Taken from chapter titles in the book, Loves, Kerbsides and Goodbyes captures the raw nature, characters and adventures of global backpacking. Distilled from over a decade on the road, it's an insightful and emotional account of international backpacking culture, driven not by chronology or geography, but by experiential themes - where the main stage on the open road are kerbsides. They're backpackers' theatre to meet and re-connect, share their lives, fall in love, say goodbye.
Spanning six continents, this candid memoir balances the enchantment of movement and the spaces between places as it traces a loose, interweaving troubadour of bonhomie, shoestring travellers across countries and borders - where new onward routes are decided by serendipity and a coin toss. Selecting entertaining slices of life from the open road, Loves, Kerbsides and Goodbyes shares the unpredictability of waking each day in a different place, and the unexpected encounters with unlikely wayfarers along the way.
There are no prescriptive do's and don'ts or must-see lists. No sundry travel agent tips and tales of lost luggage, airline maladies or hotel woes. Simply the worldly curiosity, excitement, wonder, temptations and perils of backpacking today. Experience the adrenalin of high-mountain voids; the hedonism of jungle hideaways and beachside bungalows; the dangers of street scams and muggings; the anxiety of police interrogations and corrupt shakedowns; along with the frustrations, freedoms, enlightened insight and awe on long, arduous overland journeys. Where intimate connections and lifelong friendships are forged in an instant, share the currency which makes everyone on open-ended journeys rich. Time.
By wending an underlying narrative of romance and regret on the road, Love, Kerbsides and Goodbyes captures the vicarious reader who longed to feel the weight of freedom with a backpack. It's also a great companion for wanderlust struck mates on their next adventure abroad, and a perfect read to acquaint the tyro traveller with life, love and solitude on the road today - as backpackers push farther and farther from touristed places in search of unique experiences.
