Throughout the ages, religious orders have traditionally offered lodging and a bite to eat in return for a small donation. Although few were aware of it until very recently, this tradition continues today. Convents and monasteries around the globe supplement their income by offering cheap, clean, and safe accommodations for modern day pilgrims.

I first heard about this practice when I was traveling around the world in 2007. On the backpacker trail for six months, I learned that rooms at convents were available for astoundingly cheap rates. The only downside seemed to be that the residents retire early – guests who don’t return by 9 or 10 p.m. find themselves locked out for the night. That was no problem for me, as I’m not much interested in nightlife, so I decided to try to find a convent in Italy. I hoped to stay in one in Rome that was supposed to be across the street from the Colosseum. Unfortunately I never could find it and I left Europe without the experience of staying overnight in a convent.

I haven’t given up. Staying in monasteries and convents still appeals to me. And now, courtesy of the new book, Good Night & God Bless, the process of identifying, contacting and arranging for accommodations will simplify my next attempt. Backed by a  lifetime of travel and sleeping in religious facilities, author Trish Clark decided to share her wealth of information in a series of three novels with the first covering Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy. Clark has listed both Open Houses (suitable for all travelers) as well as Spiritual Retreats, which are designed for those Read the rest of this entry »

A Rotten Person Travels The Caribbean, by Gary Buslik

A Rotten Person Travels The Caribbean by Gary Buslik, is an hysterically funny, make you choke on laughter, make tears run down your cheeks, novel about a lifetime of Caribbean travel.

I actually met Gary Buslik – briefly – at a gathering of travel bloggers. For some unknown reason, he decided that I would be a perfect candidate to review his travel narrative. I receive many such requests; sadly most of them turn out to be poorly written novels full of bad grammar and misspellings that leave me wondering what the point was. Not so with Buslik’s effort. From the moment I opened the front cover, I couldn’t put it down. I read most of it in a day, sitting in my favorite coffee shop while willfully ignoring the other patrons, who stared at me each time I laughed out loud – which was often.

Buslik’s singularly cynical life view – he is not kidding when he calls himself a rotten person – translates into some of the funniest stories I have ever read. While I don’t doubt for a moment that the stories are true (I believe he actually peed on Idi Amin and has discovered the secret of chicken rectums), but after reading chapters describing trips taken with his wife I need convincing that he’s been married to the same woman for more than 20 years. Whether his wife is mythical or just has a lot thicker skin than I do, their marital travels (and fights over potential trips) result in some gut-splitting situations.

If you want a good read that is guaranteed to make you laugh, buy A Rotten Person Travels The Caribbean (see link to Amazon.com below), but do not – I repeat DO NOT – try to read it while drinking coffee or you’ll be snorting java through your nostrils.

Buy Buslik’s book at Amazon.com

I looked up from my corner table in the cafe of Sarasota News and Books just as the couple sitting on the couch prepared to leave. I paid them little notice as they made their way to the front door. A moment later I glanced up and noticed a worn book lying on the coffee table in front of the sofa where they had been seated. A receipt stuck out from the inside cover and yellow sticky notes marked various sections of the book. I grabbed it and ran out the front door, hoping to catch them before they got too far down the street.

“Miss,” I yelled, trying to get the woman’s attention. I yelled louder: “Miss!” As she turned around, I waved the book in the air. “You left this behind.”

“Oh, no, that was left in the bookstore. It’s for anyone who wants it to take,” she yelled back.

I looked down at the sticky note and read: “Pick Me UP! I’m a book crossing the U.S.”

“That would be me,” I yelled, before going back into the bookstore.

The novel is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and the inside flap contains a hand-written note Read the rest of this entry »