Tales of an Inadvertent Traveler

In Tales of an Inadvertent Traveler, Kevin McAleer proves that the best travel stories do not always belong to enthusiastic travelers.

From teenage surf expeditions through Baja California to a Sound of Music–obsessed language course in Salzburg; from archival research and Cold War border crossings in divided Berlin to Egypt, Eastern Europe, train journeys, and a wintry return to Bavaria, McAleer recounts a life spent repeatedly—and often unwillingly—on the move. Along the way he encounters bad roads, bad luck, bureaucratic absurdity, historical ghosts, questionable travelling companions, and the recurring danger of putting too much faith in an itinerary.

Written with self-deprecating wit, irreverence, and an alert eye for the collisions between personal experience and public history, these linked autobiographical tales transform mishap into comic adventure. Tales of an Inadvertent Traveler is an entertaining and intelligent literary travel memoir for readers who appreciate sharp storytelling, cultural observation, and journeys that rarely go according to plan.