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Travel, to me, is something life-affirming, inspiring, and fulfilling; something almost necessary. It represents, in part, the ability to make those words and those images in guidebooks, on billboards, on Instagram - come to life – give them dimension. Not just the sight or description of a place, but also the smells, the sounds, the flavors, the energy. And, it makes anything seem possible – each trip I take reminds me that the confines of my life are often self-imposed – and that should I choose, I could change any aspect of my life – my scenery, my house, the people I interact with (or don’t), the food I eat, etc. 

I have only been traveling extensively for about eight years. And, one of the books that I read in my earlier years of travel, and continue to read is The Wayfarer’s Handbook – A Field Guide for The Independent Traveler by Evan Rice. This book is really unique – kind of in a category of its own. Part memoir, part guidebook, part travel hacks, and part utility – there’s just good useful information in this book that you don’t know you need until you’re trying to speak to a waiter in sub-saharan Africa in a regional dialect while mentally doing the currency conversion. This book, literally, helps with that. You also learn how to spot scams, what gestures are best avoided in certain countries, the history of cartography, photo etiquette, how to travel with pets, minimum safe ice thickness for various activities, and much much more – including travel-related quotes and thoughts from well-known, and sometimes not so well known, authors and poets. It’s a lot – AND it’s highly readable. 

I go back to this book on a regular basis – it’s both functional and inspiring.  

So, today, my guest is Evan Rice – the author of The Wayfarer’s Handbook. In his 20s, Evan left for Africa on a one-way ticket, unsure if he’d back in three days or three years. Suffice to say, it wasn’t three days. We talk about that nomad life, how he did it, why he did it, what travel means to him, some hacks he picked up along the way, some of his favorite places, what motivated him to write such a quirky book, and what the future of travel looks like for him.

Mentioned:
Oh I Wept - Free

Recommended:
The Wayfarer's Handbook: A Field Guide for the Independent Traveler - Evan S. Rice

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