A young man searches the pre-internet world for meaning while traveling on an extreme budget in this real-life, coming-of-age story.

The Wayward Traveler follows the adventures of Louis, an American who, in 1985, is determined to travel the world. The story takes place in forty countries and spans ten years: from the deck of a felucca on the Nile to the scorched dunes of India’s Thar Desert to the powerful Beni River in the Amazon Basin.

Louis is broke most of the time and spends considerable effort trying to get by. Along the way, he meets other travelers, learns how to get by on the road, and eventually develops a list of Rules for Survival that help him get by. The Rules might seem trivial to someone reading in the safety of their home, but to Louis, they are his compass. Embrace the Unknown… Choose Your Battles… Don’t Chase the Fire… each one has a story behind it-or in this case a Chapter.

These travels took place before the internet and cell phones shrunk the world to pocket format. Guidebooks were still non-existent for many of the places, and there were still a few dark spots left on the world’s maps. Whether you’re a traveler or an armchair traveler, this book will make you feel the road.