Book Reviews
and
- “A treasured volume… Inspirational… Offers budget travel wisdom
that’s helpful most anywhere.” (National Geographic Adventure)
- “This is the book for those who dream of circling
the globe without spending a fortune…. The best thing about this book is
its attitude — Hasbrouck insists that world travel is possible for
everyone. So what are you waiting for?”
(Travel & Leisure, Book of the Month)
- “Deeply researched and thorough, this volume
might have been either exceedingly dull or tailored to the
backpacker and/or GI Joe niche — plenty of similar books
are. But instead, Hasbrouck brings a refreshing humility to
the advice he gives…. He writes with honesty,
warmth and reassurance that ‘round-the-world travel is
something that ordinary people can do. In fact, it’s hard to
think of any world-travel scenario that isn’t covered….
Hasbrouck has the answer before you even knew you needed to
ask the question, and he does it all without passing judgment.
And those reasons you thought you had for not taking a trip
around the world? He tells you how to negotiate time off
from work, take the kids with you, plan your budget and
stop worrying about culture shock and language barriers.
The Practical Nomad isn’t just informational, it’s inspirational.”
(Chicago Tribune)
- “Attention, travel lovers: Hasbrouck… has written the
handbook for world travelers…. Smart travelers will make sure
to have this necessary guide in their
backpacks…, and all public libraries will benefit from its purchase.”
(Library Journal)
- “The Practical Nomad is a must-read for anyone planning or even
considering extended international travel, especially for do-it-
yourselfers, and especially if you’re heading to an exotic locale.”
(The Independent Traveler (AOL) / IndependentTraveler.com)
- “Adept … A journalist and travel expert, Mr. Hasbrouck brings to the table
in-depth knowledge of the travel industry.”
(Wall Street Journal)
- “A wealth of information, tips and advice, equally applicable to the
novice and the experienced traveller…. A must for the independent
traveller.”
(Conde Nast Traveller [U.K.] online)
- “This chapter [on airfares] alone is… worth the price of the book.
Knowledge is power and little is left uncovered in Hasbrouck’s manifesto.”
(Gourmet Traveller Australia)
- “The Practical Nomad is a stunning achievement.”
(USA Today)
- “Filled with information… targeted at the independent traveler
with little or no room for ethnocentricity and an emphasis on respectful,
low-impact interaction with the terrain being traversed. A serious book
and worth studying.”
(San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner)
- “Thank goodness for opinionated and informed writers like Edward
Hasbrouck. His work serves to remind us that beyond the cozy consumerized
travel industry that most Americans patronize, there’s an entire world of
independent travel. For anyone who has always wanted to take the trip of a
lifetime without going near a package tour, Hasbrouck wrote just the book.
(Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Online,
Frommers.com)
- “If you’ve decided to put your money where your fantasy is, and save for the
trip of trips, Edward Hasbrouck is your travel guru.”
(Amazon.com, Travel Editor’s Recommended Book)
- “A cult classic, and deservedly so.”
(Erin Van Rheenen, author of ‘Moon Living Abroad in Costa Rica’)
- “Tells you how to appreciate the art of travel rather than
how to spend money… Insightful… will inspire rather than dictate.”
(Robert Young Pelton, author of ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Places’)
- “This is the bible of independent travel. The Practical Nomad is not a guide like any other. There are no hotel
suggestions or destination reviews. There are no city maps or walking tours.
The Practical Nomad is simply the most researched, extensive, and complete
reference for global independent travel. How should you pack? Should you
travel overland or by air? Where are the best places to buy tickets? What
should you expect at “third-world” border crossings? Buy a traditional
destination guide if you are a tourist or vacationer. But if you view travel
as an education, a life experience, an exchange between cultures and
individuals alike, then The Practical Nomad is a must-read. Pick it up well
before you leave on that big trip and keep it on your bookshelf as a reference.”
(Lorin Kalisky, founder of Franglo.com and author of ‘Living, Studying, and Working in France’)
- “Nowhere else will you find in a single volume such valuable
information…. You may consider yourself a seasoned traveler, one who has
read it all and seen most of it, but you’ll still learn plenty from this
guide. The references and resources listed in the book’s appendix are
worth the cover price alone…. A wealth of information… Eminently
readable…An easy guide to recommend…. Perhaps its greatest attribute is
the perspective it offers for people planning a long trip. The proper frame
of mind is as important as the correct clothing and paperwork for such a
journey. Mr. Hasbrouck’s advice on choosing destinations, moving from place
to place, getting the most bang for your travel buck (or other currency),
and transforming the trip into a time of your life makes this guide a real
travel bargain…. The appendix provides an extensive and well-annotated bibliography….
There is no denying the valuable travel information Mr. Hasbrouck has to
impart, and he has created a first-rate travel resource. It has become a
cliche to call the purchase of a travel book the wisest
investment a traveler can make, but the old chestnut rings true here.
Travel agents may come to wonder how they ever got along without this guide, but its primary
audience is your everyday basic travel consumer looking for some solid advice from a
knowledgeable professional on planning that once-(or twice?)-in-a-lifetime vacation.”
(Travel Reference Library)
- “It would ordinarily be presumptuous of anyone to sub-title their
book, ‘How to Travel Around the World.’ But if it’s written by the extraordinary and inveterate traveler Edward
Hasbrouck, it makes perfect sense…. It’s a dense, info-packed tome, filled with over 550 pages of true, tested
advice…. Before you step foot outside the US or Canada, buy this book.”
(Big World magazine)
- “Innovative and detailed tips on everything from booking flights to bargains.”
(Lonely Planet’s Best Ever Travel Tips)
- “A little information from someone who has been ‘out there’ can save
any traveler a lot of grief, and there is a wealth of no-nonsense, hard-scrabble information in ‘The
Practical Nomad’.”
(Islands magazine)
- “Exhaustively researched…. The Practical Nomad is a stunning achievement of data gathering and travel lore.”
(William Caverlee, Perceptive Travel)
- “Well-written… Valuable information.”
(Student World Traveler)
- “A definite travel classic!”
(Chris Balish, news anchor, KSDK-TV)
- “The only book that world travelers need before starting their journey. The 620 page book
covers every aspect of extended travel that you could possibly think of. From finding ways to get
time off of work to the conditions of international toilets, if it’s a concern for travelers,
then author Edward Hasbrouck writes about it…. Hasbrouck knows from experience what is
important to world travelers…. Whether you’re a college student planning on traveling after
graduation or a retiree who is finally realizing their dream of seeing the world, if you are
planning a round-the-world trip or just an extended vacation, then ‘The Practical Nomad: How to
Travel Around the World’ is mandatory reading for you.”
(BellaOnline.com, “The Voice of Women”)
- “A rigorous combination of keen intelligence and sheer volume of information….
Detailed and precise….A must-have guide for those who prefer to do it themselves.”
(Sacramento Bee)
- “For the first time, business and pleasure travelers alike have a
complete — and we do mean complete — resource at their fingertips…. An indispensable
complement to travel brochures…. One of the most useful travel books we have reviewed in the
last ten years.”
(Sun City [CA] News)
- “If you’re an independent traveler, eager to explore the world and
willing to make your way on your own, Edward Hasbrouck’s The Practical Nomad is a book
for you…. It could change your whole attitude toward travel, and only for the
better…. This is not a destination book but rather a handbook on the general principles of
travel, developed from actual experience by widely knowledgeable travelers…. The focus of
this book is not on how to save money and find the best deal, but it is a fact that
experienced travelers who understand the principles of travel do save money and do find
the best deals — on transportation, meals, lodging, everything — and furthermore,
such travelers have the richest experience of the world and absolutely the most fun….
The Practical Nomad will put you years ahead in mastering the art of travel.
(Barnesandnoble.com)
- “Although The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World is billed
as a resource on long-term and third-world travel, it’s really a
must-read for all travelers. Now in its 3rd edition [4th edition 2007], this comprehensive volume
includes authoritative information on everything form air and surface
transportation to baggage, budgets, and health issues. Penned by consumer advocate and
travel agent Edward hasbrouck, The Practical Nomad presents the nuts and bolts logistics
of travel in an easy-to-read format and includes practical advice along
with an extensive list of print and Internet resources…. Mr. Hasbrouck
has a very enlightened attitude about accessible travel in third-world countries;
an attitude which serves to encourage rather than discourage people from
giving it a try.”
(Emerging Horizons: Accessible Travel News)
- “The Practical Nomad by Edward Hasbrouck is the definitive bible
for those of us who want to, or love to travel independently. This book packed with
general, timeless information is a must for travellers seeking more then just a package
tour….Most guidebooks tell you what to see, what to do, what the prices are and other
such information which quickly becomes outdated. Hasbrouck instead shares his
wisdom on how to travel, drawing on his experience as a travel agent and world
traveller…. It is very relevant to any traveller regardless of where he or she may live….
Hasbrouck… tells it as it is, making honest suggestions rather than writing to please
travel agents and tourist boards…. The Practical Nomad on occasion even convinces the
reader to turn around and look at our western culture in a new light. This is missing in
most travel guide books. In doing this it validates other perspectives on life, maybe
more primitive, but as relevant (sometimes even more so) as our own…. In doing this, it
made me realize that our systems are as strange to them as theirs to us. This book is a
good buy for dreamers and travellers alike.”
(The Greatest Escapes Travel Webzine and Travel Report)
- “This book is the place to start when planning world travel.
Planning to travel around the world can be very daunting. This book helps you go through
the planning step by step. I was overwhelmed while planning for my trip (which was lovely, thank you)
until I read The Practical Nomad and was able to get a handle on it all….
Being on the road for a full year requires all sorts of special knowledge and skills.
Visas, airlines, backpacks, hi-tech travel underwear?! Where do you start?
My savior has been ‘The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World’ by Edward Hasbrouck….
For all the practical information in The Practical Nomad, it’s very readable with plenty of
real life examples. His emphasis on traveling responsibly and the genial personality he displays
in his writing make me trust him. You can tell, this guy, he’s a nice guy.”
(Todd Berman,
Ephemerratic.com)
- “The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace is an invaluable tool for
both the novice and the experienced in the world of travel e-commerce.
More valuable than the comprehensive map he has drawn for how to get
started is the healthy dose of skepticism and critical advice that
Hasbrouck offers the new-millennium traveler — a refreshing change to the
starry-eyed ‘You can do everything on the Internet!’ approach. Honest,
reliable, and incredibly resourceful.”
(Daphne Durham, Amazon.com)
- “I recommend [The Practical Nomad] to everybody who is contemplating long-term
travel…. Almost every aspect of long-term travel is discussed in detail, based on
the author’s 20 years of experience…. The chapter about the
Alice-In-Wonderland world of airline ticket pricing was one of the most challenging
texts I’ve read since law school — and one of the most rewarding.”
(Paul Karl Lukacs, Knife Tricks)
- “No book anywhere offers such a comprehensive yet approachable discussion of the
intricacies of global airfare, such a comprehensive bibliography of travel resources,
and so many relevant tips for being a culturally sensitive traveler. All in all, if
you are thinking about traveling on a Round the World Trip this book is for you.
Hasbrouck also maintains an excellent website with tons of useful supplemental information.”
(Paul Heller, TheBigBlueMarble.com)
"Don't believe anything just because you read it on the Internet. Anyone can say anything on the Internet, and they do.
The Internet is the most effective medium in history for the rapid global propagation of rumor, myth, and false information."
(From The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace, 2001)
This page published or republished here 5 April 1999; most recently modified 12 January 2024. Copyright © 1991-2024 Edward Hasbrouck, except as noted.
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