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Summary
Summary
In October 2002, Elliott Hester sold his car, abandoned his apartment, and took off alone on a trip around the world, during which he drifted to over fifty destinations. Elliott's tales about his travels range from the bizarre to the hilarious to the flat-out shocking. Travel with him as he: - Chases off transvestites in the South Pacific - Gets drunk on Estonian moonshine at the maker's eightieth birthday party - Impersonates Samuel L. Jackson at the 38th International Film Festival in the Czech Republic - Ponders the Finnish tradition of sprinting from steamy sauna to plunge into the frigid Baltic Sea - naked! - And much more.Only an around-the-world excursion could produce such outlandish, hair-raising, hysterical adventures. And only Elliott Hester could make such vivid observations and write such vibrant insights about life - and people - on the road.
Author Notes
Bestselling author Elliott Hester is an award-winning travel writer. He writes "Continental Drifter," a syndicated travel column carried nationwide, and has no fixed address.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
After suffering cuts in pay and benefits as a flight attendant after 9/11, Hester turned in his wings and became a travel writer. This follow-up to his industry tell-all, Plane Insanity, is based on his syndicated column, "Continental Drifter," and details his experiences traveling across six continents in the space of a year, spending just $60 a day. Although Hester manages to land on couches as often as he rents hotel rooms, this isn't a guide to frugal travel tricks. Instead, it's a romp with an adventurer who rarely becomes jaded or travel weary, and has a way of falling into amusing situations. For example, Hester's affection for Kangol hats has people mistaking him for Samuel L. Jackson at a film festival in eastern Europe; true to his jaunty nature, he doesn't correct them. Hester's writing is lively, and he keeps his observations light. However, the travelogue does have serious moments, as when the author describes being stared at unrelentingly in Argentina because, he says, 97% of the inhabitants are of white European origin. But the seriousness, like Hester's stay in each country, never lasts long. Agent, Faith Hamlin. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
At the end of 2001, the author, a flight attendant with 20 years' experience (and author of the witty and revealing Plane Insanity, 2002), realized he was fed up, burnt out, at his wits' end. The events of September 11 had devastated the airline industry, and when his own company offered leaves of absence to its employees, he took them up on it. Then he sold nearly everything he owned and bought himself a ticket around the world. This sparkling book recounts his exploits as a continental drifter (also the name of his syndicated newspaper column, which he files from far-flung locales). It's an over-the-top travelogue that's both informative (what to do when diarrhea strikes at the Taj Mahal) and very funny (how to impersonate Samuel Jackson at the Czech International Film Festival). This is perfect for armchair travelers, but it can also be used as a blueprint for readers with a yen for a little continental drifting of their own. --David Pitt Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal Review
A syndicated columnist and author of the best-selling Plane Insanity, Hester abandoned home and hearth to head 'round the world for some weird adventures (e.g., he impersonated Samuel L. Jackson at a Czech film festival). (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
"In October 2002, Elliott Hester sold his car, abandoned his apartment, and took off alone on a trip around the world, during which he drifted to more than fifty destinations. Elliot's tales about his travels range from bizarre to the hilarious to the flat-out shocking. Travel with him as he: chases off transvestites in the South Pacific; gets drunk on Estonian moonshine at the maker's eightieth birthday party; impersonates Samuel L. Jackson at the 38th International Film Festival in the Czech Republic; ponders the Finnish tradition of sprinting from a steamy sauna to plunge into the frigid Baltic Sea - naked; and much more." "Only an around-the-world excursion could produce such outlandish, hair-raising, hysterical adventures. An only Elliot Hester could make such vivid observations and write such vibrant insights about life - and people - on the road."--BOOK JACKET.
