Customer Reviews

Adventure Travel In The Third World: Everything You Need To Know To Survive in Remote and Hostile Destinations

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Prior to my recent retirement from the above agency, I had frequent occasion to familiarize myself with the goings on in the more dangerous parts of the world. And not just to familiarize, but how to survive these parts. Although the U.S. State Department web site has some valuable information, NOBODY had the quality, reality based third world survival oriented information that Jeff Randall does. In fact I purchased one of these books for my office operation. Jeff Randall met an operational training team of mine in Colombia, and I gotta tell you that he made a more favorable impression on them than any of the many Spec Ops types they have met down there. He is truly the real deal.

This book is only of any value since nobody has any real alternative in finding this type of information elsewhere. The writing is quite poor, the text is disorganized and the authors often foolishly overgeneralize and at times hint at their ignorance of the host countries. Overall this book is a pretty pathetic attempt at a serious guide for travelers outside W.Europe and N.America, but, then again, there are almost no other books on the topic, so it looks like we're stuck with this.

Don't get me wrong, there are some useful tips, but the authors dance around going into detail on articulating a lot of very important points, especially with respect to staying out of trouble, establishing rapport with your hosts, etc, etc. Thus, unfortunately, a lot of the most important topics only receive cursory mention and/or little explanation. Some of the 'tips' aren't even well thought-out. One example comes to mind: "use dog tags on your luggage so you don't have to fill out an ID tag every time you fly. That'd be great if you were going to France or the UK, but if you're trying to get over the Colombian border or whatever, the LAST thing you want on your pack is a set of military dog tags.

If you're going to be traveling in the developing world, and you feel like you absolutely MUST have a book on the subject, you might want to buy this book...used if possible. Mostly though, this information could be gleaned from a couple hours spent on a good web search.

I give it two stars, one of which comes from authoring one of almost no books on the subject.

A very good read that is easy to understand and follow. I would recommend anyone to read this book before traveling to any remote or hostile area of the world. Many points in the book can be applied right here at home when traveling. Besides not all hostile locations are located in some third world country.

The authors are not your typical backpackers. They have hands on experience leading groups into uninhabited parts of Third World countries.

They teach you how to research and prepare for your trip. How to get around and where to stay when you get there. How to deal with foreign governments, police and the military. How to enjoy a safe social life. And most of all, how to prepare for and travel in extreme environments where tourists don't go.

If you're a seasoned traveler, but have never been to a tropical country, then you may find that all your gear will be useless when you get there. I have researched all the gear the authors recommended and compared it against everything else out there, and found that they know exactly what they are talking about.

I noticed that some reviewers stated that you can find all the same information in this book online for free. I would disagree on that. In fact I spent a whole day trying to find the same stuff and could not. The unique thing about this book is that it is not only written for those who want to backpack around Third World countries, but also for those who want to travel off the beaten path and into the jungles and mountains where tourists have never set foot.

Those of you who want to mount major expeditions into the jungle or just travel from locale to locale, may tend to disagree with some of the things in this book. But even then, one should be able to pick up lots of tips on how to make their adventure safe, healthy, fun and fulfilling.

Telling about the third world countries based on their experiences for me some of it are true. But stating the conditions of the country that bad is sometimes quite far fetch. Most probably it is just to spice up the book for sales. Not all third world countries that bad for example getting away from problems with the law by bribing them. You may get in more trouble if you try to bribe the men in the uniform. That is the mentality of the first world countries. First world countries looking down at the third world countries. It is as if the people there aren't civilized yet.

An amazing book and easy to follow. This book is required reading for anyone who ventures into foreign lands.

I read it twice before my trip to Indonesia and applied the principles while there. It forces you to be more aware of your surroundings and adds a layer of protection for even the most mundane things Americans do while traveling over-seas.

In today's world of kidnapings and terrorism, this book and Robert Pelton's Dangerous Places book are essential tools for the foreign traveler.

I look forward to next book by the authors.

This book will keep you out of trouble travelling in the third world. Very good and easy to read. The authors have travelled to many of the same places I have and I find their experiences to be similar. Excellent book!

Collaboratively written by Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin, Adventure Travel In The Third World is an extremely practical guide to preserving personal health and safety when traveling to remote and sometimes hostile destinations in underdeveloped and developing countries. From tips to avoiding theft or violence, to practical precautions to take with drinking water as protection against disease, and much, much more, Adventure Travel in the Third World truly lives up to it's subtle "Everything You Need to Know to Survive in Remote and Hostile Destination". Adventure Travel In The Third World is an absolute "must-read" for anyone who planning to visit these exotic, often beautiful, yet sometimes dangerous areas of the world.

for anyone who travels into remote areas of developing countries. this book has been valuable to my work in colombia. highly recommended!

Written by people who have "been there and done that." This book contains 11 chapters/261 pages of information that would take a lifetime to accumulate on your own. As frequent travellers to Central and South America, we have found the advice and insights of this book indispensable. We especially enjoyed the many humorous stories and anecdotes this book contains.

Congratulations, RAT Team. This book is a winner!

Daryl and Jamey