Why did I want to read this book? Because the idea behind it is just crazy yet at the same time simply amazing. I love travelling but I'm a control freak and I need to plan everything when I go anywhere. And for me to think that someone was brave enough to just go with the flow and let strangers decide for him where to go next and rely on those same strangers as far as transport and accommodation goes - it gave me a headache and a fit of overexcitement at the same time :)
Paul Smith came up with an experiment in which he would travel as far as possible away from home without spending his own money on transport or accommodation. He came up with five rules that he would have to follow:
1. He'd only accept offers of transport or accommodation through Twitter.
2. He'd only spend money on food, drink and stuff he'd be able to fit in his bag.
3. He'd only make plans for three days ahead.
4. He'd be able to choose an offer he likes if there were more than one available, but if there were only one - he'd have to accept it within 48 hours.
5. He'd have to go back home if he didn't get any offers to continue his journey within 24 hours.
This is crazy. Utterly crazy but if you think about it - it's the best idea ever :) And sometimes when I was reading the book I thought to myself - this can't be true, this guy either makes this all up ar he really is unbelievably lucky! He managed to travel to the other side of the world using Twitter and relying on people who'd be willing to pay for his experiment or put him up, transport him from one place to another or simply take him for a drink.
Now, I loved the idea but yet again I was disappointed with the writing style (but this might be because I read a Polish translation of the book and that always makes reading less enjoyable). Also, I had a problem with what the book focused on, which was the author rambling on about whether he'll manage to find a way to get somewhere next and debating why in certain places there were less offers for him on Twitter. I know the whole premise was to get as far as possible in 30 days but I kind of missed more descriptions of places, more dialogues with people who helped him etc.
On the whole I think I would recommend this book but try and read it in English, maybe the writing style won't be a problem after all. And don't get too excited for great literature - it's just a travel diary of a guy who most of the time is exhausted, sick or hungover or lacks sleep.
