Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Pretty much all of these adventures are for the wealthy who utilize guides and outfitting services. This is not a book of independent adventures. In some cases the traveler sounds like they'd be just along for the ride. Still, there are some spectacular routes, on foot, bike, vehicle and boat. Just know what you're getting...

Noland combines a thorough knowledge of his subject with rapier-sharp writing to produce Travels Along The Edge. As somewhat of a sheltered world traveler myself -- I've been overseas a mere four times, and one of those was only to the Caribbean :) -- I found Noland's tips on packing light and situational awareness to be invaluable. Upon completing the book, I found myself burning to engineer the funds and time to complete some of these travels and expand my understanding of our amazing planet. If you've ever looked around at your mundane surroundings and muttered, "there's gotta be more to life than this," Travels Along the Edge will stoke you to do something about it. Or at least, to dream.

David Nolan's guidebook is described as "40 ultimate adventures for the modern nomad -- from crossing the Sahara to bicycling through Vietnam." And there's a chapter on Hawaii.
Nolan, a writer for Outside magazine, says a true travel adventure should have the traveler asking himself, at least once, "What the (blank) am I doing here?"
But that standard, the Hawaii chapter turns out to be pretty small beer. Nolan drives up Haleakala Highway on Maui, admires the dawn, then hikes down Sliding Sands Trail. He does not say how he got out, so I assume he went back up Sliding Sands.
If he had seen either Kaupo Gap or Switchbacks (Halemau`u), he probably would have mentioned it.
Or perhaps not. This is a man who has hiked Nepal and Kilimanjaro. He has seen scenery.
Though he says you can have fun in Hawaii "hiking the out islands" (Where did he get that? The local term is "Neighbor Islands."), he rates it low on challenge.
On his scale of one to five, hiking in Hawaii rates only a two or three for physical challenge, one to three for mental challenge and one for skills needed.
So take the Hawaiian hiking vacation first. Put off the rafting trip down the Omo River in Ethiopia for later, in case you pick up blackwater fever and don't make it back.
Actually, hiking in Hawaii can be exciting, though the guided tours are safe enough. Nolan does not mention the unguided hikers who vanish, whose bones are found in the tops of tall trees or whose bodies are found by accident by searchers looking for somebody else.
"Travels Along the Edge" doesn't do much to give Hawaii a reputation as an exotic land of danger, but it has a frank introductory section on traveling outside the resort system.
Parts of it appear to be pitched to morons. While advising edge travelers to bring hiking boots, Nolan tells a tale of a woman who showed up for a trek in Nepal without them.
Well, I've seen a German go down Switchbacks (a sheer cliff about 1,500 feet high) in slippahs (zoris), running.
That's an adventure.

Loved it! Noland makes "adventure travel" real for the armchair explorer. In the spirit of Redmond O'Hanlon, this book describes the ups and downs of moving beyond the conveniences of the 20th century.