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Summary: Heartland Reviews (...
Review: This is a wonderful collection of the author's anecdotes from his travels. I was envious of the author while I was reading his book, wishing I could travel like that. He takes you from Denmark where he starts his travels, into Russia, and the Orient. He not only describes the places and people he sees and meets on his trip, he tells of the trip itself. Sometimes the journey is the best part of going somewhere. I found particularly amusing his escapades of getting in and out of Russia illegally, his time in Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. Some of the places he visited I have been to and found his description of the country, people, and culture right on target.The author did an excellent job at getting his ideas across. This is a great book to read to escape or take a short trip in your own mind. It is laid out in short, seven to ten page passages, which make the book easy to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in travel, adventure, or someone who just wants a good read. You can tell the author loves what he does by the strong emotional impact the book has on the reader. We rated this book five Hearts.
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Summary: El Cheapo Hits the Road
Review: Unfortunately, Mr. Raff is only a mediocre writer. His descriptions are repetitive and he recounts mundane things in too much detail. We don't need to know that after the plane landed the flight attendant walked through the cabin to collect the empty cups and trash. It's tiresome to read about walking across the tarmac (describing it as dark), checking into the hotel (after walking up the sidewalk) and bargaining for a $5 room. If the author had such a great job in New York why is it that he became such an extreme penny pincher on the road? Was it to make a better story? He's not a very smart traveler, either. After being kicked out of Russia for not having a visa he sneaks in again. Spring for the visa fee for goodness sake! Consequently, he spends a good part of his trip fretting about being deported. Who needs that unnecessary stress? He doesn't know that Europeans and many other nationalities put the day of the month before the month in their numerical dates, causing yet more anguish and concern about whether he's going to be allowed to cross the border into China before his transit visa expires. He and his friends suffer through a horrendous tuk-tuk ride to the airport in Bangkok, three of them piled onto one little vehicle with their backpacks and other bags. Fork over a couple more dollars and hire a second driver! Why suffer to save a dollar or two? Once again, were some of these adventures undertaken with the sole purpose of writing about them later? Didn't he do any research before he left? He gets to Taiwan just in time for typhoon season. Raff gives the impression that he thinks it doesn't do anything but rain there and he couldn't get away from the place soon enough. Anyone expecting to read a bit about Raff's travels through India based on the book's cover will be disappointed. While the photograph appears to have been taken somewhere in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, the author doesn't go anywhere near those places! Just when and where was that photo taken? Did the publishers superimpose his image on a generic "travelers' street scene," was that part of the trip left out or was this another journey altogether? It's a small point but personally I was looking forward to hearing about India. All in all, I'd have to say that only a few of Raff's tales are interesting, especially the descriptions of the people he hooks up with on the road. Was his relationship with the pretty, young blonde from Sweden purely Platonic? I'd like to know more. For the most part, however, the book fell flat. It's fairly short, with many frequent chapter breaks. Couldn't he have filled the story out a little more? He skips over major portions of the trip, only to flesh the book out with too much detail about personal minutiae and not enough about the places he visits.
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Summary: I Quit The Rat Race
Review: Unlike most of us who only dream of quitting our jobs to get away from the "rat race", Eric Raff actually did it. The book is not a travel guide, not a "how to" see the world on $ 3.95 per day, but is one young man's vivid descriptions of coping without a plan and experiencing the experience of unplanned travel. Dealing adeptly with Vietnamese con men, smuggling puppies into China, falling in with black marketeers, thieves, assorted strange travelling companions, and being able to out con, out talk, out maneuver officials in penetrating impenetrable borders and obstacles with the agility of a New York streetwise Houdini, makes for some interesting and nail biting reading. Allow yourself some time when starting because once you get to the part about buying train tickets without visas in Rusia, you will not put the book down until finished.
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Summary: What an adventure!
Review: What would you do if you had no agenda, no schedule, no time constraints,and loved to travel. LIVE! No Sense of Direction takes you along on a delightful journey that shows how it takes little more than a free spirit and an adventurous soul to see the world. With a whimsical, almost childlike innocence, Eric Raff ventures to places that most of us wouldn't dare to go. You'll laugh out loud as he sneaks in and out of countries, be
amused at the trouble he gets himself into, and be stirred by the eccentric characters he meets. No Sense of Direction is a must read for anyone who dreams of leaving their job to travel and experience life on the road. If you can't imagine affording such a fantasy, this is your ticket to freedom. Pick up No Sense of Direction and GO!
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