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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Could you travel thru 8 countries in 1 outfit? With just a wallet or purse? No suitcase...no baggage. 3 weeks in 1 outfit...washing it in sinks or machines while couch surfing. This book is exceptional in not only telling how they truly did this but also discussing mental illness and anxiety. It's an amazing book.
A journey into the unknown, Clara Benson's memoir of a crazy trip strikes a cord on many levels. Her vulnerability in articulating the struggles of college graduates in a terrible job market, dating in today's world, and striving to open herself up to uncertainty is relevant and relatable. Would definitely recommend for anyone who is questioning doing what's expected vs. being okay with carving out a new path.
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
Will post a full review a bit later due to publication date being in 2016! Would definitely recommend though, especially to those who love to travel. I found it very interesting to read the descriptions of various locations. It was nice to relive specific places through the descriptions, and also enjoyed being able to vicariously experience places I've not yet been.
Thank you to Running Press for an advanced copy of Clara Bensen's memoir, No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love & Wandering, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT - Clara Bensen is living a quiet life in Austin, Texas. She's in her mid-twenties and after suffering a mental breakdown, she has finally regained control of her life. Bensen has a stable office job and a small apartment. Things are going well, so she decides to start dating and joins OKCupid.
Bensen meets Jeff, a dynamic personality and free spirit. Jeff is a recently divorced father and college professor, currently illegally living in his university office. After just a few dates, Jeff convinces Bensen to quit her job and join him on a trip to Europe and Asia. The catch? No luggage and no expectations. Will this experiment end in love or disaster?
LIKE- I admire Bensen's spirit of adventure. Although I met my husband on the internet ( Match.com) and we ran way for a Vegas weekend on our third date, I can't imagine quitting my job and traveling without luggage or an itinerary.
She wore the same dress for three weeks and only had what she could carry in her purse. No way could I manage that! They also never made hotel reservations, instead trying their luck with the mercy of strangers and couch surfing. The stars seemed aligned for them and they never encountered much trouble with finding a place to stay. I did see the plus side of traveling without an itinerary; it left them open to magical encounters, conversations with locals, and visits to places off-the-beaten path. Most of their experiences were not those of the typical tourist.
As far as Bensen's writing, her memoir is a fine blend of personal insight and travelogue. She writes lush, sensory filled descriptions of the locales and infuses her story with her feelings towards Jeff and this burgeoning love. She strikes a strong balance between the various elements of her memoir.
DISLIKE - As an obsessive vacation planner and OCD regarding personal hygiene, their story caused me stress! It was fascinating and I admire them, but it still was stressful. A note to Jeff - a toothbrush is definitely in the "needs" category!
RECOMMEND - Yes! No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love & Wandering, is a great way for the armchair adventurer to live vicariously through Bensen and add a little safe spontaneity into their lives. Bensen's memoir is a hopeful story for those thinking of internet dating.
Also, make sure you do a Google search for Clara and Jeff to see their vacation outfits, especially that famous green dress!
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT - Clara Bensen is living a quiet life in Austin, Texas. She's in her mid-twenties and after suffering a mental breakdown, she has finally regained control of her life. Bensen has a stable office job and a small apartment. Things are going well, so she decides to start dating and joins OKCupid.
Bensen meets Jeff, a dynamic personality and free spirit. Jeff is a recently divorced father and college professor, currently illegally living in his university office. After just a few dates, Jeff convinces Bensen to quit her job and join him on a trip to Europe and Asia. The catch? No luggage and no expectations. Will this experiment end in love or disaster?
LIKE- I admire Bensen's spirit of adventure. Although I met my husband on the internet ( Match.com) and we ran way for a Vegas weekend on our third date, I can't imagine quitting my job and traveling without luggage or an itinerary.
She wore the same dress for three weeks and only had what she could carry in her purse. No way could I manage that! They also never made hotel reservations, instead trying their luck with the mercy of strangers and couch surfing. The stars seemed aligned for them and they never encountered much trouble with finding a place to stay. I did see the plus side of traveling without an itinerary; it left them open to magical encounters, conversations with locals, and visits to places off-the-beaten path. Most of their experiences were not those of the typical tourist.
As far as Bensen's writing, her memoir is a fine blend of personal insight and travelogue. She writes lush, sensory filled descriptions of the locales and infuses her story with her feelings towards Jeff and this burgeoning love. She strikes a strong balance between the various elements of her memoir.
DISLIKE - As an obsessive vacation planner and OCD regarding personal hygiene, their story caused me stress! It was fascinating and I admire them, but it still was stressful. A note to Jeff - a toothbrush is definitely in the "needs" category!
RECOMMEND - Yes! No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love & Wandering, is a great way for the armchair adventurer to live vicariously through Bensen and add a little safe spontaneity into their lives. Bensen's memoir is a hopeful story for those thinking of internet dating.
Also, make sure you do a Google search for Clara and Jeff to see their vacation outfits, especially that famous green dress!
Like my review? Check out my blog!
I enjoyed this and think that Clara is a good writer, but also Jeff seems like a nightmare. 😅
This is a memoir written by a woman her twenties which tells you a good amount. When she is not caught up in how funny, smart, etc she and her boyfriend are there are some good moments. There are some really good descriptions of the places they visit.
I came across No Baggage when I was planning for a trip I'm going to take later this year. Knowing nothing at all about the book except it was on a list of best female travel memoirs, I bought a copy and I have to say this book surprised me for so many reasons.
It's a book about one woman's spontaneous minimalist travels with a man she had only known for a few weeks. It's also a book about her journey with her own mental health issues and overcoming her inner struggles. I enjoyed both sides of the story.
One of the reasons why I love reading travel memoirs so much is because the truth is often stranger than fiction. And there is a certain level of uncertainty to it. In most of the fiction I read it ends happily. When it comes to a real person's actual story? There's real world barriers in the way and things rarely go as smoothly. This book is the epitome of that. Five weeks in Europe with no real plan, no accommodation and no toothpaste?
But I have to admit this whole thing is baffling to me. There's so much reliance on the universe that things will take care of themselves. Jetting abroad for over a month with only the clothes on your back, two tampons and a barely defined relationship is insane to me. The whole idea is something I can barely wrap my head about. And I think that's possibly why I didn't love the book as much as I wanted to. Because the whole trip felt kind of selfish to me. And impractical.
What I did like was how there was a contrast between the physical act of travelling without baggage and the emotional kind that you can never quite shed. It's an interesting read. And Clara Bensen's instagram feed is gorgeous - you can tell she has the eye of an artist.
But I don't think I learned anything from this book. I definitely won't be travelling that light and I can't imagine ever taking such a bold leap into the unknown.
It's a book about one woman's spontaneous minimalist travels with a man she had only known for a few weeks. It's also a book about her journey with her own mental health issues and overcoming her inner struggles. I enjoyed both sides of the story.
One of the reasons why I love reading travel memoirs so much is because the truth is often stranger than fiction. And there is a certain level of uncertainty to it. In most of the fiction I read it ends happily. When it comes to a real person's actual story? There's real world barriers in the way and things rarely go as smoothly. This book is the epitome of that. Five weeks in Europe with no real plan, no accommodation and no toothpaste?
But I have to admit this whole thing is baffling to me. There's so much reliance on the universe that things will take care of themselves. Jetting abroad for over a month with only the clothes on your back, two tampons and a barely defined relationship is insane to me. The whole idea is something I can barely wrap my head about. And I think that's possibly why I didn't love the book as much as I wanted to. Because the whole trip felt kind of selfish to me. And impractical.
What I did like was how there was a contrast between the physical act of travelling without baggage and the emotional kind that you can never quite shed. It's an interesting read. And Clara Bensen's instagram feed is gorgeous - you can tell she has the eye of an artist.
But I don't think I learned anything from this book. I definitely won't be travelling that light and I can't imagine ever taking such a bold leap into the unknown.