Destination Earth: A New Philosophy of Travel by a World-Traveler
by Nicos Hadjicostis
Bamboo Leaf Press
6/8/2016
Genre: Travel/Nonfiction
174 pages

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Spring is on the horizon, the sun is warmer, so the time is coming to think about your next vacation. And I have the perfect book for you. Destination Earth will definitely help you travel smart.

We first need to talk a bit about the author to understand where this book is coming from. Nicos Hadjicostis was a successful business man. But he decided to expand his world. He started by a 5-month travel in the US, and then went on visiting 70 countries, for a total travelling time of over six years, in order to discover Earth in all its natural and cultural diversity. Part of his trip was with a companion, Jane, who wrote the Foreword to the book.

The result is Destination Earth, a fascinating and unique book. The author’s ultimate goal is to introduce us to his philosophy of travel (he even identifies four types of travel, see pages 38ff) and to present our planet as ONE destination. He achieves it by offering us essays based on his experience. These are very thought through essays, with fascinating vignettes interspersed (which I assume are directly taken from his diary). In the first one for instance, to give you an idea of the book, he reflects on Don Quixote and Marco Polo while discovering Volcan Pacaya in Guatemala.

Travel is the departure from one’s little pond.
page 15

The author traveled while adjusting to the needs of the place, choosing the transportation means offered, staying where he could, and alternating “exploration, study, plan, rest, and errands”. He kept two diaries (one for activities and one for ideas), which helped him eventually write this book.

I particularly enjoyed all the cultural comparisons offered by the author, with lots of examples. If the book would not much help me at a practical level to organize a long term travel (though the two addenda contain excellent information), I cherish it as a wonderful discovery of my Planet, when I can hardly travel out of my State.

On France, I noticed a hilarious scene during a meal in a super fancy Nice restaurant (page 110).
And do you know which country is the most beautiful, according to the author? Sorry, I won’t tell you the answer: buy his book and go to page 132!

At the end of the book, the author included a chart of all the countries he visited, with the time he spent in each, and an index of quotations.

And of course the book has gorgeous pictures!
It won three awards in 2017, and has been translated into Korean.

You can have an idea of the book by visiting the author’s website. It is extremely rich in pictures, essays, videos, podcasts, etc. There’s also a nice interview on the Goodreads page.

VERDICT: Gorgeous and very insightful on the art of traveling our planet.

In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received this book free of charge through a book tour organized by Authoright (@Authoright). I was in no way compensated for this post as a reviewer, and the thoughts are my own.