Anny Chih

I’ve been back from Peru for  12 days and they’ve been a particularly miserable 12 days (health-wise). I’m still suffering through a cold from hell. If this damned virus were personified, I’d be punching him in the gonads.

Since I’m not planning on venturing out into the world tonight and unleashing this evil bug onto a group of unsuspecting shoppers at the supermarket or coffee shop, I decided to open up the pdf version of The Art of Solo Travel by Stephanie Lee that Craig Martin from Indie Travel Podcast sent to me for review. I figured I might as well spend the evening reading about the adventures of others if I can’t go out on adventures of my own.

The Art of Solo Travel

This is probably the easiest book review I will ever write. Why? It’s the shortest travel book I’ve ever read! Seriously. I’m not even the fastest reader and I finished it in 20 minutes! It’s only 48 pages. The Introduction begins on page 5 and the Author Bio starts on page 46. There are six parts to the book, each of which gets a dedicated title page, four check-lists that each get a page, and a page of travel resource links. In the end, there are only 30 pages of text, most of which consists of lists (ex. Ten Easy Ways to Save Money, reasons why Google is Your Best Friend, and reasons to Quit Your Life (and Get a New One)).

I can sort of understand why Stephanie might have chosen to print short lists for the space conscientious traveller that already has a few travel guidebooks to lug around. But with all the handy gadgets she outlines (ex. E-book Readers), this really isn’t an issue anymore. I would’ve preferred to read more about her travel experiences meeting new people who helped her out (ex. about the guy in Switzerland who helped her buy a half-price ticket in Zurich — how did he get a half-price ticket? How did she meet him? Is this what she was referring to when she wrote that “travelling alone increases the possibility of romance”?) — which only got a measly half a page — than view the istock photos used for all the title pages.

Conclusion

I’m impressed that Stephanie was able to travel throughout 18 countries in six months with only $13,000 AU and I’m sure that she’s got heaps of great travel stories to share, but her first book hasn’t given me much insight into how she was able to do it or what she really got out of it, other than that she cooked a lot and was able to land a book deal with Indie Travel. I’m hoping this is her stepping stone to another more comprehensive book about her experiences travelling abroad.

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The Art of Solo Travel is a brief introduction to travel for the girl who’s never ventured outside her hometown. I’d recommend it as a Christmas stocking stuffer, or a quick read at the doctor’s office (which I might have to go visit if this bug doesn’t let up soon). To purchase The Art of Solo Travel, visit http://indietravelpodcast.com/girlsguide.

Official Book Release: June 1, 2010
Price: $12.95 US
Publisher: Indie Travel Media Ltd.