Customer Reviews

The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I bought this book expecting to find something other than what it is. Instead of the subtitle "How to travel around the world" maybe it should have been subtitled "What you need to know before you travel around the world." The author is very knowledgable and the book offers a lot of valuable insight. It's been helpful for me planning my own global crossing. But not helpful in a pragmatic "here's what you need to do" kind of way. It was helpful in educating me about travel industry practices, paperwork preparation, and conditions in certain areas of the world.
However, I'm a bit dismayed by two aspects of the book. Hasbrouck seems to tout train travel on almost every page. He has a real love of trains I guess. He even said on one page that given the same distance (up to about 600 miles) he'd take the train over flying because, he says, they're more comfortable, the food is better, and you meet interesting people. Maybe my travel experience is vastly different than his, but I don't hold the same romantic fondness of trains. My experience has been they're a crowded, hot, time-consuming confinement with people that looked a bit sketchy. And I consider myself an adventurous traveler. I'm not one to watch the world from the bay window of a luxury cruise liner.
It also becomes annoying how the author seems to inject his political opinion into every page, almost every paragraph. He seems to editorialize on everything - capitalism, socialism, class bias, feminism, health and disease, food distribution, etc. I happen to agree with a lot of his opinion but to have it be so ubiquitous is droning.
Overall, this is a helpful book, probably one of the better ones out there for general around-the-world information. But if you're looking for the nuts and bolts "how to" information, find something else.

This book really intrigued me. I was hoping it would be just the thing for offbeat solo travelers such as myself. To some extent, it is: it contains much useful information and pithy anecdotes, and it's an enjoyable read. However, I can't help but feel that the research and editing are a bit slipshod -- pages and pages are devoted to relatively simple issues, while other topics that are at least as important get glossed over with a couple of sentences.

I question the quality of the information that's in the book, too. In the section on North American road travel, Hasbrouck states that the American Automobile Association's TourBooks are generally poor, while their CampBooks are generally excellent. In my own experience (including a 7-week, 12 000-mile trip from New York to Alaska), the reverse is so. Hasbrouck further claims that AAA's CampBooks are the only series of camping directories that cover all of the United States, when in fact there are several others (notably Woodall's). On my trip to Alaska, I had both AAA's and Woodall's directories with me, and Woodall's was more comprehensive almost everywhere.

I could cite other examples, but you get the idea. I really wanted to like this book, but it needs some more work before it lives up to its potential. Hasbrouck seems to know a lot about travel; if his research and editing skills were on a par with his knowledge, this would be a five-star book.

A final thought: judging from the anecdotes in the book, Hasbrouck has been all over the globe. Yet he himself says, "People who seem to have been everywhere generally haven't been anywhere long." Makes one wonder.

I went ahead and bought both this book and World Stompers, and I think where one lacks, the other picks up. This book is incredibly boring and at times repetitive, but the travel agent's insight and explanation of how the international and domestic airline ticketing systems work is well worth the cost of the book. Also, I found some of the country information a bit outdated. For more nuts and bolts advice on how to get by as a backpacker on an RTW trip, as well as some helpfl and humorous anecdotes, read World Stompers instead.

This book is admittedly a little dry, but it provides the practical information that anyone planning a lengthy trip around the world needs. The author doesn't mess around, there are no cute cartoons or tons of funny anecdotes. If that's what you want, look elsewhere! This book is essentialy a compendium of information to guide you through the process of planning and executing an independent trip around the world. The book does not give very much information that is specific to any country of region, but it does give resources to help you plan your destinations and transportation. This book is a definite must have. The section on airlines/airfares is especially worthwhile.

I am planning a year-long, around-the-world trip, and The Practical Nomad is by far the most useful of the many books I have read.

The book is not for casual readers who are looking for the next A Year in Provence. The book is dense and fact-filled, a result of the author's twenty years of experience as a round-the-world travel consultant. The section on airline ticket pricing is as challenging as any text I read in law school -- and more rewarding. _Every_ travel topic is covered.

Several of the Amazon reviews complain about the author's politics. Even though I disagree with almost all of the author's political opinions, his views add color and coherence to the book; they are candidly disclosed and never intrusive.

This is a book about long-term travel by a factual pack rat who has done it himself and has helped thousands of others take their dream trip. If you plan to engage in independent travel for more than one month, you should certainly buy this book.

This book is exhaustive to the point of being exhausting - and as such isn't really useful for anyone who's traveled at least once overseas. The book is divided into sections on choosing destinations, surface transportation (100 pages!), air transportion (140 pages!), travel docs, safety and health, baggage, practicalities, the bottom line, and resources. Some of the information was useful - such on how to take advantage of open jaw airline tickets - but so much of it is a rehash of what every traveler knows. I mean, I didn't need to pay $22 to learn that I should use a credit card when making travel plans.

For the novice - anyone else, pass on this one.

The Practical Nomad makes you feel as if you can actually put together that dream trip to far-away places. The book is full of interesting tips and advice, as well as actual resources that will get you started.

Edward Hasbrouk does a terrific job of including tips that will be worthwhile for new travellers and very-experienced travellers. There are chapters on obtaining visas, culture shock, luggage, transportation, staying in touch, and even a few sample budgets.

It isn't one of those "fun" books that you can't put down, after all, it's advice and information, not a tale of an exotic adventure. My only criticism is that the chapters on plane tickets are rather complex and seem overwhelming, with charts and long descriptions. Perhaps this information should have been an appendix, or even just summarized. Edward Hasbrouk is just so chock full of travel information, that this ticketing summarization could have actually been its own book.

The best part of the book is the author's convincing arguments regarding the plausibility of your trip. If you have the desire to take the trip, but have been putting it off, it's probably for one of these excuses: lack of money or lack of time off. Read this book and those excuses disappear...

As another reviewer wrote, Hasbrouck's explanation of how domestic and international airplane ticketing works--written by a professional travel agent who thoroughly understands these processes--is candid and useful. I first read an earlier edition of "Practical Nomad" five years ago. Since then, I'd estimate that I've saved at least $6,500 USD over that period, as well as hours of aggravation, by remembering Hasbrouck's advice on airline ticketing.

Other information included in the book is great as well--but keep in mind that this isn't a traditional travel guide. Instead, "Practical Nomad" educates the reader on the mechanics of international travel--ticketing, travel agents, border crossings, hotel bookings, tour companies, the various online services that offer these things, etc.--and how you, as a traveler, can use those mechanics to your best advantage. If you're looking for tips on hotels and attractions in specific areas, buy the guidebook for that country or region. If you want to learn how to go anywhere and not get manipulated by systems you don't understand, this book is revelatory.

I have just finished reading the 3rd and latest edition, dated 2004. As an experienced traveler and someone who is generally interested in the travel industry, I couldn't put it down!

Hasbrouck is at his best when he's providing tips for traveling outside the First World. Those tips are interspersed throughout the text; some aren't obvious. For example, Hasbrouck makes several references to the shift in perspective that's necessary when traveling in less-developed countries. Early on, he points out that capital is scarce but labor, plentiful. Later, he applies this to different situations, such as road travel (hire a driver/guide, not a self-drive car) and mobility for people with disabilities (hire an attendant to make up for physical barriers).

The First World train information is weak; that section was obviously an afterthought. The statement that "[h]olders of any type of Eurailpass can travel without supplement on any trains in the covered region, including the TGV" was incorrect at press time and is becoming more incorrect each day. The Resource Guide refers people to pass-pushing RailEurope and Eurail, without mentioning the various national railways, even though they have been selling heavily-discounted point-to-point tickets online for some time now. Visitors to the USA are treated to a dose of pro-Amtrak propaganda. Were I new to Amtrak, I'd rather learn about the weekly menu of 70% discount fares available online (not mentioned) than that I could get a [much smaller] discount by joining a pro-Amtrak lobbying group or that "[t]here is simply no comparison between...the fast-food restaurants where buses stop versus the dining-car food on the railroad" (Europeans would find either option unpleasant, as would members of religious or cultural groups with dietary restrictions).

The airfare section is hailed as the best part of the book. There is lots of useful information here. Problem is, Hasbrouck colors it with personal opinions. His rant against electronic tickets leaves out one of their greatest advantages: that you can't lose them! In an age where many tickets are only valid on a specific airline, the endorse-to-other-airline benefit afforded by paper isn't worth much. Hasbrouck explains at great length why the lowest ticket prices aren't published in the computer systems that ordinary travel agents use. Curiously, he promotes one distribution mechanism for below-published-fare tickets (opaque, international, multi-level networks of "consolidator" travel agencies) but dismisses another (Web-only fares sold through airline Web sites) as a potential example of "unfair or monopolistic practices" on the part of the airlines. I am suspicious of the consolidator tickets he recommends.

None of what I have said so far detracts from the fact that this book is, overall, fun to read. The only thing I cannot forgive is the book's political bias. My favorite example is Hasbrouck's observation that "the United States is a violent country with an astonishingly heavily armed civilian population." In the same breath he gives tips for traveling in countries reeling from the effects of civil war, economic collapse, and near-total poverty.

This book really helped me get through the most difficult aspect of planning a WW trip - air travel! It is also very helpful in laying out other important elements in the planning of such a trip. I would highly recommend this book to anybody partaking this endeavor. Plus, the author is available to personally assist you through his website - something I found to be icing on the cake!

Edited Nov. 3, 2001. Having returned from an 8-month long RTW trip, I can now say that I could have had as much success without using the 1st Edition of this book. I found the material dated, often times inaccurate (particularly about attaining visas) and too often based on opinion as opposed to fact. From my own experience, I found it much easier to buy air tickets on the road. It provided me with better pricing and much more flexibility. Please note, this was in SE Asia, you mileage may vary.

The sad thing is (...)he demonstrated little interest towards gaining the latest FACTS about the very issues detailed in this book. It is puzzling as to why he would not encourage his readers to augment the book through some type of interactive dialogue of fresh info. that easily could be maintained on the web or otherwise. If for nothing else, than to provide a "notebook" for future editions. That, and the fact that it has been a LONG time since the author has actually travelled extensively, left me questioning his credibility (and the credibility of the 2nd edition). Sorry, Edward - this is my experience. It's time to get back on the road, the world has changed!