Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide to Travel [Paperback]

James C. Samans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007

Have a great time, enhance your competitive edge in the global market, be an informed citizen you know that travel is a key to success, but how can you make time even to learn the ins and outs, much less go anywhere? If you're a busy person, this book is exactly what you need! You'll learn: - Travel can fit into the busiest lifestyle and it s important! - All about airlines, frequent flyer programs, and discounted fares. - When trains, cruises, and buses are better than flying. - How to keep track of all of the paperwork passports, visas, exchange rates and customs. - Where to stay, what to do... even the basics of taking memorable photos! - Profiles of 24 great places (16 domestic and 8 international) to start exploring. - Money-saving tips, how to deal with jet lag, the airport security screening process, and more!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

James C. Samans--the Spontaneous Tourist--travels more than 200,000 miles each year by air, rail, road, and sea. Jamie holds elite status with United, Continental, Airtran, and Amtrak as well as the Hilton and Marriott hotel chains. He has been to every state in America and visited more than a dozen countries since 2005.

About the Author

James C. Samans travels nearly 200,000 miles every year by air, rail, bus, and ship for business and pleasure. He has been to every state in America and visited more than a dozen countries since 2004.

Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: CrystalOrb (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979189705
• ISBN-13: 978-0979189708
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,867,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James C. Samans is a senior analyst with the information security consulting firm TWM Associates and also serves as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He has two Master's degrees and has visited more than 25 countries, accompanied often by his wife Gwen and more recently joined by their young daughter, Tara.

He and his family reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of sound advice, practical tips, effective stratagems, October 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide to Travel (Paperback)

James C. Samans is an experienced traveler who averages more than 200,000 miles a year going around the country and around the world by air, rail, road, and sea. In "Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide To Travel", Samans draws upon his impressive expertise and broad range of experiences to address such compelling issues as why travel matters, how it works, common obstacles encountered by travelers, and solutions to a diverse range and spectrum travel problems. From how to get the best deal on short notice, to selecting an airline, to going by car, boat or train, what to pack, how to schedule, figuring out what to do upon arrival, and so much more, "Spontaneous Tourism" is a thoroughly 'user friendly' compendium of sound advice, practical tips, effective stratagems that will ensure a successful trip be it across America or around the globe. If you like to bet the most out of your travel experience, whether its first class or on a budget, start by reading James Samans' "Spontaneous Tourism"!

4.0 out of 5 stars Super resource for new travelers, October 15, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide to Travel (Paperback)

Americans today are busier and more prosperous than ever before. We say we want to travel but just never get around to it, don't find the money for it, or just don't know where to begin to plan a trip.

James Samans, a seasoned traveler himself, aims to get Americans traveling, both domestically and abroad. He establishes why travel is vital for Americans. He takes the guesswork out of basic traveling questions, getting you from the start of planning a trip all the way to the return home. By examining each piece of traveling-packing, paperwork, getting there, lodging, sights to see, food, etc.-Samans helps Americans new to traveling feel comfortable and well prepared for their trip.

Considerable time is spent discussing how to get to the destination: airplane, train, car, bus, cruise. By exploring many options, the reader feels freer to actually choose the best fit. This is also helpful for those who may be scared to fly. Who knew there were so many other viable options? Another extremely beneficial section describes many travel destinations, both domestic and foreign, which are suitable for a first-time traveler.

Each destination is given a brief description with highlights of places to see and the general vibe of the area. While this is certainly not the only information one would need to plan a trip, it does provide an overview and open the possibilities of many destinations to the reader.

Overall, Spontaneous Tourism is a great resource for Americans new to traveling to feel both excited and confident to travel the world!

Armchair Interviews says: Start planning--and then take that trip of your dreams.

4.0 out of 5 stars very interesting and truly useful, October 3, 2007

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide to Travel (Paperback)

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (09/07)


There are very few people nowadays who decide to use a ship as the means of transport for a transatlantic voyage, and even fewer people who have the time and money to explore any location in real depth. Most of us are overly busy and any travel explorations are very often just short side-trips when we are away on business or maybe simply extended weekend trips to some of the famous locations. Although travel has become much easier, simpler and in many ways less expensive than it has been in the past, many people still hesitate to go and see the world. The reasons for that can be manifold, but very often they simply lay in the fear of the unknown and the relative unfamiliarity with the process. For all of those overly-busy and reluctant travelers "Spontaneous Tourism" by James C. Samans should end all of the excuses and send them happily on many adventures in the future.

Starting with a charming short story called "Travels with Harry," written by Larry Tritten, Mr. Samans clearly explains why we should travel. Then he proceeds with extremely detailed chapters on all aspects of travel, from how to get to a certain destination, including invaluable tips on how to choose the best mode of transportation for any given trip and any given type of a traveler, to how to get ready and organized, how to plan, where to stay, what to do and where to stay. I found those first ten chapters fantastically well-researched and enormously informative.

The next two chapters deal with domestic and international travel destinations, each of them presented on two or three pages. I liked these two chapters considerably less, mostly because I found them very uninspiring. While I realize that it would be impossible to give a comprehensive overview of any city in such a limited space, I found all of the recommendations very run-of-the-mill variety. In some cases there were some quite amusing errors as well, such as the info about the ferry to the New Orleans Zoo (no ferry runs there, just a hideously overpriced tourist boat ride - yet there is a ferry to the fantastic section of Algiers, which was not mentioned by the author). Oh, and Jackson Square is not a site of a historic brewery - that was a little bit further down... The Square itself witnessed a long line of significant historical events, yet not one of them is mentioned.

After those two slightly disappointing chapters the book becomes very interesting and useful again, with sections on Further Reading and References, Airlines, Hotels and Lodgings, Rental Car Companies, Major Currencies of the World and Packing List.

Overall I found "Spontaneous Tourism" very interesting and truly useful for novice to intermediate travelers. Even the seasoned travelers should be able to find a lot of useful tidbits, new ideas and interesting approaches, so I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody who is interested in seeing the world.

Book received free of charge.