Through Travel and Error: Confessions of an Asylum-Seeking Canadian

I had purchased the book based on the back cover hype and was expecting a somewhat wonky travel adventure tale. The repeated tales of getting drunk and smoking great "weed" just got boring after awhile. I kept reading hoping that the author would write something interesting. He, didn't. I do not remember the last book that I put down without finishing, but I did not finish this one.

I have just now finished reading Through Travel and Error and this has to be one of those books that you are not sure how to review or even classify. When I first ordered this book, I thought it would be a fairly straightforward travel memoir. Through Travel and Error is a travel memoir, but its not exactly your standard run of the mill type.

First off, its pretty explicit - which came as a bit of a pleasant surprise to me. Secondly, its really funny - the author has a great sense of humour and its obvious that he does not take himself, travelling or life in general all that seriously. This actually makes this a perfect type of book to read in this difficult economy where it seems as though everything is soooooo serious.

Thirdly, I kept asking myself 'is this guy really this means of a spaz???". I mean some of the stuff he does and some of the stunts he gets into are pretty silly, which, of course, just makes this book even funnier. Matt seems to spend most of his travelling days either drinking, drunk or hungover and you would think he would somehow learn his lesson, but he doesn't - he just keeps going on his merry way.

The writing is direct, down to earth and like I said, raunchy at times (the barfing stories where quite disgusting).....

I actually really, really liked this book and it is a very quick read. I had it read in a few hours (it helps that I was on a train and was not distracted or disturbed!). This was a fun, perfect read.

A great read with a refreshing perspective on travel and its ability to rejuvenate one's sense of self. Matt retells his travel experiences in funny and often self-deprecating ways that convey a real sense of adventure and learning. Through Travel and Error, Matt talks about the beauty of experiencing foreign cultures and seeing the world from a less "westernized perspective". The resulting journey helps Matt to learn about himself and his place in the world. Something we could all benefit from doing.

In 'Through Travel and Error - Confessions of an Asylum-Seeking Canadian' Matt relates how he has managed to accomplish something that many of us wish we could do, but have never had the courage to do. His tale is hilarious, philosophical, educational and inspiring. Through his detailed, yet extremely funny narration of the first two years of his travels abroad, the reader is able to live vicariously through Matt and come as close as possible to understanding the appreciation he experienced for the various locations he visited.

Another aspect that many readers will be able to relate to are the portions related to 'being stuck in the velvet rut'. I often think that there must be more to existence than getting up, going to work, going home, sleeping, getting up, going to work, going home, etc., and potentially having to listen to some jerk(or worse, some jerks) tell you what to do all day while you're at work. Matt successfully conveys his extreme dissatisfaction with this type of existence which prompted him to take off and find something more. Because the reader can relate to this frustration, he is rooting for Matt the whole way in the hope that he can find answers to some of his own questions. The rage that Matt felt in the 'rut' is picked up by the reader and fuels him to keep turning pages towards the moment that he will suddenly be able to say, 'See, I told you this life is screwed!' You'll have to read the book to see whether you are able to get there.

If you enjoy reading books that you think about constantly and can't wait to get back to, then 'Through Travel and Error' is for you. If you want to get into the mind of a pretty amazing and hilarious individual, then have a read. Some of you might just end up saying, 'Screw it' and bust loose from the rut yourselves. Peace and love. P.S. the site would not let me say anything worse than 'jerk' or 'screwed'