Monkeys on the Road: One family's vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life
Monkeys on the Road: One family's vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life book cover

Monkeys on the Road: One family's vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life

Hardcover – November 24, 2021

by
Price
$20.99
Format
Hardcover
Pages
334
Publisher
Sawmill Mountain Publishing
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1737943631
Dimensions
6 x 1.03 x 9 inches
Weight
1.26 pounds

Description

FIRST PLACExa0in the International Book Awards andxa0BookFest Awards for Travel in 2022Silver medal fromxa0READERS' FAVORITExa0in TravelSecond place in thexa0INDIES TODAY AWARDSxa0in 2021 for memoirsFinalist in thexa0KINDLE BOOK AWARDSxa0for Non-Fiction in 2022 "fun, funny, heartwarming, heart-pounding--a rollercoaster ride in a van" - 5-star review from Readers Favorite "Hollendoner writes with crisp prose that will easily grasp the reader's attention.xa0She utilizes humor exceptionally well, and her style is comfortably familiar...xa0Hollendoner lands a perfect balance between tension and exploration in her writing." - The BookLife Prize "...a feel-good family road trip memoir full of nail-biting adventures, that also weaves in educational snippets about local history and exotic animal encounters, commentary on cultural differences, and realizations about happiness." - #1 bestselling Travel and Memoir author , Tony James Slater "I really loved this book. Very inspirational, a great adventure.xa0It's fast-moving, and very informative. You feel like you're journeying with them. Not just a 'we went here, we went there' -plenty of adventures and unpredictable happenings along the way.xa0So well-observed, and beautifully described.xa0There's masses of information, it really is a joy to read." - 5-star review fromxa0Amazon Top 500 Reviewer , Julie Haigh "As they travel through unexplored and touristy places in the South American countries, Mary shares their beautiful experiences in an intimate, witty, and friendly account." - The Sunday Book Club "Unique experiences at every turn! The book is very well put together: the various stories are fascinating and well chosen... the entire book is intriguing." - Chill with a Book Awards, Book of the Month

Features & Highlights

  • Thirty thousand miles driving from the USA to South America with a 6-year-old kid in a camper van. Will they make it?
  • After a decade in the corporate rat race, Mary was ready for a change.
  • Too much stress and not enough time with her family left her feeling that her priorities were all wrong.So she and her husband hatched a crazy plan to change their lives...They quit their jobs.They pulled their six-year-old daughter out of school.And they moved into an old camper van to attempt a drive to the southernmost tip of the world!What followed were three-and-a-half years of heartwarming personal encounters, breathtaking wilderness campsites, and occasionally terrifying situations...Surrounded by an angry mob in
  • Mexico
  • , threatened by exploding batteries in
  • Colombia
  • , caught up in a political revolution in
  • Bolivia
  • - they grew closer as a family as they navigated through adversity. But what stuck with them the most was the endless generosity of the local people, from whom they learned invaluable lessons about happiness and priorities.Will they survive whale sharks, police searches, and volunteering in local schools? What happens when COVID hits?
  • Find out in this heartwarming read about a family trying to find their place in the world.
  • Get it now in ebook, paperback or hardback. Free if you’re in Kindle Unlimited!
  • FIRST PLACE
  • in the BookFest Awards and the International Book Awards for Travel in 2022Silver medal from
  • READERS' FAVORITE
  • in Travel, and awarded a 5-star reviewSecond place in the
  • INDIES TODAY AWARDS
  • in 2021 for memoirsFinalist in the
  • KINDLE BOOK AWARDS
  • for Non-Fiction in 2022

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(599)
★★★★
25%
(250)
★★★
15%
(150)
★★
7%
(70)
★
-7%
(-70)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

The best armchair travel adventure you could wish for this 2nd winter of Covid

This may be the best armchair travel adventure you could wish for as Covid-19 times continue into a second full winter. I was one privileged to follow the emerging story via blog posts over the three plus years after Mary Hollendoner and her family headed south from Yosemite, yet Mary’s fluid writing transported me all over again through their once-in-a-lifetime experience. In addition to the “big” events in the story—exhilarating, challenging, terrifying, frustrating—I appreciated her candor and many insights on thoughts, fears, and uncertainties that go along with it all. Not many of us are likely to undertake as big a voluntary break from successful professional lives and be prepared to “go with the flow” under such a variety of circumstances, no matter how well we research the risks and options. But I think everyone can draw inspiration from this book to at least occasionally take the road less travelled, find joy in serendipity, and appreciate people and places they haven’t known before. Whether an experienced overlander, an occasional road-tripper (as I am), or a dreamer contemplating release from corporate worklife (as I am also), I suspect that this story will enliven your thoughts and widen your perspective on what is possible.
1 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Enjoyable, engaging and inspiring

I enjoyed this book immensely. Mary does a great job of telling a story that is more than just a chronicle of their personal adventures. Traveling off of the beaten path that most visitors take, her family is immersed in the variety of struggles, hardships, wonders, joys and cultures of the people they meet. This book is as much (if not more) about them as is about Mary and her family. It's a wonderful glimpse into those lives and cultures.

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