Earlier this month, IMAGINE: A Vagabond Story, was published.  Justin and I were asked to conduct a book review by the author.  After receiving Grant Lingel‘s book in the mail (along with other promo materials) we were both excited to read his story.  Justin and I rock, paper, scissored and I won the book review!  So you get the female perspective of nomad backpackers.

Grant Lingel shares his story of backpacking through Central America, and the journey of discovering who he is.  If you are looking for the clean, light story of a backpacker, this is not it.  Grant is very open in the memoir of his adventures including details of purchasing drugs in Mexico and sex on the beach, not just the cocktail.  However, if you are intrigued by his honesty, then you would enjoy his story.

You see, Grant bought a one-way plane ticket to Mexico and only had $300 in his pocket.  Sound interesting?  Grant’s spontaneous spirit is unforgettable and extremely shocking while reading his story.

I enjoyed reading the adventure he shares in IMAGINE: A Vagabond Story.  However, I was disturbed by his brutal honesty during the retelling of the decisions he made.  Most individuals would be ashamed to retell a story of sex on a beach with a high school girl then bribing the Mexican police with cash, not be thrown into jail.  Most individuals would also be ashamed to share their tale of being caught by Mexican police (again, I know…) after purchasing cocaine, and lying your way out of it.

Grant Lingel is not ashamed.  He openly shares, without holding back.  If this is the type of book you enjoy, then go for it, and order a copy today.

As for Grant, I have to hand it to him for actually writing a book and publishing his travel adventures.  I have not written a book.  Let alone a 315 page book.  I can only imagine it took a lot of time and effort to record the journey.

I continued to read and hoped for a huge transformation of lifestyle choices and personal discovery to occur.  Even when I only had less than 50 pages left to read, I still hoped for a personal transformation.  I read hints of this transformation, but also continued to read of more drugs and sex.

• Girls from Norway go topless: “…a very cute and topless Norwegian girl named Birgit.  She was in Playa for two months learning Spanish with thirty-four other Norwegian girls.” page 266.
• The search for the magic mushrooms: “Sebastian told us that Palenque was famous for its magic mushrooms…” page 281.
• It took Grant an entire day to realize that he had already met the same traveler a few cities back:  ”She thought it was a riot that it took the two of us an entire day to realize we had already met before and told me to stop smoking so much pot.” page 308.

Now to Grant’s credit, I also read improved travel logic and some reflection during those last 50 pages:

• Considering the people he had met from all around the world: “I was still baffled by the fact that such different people could relate so well.” page 255.
• Again, Grant recognizes, its all about the people: “I was incredibly touched by his kind words and continued to realize that it’s the people along the way that you meet who make your trip, make your world and your life.  It is they who shape you into the person you become.” page 262.
• Self catering…a great way to save money while traveling:  ”We returned to a busy hostel that evening with bags of pasta and veggies in hand.  I was pretty much eating the same meal every night: pasta or rice with cooked veggies.  Oddly, I was still enjoying it night after night and loved how it kept my wad of savings intact.” page 270.

I agree with Grant that travel is all about the people you meet.  I also enjoyed that Grant shared he is a vegetarian.  Justin and I are both vegetarians and have backpacked all around the world with no difficulty finding delicious food.  In fact, certain areas of the world are a perfect match for “veg-friendly” eating.

Although, I cannot personally recommend this book as a travel philosophy book, I can recommend it to someone who would enjoy reading a book like Grant’s story.  I don’t believe that Grant set out to write a travel philosophy book.  Instead, it is a candid story of all of his adventures and mistakes along his journey.

Grant, Thank you for asking us to review your book.  I had lots of fun!  I kept reading, wanting to grab my backpack and head out to explore.  After reading about your travels in Central America, I want to talk Justin into spending our summer traveling and learning Spanish.

Tags | people, Shoestring