Don't Eat the Puffin: Tales From a Travel Writer's Life
- Downloads：5611
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-04 10:19:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jules Brown
- ISBN：B095XKBM3Z
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Previously published as Takoradi to the Stars （via Huddersfield） by Jules Brown
It's the job of his dreams。 Get paid to travel and write about it。
Only no one told Jules that it would mean eating oily seabirds， repeatedly falling off a husky sled， getting stranded on a Mediterranean island， and crash-landing in Iran。
The exotic destinations come thick and fast – Hong Kong， Hawaii， Huddersfield – as Jules navigates what it means to be a travel writer in a world with endless surprises up its sleeve。
Add in a cast of larger-than-life characters – Elvis， Captain Cook， his own travel-mad Dad – and an eye for the ridiculous， and this journey with Jules is one you won’t want to miss。
It's the job of his dreams。 Get paid to travel and write about it。
Only no one told Jules that it would mean eating oily seabirds， repeatedly falling off a husky sled， getting stranded on a Mediterranean island， and crash-landing in Iran。
The exotic destinations come thick and fast – Hong Kong， Hawaii， Huddersfield – as Jules navigates what it means to be a travel writer in a world with endless surprises up its sleeve。
Add in a cast of larger-than-life characters – Elvis， Captain Cook， his own travel-mad Dad – and an eye for the ridiculous， and this journey with Jules is one you won’t want to miss。
Reviews
Chris
，
This is a really enjoyable travel memoir。 Jules writes in a very engaging fashion， and draws you into his stories。 So many tales; each one has a fascination that makes you want to find out what happened next。 And the inclusion of links to videos， so you can visit along with him， is a fabulous idea。 I loved the last chapter: it's easy to understand that Jules' love of travel was inherited from his father。 And although this covers many countries， from the north of Europe to Australasia， I'm sure J This is a really enjoyable travel memoir。 Jules writes in a very engaging fashion， and draws you into his stories。 So many tales; each one has a fascination that makes you want to find out what happened next。 And the inclusion of links to videos， so you can visit along with him， is a fabulous idea。 I loved the last chapter: it's easy to understand that Jules' love of travel was inherited from his father。 And although this covers many countries， from the north of Europe to Australasia， I'm sure Jules has many more tales to tell， so hopefully there will be a sequel。 。。。more
R D
，
A delight of a read。 Jules， an experienced writer of lonely planet and other travel guides， has a deftness and lightness of style which draws you into his lucky dip of travel vignettes。 With an economy of his writing effort you feel as if you are with him as he hikes trails， eats sizzling piri-piri chicken or gets stuck on remote islands。 A book that by turns makes you gently smile， laugh and also sometimes pause to reflect on his more poignant episodes and ultimately leaves you refreshed and wa A delight of a read。 Jules， an experienced writer of lonely planet and other travel guides， has a deftness and lightness of style which draws you into his lucky dip of travel vignettes。 With an economy of his writing effort you feel as if you are with him as he hikes trails， eats sizzling piri-piri chicken or gets stuck on remote islands。 A book that by turns makes you gently smile， laugh and also sometimes pause to reflect on his more poignant episodes and ultimately leaves you refreshed and wanting another volume。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
I was intrigued by the title of this book but after reading it I realise it's perfect。 Jules Brown takes us on a virtual world tour starting from Takoradi in Ghana where he was born， to Huddersfield his home then onwards from there across the world。， final destination - the stars。 Each chapter is a delight and will make you see places you have perhaps visited with fresh eyes and inspire you to visit places you may not even have heard of。 Mind you I’m not entirely sure I want to go on a sledge pu I was intrigued by the title of this book but after reading it I realise it's perfect。 Jules Brown takes us on a virtual world tour starting from Takoradi in Ghana where he was born， to Huddersfield his home then onwards from there across the world。， final destination - the stars。 Each chapter is a delight and will make you see places you have perhaps visited with fresh eyes and inspire you to visit places you may not even have heard of。 Mind you I’m not entirely sure I want to go on a sledge pulled by huskies after reading that particular episode。！ It did， however， make me laugh。Jules is a wonderful writer and his conversational style and sharp observations are a joy to read。 I appreciate the historical details and also the advice he gives to us would be travellers。 I particularly enjoy his quirky sense of humour which really appeals to me。 Many chapters end with a link to his ‘Jules Told Me’ YouTube videos which are well worth a watch – you just have to， in fact。The final chapter is a touching tribute to his father who inspired him and who himself was a great traveller。 It’s a fantastic read for anyone who enjoys travel and for those who， at the moment， are armchair travellers。 Thanks Jules。 。。。more
Ronald Mackay
，
Takoradi to the Stars （via Huddersfield） Is the most delightful personal travel story collections of the many I have read。“Delightful” needs expansion。 Jules Brown’s professional work has required he travel the world over。 Yes， literally ALL over！ Each of the 30+ short chapters takes you to either one of the most beautiful places in the world that features on everybody’s wish list or to a place you have never heard of but will now become a priority for you。 And if you have been to any of the pla Takoradi to the Stars （via Huddersfield） Is the most delightful personal travel story collections of the many I have read。“Delightful” needs expansion。 Jules Brown’s professional work has required he travel the world over。 Yes， literally ALL over！ Each of the 30+ short chapters takes you to either one of the most beautiful places in the world that features on everybody’s wish list or to a place you have never heard of but will now become a priority for you。 And if you have been to any of the places he writes about， I guarantee that you will see it with new eyes and even greater satisfaction。Jules Brown has an Englishman’s whimsical sense of humour， a German’s eye for detail， an Italian’s love for the beauty of architecture and landscape， a Frenchman’s taste for food， and a capacity for both the present and the past that would do credit to the best observer of the whims and caprices of our fascinating world。 Jules Brown unites these essential virtues of the accomplished writer with the best short-story teller’s skill of encapsulating the essence of place and person into a few exact and compelling paragraphs。 Takoradi to the Stars （via Huddersfield） transports you to his side， allows you to see with his eyes and gifts you his insights and wisdom。 I read this book with the greatest of pleasure。 You will too！ 。。。more
Linda Hawkswell
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Wonderful Travel BookJules writes in a quirky， fun and inspiring way， he is a wonderful story teller。 I love his touching tribute to his Father from whom he inherited his love of travel。We follow Jules on his travels from his birthplace in a small village in Ghana to his hometown of Huddersfield in Yorkshire。 He then takes us through Europe and the rest of the world where each location is allocated its own chapter， some of which have links to his YouTube account where you can join in his travels Wonderful Travel BookJules writes in a quirky， fun and inspiring way， he is a wonderful story teller。 I love his touching tribute to his Father from whom he inherited his love of travel。We follow Jules on his travels from his birthplace in a small village in Ghana to his hometown of Huddersfield in Yorkshire。 He then takes us through Europe and the rest of the world where each location is allocated its own chapter， some of which have links to his YouTube account where you can join in his travels。 Each chapter includes short stories of his travels along with details of the places visited， also funny little tales from his travels， people he meets along the way and some of the foods he has eaten。 Indeed some of these were rather strange。This is a well written and amazing travel book， thank you for the journey Jules， I need a rest now。 。。。more
Heidi Slowinski
，
Jules Brown is a veteran travel writer， working for Rough Guide。 In Takoradi to the Stars， Brown blends his love of travel with a memoir， revisiting 35 destinations， including his home town in West Africa。 Brown is not only a great traveler， he’s a brilliant storyteller。 Each destination is described with a unique and honest story of his experiences。 I’m a live-like-a-local type traveler so I really enjoyed the “off the beaten path” destinations explored in this book。 Brown does a wonderful job Jules Brown is a veteran travel writer， working for Rough Guide。 In Takoradi to the Stars， Brown blends his love of travel with a memoir， revisiting 35 destinations， including his home town in West Africa。 Brown is not only a great traveler， he’s a brilliant storyteller。 Each destination is described with a unique and honest story of his experiences。 I’m a live-like-a-local type traveler so I really enjoyed the “off the beaten path” destinations explored in this book。 Brown does a wonderful job of blending humor and reverence， where appropriate。 I’m an avid traveler， myself， and missing it greatly due to the pandemic。 This was a welcome escape。This is travel writing at its best。 。。。more
Sudeepa Nair
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In times such as these， the book is a splendid gift for armchair travelers。 I went on a round trip across the world and wished there was more to read。
Alyson Sheldrake
，
Armchair travelling at its finestThe author’s skill as a writer really shines through this book。 We travel from his birthplace in a small village in Ghana， and then to his hometown of Huddersfield， before travelling into Europe， and then on to the rest of the world。 Each chapter covers a different country or place， however what really brings this book to life are the small details that the author really notices about a place。 Whether he is alarmed on a flight that suddenly detours with a suspici Armchair travelling at its finestThe author’s skill as a writer really shines through this book。 We travel from his birthplace in a small village in Ghana， and then to his hometown of Huddersfield， before travelling into Europe， and then on to the rest of the world。 Each chapter covers a different country or place， however what really brings this book to life are the small details that the author really notices about a place。 Whether he is alarmed on a flight that suddenly detours with a suspicious package on board， to eating suspect meat， or enjoying the delight that is piri-piri chicken in the Algarve， this is a book to savour and enjoy。 Each chapter stands alone， and there are links to videos for some of the locations too。 Unlike many travel books， you really feel that the author has really visited each place that he talks about， he has caught the bus， walked the streets and eaten the food。 The tips that he shares makes you think that you could follow his footsteps with ease。 A delightful book to enjoy。 。。。more
Lisa Wright
，
This is armchair travelling at its best。 I love to travel and admit to having itchy feet at the best of times。 It looks like it will be a while before I can take off on my travels but luckily， reading Jules Brown’s From Takoradi to the Stars （via Huddersfield） is the next best thing to actually setting off on an adventure of my own。 Some places I am familiar with: Whitby， Loch Ness， Giant’s Causeway， Barcelona and China。 Others， such as Montenegro， Alaska and Takoradi are there awaiting me still This is armchair travelling at its best。 I love to travel and admit to having itchy feet at the best of times。 It looks like it will be a while before I can take off on my travels but luckily， reading Jules Brown’s From Takoradi to the Stars （via Huddersfield） is the next best thing to actually setting off on an adventure of my own。 Some places I am familiar with: Whitby， Loch Ness， Giant’s Causeway， Barcelona and China。 Others， such as Montenegro， Alaska and Takoradi are there awaiting me still。 Jules Brown is a long time travel writer for the Rough Guides series。 His style of writing is informative whilst remaining chatty and intimate， like having a friend telling you of their travel adventures， highlighting both funny stories and disasters。 Jules writes with his heart and soul so one can imagine being there too。Like any good story there are moments of tears （Tianamen square）， laughter （an emergency landing in Iran…sorry， that was probably not funny at the time）， fear （see emergency landing in Iran） and embarrassment （repeatedly falling off a husky sled）。 Between the stories are serious messages: Why Jules didn’t climb Uluru （good on yer mate！） and the overt commercialism of some attractions （poor old Nessie）。 He also talks with love and affection about his travel mentor， his father， and the chapter describing their road trip is one of my favourites amongst many favourites in this wonderfully put together book。Thank you for keeping me sane until I can once more explore the world and for giving me yet more places to pop on my bucket list。 。。。more
E。J。 Bauer
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What a wonderful tour across the world and on to infinity。 I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of travel adventures starting in Africa， via West Yorkshire and many points east。 The author's wry humour is evident and I appreciated his attention to detail and fact verification， especially where Australia was concerned。 Things I decided I didn't want to do: ride the Flying Fox near Corinth， New Zealand; buy food from the Frog Lady in Hong Kong or sled with a husky team in Ontario。 Things I decided What a wonderful tour across the world and on to infinity。 I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of travel adventures starting in Africa， via West Yorkshire and many points east。 The author's wry humour is evident and I appreciated his attention to detail and fact verification， especially where Australia was concerned。 Things I decided I didn't want to do: ride the Flying Fox near Corinth， New Zealand; buy food from the Frog Lady in Hong Kong or sled with a husky team in Ontario。 Things I decided I'd really like to do: visit Boston again; ride the train in Montenegro and bike through Budapest。 This is a book you can dip in and out of but I read it in one sitting。 You choose。 Oh and thank you， sir， for not climbing Uluru。 。。。more
Robert Fear
，
An inspiration to travellersThis is an intriguing collection of travel stories。 It starts with a return to the author’s birthplace in Takoradi， Ghana， then moves on to Huddersfield where he grew up， before heading out on a spiral further and further away until he reaches New Zealand， and then the Universe。 Jules Brown is a long-time Rough Guides author， and this reflects in his vibrant writing style。 With him， you take journeys to places you might not have known existed。 Through his eyes， you di An inspiration to travellersThis is an intriguing collection of travel stories。 It starts with a return to the author’s birthplace in Takoradi， Ghana， then moves on to Huddersfield where he grew up， before heading out on a spiral further and further away until he reaches New Zealand， and then the Universe。 Jules Brown is a long-time Rough Guides author， and this reflects in his vibrant writing style。 With him， you take journeys to places you might not have known existed。 Through his eyes， you discover many unusual areas of our amazing planet and he inspires you enough to want to visit them yourself。Links to video clips provide one of the most fascinating aspects of this anthology of adventures。 Through them， you listen to the author’s voice and see his excited nature when describing his travels。 The bonus was when I resumed reading， I could ‘hear’ his intonations in the written word。 It disappointed me when these visual treats dried up as he left Europe。His writing more than made up for this as I revelled in Jules Brown’s rich descriptions of unusual trips through Canada， the USA， China， Hong Kong， Malaysia， Australia and New Zealand， all the time getting further away from Huddersfield （and Takoradi）。The last chapter is a touching tribute to his father， Ken， who died in 2015。 This remarkable man had inspired his son in so many ways and this was a fitting end to a very enjoyable read。 I felt a sense of loss when I finished the book and an urge to visit those places the author had described。I recommend this collection as an inspiration to travellers， armchair or otherwise。 。。。more
Raghav
，
On the surface， Jules Brown’s book is a travelogue that takes us on a journey to popular， as well as， obscure lands across the world。 In reality， it’s a “love letter” to the joy of travelling and the craziness that arise as a result of it。 Packed with anecdotes from his life， Takoradi to the Stars is a breezy read that will make you want to drop everything and head on out for an adventure of your own。I particularly loved Jules’ comic timing， and his writing has a natural style to it that walks a On the surface， Jules Brown’s book is a travelogue that takes us on a journey to popular， as well as， obscure lands across the world。 In reality， it’s a “love letter” to the joy of travelling and the craziness that arise as a result of it。 Packed with anecdotes from his life， Takoradi to the Stars is a breezy read that will make you want to drop everything and head on out for an adventure of your own。I particularly loved Jules’ comic timing， and his writing has a natural style to it that walks a thin line between a blogpost and a professionally written travel article。 If there’s one thing I would want more， it would be for the book to be longer。 The stories themselves are perfect。 Short， sweet， and full of interesting bits and bobs that are charmingly eccentric。 As a book through， it finishes a little too early。 Takoradi is a must read for travel enthusiast， especially those who want to make a life out of travelling and writing。 Note: Jules was nice enough to send me the book after we had a chat in the comments section of his blog。 I was not asked to review the book。 Thus， all of this is on my own accord。 。。。more
Cristina
，
I read Jules' blog and really enjoyed this book。 He has a quirky， humourous writing style that makes his prose very easy to read。 Ciao， Cristina I read Jules' blog and really enjoyed this book。 He has a quirky， humourous writing style that makes his prose very easy to read。 Ciao， Cristina 。。。more
Bryanna Plog
，