Travel Tales

THIS SERIESOver the last few decades, I’ve interviewed nearly 2,000 world travelers and adventurers. I am weaving the best of their nearly 10,000 fantastic travel tales into a psychology of travel as revealed by these very telling stories. These are travelers I’ve encountered on planes, trains, buses, ships, tours, safaris, and in campgrounds, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and pubs. These courageous travelers have freely shared their most personal travel experiences, some good and wonderful and others even horrific and life-threatening, which I, in turn, get to share with you now through my True Travel Tales series. THIS BOOKTravel Tales: Morocco, Egypt & North AfricaIs a collection of travel stories of one of the travel world’s most mystical sought-after destinations — the top of Africa, also known as the ’Dark Continent.’ Certainly among the world’s handful of the most eagerly sought out places on Earth to visit, without a doubt, the pyramids in Egypt, the souks of Morocco, and the lure of the Sahara on camelback loom large in the minds of armchair travelers and would-be adventurers. And while North Africa, especially, the pyramids of Egypt and the souks of Morocco are so very untypical of the relatively innocuous and mellow travels in Europe, travel to North Africa is often beset with experiences that are always exciting for most yet potentially challenging for others. It is particularly recommended, for instance, that relatively inexperienced solo women travelers to North Africa keep its challenges clearly in mind regarding safety and security issues that would be well taken into consideration. To be sure, North Africa’s marvelous exotic foods and drinks and sights do not disappoint. And there truly is no world equal to the view of the pyramids in all their splendor that may very well be the most amazing sights to be seen the world over. Indeed there are some ridiculous behaviors of the oft hilarious and embarrassing comings and goings of crazy stupit scoundrel tourists on their (our) own National Lampoon-like (summer) ’Vacations’ who cannot seem to help themselves (ourselves) by behaving at times as the ugly Americains who we sometimes cannot help but be! I mean, really! Climbing to the top of the pyramids which is patently illegal? It is also one of our purposes of the True Travel Tales series to provide a cross-section of travel life in the World’s most popular places, along with the good comes sometimes a portion of the bad as well. In the True Travel Tales series, we aim to pull no punches. You’ll see the good and best sides of Egypt, Morocco, and North Africa, and you’ll also perhaps sample some of the more discomforting or disquieting darker aspects as well that sadly are also part of the cycle of travel life in such a diverse and exotic region as North Africa.