Recommend this book:

Squashed Possums

Off the Beaten Track in New Zealand
Mr Jonathan William Tindale

2016 Finalist
198 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2016 Finalist
2016 Award Finalist - Travel Non-Fiction - Readers' Favorite Awards

Bill Bryson, author of Notes from a Small Island "Terrific"

Ten years after returning from the New Zealand outback, Jon receives a mysterious manuscript in the post. Narrated by Jon's former home, the lone caravan, Squashed Possums reveals what it's like to live in the wild through four seasons, including New Zealand's coldest winter in decades.

Discover how Jon finds himself reversing off the edge of a cliff, meet the Maori chef who survived 9/11, the pioneers who paved the way, and catch sight of the elusive kiwi bird. Encounter hedgehogs that fly, possums that scream, and perhaps most importantly, the lone caravan with a story to tell...
Dr Jock Phillips, NZ historian and author “I thoroughly enjoyed it! What an interesting story”

Giles Milton, author of White Gold and Nathaniels Nutmeg “The caravan narrator – yes, a first. May it sell in the millions”

Recommend this book:

Walking to Woot

A Photographic Narrative Discovering New Dimensions for Parent-Child Bonding: Color Edition 2016
Jackie Chase

2016 Finalist
312 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2016 Finalist
“Walking to Woot” A Photographic Narrative Discovering New Dimensions for Parent-Teen Bonding helps the reader absorb a rare experience. "I'd like to buy your daughter for 500 pigs," said her guide to the author after the trek. The story pierces time and place to treat the reader with an intimate peek inside a Stone-Age culture. The richest treasure veins of life's experiences can be mined away from home. Follow in the footsteps of Jackie and Katherine (a typical mom and teenage daughter) as they offer a compulsively readable story of their conspiracy of curiosity and courage to explore the jungles of New Guinea. Living in one of the most extraordinary and dangerous places on earth for four weeks, they realize the destination is not important. Travel is the book's vehicle for the learning/growing process. It is the process of change, the awakening of a new dimension within them. Dramatic gains in self confidence and self sufficiency developed as these females responded creatively to challenges, overcame fear, raised tolerances for pain and discomfort, and found courage within their inner resources. The trekkers invite the reader to reconnect ourselves to our inner hearts. The book offers inspiration to parents and teens who, in trying to be so many things to so many people, lose themselves. In each other we see a reflection of our sixth sense, the passion for searching. Photo/journalist Jackie Chase earned 14 international book award contests for her books published in 2014. This book has already earned 15 additional contest awards. Her travel to remote areas, like this experience, set among tribal villagers in New Guinea, make for fascinating reads. Read about her other books at www.JackieChase.com and www.AdventureTravelPress.com.

Recommend this book:

Gap Year Girl

A Baby Boomer Adventure Across 21 Countries
Marianne C. Bohr

2016 Gold Medal
372 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2016 Gold Medal
In the 1960s and ’70s, thousands of baby boomers strapped packs to their backs and flocked to Europe, wandering the continent on missions of self-discovery. Many of these boomers still dream of “going back”―of once again cutting themselves free and revisiting the places they encountered in their youth, recapturing what was, and creating fresh memories along the way. Marianne Bohr and her husband, Joe, did just that.



In Gap Year Girl, Bohr describes what it’s like to kiss your job good-bye, sell your worldly possessions, pack your bags, and take off on a quest for adventure. Page by page, she engagingly recounts the experiences, epiphanies, highs, lows, struggles, surprises, and lessons learned as she and Joe journey as independent travelers on a budget―through medieval villages and bustling European cities, unimaginable culinary pleasures, and the entertaining (and sometimes infuriating) characters encountered along the way. Touching on universal themes of escape, adventure, freedom, discovery, and life reimagined, Gap Year Girl is an exciting account of a couple’s experiences on an unconventional, past the-blush-of-youth journey.

Recommend this book:

The Kindness Diaries

One Man's Quest to Ignite Goodwill and Transform Lives Around the World
Leon Logothetis

2015 Finalist
288 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2015 Finalist
The incredible journey of one man who sets out to circumnavigate the globe on a vintage motorbike fueled by kindness.

Follow the inspirational journey of a former stockbroker who leaves his unfulfilling desk job in search of a meaningful life. He sets out from Los Angeles on a vintage motorbike, determined to circumnavigate the globe surviving only on the kindness of strangers. Incredibly, he makes his way across the U.S., through Europe, India, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and finally to Canada and back to the Hollywood sign, by asking strangers for shelter, food, and gas. Again and again, he's won over by the generosity of humanity, from the homeless man who shares his blanket to the poor farmer who helps him with his broken down bike, and the HIV-positive mother who takes him in and feeds him. At each stop, he finds a way to give back to these unsuspecting Good Samaritans in life-changing ways, by rebuilding their homes, paying for their schooling, and leaving behind gifts big and small. The Kindness Diaries will introduce you to a world of adventure, renew your faith in the bonds that connect people, and inspire you to accept and generate kindness in your own life.

Recommend this book:

The Amazing Journey: Book One

True Story of a Father and Son's Journey Around the World
Grady Hicks

2015 Honorable Mention
235 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2015 Honorable Mention
The Amazing Journey is a fast-paced, true story of Grady and Austin Hicks, a father and son who travel the world for twenty-eight days before Austin attends college. Austin is the first of three Hicks children who embark on this globe-trotting tradition with their father.

In the spirit of adventure, their route and activities are kept secret—even from family. They complete daily, self-imposed Journey Tasks that deliberately immerse them into cultural authenticity, and far outside their comfort zones. As the journey unfolds, it becomes clear that these travelers are in store for much more than unfamiliar landscapes. From foreign militaries to spiritual clairvoyance, from serious illness to unnerving dares, The Amazing Journey reminds us to connect with people—be it those closest to you or those across the world—to test your limits, and to trust the Journey.

Recommend this book:

Mojave Moonlight

A Series of Nightscapes
Tom Lowe

2015 Bronze Medal
50 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2015 Bronze Medal
Mojave Moonlight presents images of isolated rock formations, desaturated cacti, twirling star-shine patterns and moonlit desert landscapes that exceed the typical 'wow' factor that night photography inherently possesses. Nightglow softness removes daylight's harsh shadows and seduces the viewer to see the desert's free-form textures, elements that make the exhibit worth a visit on its own. However, Lowe goes further; he dismantles our standard perceptions of 'night photography,' and brings us images that celebrate night in the Mojave Preserve.

Recommend this book:

Las Vegas - Insider’s Guide

Save Money, Keep Safe, Operate and Survive in Sin City
Titus Nelson

2015 Silver Medal
200 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2015 Silver Medal
The ultimate Las Vegas guide includes not only hotel, restaurant, sightseeing, and entertainment information, but also has in-depth details about gambling, liquor laws, brothels, massage parlors, gyms and spas, strip clubs, male and female escorts, and gay/lesbian interests. There is information you need to know about speed traps and traffic tickets, gun restrictions, surveillance cameras, important laws and attorneys where and how to get married and divorced, how to tip, good and free buffets, even interesting photography locations. Far beyond other publications, the extensive information includes over 600 web links, phone apps to check taxi fares, detailed maps, and where to find like-minded people. Everything you need to hang on to your money, be safe, get around, and survive in fun-city, sin-city.
WINNER 6 BOOK AWARDS! in the Beverly Hills, Pinnacle, and National Indie Excellence Book Awards; and Amsterdam and Paris Book Festivals and recently the Author's Favorite Silver Award for Travel.

Recommend this book:

Roadtrip with a Raindrop

90 Days Along the Mississippi River
Gayle Harper

2015 Gold Medal
240 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2015 Gold Medal
A raindrop that falls into the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota will reach the Gulf of Mexico 90 days later.

When I learned that, my world was sent spinning in a new direction. I knew in that instant that I would make a 90-day road trip, following the entire course of the Mississippi River, while keeping pace with an imaginary raindrop that I would call "Serendipity."

From that moment on, this adventure has created itself in ways that often seem magical. People offered lodging in places that let me slide body and soul into the local culture. There was a fisherman's cabin, a trendy downtown loft, a tugboat converted to a B&B, a plantation mansion, a sharecropper's cabin - and once, an entire 30-room manor!

The Mississippi is one of America's greatest treasures. It is embedded in our history, our present and our identity as a nation. Along its roughly 2,400 mile journey, it is transformed from a tiny creek into an immense force of nature. It passes through dramatic changes in geography, climate, culture, lifestyles and accents.

Recommend this book:

How To Become An Escape Artist

A Traveler's Handbook
Jackie Chase

2014 Finalist
218 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2014 Finalist
If you’ve ever had dreams of traipsing through wet jungles, anchoring your yacht off hidden islands, or tossing coins in a magical fountain, this book is for you. A “road map” for travel, it contains tips and strategies based on practical travel experience in over a hundred countries. With 78 hyperlink clicks to hard-to-find websites well organized in 192 segments of valuable info you will save time, money and frustration. You will learn about:
•Strange or familiar cultures, gestures, food and customs
•The how-to’s of valuable travel research in one of 192 sections packed with hints
•Ideas for applying the lessons from inspiring stories and cautionary tales
•Valuable pointers to prevent/cure health issues and other travel challenges
•How to deal with loneliness, compromising plans with fellow travelers, and other personal issues
•Ways to prepare as a senior, parent, single woman, or a cautious newbie
•Opening your life to the rich variety of options for the traveler

You can go on a journey vicariously or, armed with the author’s invaluable advice visit the exotic cultures yourself.

Check out Jackie’s other books and eBook singles at: AdventureTravelPress.com
“The travel book is fascinating. It is obvious by the detail that you have been there.”
Dan Pointer, Publishing Guru

Recommend this book:

All Hands Working Together

Cruise for a Week: Meet 79 Cultures
Jackie Chase

2014 Finalist
174 Pages
Check current price
Non-Fiction - Travel

2014 Finalist
All Hands Working Together Cruise for a Week: Meet 79 Cultures, by Jackie Chase Welcome to the world’s largest cruise ship. “All Hands Working Together” peeks below the waterline and behind watertight doors. It reveals the secrets of crew members from 79 nations, united as a team to provide a luxurious, pleasing experience for guests. Meet the multi-nation ambassadors who make your bed and scoop your ice cream. • Find out what they do with ice sculptures when they melt and how you can use the ten-foot rule • Discover facts and stories about the ship and the lives of the crew • Hear about the legends, history, music, food, superstitions and traditions of foreign cultures • Browse the contents pages to view the flags of nations represented on board • Enjoy the lessons of cross-cultural teamwork applicable to business or dealings with other nationalities • Learn how the cruise experience on board can be as exciting as the stops along the way Check out Jackie’s other books and eBook singles at: AdventureTravelPress.com Do you have a cruise story to tell? Share it with everyone at WorldTravelDiva.com