Common Sense and Whiskey: Travel Adventures Far from Home [Paperback]

Bill Murray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2011

It's all here: Adventures in Africa, Azerbaijan and the Arctic. Headhunters and prayer flags, liars and thieves, evil spirits and atrocious food. From Tbilisi to Tibet to the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Common Sense and Whiskey is a crisp survey of what's it's like in the real world. Offbeat people and isolated places lie at this book's heart. Common Sense and Whiskey pokes into the back corners of our planet. It takes us into the unknown and describes what the unknown looks like.

"You can handle just about anything out on the road with a believable grin, common sense and whiskey." That's been the author's theory, anyway, for 25 years of international travel. So far, so good. And now, Common Sense and Whiskey distills (no pun there, certainly) the most memorable experiences of a lifetime of travel to some of the world's least visited places.

Fifteen stories from Bhutan, Borneo, Burma, Greenland, Guangxi, Lake Baikal, Madagascar, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Chilean Patagonia, the Southern Caucasus, the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Sri Lanka and Tibet.

For travelers - experienced, aspiring and armchair alike, Common Sense and Whiskey is something to sip slowly and savor. Perceptive travel tales, masterfully told.

*****

"You leave home with a blank page. You return with stories of your own to share. This is what Bill Murray does so well. Rich and inspiring. Filled with surprises and great adventures."
- George Brown, President, Friendship Force International

"A good travel writer shows rather than tells and Bill shows us beautifully with unassuming prose and evocative images. Brings home the exoticism of foreign travel. A fantastic collection."
- Laurence Mitchell, author, the Bradt Guides to Serbia and Kyrgyzstan

"Wonderful insight into the world of 'traveling off the beaten path, road, waterway or train track.'"
- Josh Allen at AmateurTraveler.com

"In a time when so much travel writing is of the "Look at me and what I'm doing!" variety, Murray is an author who lets the place and the people tell us the real deal. Shows ... destinations from multiple angles ... doesn't shy away from the country's underbelly or the dark sides of tourism ... approaches each destination with a thirst for adventure ... a keen sense of the ironic and bizarre, told without embellishment."
- Tim Leffel, Editor, Perceptive Travel Magazine

Editorial Reviews

Review

In a time when so much travel writing is of the "Look at me and what I'm doing!" variety, Murray is an author who lets the place and the people tell us the real deal.

- Tim Leffel, Editor, Perceptive Travel Magazine

About the Author

Bill Murray first ventured outside the United States to Montreal in 1980. Since then he’s traveled to over a hundred countries and territories from Albania to Zimbabwe, most of them with his wife Mirja. They’ve taken three round-the-world trips. Mirja and Bill maintain the photo web site EarthPhotos.com. They live on a horse farm in the southern Appalachian mountains of Georgia, USA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: EarthPhotos Books (April 22, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615467318
• ISBN-13: 978-0615467313
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #829,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Murray first ventured outside the United States to Montreal in 1980. Since then he's traveled to over a hundred countries and territories from Albania to Zimbabwe, most of them with his wife Mirja. They've taken three round-the-world trips.

In his book and in interviews, Bill urges Americans to make their own travel decisions. He cautions, for example, against being overly alarmed by guidebook warnings. It's no surprise to discover there are pickpockets in poor African countries. The answer: Don't carry valuables in your pockets. And, he says, as a rule of thumb you can discount anything in glossy travel magazines that's bracketed by ads for Tag Hauer watches and Louis Vuitton luggage. Whatever it is, it's just marketing words. It's not the real world.

He says, "It's a big world out there. Go see it! It's tremendously empowering, and it will make you a better person."

Mirja and Bill maintain the photo web site EarthPhotos.com and the travel blog CommonSenseAndWhiskey.com. Bill's wildlife photography has been published in Afar Magazine. They live on a horse farm in the southern Appalachian mountains of Georgia, USA.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great travels, August 15, 2011

By 

Lisa Whiteside,MS. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Common Sense and Whiskey: Travel Adventures Far from Home (Paperback)

In this book, I found myself in Greenland, along with many other places, cold and a bit scared. Not being one to do this kind of travel,the author took me there. Vividly feeling it all.

Mr. Murray takes you to places no one readily goes. He brings you into the lives of people you"ll never know but wish you could. And he does it beautifully.

Kudos to Mr. Murray. A wonderful read for anyone,especially those who enjoy the road seldom traveled.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible not to enjoy!, May 10, 2011

By 

Josh Allen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Common Sense and Whiskey: Travel Adventures Far from Home (Paperback)

-A blunt, dare I say: "Guide Book" into the reality of "Adventure Travel".

If you love stories about tropical beaches, amusement parks or milky white sandy beaches; then this isn't the book for you.

Bill Murray takes a collection of his fifteen most memorable trips and opens your eyes to the frequently good, bad, and of course, ugly parts. You'll find stories which make you ask "Why the heck did he go there?" Only to find out he might have asked himself that once he was there as well. From a hacking woman in a broken down "guide vehicle" in Tibet to an arduous train ride through endless birch forests along the Trans-Siberian Railway, this book is a wonderful insight into the world of "Traveling off the Beaten Path, Road, Waterway, or Train Track".

I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you've never been to these places. It will certainly spark your interest and for most, will add to the places on your list of "places to see"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read for travel lovers., April 24, 2011

By 

Bobby E. Long Jr. (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Common Sense and Whiskey: Travel Adventures Far from Home (Paperback)

I've been a fan of the author's EarthPhotos website and CS&W blog for some years, so I was delighted to learn that Mr. Murray has published some accounts of his many travels around the planet. Here, he details fifteen of his more challenging adventures with wit and style, along with a keen eye for detail that will surely entertain and edify the armchair traveler.

This is no "how to" travel book, a la Rick Steves. Instead, you're transported to these exotic locales via Murray's clear, concise prose that provides the reader with a real sense of what these countries offer to the intrepid traveler. Along the way, you will be introduced to some truly memorable characters in a few of the world's more out of the way places.

Whether you're a seasoned travel veteran or someone who merely dreams of seeing the world one day, I think you will enjoy this evocative book of "modest adventures, far from home".