Travels Along the Edge: 40 Ultimate Adventures for the Modern Nomad--From Crossing the Sahara to Bicycling Through Vietnam [Paperback]

David Noland (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vintage | Publication Date: September 2, 1997

A travel writer describes in detail forty of the world's most singular and offbeat travel adventures, from paddling by sea kayak around the fjords of Greenland to an elephant safari through Botswana, detailing tour outfitters, gear, health tips, and more. Original. 25,000 first printing. Tour."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Adventure travel has become big business; in 1996 alone, 15 million Americans spent roughly $8 billion on adventure travel and related gear, leading outfitters and packagers to carve up the globe into customized adventures. In this compilation of challenging outings to remote corners of the globe, Noland attempts to help adventure travelers hook up with the trips of their dreams.

Three brief sections prime us for travel, advising how to make the basic choices of what trip and how to prepare. What sorts of details does Noland discuss in "Getting Ready"? Not the stuff of Travel 101--more like helicopter evacuation insurance and malaria pills.

Forty arduous adventures across seven continents follow; there are those to inspire fear and trembling-- "The Arctic: Skiing to the North Pole"; "Venezuela: Living with the Fierce People"; and "Nepal/Tibet: Climbing Mount Everest"--as well as those for the more sensuously inclined--"Belize: Kayaking the Offshore Islands" and "Portugal: Cycling in Wine Country." Each excursion is followed by recommendations of appropriate outfitters and reading material, a brief dispatch on what to expect, and a rating of the challenges that lie ahead.

Blessed with an enormous capacity for risk-taking, a sense of humor, and an impressive knowledge of the remote corners of the world, Noland has designed both a paean to the art of travel and, for the daring, an informative how-to guide.

From School Library Journal

YA?Here are 40 adventure-travel trips offered by English-speaking outfitters, with something for everyone. They range from the downright dangerous (to the North Pole by dogsled), to the almost leisurely (exploring the Turkish coast by boat). Noland tells of his own experiences in each locale in a few engaging, pithy pages that are followed by logistical details of each outfitter's tour; e.g., what kind of weather to expect, perils, and challenges. A recommendation of one or two excellent books to prepare travelers is followed by phone numbers and fees for each outfitter and a rating of the trip's physical, mental, and skill levels on a scale from one to five. Almost every continent (not Australia), mode of transportation, and degree of difficulty are widely covered in this entertaining book. Noland explains the trips he didn't take himself by telling the often hair-raising adventures of another, sometimes long-ago, traveler through that spot. Travelers and adventure-book lovers will enjoy this offering. Even sedentary readers will find themselves wanting to find these spots on a map.?Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 410 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st edition (September 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679763449
• ISBN-13: 978-0679763444
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #297,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Travel > Asia > Vietnam

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important book 4 those considering overseas adventure travel, August 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Travels Along the Edge: 40 Ultimate Adventures for the Modern Nomad--From Crossing the Sahara to Bicycling Through Vietnam (Paperback)

This book describes possible travel adventures in five quadrants of the world (North America, South America, Europe & the Middle East, Asia & the Pacific, and Africa). Each quadrant is broken down into 8 travel adventures which take place in different states or countries. The travel essays (which are short) consist of either some of the author's experiences (very helpful & enlightening information) or a historical or cultural story about the area (not very helpful, in my opinion). At the end of each travel essay, the author 1) compares different outfitters, 2) let's you know what to expect (i.e., physical and mental demands as well as necessary skills, if any), 3) lists books for further research on the area, 4) gives a breakdown of the outfitters (cost, phone#, length of trip), and 5) indicates the physical challenge, mental challenge, and skills ratings for the trip.

At the beginning of the book, the author has some very helpful chapters about choosing a trip, choosing an outfitter, and getting ready for a trip.

This book was very helpful for me in starting research for an overseas adventure trip. It describes all kinds of activities and trip variations. It really got me thinking and planning. The descriptions of the outfitters were very helpful too (I have found a web page for nearly each outfitter--that would have been helpful to include in the book); with so many outfitters available, it was helpful to have a few well-known names to begin with. Most of the reading was quite entertaining and informative.

I'm glad I bought this book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a well-written/organized book which describes numerous activities/trip variations which are possible in a variety of interesting destinations around the world. I did not give it five stars, because I was disappointed in a few of the chapters which had historical/cultural stories instead of the author's or another traveler's impressions of the region.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this before you travel to the edge!, January 27, 2005

By 

Alejandro Villari "alejandrov" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Travels Along the Edge: 40 Ultimate Adventures for the Modern Nomad--From Crossing the Sahara to Bicycling Through Vietnam (Paperback)

The appendix alone makes the book a good buy. It is useful in helping you assess the best season to travel, what the mental and physical challenge is for any given destination, and the skills needed. I also enjoyed the authors dry humour, i.e. when he recalls the "what the f*ck am I doing here?" moments of his adventures.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A guide only for those who have lots of money to spend on outfitters, May 8, 2008

By 

Ryan Whiteside "rwhiteside" (Central Coast, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travels Along the Edge: 40 Ultimate Adventures for the Modern Nomad--From Crossing the Sahara to Bicycling Through Vietnam (Paperback)

I immediately returned this book. First, there are very few backpacking/hiking trips described in this book. The range of adventures described is all over the place, with some you might need specific skills in like skiing or climbing. Second, and worse, is that all of the trips described require the use of spending big bucks to hire an outfitter to take care of everything, not exactly and adventure as even the author admits.