The Complete Sas Guide to Safe Travel

Rating:
Summary: and of course, don't talk to strangers...
Review: when i went back to review this and saw that no one had yet reviewed it, i asked myself, "why did i buy this book?" why indeed. the only interesting thing about this book is that they managed to fill up so many pages with tired platitudes and ridiculous advice. if you have absolutely no common sense, and feel the need to read instruction manuals for basic household appliances, then this travel book is for you. the tips they offer include such gems as:

don't go white-water rafting in a leaky raft
don't go out alone late at night in dangerous neighborhoods
don't drink and bungee jump

along with tips that are completely oblivious to the realities of travel, such as: only ride on buses if you have a working seat belt. how about this advice: don't make yourself an ass-kicking target by whining to your nicaraguan bus driver about the condition of his converted school bus.

the real question is: who are these people and how did they get a book contract? and it's not like there is good advice interspersed with the oblivious and/or absurdly obvious commentary. although there are some (unintentionally) funny points: the second tip on what not to bring is -- and i'm not joking -- fake id cards that say "secret agent" or "secret service." swear to god, that is in the book - and it's the number two tip.

don't bring your fake secret agent card into foreign countries.

y'know, now that i think about it, maybe that is the target audience for this book - people who have fake secret agent cards in their wallet.

if i ever meet these authors, and they don't give me my money back, i might try using the attack advice they offer for muggers - kick them in the shins. yes, this is also true - they advise people to do this, claiming it will incapacitate any attacker. yeah, provided that you only travel in the country of Delicateania.

well, i've wasted enough of my life on this piece of junk. don't say you weren't forewarned. and remember, don't go skydiving in brazil without a parachute.