Work Less, Travel More. Tosh Patterson. 2018. 98 pages. [Source: ARC provided courtesy of author.]
Whew, this book was so on time for me. I am “leave-taking challenged,” in that the idea of taking off work is sometimes so overwhelming that I just don’t. Besides that, I have a full roster of other priorities that take all my attention. All work and no play … you know the rest. I love that this book isn’t just about how to travel, but about understanding why time away and self-care is so necessary to keeping yourself at your best. While a shining gem in this book focuses on travel, it’s more than just how to make travelling more accessible and enjoyable. It is about why you need to take care of yourself, regardless of how that looks.
First, I love how personal the author gets. Patterson shares her experiences in such a transparent way that I really felt I was with her in some of the experiences she shares. The vulnerability is refreshing – I don’t enjoy reading “self-help” books from the perspective of someone who’s always had it together. I want to relate to someone who’s dealt with the same issues I have and found a way to forge forward and be better. I’ve found that in this book.
I found the list of “50 Savvy Tips, Tools, and Insider Strategies” to be invaluable and what I needed most. Clearly, I’ve been travelling wrong my entire life. As someone who is almost always more stressed about the idea of travelling than the actual process, I saw this list as helpful and easy to digest. What I appreciate most about the tips was that they really focused on making travelling a more valuable and enjoyable experience. It’s not solely about getting there and doing something while you’re there; these tips are about the entire experience of travelling, from preparing to buy tickets to making sure you’re not coming home to a filthy house with an empty fridge after an otherwise fantastic vacation. These tips are useful for any kind of travelling – not just the two-week, extravagant trips, but also the brief, weekend ones, too. While not all 50 will apply for each travel journey, you can definitely apply more than a few that will ensure you can make the most of your time away.
Overall, I think this book is so necessary. It’s incredibly easy to get bogged down in the day-to-date hustle and bustle of life and forget to really take care of yourself. But with “Work Less, Travel More,” Patterson presents a strong case for why you have to slow down, breathe, and make recharging yourself the priority it should be. I absolutely recommend this book – not just as a one-time read, but as something you revisit to make sure you’re still putting yourself first.
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