From back of book:
three friends. four continents. one unconventional detour around the world.
With their thirtieth birthdays looming, Jen, Holly, and Amanda are feeling the pressure to hit certain milestones - score the big promotion, find a soul mate, have 2.2 kids. Instead, they make a pact to quit their jobs, leave behind everything familiar, and embark on a yearlong round-the-world search for inspiration and direction.
Traveling 60,000 miles across four continents, Jen, Holly, and Amanda push themselves far outside their comfort zones to embrace every adventure. Ultimately, theirs is a story of true friendship - a bond forged by sharing beds and backpacks, enduring exotic illnesses, trekking across the mountains, and standing by one another through heartaches, whirlwind romances, and everything in the world in between.
My thoughts:
This book is just what I needed to inspire me to make my 40 before 40 list ( a list of 40 things I want to do before I turn 40 ). Its a book about friendship, travel, inspiration, and discovering who you are.
Three friends (Jennifer, Holly and Amanda) are on vacation in Brazil talking about all the dreaded work that they have to face once they return to NYC and they are most definitely not looking forward to any of it. Jokingly, they discuss what it would be like to take off for one whole year and just travel around the world.
They would finally be able to really see the world and all it has to offer, whilst searching for the inspiration needed in helping them to decide what it is they truly want to be doing with their lives - such as, figuring out if they are on the right career path. Plus, they would be able to achieve some of their dreams, like hiking the Inca Trail, volunteering in Kenya, training to become a yoga teacher and hanging out with the Maasai. One whole year of travel could really change their lives.
Of course, talking about it is one thing. Could these three successful and career-driven women really choose to give up their jobs and lives in NYC for one whole year? Would they be willing to risk what they had worked so hard for in order to take time out for themselves? Yes, they could and yes, they would.
Not long after their vacation in Brazil, Jennifer, Amanda and Holly meet up to discuss turning their year long dream trip into a reality - ASAP! Soon they are sketching out an itinerary of all the places they want to visit and how long they want to spend at each place, along with figuring out how much money it will take to make this trip come to fruition. They also begin to realize just how much this trip will cost them with regards to their careers and personal relationships. Filled with excitement and fear, they book their tickets and are soon packing their bags and headed to their first stop - Peru!
Talk about a fun, interesting and inspiring read. Not only do we get to know Jennifer, Amanda and Holly as they take us along their year long journey, but we also get to learn about all of these new and exciting places they get to visit. Its as if we are right alongside them on this journey of self-discovery - we get to hear about all the yucky roaches, their restroom rating system and the language barriers that cropped up from time to time. We also get to read about their adventures as they trek through jungles, meditate at a yoga retreat, dance til dawn at nightclubs, and sleep on grungy beds in hostels. From the people they meet to the way a sunset makes them feel, we begin to notice the changes slowly taking place within these women and the fact that they are starting to realize just how lucky they are in their lives already. Of course, along the way there are arguments, hugs, lots of laughter and an overall appreciation for one another.
A true testament to friendship, this book really does provide a genuine feel of what these three women mean to each other and what this year means to them; which makes me glad that they decided to chronicle their year of travel. I found this book to be interesting, fun and inspirational. Its made me take stock of what I have in my life and also what it is that I want to get out of life. Of course, its made me want to travel, too. All in all, this is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone interested in reading about friendship, travel and self-discovery.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for letting me be a part of this book's tour.
