Jason's Travels

The Travel Book

November 9, 2010

I have a couple of destinations planned for 2011, but I'm by no means close to being done. I still have a good chunk of vacation time from work available, and I'm trying to decide where I want to go next. I have more than a few ideas, which

is a problem I'm happy to have. But, I ultimately do need to narrow it down. And in order to do so, I look to The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World to help.

I absolutely love Lonely Planet's photo journey through each country - from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe it has what I need. And on top of the amazing photographs, The Travel Book also has a decent write up about each country; the best time to visit, essential experiences, and suggestions on how to prepare for a journey to a different country are all what I'm looking for when planning a journey. I love being able to get everything I need to get the ball rolling in one book, and even on two pages for each country.

I've owned The Travel Book for a few years now, and it has never let me down when I've needed help in deciding where to go. I always have plenty of ideas, and receive plenty of suggestions (which I'm happy to get more of!), but I always anguish over my final decision. Thankfully I get plenty of photographic help here.

On the downside, I have so many ideas running through my head for 2011 that it would make more sense to just blindly throw a dart at a map on a wall to decide. Part of me wants to return to one of the many great places I've already set foot, and another part of me wants to explore something different; part of me wants to stay at home and explore my own country, and part of me wants to travel internationally; and part of me wants to sit on a beach and do nothing but turn lobster-red, while another part wants to do something different and unexpected.

No matter what I decide, it's certain that I'll use Lonely Planet's The Travel Book to help. But I'd also like to hear from my friends and readers about where they think I should go. Is there a place you've always wanted to go, but haven't? Is there a certain journey that you'd like to read about? Send me your comments and suggestions and help me narrow my plans down from the nearly 200 countries in the world to one.

Posted by Jason Hussong.

Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe

October 28, 2010

I have been unable to find a Bill Bryson book that I don't love. From page one to the end of each of his books I find myself absolutely rivited, and thoroughly entertained. It's as though I

have an old friend telling me about his travels abroad. And so, when I picked up Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe for a bit of light reading, I knew I would not be let down.

Neither Here Nor There is nearly twenty years old now, but that didn't matter. The stories of Bryson's travels throug...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

A Travel Guide to the Plains Indian Wars

October 18, 2010

Generally speaking, I've given up on guide books. I just don't use them any longer, and I don't see the need to thanks to our good friend the Internet. So much information is available for free here that it doesn't make sense to spend money on a book to give you the same information. Bu

t when I came across Stan Hoig's A Travel Guide to the Plains Indian Wars I felt a bit different. And after giving it a read, and putting it to some use, I'm glad I thought otherwise.

A Travel Guide to the...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

The Story of Writing a Travel Book

October 6, 2010

I've spent the better part of fifteen or sixteen months researching and writing a travel memoir, and now it's all on two little USB sticks on my desk. I still have a lot of editing to do, and things to change, but the better part of my first book is done and I couldn't be more happy. I'm pleased with the way the trip that I'm writing about went, as well as how I'm incorporating past travels into the story, and how it has come into being electronically. But now the hard part of fine tuning ...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

Blue Highways

September 27, 2010

I was picking through the books on the shelf at the store looking for something good to read and I came across William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways: A Journey into America. I seemed to recall having seen the name somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it at the time. As it turns out, though, it was

on World Hum's 100 Most Celebrated Travel Books of All Time list. In a word: jackpot.

I zipped through Blue Highways as though I'd receive one million dollars when I finished. I loved it ...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

Letters to Zerky

September 16, 2010

I've done a lot of travel reading lately, but haven't found anything exactly inspirational and personal at the same time. A lot of what I've read has been quite good, but just not exactly what I was looking for. And then I saw Letters to Zerky: A Father's Legacy to a Lost Son and a Road Trip Around the World on the shelf in the store. I had walked by it several times in the past since it's been out since 2009, but it caught my attention this time around. And I'm glad it did since it was exact...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

Cold Beer and Crocodiles

September 6, 2010

I knew that after reading Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country, anything that followed most likely would be a let down. Nonetheless, I picked up Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia by Roff Smith. I was keen to to continue reading about traveling, particularly in advance of my trip to Australia, and this seemed like a good book to keep the wheel turning.

In the book, author Roff Smith details his bike ride around Australia from Sydney, north along the coast to Cairns,...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

American Shaolin

August 16, 2010

Shortly after walking into the store I spotted a book called American Shaolin. What attracted my attention was a monk on t

he cover walking away with a Burger King bag held behind his back. Many of my friends will joke that the bag caught my attention, but my interest was piqued, and I knew I had to have it, for really no particular reason other than I was interested in martial arts, and had just returned from a trip to China.

I read Matthew Polly's book with great zeal, identifying myself...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

In a Sunburned Country

August 4, 2010

When I planned my trip to Australia I was pretty much a newbie when it came to reading travel books. I was headed to

my final of the seven continents, and already held a great appreciation for traveling, but hadn't read much in the way of travel literature. I was hesitant to pick up a book talking about another person's trip somewhere since I didn't want it to influence my own adventure, but I had heard so many good things about this Bill Bryson fellow and his book, In a Sunburned Country.

...

Posted by Jason Hussong.

The Midway Point of Writing a Book

July 26, 2010

A number of friends have told me that I need to write a book about my travels. They remind me of all the places I've seen, and encourage me to write a book about it all. So, after hearing enough of it, I've finally got the ball rolling and am

about halfway through the story - something I've found to be much more difficult than I had initially anticipated.