Saturday, October 11, 2008

Recommended Reading: Insight from interviews in ‘A Sense of Place’

I’m not going to tell you how to spend your money (Pssst - wanna buy a birdhouse?) but if you like travel books you might like A Sense of Place [Great travel writers talk about their craft, lives and inspiration].

Author Michael Shapiro interviews 18 writers so the above should read ‘talk and talk and talk about their craft, lives’ etc.

That being said the pages turn easily and I enjoyed what a lot of experienced travellers said about our world today.

This from Arthur Frommer (Europe on Five Dollars a Day):

I will go to my grave claiming that the less you spend the more you enjoy, the more authentic the experience is, the more profound, the more exciting, the more unexpected. [pg. 171]

Arthur is a man after my own heart.


["I'm looking for a can of soup while camping.": photo GAH]

Less is more.

More is less.


["Morning bath in Lake Superior.": photo GAH]

In life as it is in travel, in my opinion.

He also said:

When you live lavishly you’re really living a kind of life which only a small fraction of the world enjoys, and which is enjoyed primarily for reasons of social emulation. You want to impress other people.

I agree.

My recent column re a trip to the dump for free lumber struck a positive chord in many who liked my attempt to reuse materials and live small.

(Pssst - wanna buy a coat rack?)

Are you frugal? Live small? Feel good about it?

You should.

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