People just stood around looking a bit bewildered. It was like wandering amongst the staff of an office block who are stood on the street ‘cos a fire alarm has gone off.

3: I did some yoga with a baba. He laughed because I couldn’t stretch as well as he could. It was hardly surprising really as he was stark bollock naked apart from a pair of shades, while I was wearing combat pants with pockets stuffed full of toffees I’d taken from the first-class lounge at the airport. The guide said if I gave him some more money he would show me more. I don’t know what more there was to see from this fella. The way he was bending upside down in my face I could have checked his prostate gland.

4: Before I left, they took me to the gift shop. I was the only one in there, which was no great surprise given that all the products were made from cow poo and piss. Hardly Bodyshop, is it? In this day and age, when every product has to list all its contents on the label, a shop like this is never going to be big business. They packaged them up well, but as the saying goes, ‘You can’t polish a turd’. And believe me, this place has tried.

5: I had about four hours sleep then was woken by police sirens. They have a selection of sirens to choose from. One goes waaa … waaa, then there’s woo woo and wooooooooooo and daaa daaa. The copper seemed to decide to go through the choice of sirens at four in the morning outside my room. He was like one of them people on the Tube in London who decides to use their commute to see what other ringtones they’ve got on their mobile.

6: I caught sight of a few local newspapers today. They all had gruesome pictures on the cover. There was a big photo of a car accident with dead bodies and a picture of an old man who had shot himself in the head. Back home a headline like ‘Shocking images inside’ normally end up being just of Charlotte Church on a beach with a spot on her arse.

7: Richard asked me if I was excited about getting close to Machu Picchu. I said I wasn’t. How could I be? I was still ill, hot and exhausted. The views were amazing, we were on top of the world, but why people would live up here just doesn’t make sense. My mam and dad have retired to Snowdon in Wales but they’re sick of it being a 15-minute drive to the local Spar supermarket. Living high up just isn’t practical.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, isn't this interesting...I hated his "Happyslapped', but rather liked this, and laughed intermittently all the way through...although if I gave it four stars it'd be more out of fellow-feeling than admiration of content.

I trust K.P. is paid handsomely to be publicly humiliated, and is laughing all the way to the bank, because what this book (and even more so, the TV series) reveals is that Ricky Gervais is a deeply unpleasant human being, with a typically superior English middle-class attitude, and a vilely condescending view of anyone whom he suspects doesn't find him as hilarious as clearly (and all too audibly) he finds himself. He is not QUITE surpassed in this regard by the four-eyed git who is his lapdog. Both are a detestable waste of oxygen.

What I liked about the book (I wonder who actually wrote it), is that like Karl, I too was massively underwhelmed by the Wonders of the World. Taj Mahal, Great Wall, Petra, Pyramids...there's a huge amount of Emperor's New Clothes about these sights. "It says here, Elmer, that this is GREAT, so it must be so". No. Most are dingy, ill-kept tourist-traps.

So finally, we get someone who is unimpressed on an honest and visceral level, and unaffected by what the 'intellectuals' tell him. If Pilkington is an idiot, he is an idot savant.

In short, a funny and worthwhile travel book.

[Tonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another travel book. Looks like a person who does not like to travel is being forced to travel by two of his friends, one being Ricky Gervais and the other Stephen Merchant. We shall see.

This book was OK. I was a little mad that a person who did not really like traveling was visiting many of the Wonders of the World, and didn't appear to enjoy himself despite visiting 4 or 5 different continents. This was part of the schtick to make the book and subsequent videos humorous and different than others, but I would have appreciated these visits more. They should have picked me to go. Then again, Pilkington did share many moments of deep honesty, and did learn more about other places even though he did not like many of them. Perhaps the videos, in this case, would be better than the book.

Not my favourite travel book and not as funny as many reviewers stated, but it was an easy and interesting enough read to keep me on the tread mill or stationary bike at the gym longer than normal.

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

First thing's first- don't read this book if you've not seen An Idiot Abroad. If you pick this up expecting it to be a lighthearted take about global travel, you'd be very wrong! Karl Pilkington, the unwittingly popular idiot like genius (or genius like idiot) is forced around the world by the somewhat mean Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where he's forced to endure the cheapest, most difficult and unpleasant aspects of the places he's dropped off at. Karl's frank humour is totally his own- he doesn't just write jokes to make you laugh, he simply voices the rambling thoughts that go on in his perfectly round, bald head (like a large orange) which naturally has the same effect! In a way, this book is the lazy man or women's guide to travel, and it's most definitely a more reliable insight into travel than say, an idealised one of Michael Palin which would indeed be all positive. Karl tells you what it's truly like, and you can look at the world without wasting a lot of money on a disappointing holiday!

[Tiziana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had started this book during my trip to Sweden. It is ideal for keeping you company while travelling, not only for the obvious reason that it is a travel diary, but because it is very easy to read and very amusing.
I am a bit like Karl: grumpy, not so interested in immersing myself completely in a different culture, and certainly not the adventurous type. I would like to remain in my comfort zone during my travels just like him. He does sound like an average Briton but he's not a total idiot; he comes up with some interesting deep thoughts on serious matters. Everything is of course written in 'Pilkington' language, so while reading it seems like you're hearing him talk, and that makes the read even more hilarious.
Maybe it's not the greatest travel diary, particularly for those who haven't seen the tv series, but I love it. Can't wait to read the second book.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this too soon after the other Karl Pilkington travel book that I read a few months ago. This was essentially the same thing - occasionally amusing, kinda nice in a comforting gentle English humour manner, slightly educational travel writing. The uncomfortable sense that Ricky Gervais was being a nasty tit to his friend was less significant in this book than I remember the other one being, and I also didn't get quite the same sense that Karl Pilkington is partly a character who exaggerates his dumbness for comic effect. Overall this felt like 'The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad', but a bit less 'for laughs', as if they'd turned up the schtick a notch in the follow-up. Nevertheless, for the quid that I paid for it, it was an amusing diversion.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of the Idiot Abroad show on Sky. This book had some humorous observations as you’d expect. As I’m not able to travel abroad it’s an amusing diversion. Poor Karl has a really hard time especially in China and India.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in 2011 - karl pilkington is a gem, wonderful companion to telly programme - better review to come

5 stars

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the series. Loved the book. Karl is a character all his own. I would love to meet him in person just to hear him talk about life, or rather mins about it. I can moan just as good as him :-)

[Mo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, but I need to be able to see the facial expressions and hear the voices. I just cannot connect otherwise.

[Eric Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

another masterpiece by karl Pilkington

[Husna Musa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know who is Karl Pilkington and I didn't watch any of the show. When I first took the book, I didn't even know that it had something to do with filming.

This travel diary is a whole new type of travelogue to me.

On the blurb, it says something like a bloke who actually hate to travel had been sent to the seven wonders, not knowing what is waiting for him in each places ー this, sounded fun and an adventurous reading to me.

At first, I had some issues with Pilkington's thoughts and reactions towards most of the places he had been. Most of the times the complaints annoyed me, but at second thought, I think his way of thinking were not that wrong. And I have to admit, I found some of them hilarious.

Slowly till the end, I got carried away. I loved the Machu Picchu part the most.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't watched 'An Idiot Abroad', what are you doing with your life? This is a great companion book to the TV show, but it could also be enjoyed as a hilarious travel journal.

If your not laughing at this book, then you are either dead or have no sense of humour. Karl Pilkington has successfully put me off going to see any of the World Wonders mentioned in this book, though to be fair, with the exception of the Pyramids,wasn't fussed about visiting them anyways.

Filled with pictures and phone conversations between Karl, Ricky and Steve, this book is really nicely put together. Would really recommend for fans of the show or people who want a view of travel, from a World class moaner.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows the adventures or misadventures of "an idiot abroad."
Karl Pilkington is sent abroad by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant on a quest to visit the seven wonders.
We see our intrepid explorer visit Egypt, Brazil, India, Mexico, China, Jordan and Peru.
He moans his way through each place but it's so hilarious, his humour is so dry and he is trying to be as miserable as possible though fair play he does join in with basically all that's asked of him.
The telephone conversations between him, Stephen and Ricky are just laugh out loud funny.
Full of brilliant pics of everywhere he went this is without a doubt the craziest and wittiest travelogue I have ever read so need to check out the series too.
The downside was the animal cruelty aspect of some of the things he saw and places he visits, yes it's all a matter of a different culture but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

[Francesca · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've seen the show it's pretty pointless and honestly I think this is one of the rare cases where the show is better than the book; I suppose because the book came second. I like to have a bit of a laugh at Karl's comments but the whole thing eventually became tiring and I just wanted it to be over. I won't be reading the second book even though I own it. Charity shop it is! I'll just watch the show whenever I fancy this kind of thing again. Not for me. I hope others enjoy it more than I did.

[Aidan W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was quite a read, and not in a good way.
The entire thing is just diary extracts and nothing else. No story or plot or growth or commentary or any writing quality - just Karl's train of thought. So yea, that's the style of gone for in this review.

Definitely a relaxing and easy read mind, a few funny moments too - but few and far between. There's no value in this book, and it didn't offer anything interesting despite being about travelling the world.

I'm kind of glad it's over now. But I may miss these doses of stupidity.

One thing I did learn from this book is that I should always read a sample before buying to avoid this happening again.

[Hannah Polley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never watched the TV series of this but my partner loved it so I was quite looking forward to this book.

It was really funny and probably the best travel type book I have read for keeping me entertained!

I'm afraid it has not really made me want to go and visit any of the wonders of the world. Now I really want to see the TV show.

I definitely felt for Karl with some of the things the TV show made him do!