I Don't Go There, But You Might Want To
I'm a confirmed travel priss. The only time I wear a backpack is to carry my computer from the hotel to the coffeeshop.

Bob Downes, who runs my column in Northern Michigan, in the Northern Express, and is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, travels in a slightly different style than I do. If you are the backpacking sort, check out (and I hope, buy) his book, Planet Backpacker -- Across Europe on a Mountain Bike & Backpacking on Through Egypt, India & Southeast Asia - Around the World.

From Amazon reviewer Allan Nahajewski:

From the title, you might think this is a book about backpacking. It's more than that. It's about following your dreams.

Bob Downes wanted to travel around the world. And that's what he did. And because he can write so well, we can relive the journey with him from the comforts of our favorite reading spot.

This is a book that I will give to my grandson. He is in kindergarten and he wants to an adventurer when he grows up.

This book should also be on the required reading list for people who are in the process of reinventing themselves. Bob Downes has reinvented himself many times over -- as a newspaper publisher, a triathlete, a singer in a rock band, a world traveler and now an author. This book provides insights into the kind of thinking that makes successful reinvention possible.

This is not a "what I had for breakfast" travel diary. The candid daily reports from internet cafes around the world capture both the ups and downs of globetrotting. The reports also include splashes of history and philosophy and just enough detail to bring the people, places and on-the-road encounters to life.

Add it all up and you have an informative, inspiring, page-turning travel journal. Highly recommended for life adventurers of any kind.

Hmmm, a review like could inspire a girl to leave a hotel. Well, in my case, for a better hotel, but if you buy Bob's book, please feel free to leave your thoughts about it here.