Book Review: Travel Wisdom

Utilitarian Compendium
Travel Wisdom by Lynne and Hank Christen; Aventine Press; Price: Rs.582; 251pp

Cover via Amazon

By common consensus the world’s largest and most high-potential industry is travel and tourism. Its worldwide revenue is estimated at $ 4 trillion (Rs.180,00,000 crore) (2002-03). And with India’s showing in popular travel destinations surveys improving by leaps and bounds, this continent-sized nation is all-set to grab a large slice of this huge and growing global tourism market. In October 2003 the ‘land of sadhus and saris’ was ranked among the top ten preferred tourism destinations in a survey by the UK-based Conde Nast travel magazine. Recently (February 2004) India hosted its first-ever international travel and tourism seminar-cum-exhibition – World Travel India 2004 – in Mumbai which drew enthusiastic participants from around the world.

With travel made easier thanks to the plethora of package (adventure, heritage, cultural, and historical) tours and discount deals, there is no stopping the newly liberated Indian traveller. But travel especially across the dreaded Kala pani has its own pitfalls. With the ‘war on terror’ in full swing, the new world traveller has to face innumerable checks and verifications. And as if this isn’t enough there is a mountain of groundwork – visas, reservations, itinerary planning, health and security clearances to contend with. Contemporary holidays are short duration, intensive experiences in which even a minor slip-up could prove frustrating and expensive.

Against this backdrop comes Travel Wisdom, a comprehensive how-to-do-it-yourself guidebook by the extensively travelled US-based couple Lynne and Hank Christen. This book is the outcome of the Christens’ travel experiences spread over two decades and 43 countries. “Our goals for this book are two-fold. First, we want to inspire you to turn your travel dreams into reality. Second we want to share the practical tips, tools, and tactics we have acquired through our own travel experiences and research,” say the authors in the introduction of the book.

True to its promise Travel Wisdom is a useful, practical and hands-on guide for those interested in making their money go the extra mile. Well-organised into 18 chapters, three appendices and topped off with an index, this utilitarian compendium covers almost every imaginable aspect of travel. The very first chapter titled ‘It all begins with a dream and plan’ which provides tips on how to get started on planning a journey, is sequentially followed by others offering practical travel advice: ‘Packing smart’; ‘Choosing a travel agent’; ‘The dollars and sense of travel’; ‘Travel health and safety’; ‘Minding your travel manners’; ‘Taking care of business’; ‘The disabled traveller’; ‘Going solo’; ‘Baby makes three, or four, or more’; ‘Pros and cons of group tours’; ‘Smooth sailing’; ‘Airs above the ground’; Riding the rails’; ‘Highways and by-ways’; ‘Vacationing at home’; ‘When things go wrong’; and ‘Making the memories last’.

Chapters which are likely to prove useful to the new generation of outward bound Indian tourists unshackled from the ancient regime under which foreign exchange was always ‘precious’ are ‘Travel health and safety’ which includes a sub-chapter on being street smart and ‘Minding your travel manners’ which is particularly valuable for Indian tourists who have already acquired a reputation for loud boorishness. Among the basic do’s and don’ts: Make the time to learn about your destination; respect local languages and customs; think before you speak; dress appropriately; practice good photo etiquette; go easy on smoking, chewing gum and cell phones, beware of sign language.

Another useful chapter is the ‘The dollars sense of travel’ which advises travelers how to get the most out of their hard earned savings and holiday budgets. It offers valuable tips on how to divide and carry your money in various forms: cash, travelers’ checks, ATM/ debit cards, credit cards etc and precautions to be taken while using ATM/ debit and credit cards.

Travel Wisdom also contains a useful appendix section providing checklists for planning your travel. The comprehensive checklists detail what you should start doing as early as six months prior to departure. Included is a list of online travel resources; sample packing list for women and men and other travel necessary accessories.

Though Travel Wisdom is an unabashedly ‘how to’ book, it’s a useful guide especially for first time travelers who might be blowing several years’ savings on a once-in-a-lifetime foreign holiday. Sidebars provide valuable insights, travel homework, travel experiences and amusing anecdotes and experiences which combine to make this how-to book lively and interesting. Though this guide seems to be targeted at the middle-aged business and leisure tourists, it’s also useful for younger tourists.