While the majority of Americans wither away their vacation days on Arizona golf courses or in Florida theme parks, seasoned journalist and adventurer Robert Downes' new book, Planet Backpacker, proves that some Americans yearn for more. Born out of his travel blogs, Downes' narrative is an honest, no-nonsense account of a regular 'Joe' tramping the global highway through Europe, Egypt, India, and Southeast Asia. Downes is understandably baffled by the lack of fellow Americans out in the world. ?It made me wonder if Americans are simply afraid to travel in the Third-World, imagining terrorists hiding behind every espresso machine outside our borders.? According to him, the average backpacker is much like himself: "Just regular folks of modest means who have the gumption to go." Planet Backpacker is a pleasant read, a bare-bones travelogue with astute observation and interesting insight written in a conversational tone free of the arrogant superiority found in much of today's travel literature. Downes stays away from exhausting hyperbole and instead fills his pages with sincere and humble prose that immediately captures the reader. Whether he?s cycling through Germany or ambling across seaside India, a tangible respect leaps off his pages, not only for the cultures and landscapes he experiences, but also for every type of traveler he encounters. Whether you're an adventurous backpacker with the gumption to explore or a less intrepid, espresso sipping homebody, this book is for you.
On the back of Robert Downes' book, Planet Backpacker, there is a caution to readers: "WARNING: Reading this book could cause your feet to wander." There really should be a warning on the cover as well, because by the time I finished reading I was ready to pack my bag and hit the road. Robert Downes, a baby-boomer from Michigan, decided it was time to see the world. He left behind everything he had ever known and set off on a five-month trip through Europe by bicycle before venturing off the beaten path even further into Egypt, India and Southeast Asia. Along the way, Downes documented his journey in the form of an incredibly informative and detailed blog that he later transformed into this action-packed book. What surprised Downes the most, and a lot of others who have taken a similar path, was the lack of Americans he encountered on the long and winding road of the backpacking world. He became one of the boys in a sub-culture dominated by twentysomethings, proving that pursuing a passion and realizing a dream has no age limit ? the only requirement here is an open mind. Beyond the remarkable story of Planet Backpacker, there is a wealth of advice and tips for those looking to follow in Robert?s footsteps and make the road their home. Whether it?s nomadic wandering through foreign lands, wild adventures by bicycle, or unexpected encounters with exotic strangers, anyone with a passion for travel will find Planet Backpacker an exciting and enjoyable read.
Grant Lingel is the author of Imagine: A Vagabond Story, which will be available September 1, 2009.
What the scribblers say about 'Planet Backpacker'
Nov. 2, 2008
Book Review: Trek brings world into view
BY TOM CARR
Special to the Record-Eagle
TRAVERSE CITY -- Bob Downes pedaled a 20-year-old mountain bike throughout Europe and Asia about a year ago and wrote a book about his experiences.
"Planet Backpacker," published by The Wandering Press, is due out early this month. The book retails for $13.95.
"It had always been my dream to travel around the world," said Downes, 56, who co-publishes the alternative newspaper The Northern Express.
Downes made the trek alone with a backpack and a backpack-size guitar to experience parts of the world he'd never visited. He took four-and-a-half months to make the trip from September 2007 to January 2008.
He says he wrote the book in 100 Internet cafes around the world and he writes of his experiences and of the interesting people he met throughout the trip.
He started in Europe, bicycling along the west coast of Ireland, across England and on a bike trail along the Danube River from Germany to Vienna.
"Bike mechanics here told me I'd never make it," he said.
He left his wheels at a hostel in Prague, so others could use it.
Downes took a plane from Budapest to Egypt, where he hiked around by foot and on to India, Thailand, Vietnam and other parts of Asia.
Carrying the guitar with him gave him a little cachet, he said. "You're not so much a middle-aged weirdo, but you're a middle-aged, guitar-toting weirdo," he said.
Downes had many memorable moments including when he taught people in a train station in India to play the rock classic, "That's Alright Mama," on the guitar.
"That was really a blast," Downes said.
Downes, who plays guitar and sings in the local rock band The Dawn Patrol, also jammed with a native drum band while floating down the Nile River on a felucca with a Nubian crew.
He also found there were "thousands of backpackers in the Third World, but practically no Americans."
"It was kind of a shocking thing," he added. "Where are all the Americans?"
His wife Jeannette joined him for two weeks in Thailand.
"That was my Christmas present," he said.
He had his picture taken dozens of times and rode an elephant in India.
He had some humorous adventures, including some of the cuisine that was presented to him. He tells of a restaurant in Saigon that served minced snake, frog stomach and a private part of the billy goat's anatomy.
It was the trip of a lifetime and Downes had dreamed of it for years.
"I didn't want to be on my death bed thinking I never did that," he said.
In the book, Downes expands on columns he wrote for the Express while on the trek. He started the publication in his kitchen in 1991 with co-publisher George Foster.
In addition to his experiences, he shares what he learned, particularly while being in cities like Hanoi and Bombay, which are worlds apart from northern Michigan.
"You could get shook up, but I'd tell myself it's no different to them than being at the farmers market in Traverse City is to me," he said.
Bob Downes' Excellent Adventure
By Benjamin Gohs • Charlevoix Courier
You could say I’m a little biased when it comes to Bob Downes. After all, he gave me my first paying gig in the writing game — And, of the half-dozen or so publications I did freelance work for later on, his Traverse City publication The Northern Express paid the most. Nevertheless, I’m not one for blind testimonials — no matter how grateful I am — which is why, when I got the release stating Downes had written a travel book entitled “Planet Backpacker,” I had to give it a read before just signing off. I’ve got to say that I was totally unprepared for the candor, humor and adventure Downes managed to pen. From flying monkey gods and amorous donkeys to tales of a bus caravan speeding through terrorist infested desert, Robert Downes puts you right there with him. If you’ve ever traveled to England, Egypt, Ireland or Southeast Asia, you will appreciate the adventure of a lone American pursuing his dream to travel ‘round the world in one shot. Heck, even if you’re like me and hyperventilate at the mere thought of crossing state lines, you’ll find yourself considering taking a trip somewhere; anywhere. Part of Downes’ plan was to explore the places your seven or 10-day vacationer doesn’t have the time, or inclination, to visit. And that rogue spirit comes through loud and clear like a bout with intestinal bacteria on the shores of the Nile River. “Planet Backpacker” holds nothing back and is not for the faint of heart. It is a real story about a real man and his lifelong dream to see the unseen. More than a mere catalogue of destinations, “Planet Backpacker” is a primer for the youngster eager to travel abroad before starting college; it is a battle cry for the middle-aged American refugee locked in the drudgery of daily routine. From the pages of “Planet Backpacker” Downes is screaming that there is more to this life than the dreary 9 to 5 existence. He shares the sheer joy of biking through Ireland and backpacking across East Europe. His enthusiasm for new experiences is such that you think Downes might grab you, shake you and ask you why you’re reading instead of packing for the next adventure ... but then you realize he’s too busy trying to focus his camera on the pack mule, who just happens to be in heat and carrying a fellow traveler through the desert—You’ll just have to pick up a copy of the book to see the picture. According to Downes, backpacking around the world is the last epic adventure an average person can enjoy, and judging by the tales of his five-month journey through places like Galway, Cairo, Budapest and Vietnam, an excellent adventure surely was had.
Nov. 10, 2008 • Northern Express Weekly
Planet Backpacker Captures a World of Adventure
Rick Coates
Ever wonder what it is like to journey around the world? Planet Backpacker is a new release that chronicles the nearly five-month journey Bob Downes took last year at this time -- mountain biking, backpacking and hiking through Europe, Egypt, India and Southeast Asia. Downes, a first-time author, will host a book release party this Thursday, November 13 at the Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City.
Many readers of the Express followed with great interest Downes travels last year (we know from the several letters to the editor received) as he chronicled it in his columns and also on his web-blog. Now he has captured it all in book form for your enjoyment.
SETTING OFF
I was at the airport in Traverse City early that morning on September 7, 2007 to see Downes off. He arrived with his good friend and co-publisher of the Express, George Foster. Downes had this look of excitement and fear all at the same time on his face as the reality of a trip he had been planning for a lifetime was finally upon him.
He was anxious about his old mountain bike making it onto the plane and arriving at his first destination, Dublin, Ireland. He also hoped that he had hid his Christmas present for his wife Jeannette well enough so she wouldn’t find it. He also asked one favor of me: “Not to be the practical joker that I typically am with his replacement Kristi Kates.”
Downes has always been a person about detail, which come through in Planet Backpacker. For readers, there are hilarious encounters and anecdotal moments on the road. Those include coming face-to-face with wandering elephants, beggers, holy cows, drugged-out street people, a ‘private dancer,’ anti-American ranters and fascinating backpackers from many lands.
Downes even sheds some light as to why there are few Americans backpacking their way through Third World countries. He writes about how those in foreign lands were more curious than furious when it came to meeting Americans.
But delving deeper, this book is about “courage” on two fronts. The courage of a man in his mid-50s to adventure by himself to lands where America is not thought of too highly, and the courage to travel down the path of self-publishing.
SOLO JOURNEY
With the exception of a few weeks that he was joined by his wife in December, Downes made this journey by himself. He slept in hostels or a small tent, taking only the belongings he could carry on his back, including his guitar. Typically, traveling alone like this would seem more appropriate for a free-spirited 20-something. But, Downes told me that “when I was 20 I wouldn’t have been able to afford it.”
Yet Downes tackled the trip as “20-something” would with little fear. He spent several months planning out as many details as possible, eliminating most of the surprises along the way.
The fact that he took detailed notes and wrote daily about his observations and experiences set the stage for this book. All of us at work and several readers of the Express followed his travels through his web-blog, which was written in 100 or so internet cafés around the world. I remember going daily to it in great anticipation of reading his adventures of the prior day. When he wasn’t able to get to an internet café, there was always this sense of disappointment as one would have if after reading a book the final few pages were torn out.
Upon his return, Downes shared shared his idea of writing a book. But he often asked the question: “Does anyone want to read about some old guy backpacking around the world?” He also wondered if anyone would even be interested in publishing it.
In typical fashion, he pondered the idea of writing this book for several months. As with any good journalist, he knew he needed an angle. He settled on a quest stated on the back of the book: “...his journey revealed that the developing world is strangely empty of American travelers – especially those willing to travel ‘close to the edge.’ Planet Backpacker is a rallying cry to take a trip to some of the most exotic & exciting places on earth.”
DO IT YOURSELF
Setting out to get his book published, Downes learned that it might take a couple of years through the traditional approach. Circumstances had kept him waiting a lifetime to embark on this trip, and he was unwilling to delay his book. He decided to self-publish and created his own firm, The Wandering Press, in hopes of publishing “innovative works of non-fiction and fiction, with a specialty in adventure travel.”
Downes will have plenty of material for future endeavors. While long trips like the one he has written about are not in the plans anytime soon, he is resuming worldly travels in January with a trip to... ?
REVIEW: Petoskey News Review
Dec. 15, 2008
By Glen Young
Who doesn’t love an adventure?
Trouble is, for many of us, the dreaming is all that ever develops, while the actual journey evolves only in dreams.
Not so Bob Downes. The longtime editor of Traverse City’s Northern Express put feet, and wheels, to pavement last year in a world tour that saw him in roaming historical and cultural haunts in Europe and Asia, including Ireland, England, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Downes recounts his nearly five month sojourn in “Planet Backpacker.” From the misty dampness of Ireland to the sticky humidity of his Asian destinations, Downes traveled on the cheap and close to the ground, among the locals and the other low budget travelers. What results is a story both intriguing and insightful. Downes believes the opportunity “the dream of a lifetime,” traveling “around the world with no strings attached.”
Trusting his rusty and aged mountain bike, affectionately dubbed “Dulcinea,” Downes started his adventure in Ireland, where he drifts from the past of his potato famine refugee ancestor Michael Downes, to the present of street urchin Blossom, a waif in search of a similar exodus, hoping to make passage to England.
Like all good travel writers must, Downes weaves into his tapestry the narrative threads of those who have colored the lands he visits. So it is near Ireland’s Isles of Aran where he notes the failed Spanish invasion of 1588. He also happens upon “an ancient ring fort–2,000 years old, with a 15th century castle plunked in the center.” The patina of history comes into focus as Downes winds his way from country to country.
From the chilly mists of the Emerald Isle, Downes makes his way to England before venturing to France and other points in Western Europe, then on to the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and down to Egypt, where he sails the Nile, witnessing, “Huge riverboats full of tourists...jostling with wooden rowboats of fishermen with their nets.”
After ditching his bike, he finds his way to the exotic confines of Bahrain, where, at the airlines expense, he overnights “in a swank suite downtown,” what he dubs “a backpacker’s dream – the Big Rock Candy Mountain, without the cigarette trees and whisky creek, of course.”
Downes eventually drops in to Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. In each location, he searches out the locals and the locales, looking in each stop to uncover the distinct characteristics of his exotic surroundings.
Infusing details of past adventures, as well a close encounters of the unusual kind, Downes examines not only what sets these locations apart from our own recognizable confines, but showcases the similarities between peoples he meets along the route.
Supplemented with a well thought out “How To Do It” guide for would-be wanderers, “Planet Backpacker” is an inviting read, for both experienced explorers, as well as armchair travelers.
Good Reading.
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Copyright 2011 - Robert Downes - The Wandering Press - write me: bob@planetbackpacker.net
