Review: You Can Keep Your Adventure, Just Leave Me The Toilet Paper

This is a book review on “You Can Keep Your Adventure, Just Leave Me The Toilet Paper” written by Ben Pastore who is the owner of the popular travel blog, Trip Accomplice.

I love to travel and before LO I set myself the challenge of travelling at least once a year which I did manage to do; I’ve visited a few places in my travels; mainly Europe or Northern Africa but I would love to extend my travels to Central Africa and Asia but not yet have the time or money to do so. Especially now with LO, it’s a little more difficult in terms of money however thanks to books like “You Can Keep Your Adventure, Just Leave Me The Toilet Paper” I can suppress my wanderlust for a little longer and keep my ‘armchair traveller’ status. 🙂

When Ben kindly sent me a free sample copy to review, I was very excited but also a bit apprehensive about reviewing the book. Firstly, because I wanted to know that I was able to do the book justice in my review but also, because I didn’t know what to expect. It’s taken me a little while to get round to doing it simply because my iPhone 4S is simply quite crap at opening large files. I’ve divided the review in to bitty sections to make it easier for you to read… here goes! 🙂

Book Review

So the book starts off like all other books. The publications, dedications and an interesting section titled “READ THIS FIRST!” in capital letters like how I’ve typed it here. Naturally, it sparked my curiosity and I had to read it. It is an explanation of who the book is for, who it is not for, what the book is about and a quick overview of the whole book for those who want to know (in short paragraphs) what each section of the book contains. I found it brilliant because it means I could skip to the ‘juicy bits’ straight away… however as I am reading to write a review, I had to take my time and go through each section of the book.

Section One: Introduction to Wanderlust

This is the first section of the book where the author introduces himself as well as provides us with his definition of ‘wanderlust’. I’m quite a visual person so sometimes I find it hard to read a lot of text without photos. Also, because I know that this was a travel book so I was just really eager to look at the photos only. After the self-introduction and book introduction the author provides us with some very handy tips to remember when travelling and recommendations of good travel guides to invest in and the reasons why they make good travel guides.

Section Two: The Witty Traveller’s Guide to the Planet

Now here is where all the magic is. The author starts off his travel destinations in North America visiting places like Montreal, Quebec City. Then goes on to the Carribean Islands and tells us the difference between the islands (yes, they are very different from one another) which was interesting to know as I didn’t know anything about the islands before reading this, South America, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and Oceania.

You can expect a fabulous in-depth story for most of the destinations. My favourite stories were:

• getting your face licked by cheetahs at Makuni Safari in Zambia
• admiring in awe the beauty of the Taj Mahal in India
• the envious Hong Kong skyline

There are so many stories to read and when you’re reading them, you become fully immersed and almost feel like you are actually there with him. The wonderful advice given throughout this section of the book is invaluable to any traveller, whether they are experienced or a complete novice.

Section Three: Looting the Planet – A Collection of Lessons Lifted from the World

After being indulged with stunning destinations and photos that make you envious, the author provides you with more travel tips and genuine advice that can help enhance your travel experience and fully fulfill your wanderlust. You can expect tips and advice on how to make the most out of your travels, how to take the best photographs and present them and the best ways to travel when you’re abroad. The author also offers his response to common travel excuses like mine such as “I can’t afford to travel” and “I don’t have the time to travel” as well as a few others which really motivates me to stop being an armchair traveller this year. Good thing I have Ibiza and Vietnam on mine and LO’s travel list this year then. 🙂

Summary

It’s an excellent book/travel guide – it’s packed full of popular travel destinations, envious photographs of the destinations, amazing stories, useful advice and travelling tips. Everything that makes a great travel guide book I would say. If you are tired of being an armchair traveller and want to get out there but don’t know where to start why not take a look at this book as a starting point for your wanderlust? I am so grateful I was able to review this book and next year when I plan my travels to Congo, I may have to take a detour to Zambia to get a chance to play with those big cats!

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About Ben Pastore
Blog: Trip Accomplice
Instagram: @tripaccomplice
Twitter: @tripaccomplice

For more info on the book or to buy click the following link below:
http://bastionpublishing.com/you-can-keep-your-adventure.html

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NB. I was kindly sent an e-book to review by Ben Pastore. All thoughts, opinions are words are my own.

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