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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
One dress. Three weeks. Eight countries. Zero baggage.
In this book, you find a story that had everything to go horribly wrong, but it turned out amazing.
Clara and Jeff met on OKCupid. At first, they didn't seem to have much in common, but there was a special connection between them. They could feel it.
She was going through hard times in her life. It was one of those moments where nothing seems to be going right: no job, no love, no plans. And that's when he showed up, shaking up her world and taking her to new adventures. Even though they only knew each other for a few weeks, he decided to invite her for a trip. He was already planning on traveling from Istanbul to London, but he thought it would be much better if she came along.
“Running off with some guy you just met online? What’s the worst that could happen?”, he joked. She had nothing to lose, so she said yes.
Their plan was to stay with locals via Couchsurfing.com—a global community where locals host travelers in their homes for free as a form of cultural exchange. Plus, they wouldn't be taking any baggage.
I think this is one of the most romantic and inspiring books I've ever read. It makes you want to get up and board the first plane going anywhere. It's a must read to everyone who loves traveling.
*Many thanks to Perseus Books Group / Running Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley*
In this book, you find a story that had everything to go horribly wrong, but it turned out amazing.
Clara and Jeff met on OKCupid. At first, they didn't seem to have much in common, but there was a special connection between them. They could feel it.
She was going through hard times in her life. It was one of those moments where nothing seems to be going right: no job, no love, no plans. And that's when he showed up, shaking up her world and taking her to new adventures. Even though they only knew each other for a few weeks, he decided to invite her for a trip. He was already planning on traveling from Istanbul to London, but he thought it would be much better if she came along.
“Running off with some guy you just met online? What’s the worst that could happen?”, he joked. She had nothing to lose, so she said yes.
Their plan was to stay with locals via Couchsurfing.com—a global community where locals host travelers in their homes for free as a form of cultural exchange. Plus, they wouldn't be taking any baggage.
I think this is one of the most romantic and inspiring books I've ever read. It makes you want to get up and board the first plane going anywhere. It's a must read to everyone who loves traveling.
*Many thanks to Perseus Books Group / Running Press for providing an ARC via NetGalley*
Though I've been reviewing advanced copies of books less often lately, I was intrigued by No Baggage from Running Press.
Quickly after emerging from a deep and long depressive period, Bensen signed up for OkCupid and within fifteen minutes of completing her profile, she emailed a cocky professor. Within a few short months, she quit the first substantial job she'd been able to find since moving back in with her parents after college and her depression (which was justified because "The money was decent and I had full control over my schedule. The only catch was that software apps made me grit my teeth with boredom.") in order to travel to Europe with the professor for three weeks. They took only the clothing they were wearing and she had a small bag with her passport and toiletries.
If everything I've written so far sounds a bit... edgy... it's because this memoir left me a bit edgy. I loved the premise and was fascinated to see how it would all go - taking only the minimum for a three week no-expectations-no-plans trip to Europe where they landed in Istanbul and had a ticket home from London with little to no arrangements in between.
The problem was, there sort of was all kinds of unspoken expectations of which at least Bensen denied existence. It's made abundantly clear that Bensen's shiny new boyfriend, Jeff, was extremely commitment-phobic on every conceivable level and he makes it clear to her that, despite asking her to commit to a sex-filled long distance journey with him, she should expect no loyalty or concern about her on his part, and that they should both be very free to do whatever they wished, including having sex with other people or just wandering away from the trip if they didn't feel like traveling with the other person anymore.
Though Bensen goes to great pains to explain that in her youth, she was always the one in the relationship afraid of any sort of commitment and was free-love-hippie-like in her approach to life and relationships, it felt apparent to me, as a reader, that this wasn't particularly where she was when she agreed to this adventure. She was vulnerable after just emerging from a long couple years of depression, and this free-for-all, let's-just-do-whatever-we-feel-like condition of travel left her scared and worried that he'd just woken up and left (or wandered off to sleep with a pretty young woman they'd met the night before) on more than one occasion. I appreciated that she shared her raw feelings about these incidents but I wasn't convinced that it wasn't foolish to put herself in that situation to begin with or that her angst was worth it, given her traveling companion.
Jeff sounds like an fascinating man to know but also more than a little bit of an asshole. There were several times during the trip where he treated people with disrespect and coldness without cause, and some of his antics made me grimace because I've witnessed some of these Americans exemplifying how inappropriate and disrespectful of local reverences or customs some Americans can be during my own travels in Europe.
I liked Bensen herself, her writing, and can relate to her craving for adventure. I understand why she did what she did but although the memoir plays the journey off as somewhat of a grand romantic adventure, I sensed some deeply uncomfortable moments that I'm not certain even years later could be looked back on and laughed at. I was somewhat surprised to find her online after finishing the book to discover that she and Jeff are still together, and I'm happy for her that they are. I'll continue to follow her adventures, albeit with a bit of trepidation.
No Baggage will be released in the United States on January 5, 2016.
Quickly after emerging from a deep and long depressive period, Bensen signed up for OkCupid and within fifteen minutes of completing her profile, she emailed a cocky professor. Within a few short months, she quit the first substantial job she'd been able to find since moving back in with her parents after college and her depression (which was justified because "The money was decent and I had full control over my schedule. The only catch was that software apps made me grit my teeth with boredom.") in order to travel to Europe with the professor for three weeks. They took only the clothing they were wearing and she had a small bag with her passport and toiletries.
If everything I've written so far sounds a bit... edgy... it's because this memoir left me a bit edgy. I loved the premise and was fascinated to see how it would all go - taking only the minimum for a three week no-expectations-no-plans trip to Europe where they landed in Istanbul and had a ticket home from London with little to no arrangements in between.
The problem was, there sort of was all kinds of unspoken expectations of which at least Bensen denied existence. It's made abundantly clear that Bensen's shiny new boyfriend, Jeff, was extremely commitment-phobic on every conceivable level and he makes it clear to her that, despite asking her to commit to a sex-filled long distance journey with him, she should expect no loyalty or concern about her on his part, and that they should both be very free to do whatever they wished, including having sex with other people or just wandering away from the trip if they didn't feel like traveling with the other person anymore.
Though Bensen goes to great pains to explain that in her youth, she was always the one in the relationship afraid of any sort of commitment and was free-love-hippie-like in her approach to life and relationships, it felt apparent to me, as a reader, that this wasn't particularly where she was when she agreed to this adventure. She was vulnerable after just emerging from a long couple years of depression, and this free-for-all, let's-just-do-whatever-we-feel-like condition of travel left her scared and worried that he'd just woken up and left (or wandered off to sleep with a pretty young woman they'd met the night before) on more than one occasion. I appreciated that she shared her raw feelings about these incidents but I wasn't convinced that it wasn't foolish to put herself in that situation to begin with or that her angst was worth it, given her traveling companion.
Jeff sounds like an fascinating man to know but also more than a little bit of an asshole. There were several times during the trip where he treated people with disrespect and coldness without cause, and some of his antics made me grimace because I've witnessed some of these Americans exemplifying how inappropriate and disrespectful of local reverences or customs some Americans can be during my own travels in Europe.
Spoiler
I liked Bensen herself, her writing, and can relate to her craving for adventure. I understand why she did what she did but although the memoir plays the journey off as somewhat of a grand romantic adventure, I sensed some deeply uncomfortable moments that I'm not certain even years later could be looked back on and laughed at. I was somewhat surprised to find her online after finishing the book to discover that she and Jeff are still together, and I'm happy for her that they are. I'll continue to follow her adventures, albeit with a bit of trepidation.
No Baggage will be released in the United States on January 5, 2016.
I'm one of those people who overpacks for everything, yet wants to live a more minimalist, deliberate life. I've gotten down to a duffle and backpack for most trips over a week, but I still unpack under things every time.
The concept of traveling with one dress and a small purse is thrilling in a semi-frightening kind of way. It's an experiment I would love to try--in theory. In reality, I'd probably chicken out at the last minute.
The experiment made for an intriguing story, and I'd love to read more about her other travels. I love that she was so open and honest about her struggles with mental health, and weaved the storylines throughout.
The concept of traveling with one dress and a small purse is thrilling in a semi-frightening kind of way. It's an experiment I would love to try--in theory. In reality, I'd probably chicken out at the last minute.
The experiment made for an intriguing story, and I'd love to read more about her other travels. I love that she was so open and honest about her struggles with mental health, and weaved the storylines throughout.
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Completely inspiring. Reminds me of my trip and how minimalist your needs become when travelling. Makes me want to pick up and leave to Europe with just a purse just like her which is why I gave it 4 stars.
Remove the "no baggage" factor and really it's 3 Stars. She rush through the descriptions of the cities and was vague about what they actually did on their travels. Instead the book focuses primarily on her mental health issues before the trip, and the romance with Jeff... I wanted a travel memoir...
Quotes that spoke to me:
"Just because you're lost doesn't mean you can't explore" - mental illness".
"Home was waiting with a closet full of dresses, and yet I was struck by the new found desire to return and purge my apartment of every item that didn't fall under the category of "joy" or "practical use". Once a baseline for well-being was met, a comfortable existence wasn't necessarily an accessorised one".
Remove the "no baggage" factor and really it's 3 Stars. She rush through the descriptions of the cities and was vague about what they actually did on their travels. Instead the book focuses primarily on her mental health issues before the trip, and the romance with Jeff... I wanted a travel memoir...
Quotes that spoke to me:
"Just because you're lost doesn't mean you can't explore" - mental illness".
"Home was waiting with a closet full of dresses, and yet I was struck by the new found desire to return and purge my apartment of every item that didn't fall under the category of "joy" or "practical use". Once a baseline for well-being was met, a comfortable existence wasn't necessarily an accessorised one".
3.75 Perfect summer read. Highly recommend. Read it in 2 days.
It's a recipe for a fantastic wedding toast or a recipe for disaster: take someone you've been dating for a few weeks and embark on a three-week whirlwind through Europe, taking only what will fit in your pockets and a small purse. Add to that that one of them is a commitment-phobe and the other is barely functioning after an extended quarter-life crisis, and there you have it.
Bensen wrote an article about said trip and (I presume) got the book deal as a result. I love the idea—not sure I'd have the chutzpah to do that sort of thing myself, but then that's kind of the point: here are two people going against the grain, both resisting attachment (they spend most of the book being carefully non-committed) and taking a step (multi-week travel together) that most couples don't take until later in a relationship (unless they're, say, teenagers on a school-sponsored trip...but that, uh, isn't quite the same thing).
I really would have loved a bit more of the travel end of it, though. Perhaps in an effort to up the stakes/drama/length, a lot of attention is paid to Bensen's mental health crisis and then this looming question of whether or not Jeff will ever commit to something more than a day in advance. In some ways it's less a question of what it's like to travel with someone you don't actually know that well, or what it's like to travel to all these places without luggage, and more a question of whether or not the relationship will last...and while that's a much more universal theme, it's also a more done one.
Still, in terms of the latter, there are some interesting relationship dynamics at play. Take these:
Realistically, I would have read this even if the reviews had been terrrrrrrible—travel memoir with a twist is right up my alley—but I probably would have gotten equal satisfaction from the article.
Bensen wrote an article about said trip and (I presume) got the book deal as a result. I love the idea—not sure I'd have the chutzpah to do that sort of thing myself, but then that's kind of the point: here are two people going against the grain, both resisting attachment (they spend most of the book being carefully non-committed) and taking a step (multi-week travel together) that most couples don't take until later in a relationship (unless they're, say, teenagers on a school-sponsored trip...but that, uh, isn't quite the same thing).
I really would have loved a bit more of the travel end of it, though. Perhaps in an effort to up the stakes/drama/length, a lot of attention is paid to Bensen's mental health crisis and then this looming question of whether or not Jeff will ever commit to something more than a day in advance. In some ways it's less a question of what it's like to travel with someone you don't actually know that well, or what it's like to travel to all these places without luggage, and more a question of whether or not the relationship will last...and while that's a much more universal theme, it's also a more done one.
Still, in terms of the latter, there are some interesting relationship dynamics at play. Take these:
That's how he was. Tension was always followed by a silent split. Then he'd show up a few hours later as if he'd forgotten about the offending incident altogether. Speaking anxieties into the air--giving them audible weight--was an act of vulnerability. Safer to just skip it and move on. If he opened to me, I might do the same to him. And then where would we be? It wasn't so easy to "keep things simple" with our underbellies exposed. (95)Jeff's the one with the hangups about commitment and the drive to travel in this sort of way, but he's also the one who falls apart when his non-planning doesn't work out as he'd...planned. And even when things are going well, there's always this undercurrent of 'will this still be going well tomorrow?' Not because of the travel uncertainties, and not because they haven't been together long, but because for all that they trust each other in some some ways—some important ways—they also don't trust that the other person will still be there tomorrow.
I had to spring to keep up with his long, frustrated strides. He didn't mind being lost when he chose to be lost, but this was different. We had somewhere to be and he was failing to get us there. (189)
I realized my mistake as I put my finger on the map. "Oh dear, oh dear..."
"What?"
"Well, I'm a bit turned around..."
"WOMAN, WHERE ARE WE?"
"We're on the wrong side of the Thames," I confessed, close to tears. "I was holding the map somewhat...upside down."
"FUCKING HELL!" Jeff's face was red. It was the first time I'd ever witnessed him lose control. And over such a mundane predicament, too. We'd fallen into the classic couples argument, replete with crumpled map and shouting tirade (all we were missing was the part where I ordered him to pull over and ask for directions). He did compose himself quickly, to his credit. (275)
Realistically, I would have read this even if the reviews had been terrrrrrrible—travel memoir with a twist is right up my alley—but I probably would have gotten equal satisfaction from the article.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
So I picked this up because we sell it at the store I work at, Anthropologie (and judging by the look of the dress in real photos and the square yellow tag on the cover's illustrated version, I think the dress she wears the whole trip is a Maeve, one of our brands! :-p), and some of my coworkers were talking about reading it. I'll have to see if they finished it yet and what they thought. This is not the first memoir-type book I've read, but I don't read that genre very often, and I believe this was my first time reading a travel-based non-fiction.
Anyway.
I really would have been more interested in Bensen's story if she had taken this trip alone, because I could not stand her boyfriend. To each their own, obviously, but I seriously thought she was going to dump him before the end of the trip. Idk. I just felt like her examination of their relationship focused on cliches and didn't really affect me emotionally, not the way the introspection of her mental health and past/present/future did. He just seemed like a man-child to me. I usually hate that term cuz I think it upholds the patriarchal tradition of letting men get away with avoiding the path to emotional maturity, BUT in this case it's the only appropriate term. *shrug*
But like I said, the sections where Bensen focuses on herself were far more interesting and seemed more genuine. I could honestly relate to a lot of her mental struggles. And I appreciated that she acknowledged her relative privilege in the world, while also not blowing off her experience as Millennial AngstTM. Depression is depression.
As a travel memoir it didn't hit the mark for me. Only the briefest of details on the places they went, and the people she met in those places felt more like stock characters than real people.
It was an enjoyable read though, except for when I was rolling my eyes at Jeff and wondering what she sees in him. This would be a good beach read, I imagine.
Anyway.
I really would have been more interested in Bensen's story if she had taken this trip alone, because I could not stand her boyfriend. To each their own, obviously, but I seriously thought she was going to dump him before the end of the trip. Idk. I just felt like her examination of their relationship focused on cliches and didn't really affect me emotionally, not the way the introspection of her mental health and past/present/future did. He just seemed like a man-child to me. I usually hate that term cuz I think it upholds the patriarchal tradition of letting men get away with avoiding the path to emotional maturity, BUT in this case it's the only appropriate term. *shrug*
But like I said, the sections where Bensen focuses on herself were far more interesting and seemed more genuine. I could honestly relate to a lot of her mental struggles. And I appreciated that she acknowledged her relative privilege in the world, while also not blowing off her experience as Millennial AngstTM. Depression is depression.
As a travel memoir it didn't hit the mark for me. Only the briefest of details on the places they went, and the people she met in those places felt more like stock characters than real people.
It was an enjoyable read though, except for when I was rolling my eyes at Jeff and wondering what she sees in him. This would be a good beach read, I imagine.
A number of years ago I had a nightmare about arriving at the Portland airport at 5:00 a.m. carrying only a book which had only 45 pages left to be read. I didn't think about the fact I had no luggage or carry on bag with fresh undies or my tweezers(!), all I could think about was that 45 pages was not going to last very long and I needed another book for the European flight I had ahead of me. I raced around the airport but couldn't find any place to purchase another book! As you can see, it was a very traumatic dream, so I was very intrigued by "No Baggage" and snagged an advance copy at BEA.
Imagine boarding a plane for an overseas trip carrying nothing but a purse with a few essentials plus to add to the stress, traveling with a guy she had just met through an online dating site. Ultimately the book is part travelogue, part romance, and part musings about her post-college breakdown. I would have liked to read more about other experiences and sightseeing on the road but she's an engaging writer and enjoyed reading about her life and relationships.
I'm also hoping the finished book has a few photos as the ones I found of their trip were fun to view, especially the one with all of their travel belongings laid out on a table.
Imagine boarding a plane for an overseas trip carrying nothing but a purse with a few essentials plus to add to the stress, traveling with a guy she had just met through an online dating site. Ultimately the book is part travelogue, part romance, and part musings about her post-college breakdown. I would have liked to read more about other experiences and sightseeing on the road but she's an engaging writer and enjoyed reading about her life and relationships.
I'm also hoping the finished book has a few photos as the ones I found of their trip were fun to view, especially the one with all of their travel belongings laid out on a table.