Confessions of a Middle-Aged Backpacker

He dreamed of quitting his job and traveling the world.

Then he finally did it — but as a frugal backpacker in his forties, living in hostels, camping in nature, and sleeping on buses.

And he ended up on a journey he hadn't anticipated: one of self-discovery.

An exciting, yet thoughtful travel memoir about one man's adventurous two and a half years on the road, backpacking through 40+ countries.

From the back cover:

Until his midlife crisis arrived, Chris Gattanella always played it safe. He spent two decades sinking into a nice cozy life and career in Los Angeles.

Now in his forties and newly single, he suddenly feels unfulfilled and bored. Is it because he never ventured out to see the world? Impulsively, Chris burns years of saved vacation time on a six-week “test run” through Europe to see if he enjoys being a wandering backpacker. Thrilled with his adventure, he sells his condo and quits his job.

But to make long-term travel on the road feasible, Chris will have to live frugally. Finding himself amongst mostly young people in hostels, he will try to blend in with the crowd. He’ll survive multiple monkey attacks, a boat sinking, altitude sickness, a deranged sea captain, and many other bizarre encounters with people, animals, and transportation on seven continents. Two and a half years and 40+ countries later he'll have a multitude of ridiculous anecdotes ... and he'll be a little closer to understanding the meaning of life.