Before embarking on my 340-day traveling adventure, I was beyond nervous. Not only do most students not study abroad for a complete year, but they definitely don't do so alone. Most programs are large, it is nearly expected that you will know at least one or two people… the Chile program, on the other hand was only in it's second semester. And so I flew out of JFK airport with 9 other strangers, got to know them for a month in Ecuador and then met the other 3 once we reached our destination in Santiago.
This personal challenge to meet new people, new friends, in a completely unfamiliar setting is what led me to pick up Alice Steinbach's novel, Without Reservations: The Travel of an Independent Woman. Before purchasing I noted that I loved the delicate cover and genuine character. What I didn't realize, was how much warm nostalgia the travel book & memoir would evoke as Steinbach wanders through European cities for months on end without a true agenda.
Those familiar with Paris, London, Oxford, and various Italian cities won't miss the surface descriptions of those lively and dynamic places. However, those of whom are less experienced as European travelers, may feel as lost as Steinbach in the beginning of the novel.
An overworked journalist with a Pulitzer-prize, she begins with a bout self-reflecting boredom. She is clearly accomplished, her children have grown, and she finds herself bored with her habitual and uninspiring days. She uses travel as her time “to take chances. To have adventures [and] to see if I could still hack it on my own, away from the security of work, friends and an established identity.”
She truly gives herself time to rediscover her passion and her zest for life, her joie de vivre, if you will. This alone is relatable to most women who are expected to balance the role of caregiver with a successful career and happy home, but as a reader from a younger generation, I was also able to resonate with her honest insecurities which she overcomes daily. Furthermore, the postcards she sends to herself, which begin each chapter, encompass a sentimental piece of advice or memory for the reader and Steinbach alike.
If you're looking for to read the story of an adventurous traveler, you may be disappointed with her calm yet pleasant international experiences. However, if a light read of a warm journey of emotion is your cup of tea, then I'd recommend you pick this up. As you slowly but steadily make your way through this beautifully written narrative, the jet-setter on a home-locale break will surely be able to find a place of peaceful travel contentment.
Planning a trip? The Go Backpacking team uses and recommends:
- Skyscanner for researching flights
- Hostelworld for booking hostels
- Airbnb for renting rooms and homes
- Rail Europe for train passes
- World Nomads for travel insurance
My best friend and amazing travel partner, Holly, introduced me to this book when it first came out back in 2000 – and it has been one of my favorites ever since. Though her travels aren't as adventurous as others, in my mind she was just as gutsy for doing something that no one expected of her – including herself – and that was to take a break to discover who she truly was.
As she writes “Over the years I had fallen into the habit – a quite natural one, I believe – of defining myself in terms of who I was to other people and what they expected of me as mother, as daughter, as wife, as ex-wife, as reporter, as friend. For a while, at least, I wanted to stand back from these roles and see who emerged.”
While reaching out to career breakers for my site, I was inspired to pick up this book again for another read, as Alice Steinbach, in my mind, is one of the great career breakers we should all aspire to be.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful book with more people!
Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful comment!
Nice review!!! I have a ton of travelogues that I'm trying to get through, but I will definitely check this read out as soon as I'm through them. I'm reading “Cuba Diaries” right now and it's fantastic!
Sound like a great book. My wife Nicky loves travel books like this, as do I. We spend most of our reading time with books on explorers, the Far East, and the tea trade. I'd love to know more about how you got on in Santiago. I was there in 1989 just after the Pinochet era. It was a strange time, with Chileans afraid to talk in raised voices in cafes for fear of being listened in to by security police. But what a beautiful country. I'd love to return sometime.
Thank you, and so do I! I will be sure to pick that up once I make a dent in my own pile :)
I would love to get into books about travel in the east since I have not yet been there. I've found there's a certain personal affiliation that I have, a soft spot if you will, for places I have been. Perhaps it brings more meaning? Anyway, Santiago has definitely changed since Pinochet but I studied it a lot because it was the focus of our orientation program, Human Rights & the Southern Cone. Between my own host family, my professor (who had been a prisoner) and other Chileans there were varying sentiments but when asked they did express them. What never ceased to amaze me was how recent such violence and secrecy went on. And yes, Chile is a beautiful country, I hope to return as well.
It's true, I feel as though more than inspiring us to travel, it brings us to questioning our own dreams and aspirations and what we have done to reach them. As someone embarking on a career in the near future I found that it was helpful as well.
Thanks – great to hear this. So interesting to hear that the Pinochet years
are still throwing a shadow. It must have been fascinating living with your
professor. All the best with your future travels.
Jorrit
2009/11/10 Disqus <>
Sound like a great book. My wife Nicky loves travel books like this, as do I. We spend most of our reading time with books on explorers, the Far East, and the tea trade. I'd love to know more about how you got on in Santiago. I was there in 1989 just after the Pinochet era. It was a strange time, with Chileans afraid to talk in raised voices in cafes for fear of being listened in to by security police. But what a beautiful country. I'd love to return sometime.
Thank you, and so do I! I will be sure to pick that up once I make a dent in my own pile :)
I would love to get into books about travel in the east since I have not yet been there. I've found there's a certain personal affiliation that I have, a soft spot if you will, for places I have been. Perhaps it brings more meaning? Anyway, Santiago has definitely changed since Pinochet but I studied it a lot because it was the focus of our orientation program, Human Rights & the Southern Cone. Between my own host family, my professor (who had been a prisoner) and other Chileans there were varying sentiments but when asked they did express them. What never ceased to amaze me was how recent such violence and secrecy went on. And yes, Chile is a beautiful country, I hope to return as well.
It's true, I feel as though more than inspiring us to travel, it brings us to questioning our own dreams and aspirations and what we have done to reach them. As someone embarking on a career in the near future I found that it was helpful as well.
Thanks – great to hear this. So interesting to hear that the Pinochet years
are still throwing a shadow. It must have been fascinating living with your
professor. All the best with your future travels.
Jorrit
2009/11/10 Disqus <>
How long do I wait to eat or drink after using this?