No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering

Clara Bensen

ISBN 10: 1504662202 ISBN 13: 9781504662208

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc., 2016

Synopsis

[*Read by the author - Clara Bensen ]

No Baggage is a memoir that will resonate with adventurers and homebodies alike -- it's at once a romance, a travelogue, and a bright modern take on the age-old questions: How do you find the courage to explore beyond your comfort zone? Can you love someone without the need for commitment or any expectations for the future?

When Clara Bensen arranged to meet Jeff Wilson on the steps of the Texas State Capitol, after just a few email exchanges on OKCupid, it felt like something big was going to happen. Clara, a sensitive and reclusive personality, is immediately drawn to Jeff's freewheeling, push-the-envelope nature. Within a few days of knowing one another, they embark on a twenty-one-day travel adventure from Istanbul to London -- with zero luggage, zero reservations, and zero plans. They want to test a simple question: what happens when you welcome the unknown instead of attempting to control it?

Donning a single green dress and a small purse with her toothbrush and credit card, Clara travels through eight countries in three weeks. Along the way, Clara ruminates on the challenges of traveling unencumbered, while realizing when it comes to falling in love, you can never really leave your baggage behind.

About this title

About the Author:

Clara Bensen's Salon.com article ''The Craziest OKCupid Date Ever'' went viral in 2013 and was read by more than half a million people. The story of her luggage-less adventure attracted major national and international attention, with coverage in USA Today and appearances on The View and Fox News. No Baggage has also been optioned by New Line Cinema. She and her boyfriend Jeff are still together and have made two subsequent no-baggage trips, to South America and the Caucuses.

Review:

''Readers intrigued as much by modern romance as by world travel will appreciate this thrilling travelogue of an erratic relationship and the landscape of ancient and modern Europe.'' --Booklist

''Bensen's story of an unexpected—and unexpectedly meaningful and at times magical—romance that developed from a chance online encounter is charming. Yet it is also insightful for the author's observations about the conflicting desires for freedom and commitment that are the hallmarks of modern romance. An engaging memoir of travel, love, and finding oneself.'' --Kirkus Reviews

''An excellent way to cure wanderlust... Fun, warm, and a little bit dangerous, this true-life rom com is a must read for those that love getting their passport stamped.'' --Alida Nugent, author of Don't Worry, It Gets Worse

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1504662202
• ISBN 13: 9781504662208
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 1