The bottom line is simple: if you want to do something, then just fucking do it (expletive added so as not to violate Nike copyright). The rest of these 203 pages are filled with bland bits of armchair philosophy and anecdotes from dozens of other people who are not collecting checks for writing this book. But you don’t have to take my word for it, the first book alone sold around 16 million copies and has been translated into 35 languages.

The more we're encouraged to see the world through a commercial lens, the less likely we are to seek out the humbler qualities – patience, receptivity, introspection – that compel us to experience the world in a life-enriching way. Contrast this with my attitude a few short months ago, while working under a strict hour-by-hour daily agenda. He says nothing about travelling as a couple (nor about leaving your partner or spouse behind) and very little about dealing with practical and emotional aspects of other family commitments. Although I am sure he wouldn’t recommend it to his readers, his account of the experience is endlessly entertaining and inspiring to push yourself beyond the limits you have set within your own mind. At its best, this book will not just explore ideas about mindful travel; it will make you want to travel (and, in doing so, to enrich your life in ways you don't yet understand).Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the first of a hugely popular series of books, which I would recommend to any travel lover. For some reason, we see long-term travel to faraway lands as a recurring dream or an exotic temptation, but not something that applies to the here and now. And, while the word vagabond is traditionally defined as "a person who wanders from place to place without a fixed home," this book affirms that travel is as much a way of being as it is an act of movement. The practical tips are basic, to the point of stating the obvious, so will be mainly of use only to those who have little experience of truly independent travel. Once I’ve finished reading any of these books, I feel the instant urge to pack my bag and head out to explore the world somewhere new!

Vagabonding involves taking an extended time-out from your normal life — six weeks, four months, two years — to travel the world on your own terms. And if you have happen to doubt it, Rolf is quite convincing in his first-hand accounts as well as his seemingly endless resources he provides to guide you through making it possible.It’s one of the best-written novels I’ve read and sucks you right into an amazing story full of love, beauty, betrayal, brutality, and compassion.

In studying classic works of literature from across the centuries, one finds that the most affecting travel tales depict journeys as a metaphor for life itself. The author describes several different approaches to travel and refrains from passing judgment on any of them. And if you've never lived this life, it may be hard to appreciate the discussion of both its virtues and its challenges. Some of his stories are extreme and have you reading in disbelief whereas just as many make you realize the simplicities in life that we so often let pass us by. Because of this, their trip has minimal value to them and they’ll often say that they’re seeking meaning in their destination, failing to realize that the journey itself is what gives life meaning.Spiritual enclaves from Greece to Tibet were turning into hot tourist draws, and travel pundits attributed this “solace boom” to the fact that “busy overachievers are seeking a simpler life.

Quitting--whether a job or a habit--means taking a turn so as to be sure you're still moving in the direction of your dreams.Vagabonding is over-packed with fortune cookie wisdom, both by the author, and also the people making guest appearances with equally puerile thoughts on travel. It’s just an uncommon way of looking at life — a value adjustment from which action naturally follows. We can only understand and learn so much from what we read, see on TV or experience in a class room. If you have already gone on open-ended adventures into the world, the first two-thirds (or more) of this book are a bore. The book is much more about the idea and the motivations behind our desire to travel and what keeps people on the road.