Vacations end, but a pilgrimage can change a person's life. Pilgrimages are life-changing trips that help a person to grow and evolve, at least that is how Dan Austin explains the concept in his book, The Road Trip Pilgrim's Guide (Skipstone, $14). Austin is a filmmaker and writer in New York, who decided to turn his experiences as a traveler into a how-to guide. The Road Trip Pilgrim's Guide is is first book.
Some may admire Austin's carefree nature, his desire to explore, and his apparent fearlessness as he walked out of an Algebra class, hopped on the back of a pickup and hitchhiked his way into a love affair with pilgrimages. His first date with travel was brave, naïve, and probably more than a little scary to most, but Austin is quick to advise that the contents of a pilgrimage is up to the traveler, and he does a good job in using humor and and anecdotes to convince people that anyone can go on a pilgrimage.
A pilgrimage does not have to be scary, dangerous, or even adventurous. A pilgrimage is a trip that is of importance to the traveler. A pilgrimage doesn't have to be a religious pilgrimage that includes a trip to a holy shrine or to the pyramids. A trip to Graceland in Tennessee or a trip to the Field of Dreams in Iowa may be a pilgrimage, according to Austin's interpretation.
Pilgrimages, therefore become a more accessible goal to people who are not interested in visiting shrines and other established destinations for pilgrimages, however, Austin includes advice on how to choose a shrine with a list of shrines and descriptions of each. Pilgrimages can also include missionary work or volunteer travel.
Pilgrimage Guide and Firsthand Travel Stories
Austin includes ideas for pilgrimages interspersed with his own experiences. He wisely tells readers who plan on going on their own pilgrimages to leave everything behind and look forward to the journey. While on the journey, travelers are likely to meet a guru, a sort of guide who will instill invaluable advice for the trip ahead.
There are some skills that more adventurous people may want to know, like how to skillfully deal with encounters with law enforcement officials while on a pilgrimage. Knowing how to score free food and alternatives to showers are some of the other topics that Austin explores as he intertwines practical information from his own experiences with humor.
Where to Sleep How to Eat on a Pilgrimage
The guidebook gives ideas for camping areas, including golf courses beaches, parks, cemeteries, and other campsites. Is it legal to camp on a golf course? Austin rates the locations according to the coolness factor and the possibility for getting kicked out, so campers can decide if they want to take the risk. What to do when questioned by park rangers or suspicious locals when caught trespassing? Austin mixes solid advice with more than a little humor. He advises to try using a little small talk, to get out of a sticky situation, and if that doesn't work, be prepared to run, Austin cautions.
Entertaining Road Trips
People who have never thought about going on a pilgrimage may consider taking a journey after reading The Road Trip Pilgrim's Guide. In any case, Austin's tongue in cheek accounts of the people that he has encountered, issues like falling in love on the road, and dealing with hygiene on the road in his own trips and trips of his friends provide can provide entertainment as well as tools needed for a pilgrimage.
Title: The Road Trip Pilgrim's Guide
Author: Dan Austin
Publisher: Skipstone, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59485-081-3
Cost: $14.95, U.S.
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