When we’re not traveling, travel magazines can fill that void. Last year, we were on a Budget Travel kick but in the past few... »
Books
Can Tourism Play a Part in Saving the Environment?
We have been reading Mike Tidwell’s Bayou Farewell over the last couple of weeks. Published in 2003, it’s Mike’s journey through Louisiana Cajun country, getting to know the many different groups of people, immersing himself in the Cajun/Southern/French/Vietnamese/Houma Indian/etc. cultures he finds there. It’s a fascinating inside look at the people, the land, but... »
Middle Eastern Tourism Gets a Book-Based Boost
We are excited about two new books out focusing on Middle Eastern tourism. Just by reading the book review by Ted Swedenburg of University of Arkansas, it makes us want to run out and get them. We’ve included a few excerpts from his excellent and comprehensive review: “Waleed Hazbun’s Beaches, Ruins, Resorts: The Politics of... »
Interview with Writer and Budding Anthropologist Peter Rudiak-Gould
The Mindful Tourist is thrilled to have been able to sit down (virtually) with Peter Rudiak-Gould, author of Surviving Paradise, a memoir we recently reviewed right here on this site. We talked with Peter about his new book, his experiences on Ujae, and his travels. Mindful Tourist: As I mentioned in my review of your book, as I read it, I... »
“Surviving Paradise” a Wonderful Read
Peter Rudiak-Gould’s new memoir, Surviving Paradise: One Year on a Disappearing Island, is a unique and conflicted account of his year as a young adult volunteer living among the Marshallese people of the small island of Ujae. When he says small, he means small: the island is home to only around 400 people and... »
The Ridiculous Race - A Must-Read
Many travel books follow the same basic recipe: 1 life event 1-3 countries 1 epiphany Dash of love Blend and cook at 350 degrees. Yawn. The Ridiculous Race will have none of that. This hilarious book is written by two friends as they carry out a pact to circumvent the globe – one going west, the other east, to see which arrives first. The only... »
“Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven:” The Mindful Tourist Book Review
We have a beef with Amazon.com. After our fun read of Eat, Pray, Love, we were itching to get ahold of another good travel memoir. We did a little browsing on Amazon which recommended we check out Susan Jane Gilman’s “Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven,” their “Amazon Best of the Month for... »
Eat, Pray, Love: The Mindful Tourist Book Review
We had resisted reading this book for a very long time. It was too popular for us to like it, we thought. Who hadn’t read this book, we thought? Consider our snobby selves taught a lesson. We liked it, we really liked it! If you have been living on a deserted island in the middle... »
