This memoir is wonderful: Funny, smart, honest and perfectly captures that odd time in life when you're no longer an adolescent, but still wobbling into adulthood. The point where choices seem endless, where responsibilities are minimal, and where you're fully aware that one step can suddenly take you on a journey you never thought you were capable of achieving.
Holly, Amanda, and Jen were twentysomething, single women in New York City, trying to juggle romance, careers, friendships, and keeping up with paying rent when they decide to go on a trip of a lifetime: An around-the-world adventure together. The three plan profusely, cobble up funds, quit their jobs (or, in one case, are fired from a job) and take off. Along the way, they discover things about themselves, the world, and that who they want to be when they "grow up" just may be who they are right now?
I definitely need to emphasize that this is NOT a memoir simply about an amazing trip. Instead, the three women are smart writers, incredibly resourceful (they developed a budget--without financial help from family--that seemed reasonable and doable on a just-past entry level salary) and funny. They don't take themselves too seriously, and don't strive for an Eat, Pray, Love style transformation. Instead, they notice and indulge in the tiny details of living--sneaking chocolate into an ashram, having a fling with a fellow hostel-visitor, trying to smooth over the awkward friendship issues that can come up when three girls spend 24/7 together--and emerge as 3-dimensional characters who you feel privileged to get to know through the pages (and jealous that you didn't come along, too!)
The three have set up an awesome website to complement the book and to encourage readers to embark on their own adventures, and that sense of resourceful, "if we can do it, you can do!" pervades the book. That may be one of the absolute best parts: They're so encouraging and friendly and honest on the page, you really catch their enthusiasm and the travel bug. And don't be intimidated by the number of pages--it's a fast, addicting read that's perfect for the beach or the pool. The thing is, you really do feel like you're hearing these stories from your best friends--and I really hope they go on another adventure so they can write another book.
Finally, not only does it explore what travel means, it also really looks at the awkward, conflicting, yearning emotions of being in your twenties and how sometimes there are breathtaking highs and dizzying lows. Ultimately, it's a celebration of youth, a modern-girls On the Road, a fun, fearless read that's perfect for any young adult about to embark on her (or his--there's a lot of insight into the female mind, gentleman!) adventure.
