Loitering with Intent: Diary of a Happy Traveller

by Ritu Menon

Where we go is usually decided spontaneously; one of us might say, 'Let's do a wine trip in France;' or 'We should go to Angkor before it's overrun by tourists'... The main thing is--we all love travelling, we all love food, and all of us enjoy each other's company. Ritu Menon, publisher by profession and traveller by vocation, says she never travels alone when she travels for pleasure. So it is in the company of friends and family that she takes us on journeys across the wine-tasting in France; discovering the serenity of the Buddha in Bagan in Myanmar; roaming the leafy green streets of Zamalek in Egypt; tasting cream teas and cakes in Betty's Tearoom in York, and many other delightful experiences. Along the way she manages to catch a glimpse of the people and politics that animate each of her Egypt after the January 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak; Syria before the IS; the continuing heartbreak of Palestine; Turkey in transition; and Myanmar on the cusp of change. Accompanied by sketches that bring alive the magic of those moments, this is a book that armchair travellers will savour, and one that will enthuse the more energetic to pack their bags and live the experience themselves.

Paperback

Reviews

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of holiday travel adventures, each chapter from a different country. Quite entertaining and with a lot of interesting anecdotes about each destination which she explores in depth with a group of like-minded travelling companions.

[Tony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really disappointed with this book. I didn't like the smugness, the looking down the nose of mere 'tourists' but more importantly it was just plain boring. It read more like a Trip Advisor review then a travel book and nothing grabbed me or inspired me at all. I couldn't understand why someone would publish it but I gather she has written much more important and influential books then this one.

[Judy Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading after the first page.