World Stompers : A Global Travel Manifesto (Paperback)

by Brad Olsen (Author) "Caution. This is not your typical or entirely serious travel book..." (more)
Key Phrases: wicked ruins, travel doctor, visa costs, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Brad Olsen has four recommendations for today's college graduates: work abroad, study abroad, volunteer abroad, travel abroad. Olsen took his own three-year, self-financed, solo journey to 28 countries on 5 continents after his graduation from business school, and World Stompers, now in its fifth incarnation, is his travel manifesto for other intrepid young people willing to travel for extended periods on the cheap. His is a candid book: while he waxes prolific on the benefits of freestyle traveling, he also lays out the inevitable setbacks and hardships. And while Olsen clearly likes to party while he travels (hence the sections "Stoner's Trail" and "Partyer's Trail"), he's clear about the need for self-confidence and discipline. The book's best chapters discuss setting goals for the three elements essential to planning a stomp: time, money, and desire, with an emphasis on disciplined savings habits, achievable objectives, and old-fashioned hard work; how to deal with setbacks by making backup plans for such mishaps as getting injured, ripped off, or finding yourself plain lonely; and keeping expenses down. The "Stomping Grounds" section scans the various travel circuits (Far East, Europe, etc.) with brief and candid descriptions of each country (in Algeria, "Just the color of your skin may be a one-way ticket home...in a body bag. Bad scene, don't go.") and visa requirements.

"Traveling," says Olsen, "should be an individual statement; don't rely on a guidebook too much." This holds true for World Stompers. While it's an excellent primer, there are some glaring problems. The "Staying Well" chapter includes some very important advice, but never mentions AIDS, a rampant problem in many of the countries discussed. The information on some countries has clearly not been updated--Zimbabwe, for example, which has seen serious interracial violence for well over a year, is described as mostly harmonious. Most disappointing, however, is Olsen's attitude towards locals in the poorer countries. While he raves about meeting people, he's mostly referring to other travelers. He's cautious about befriending locals, an unfortunate attitude among even some budget travelers from affluent nations. Take it from this veteran world traveler, most locals are far more interesting--and interested in you--than Western travelers. Olsen is otherwise gung ho on taking risks; it's a tragedy he missed out on this one. --Lesley Reed

From Library Journal
Adventurous and alternative teens and twentysomethings will find many interesting, and potentially useful, features in this oddball travel book. Primarily based on Olsen's experiences working temporary jobs after college to save $10,000 and go around the world on a very tight budget, his book is more about the overall experience of travel than a traditional guidebook. Although he does include standard information like what to bring, where to camp, and safety, Olsen also plugs in tips on starting up a house-painting business, working for cash and not reporting it as income, learning "The World's Top 10 Stoner Meccas," and how "to get along with Asian men...be their over-friendly drinking pal." If you think your clientele will be served by such travel coverage, then this might be a great addition to your collection. If you want a typical travel reference, you'd best stick with Let's Go or Fodors.?Thomas K. Fry, Penrose Lib., Univ. of Denver
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: CCC Publishing; 5th edition (January 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888729058
• ISBN-13: 978-1888729054
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #828,901 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book shows the true spirit of independent travel!, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: World Stompers: A Guide to Travel Manifesto (Paperback)

I have traveled independently to 64 countries and still found the book very interesting and informative. I'm 38 and still traveling 2-3 months a year by backpack.Once independent travel is in your blood it is hard to shake the feeling.The author has expressed the natural high of world stomping better than any other travel book on the market. I have 100's of books on travel and this book gives me goose bumps when I read it. My 18 year old daughter who hates to read picked up the book and she cannot put it down either. Now Jessica; my daughter is preparing her own world stomp. Looking forward to other books by the author.Steve Kay(AKA: Have Nikon Will Travel)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Redeeming qualities of "World Stompers", January 4, 2001

By	Elizabeth Lund "lundem" (Chicago, IL, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: World Stompers; A Guide to Travel Manifesto, 3rd Ed. (Paperback)

I must disagree with some of the negative opinions expressed by other reviewers. This book is the one book I've found that encourages readers to go ANYWHERE in the world, including places in the Middle East and Sub-saharan Africa that even other similar books (like "The Practical Nomad") discourage. Olsen is humorous and incredibly supportive: it's "you can do this" all the way. At times he does get repetitive and/or lets his personal prejudices get in the way (he dismisses most of the United States as "pretty damn boring"). Overall, however, this book is great-- very informative about black markets, visas, and other things that mainstream travel books don't usually tell you about. I lived in Germany and as a child and traveled a lot with my parents, yet I still found this book very helpful and enlightening.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good motivational read for prospective travellers!!, July 4, 2006

By	Jon Tall (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews

I managed to take a short (7 week) trek through South America during my college days and am currently planning a larger-scale open-ended world trip. This book offers great motivation and shall help one to keep the dream alive as they slave away to save up the cash. Based on my own travel experiences, I found this book to be highly accurate in its descriptions of how the general backpacker circuit functions. However, the chapters on the various individual circuits around the world can be entertaining (On the Stoner's Trail), but they barely scratch the surface. This book should be seen as a general introductory guide to travelling and (contrary to the author's recommendation) should be supplemented with an up-to-date guidebook for the region or country of interest (Lonely Planet and Let's Go are good ones).

This book is worth reading and, if nothing else, shall motivate one to complete the hardest task of travelling; setting off.