12 Inspirational Travel Books Everyone Should Read

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • January 2016 • Length of Read: 6Minutes

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

'If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.' Written in the last years of his life, this book reflects on Hemingway's time spent living in the French capital during the 1920s, where the literary iconoclast drank, smoked, and discussed life with the likes of James Joyce and Scott Fitzgerald as he struggled to make it as a writer.

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell

Another book set primarily in the the City of Light, Orwell's second novel is a harrowing but poetic account of his twenties spent living in poverty. Working 15 hour shifts in the hell's kitchens of fancy 5-Star Parisian hotels; sleeping in doss houses; picking cigarette butts from gutters; and unable to afford food for days on end, Orwell somehow manages to romanticise the life of a 'down and out' in a way that humanises the underworld societies many may not even have been aware existed.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Kerouac's masterpiece and symbol of The Beat Generation movement, On the Road doesn't need much of an introduction. The book which inspired millions to rebel against the establishment sees Kerouac and his friend Neil Cassady cross the United States multiple times as they become embroiled in a free-spirited adventure driven by jazz, drugs, and sex.

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

This is a retrospective account of Orwell's time spent fighting with the militia against fascism in Spain. He had travelled solely to report on the Civil War that was taking place, however became so engrossed in the matter that he ended up enrolling and joining the fight himself. The book excellently depicts the lows of warfare whilst again bringing humanity to the fore; attaching political understanding and clarity to the events that took place, from the inadequacy of the equipment provided, to long periods of boredom spent crouched in grotty trenches, to the near-fatal bullet wound he received.

As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee

A teenager at the time, Laurie Lee left his house in The Cotswolds during June of 1934 with nothing but a beat-up violin and mountains of tact. Busking from place to place, what ensued was the epic journey autobiographically depicted in this book which took him on foot to London and then all the way around Spain before the Civil War, as fought in by Orwell, caused him to return home.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Utterly hilarious and absurd, this cult classic follows the story of Arthur Dent as he is whisked away from planet Earth by his best friend, who happens to be an alien, moments before it is bulldozed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Following the advice given to them in The Hitchhiker's Guide, the pair then shoot all over the galaxy in a nonsensical quest to save themselves and uncover the answer to the question: 'What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?'

The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara

Before he became a Marxist revolutionary and anti-imperialist martyr, Che Guevara undertook a spontaneous motorcycle journey with his friend Alfonso to explore the vast South American continent. Under the guise of leprosy doctors these 23 year old, fresh-faced, medical graduates jumped on a haggard two-wheeler and began the comedic, ad-lib, adventure documented in these travel notes. From Che taking a dump out of a window into someone’s orchard; to Alfonso accidentally shooting the dog of a stranger who had been kind enough to give them a bed for the night; to the infamous Anniversary Routine trick they deployed to get free meals, The Motorcycle Diaries shows life through the eyes of this young man on an innocent adventure and quest.

Into the Wild by John Krakauer

In Into the Wild, Krakauer tells the real-life story of Chris McCandless; a 21 year-old who sold all his belongings; gave his parent's entire college fund to charity; and hiked out into the Alaskan wilderness under the pseudonym of Alexander Supertramp. Inadequately prepared for the environment his decomposed body was then found four months later by a group of hunters, McCandless having become stranded in the bush and starved to death. In the brilliant 2007 theatrical release Sean Penn directs Emile Hirsch in the starring role.

Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts

The only advice book I've included in this list, Vagabonding explains how one can take extended time off from work to travel and provides the necessary steps required to do so. It includes financial advice, tips on how to handle adversity, suggestions of possible destinations, and ways to help those suffering from wanderlust achieve their dreams. A very pragmatic and useful guide from which I've taken and implemented much advice.

The Beach by Alex Garland

The 2000 film adaption of this book starring Leonardo DiCaprio has become a cult classic among travellers. The story follows a young English man called Richard who, when backpacking through Thailand, learns of a secret Utopia hidden on an unknown island far from the tourist trail. As he becomes ingrained in the small community residing on this paradise's beach however, not all is as it initially seems.

The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain

In The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain boards a steamship for a pleasure excursion around Europe and the Holy Land; the ticket paid for by a magazine for whom he satirically chronicles the incidents and adventures he experiences along the way. Half-travel guide, half-comedic observations made by the author, when released in 1869 it was regarded as a landmark in travel writing. As summarised by the great man himself: 'Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's life.'

The Road by Jack London

The Road is an autobiographical novel by the Call of the Wild author from the time he spent travelling across the United States hopping on and off freight trains, begging for food, and bullshitting the police. It is a short, jovial, account of life as a hobo during the economic depression of the 1890's, and includes stories of London being thrown in jail; tricking strangers; and acting as a general vagrant.

6 Crucial Business Lessons from an Erasmus Exchange Program

Maastricht, Netherlands • October 2015 • Length of Read: 5 Minutes

Three years ago I found myself squished on the edge of a dirty old mattress in our homely Dutch student dorm. A bootleg copy of L’Auberge Espagnole was playing on a haggard old laptop and the mix of accents and dialects emanating from the tin-like speakers had my Austrian, French, and Swedish room-mates’ eyes rapt on the tiny 12” screen. The film follows the tribulations of a young man on a University exchange program in Madrid as he tries to acquaint himself with the customs of both a new city and the half-dozen other Western European students he find himself living with. We ourselves has been in that position upon arrival to the southern city of Maastricht just six months before, and as the storyline unfolded rafts of nostalgia waved through our veins. In a couple of weeks we would be parting ways and returning to the daily routines back home; suitcases brimming with memories.

Looking back now, there has been nothing in my life that’s set me up more for the working world than the people I met and the experiences I had during that semester abroad. What one learns from being thrown into a cauldron of such diversity cannot be taught in any classroom, and the personal development that comes with these new exposures is growth on steroids. Here are the six most crucial things I learned from my time in spent in The Netherlands that have proved bountiful in business life beyond higher education:

All Cultures Operate Differently

On a far-too-regular basis I would stagger back home from the pub at midnight to find my Spanish flat mate and her merry band of ‘amigas’ chopping and prepping veg in the kitchen. Likewise, when heading off to mid-morning classes I would frequently pass Marta in the hallway as she declared: “It’s time for my nap!” As a Brit who will rarely have dinner outside the hours of 6:00 and 6:30pm, and regards going for a snooze at 11am the sheer height of laziness, this started off as a bit of a running joke. I quickly came to the realisation however that just because I scheduled my day in a certain way, this didn’t mean it was the ‘correct’ way. Indeed there is no ‘correct’ way to go about structuring your time and everyone performs best when operating on their own personal schedules.

Fast forward then to my current employment where I frequently find myself working alongside people from different cultures who have these ‘alternative’ approaches to time-management and targets. More often than not these approaches also usually conflict with our culturally traditional methods. Having the empathy to realise that these individuals are not trying to be ‘difficult’ or ‘critical’ in any way however, and are just acting how they normally would, has allowed me to work and compromise in teams a lot more fluidly. Sometimes to get the best out of people you have to let them get on with their own thing.

English is THE Language of Business

A major flaw in the British education system is that, despite studying and sitting exams in foreign languages, only a small iota of pupils ever leave school being able to converse with locals in their native tongue. When first arriving in The Netherlands and finding out everyone bar my fellow countrymen and North American compatriots spoke at least one other language I felt extremely ignorant to the level that I was simply embarrassed to be monolingual. This was then only heightened in tutorials when  peers began discussing the answers to complex hedging and derivative calculations in what I would later learn to be only their fourth most spoken language.

What these friends soon pointed out to me however was that although they may well be able to speak fluent Swedish, Belgian and French, these languages were not of any primary use in an all-encompassing international setting. I may well only be able to speak one language fluently, but “English is THE language needed for the world of business.” Over the past couple of years I have managed to navigate my way across South America with intermediate level Spanish, but having recently returned from a Europe-wide training course which was ironically held in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, these words still ring true. Slovenians, Maltese, Bulgarians, and Norwegians could all be found conversing together in one language and one language only: English.

The Benefit of Keeping in Touch

In his bestselling book on networking entitled Never Eat Alone, author Keith Ferrazzi cites a study that found “the ability to bridge different worlds, and even different people within the same profession, is a key attribute in managers who are paid better and promoted faster.”  This concept is defined as ‘social arbitrage’ and explains that the reason persons with these skills are so indispensable is that through their influential connections they have the ability to freely obtain and share the vital pieces information and ideas that help keep organisations ticking-over.

On exchange I made what I know will be numerous life-long connections on every continent on the globe (minus Antarctica) and these have already served to be beneficial for myriad reasons. As every individual has completely different resources and experiences to draw upon, having such a diverse group of friends means that advice on any topic under the sun is usually no more than a couple of e-mails or Facebook messages away. These ingredients make for being a crucial cog in the information gathering wheel, and keeping in touch with others also has the added side-benefit of eliminating the risk of forgetting names and faces.

You Are Always Representin’

Whether you like it or not, when abroad you are representing or breaking the stereotypes of a nation. Being one of only three Scots in a group of 500+ exchange students meant that I was at all times cast as that Braveheart-esque patriot, and there was some unorthodox honour behind that. Not quite the honour an Olympian would feel, but honour nonetheless... even if I never chose for it to be that way.

In the business world you may not have the banner of a nation draped over your back, but you will have the prestige and brand of your company to uphold. I have learnt that whatever you do in work should be congruent to the values of your employer and how they wish to be envisaged by the stakeholders of this Earth.

Comfort Can be Found Even in Foreign Environments

From literally bumping into an old friend on the streets of Budapest; to calling up a mate for a few beers whilst in Copenhagen; to receiving that precious e-mail from another acquaintance stationed in my company’s office in Vienna, the big wide world really does shrink when you get to meet its inhabitants.

My comfort zone was smashed into shards when I first stepped off that plane but I would now classify that unfamiliar Dutch city as a second home. With this it is much easier to undertake new challenges at work, knowing that even if something appears from the outset to be massive step-up, I will eventually get there.

Experience in A Foreign Country Jumps Out on Your CV

No personal development here, but the final crucial business lesson I’ve taken from completing an Erasmus program is that employers go ape-shit for candidates with these types of experiences. For all the above reasons and more, having spent time working or studying in a foreign environment will pay huge dividends when it comes to locking down that desired job. Not only will you have a broad variety of examples to draw from when posed with the now generic interview questions, but you will also be able to bring an edge to the company which only those who have been in a similar boat could fathom.

10 Dynamite Job Interview Tips

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • September 2015 • Length of Read: 2 Minutes

So you’ve made it through the initial online form submission; the psychometric testing; the aptitude screening; the phone call, and the Assessment Centre? Congratulations. Now all that’s left is the final interview and that 'dream' job is yours. Unfortunately however this is the stage where many people crumble, which is why I’m going to share with you my top 10 dynamite tips for leaving that unique and unforgettable impression:

• Greet the interviewer with a fist pump to show that you are ‘down’, then immediately rip the sleeve from your suit jacket, chuckling: “I like to dress the way I operate in the office – seamlessly”. Brush some fake dirt off your exposed shoulder.

• Walk into the interview room and immediately fling all of the windows open, turn on the desk fan, and declare loudly: “Things are about to heat up!!” Pretend to sit down, but immediately recoil and yelp: “God, it’s already an inferno in here”.

• Interviewers love a candidate who can bring new skills to their organization. Dance your fingers along the desk and announce: “I am a great pianist……. or as some would say, a KEY player.” Chuckle, throw a sweet up into the air, and catch it in your mouth.

• When asked: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?” point your fingers like a pistol at the interviewer and yell: “You’re fired!” Blow away the smoke and tuck it back into your holster to complete the shotgun salute.

• If asked the difficult question: “What salary are you expecting?” act out hitting a home run before responding: “is that a good enough ball park figure for you?” Complete a lap of the room, high-fiving everyone present on your way past.

• Employers like candidates to express potential weaknesses but don’t fall into their sneaky traps. If asked if there might be anything hampering your career progression reply: “No. Most see a glass ceiling, whereas I'm looking through a window of opportunity….” Breathe on this metaphorical window, then polish with a fake cloth.

• Mid-way through your interview flick open a switchblade knife and start chiseling the table. If the interviewer asks what you are doing, wink and say: “I’m cutting edge”.

• You will most likely be asked to tell the interviewer about a time when you showed endearing leadership qualities. Pin a war medal to your lapel, point at it, and say: “We lost a couple of great men…. and I’d rather not talk about it.” Shed a fake tear.

• Employers now will peruse your social network profiles for any inappropriate activity. Subliminally drop buzzwords such as productive, dynamic, and innovative into your usually mundane tweets and status updates.

• Respond: “4 minutes; 10 seconds” when asked about your previous experience, before rhetorically finishing: “I’d say that’s a pretty good ‘track record’ wouldn’t you?” Stand on your seat, uncork a bottle of champagne, and spray it in the direction of the interviewer; thus concluding proceedings and securing your employment.

How To Develop A Million Dollar Mouthpiece

Dale Carnegie once wrote that “the ability to assemble one’s thoughts and to speak on the spur of the moment is even more important, in some ways, than the ability to speak only after lengthy and laborious preparation.”

And I agree.

Whether you are attending an interview for a new job; having to stand-in and give a presentation for a colleague who has gone off sick, providing a team with a status update as to how the current work schedule is progressing; or simply making a toast at a friend’s party, there are countless scenarios once can face in both their career and personal life that will require an off-the-cuff monologue. In a world where important decisions are now made in team meetings rather than by one head honcho, and in which people are required to be contactable 24/7 for any urgent matters (I mean God forbid that report isn’t handed in at 9am tomorrow! The world might implode), being able to speedily gather our thoughts and converse them fluently and succinctly serves to produce incredible results. It truly is a skill that will make you stand out from the crowd, gain the attention of others, and open doors to bigger and brighter things…

But the usual complaints of “oh, he’s got the gift of the gab”, or “she can talk her way out of anything” still flutter about with envy like nothing can be done to change such ‘talents’. As I said above though, impromptu speaking is a ‘skill’, and like all ‘skills’ it can be leant, built upon, and grown. Here are my five tips to start training yourself in this fine art and develop what some would describe as a ‘Million Dollar Mouthpiece’:

• Anticipate Scenarios In Which You May Be Required To Speak Up
  • If you are in a meeting and there is the possibility that you might be called upon to say a few words, run through your head how you would respond to such request. Making yourself consciously aware of these potential situations will eliminate the startled shock and probable stuttering that comes with trying to comprehend a question whilst simultaneously forming an answer.
• Speak from Within
  • The chances are that if you do have to give an impromptu talk in work or at a social event you will have at least some element knowledge on the subject matter in question. Your Boss isn't just going to turn around and start quizzing you on sixteenth century Elizabethan embroidery. Either way, people’s ‘Bullshit detectors’ are pretty damn good nowadays so don’t go making stuff up. Stick to speaking about what you know, no matter how basic the restraints, using examples to illustrate your points and give them more clarity.
• Don’t Waffle.
  • Be succinct and to the point. Try to avoid long-winded explanations and sentences that will most likely lead you off-track. You’re not doing a 30 minute key note speech here and it’s best to save your free association censor-less drawl for the psychiatrist’s chair. Structure your talk around two of three key points and ensure that you never deviate too far from these core elements.
• Be Dynamic
  • Nothing will switch an audience off faster than a speaker who looks bored by their own topic. Charge yourself up and express passion and drive through your words and actions. This will both loosen yourself into the talk more easily and aid in getting your points across more fluidly. If appropriate, also consider using props or audience participation to liven up the room.
• Practice
  • Experience breeds competence which breeds confidence. Simply, the more you give impromptu talks the more comfortable you will become in your ability.
  • A little tale I read which brings out the sheer power of this final point comes ironically from none other than the greatest silent film star to ever have lived. Every night for almost two years, Charlie Chaplin would immerse himself in a game of wits with his peers Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford (then husband and wife). They would each write random subject headings on strips of paper and fold them up into a bowl, rather like a game of charades. Each would then take it in turns to draw a topic and immediately start talking about it for the next 60 seconds. If they stuttered it was game over; if they repeated themselves it was game over; and if they paused for too long it was game over. Fairbanks once wrote in a magazine piece that to them “it was more than a game. It was practice in that most difficult of all speaking arts – thinking on one’s feet… We are learning to assemble our knowledge and thoughts on any topic at a moment’s notice.”

Once too timid and shy to even dictate passages from a textbook in the school classroom, through reading up on the art of speaking, conversing with myriad strangers through business and travel, and implementing the 5 points above, I am now able to take advantages of opportunities I would once have run a country mile.

From creating ad-lib responses during a Q&A session in London’s Savoy Hotel to a packed room of high net-worth individuals, to giving a presentation on the benefit of University Exchange Programmes to an entire lecture hall of business students, my ability to think on my feet has provided some fantastic growth opportunities and introduced me to some amazing people I would otherwise have never met.

What could crushing that next speech or presentation do for your life?

Time is Not Money. Time is Life.

Glasgow, Scotland, UK • February 2015 • Length of Read: 3 Minutes

“My favourite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.” – Steve Jobs

It’s a phrase that’s been bandied about by the white collar masses for decades; a quick and easy way to define the supposed opportunity cost that if we don’t use our time to earn money, we are in effect losing money. But in creating this algorithm,  the “Time = Money” outlook suggests that capital wealth is the end game, and that those who have accumulated the largest bank accounts and selections of desirable possessions are the victors of this rat race we call life. In our ever increasing capitalist society this may indeed be the case for some, but there are also many of us who live by a different agenda, one in which time would be seen as the most valuable resource we have at our disposal. A resource that is completely priceless.

Money can be accumulated and saved with interest growth; it can be blown frivolously and re-earned; it can even be re-printed through quantative easing if large institutions happen to mess-up. Time on the other hand cannot be compounded, and if you waste it there is no overseeing government capable of winding back the clock; no 88mph DeLorean; no Bernard’s Watch; and no Donnie Darko daydreams. If you become broke then life doesn't cease, but once your time is up then it is game over. In the transgressional words of Fight Club’s Narrator: “This is your life and it’s ending one moment at a time.”

Why then is it that so many people who have been the unfortunate recipients of a doctors' "you have X number of months to live" speech are suddenly able to do such amazing things with their precious final moments? That they then decide it might be a good idea to create a Bucket List of goals and ambitions or to mend broken bonds with relatives and old friends. It's almost like receiving a blunt termination date is the wake-up-call one needs to start truly living; to maximize happiness rather than financial wealth. Echoing Benjamin Franklin: "Most people die at 25... they just aren't buried until they're 75. Lost time is never found again."

Now in fairness, yes, if I do decide to undertake some form of altruistic charity work then I am obviously forgoing time in which I could be adding to my hourly salary, but what 'Time = Money' neglects to consider is that this act of selflessness is probably more rewarding to an individual than that the financial forfeit. In fact, in their 2013 academic paper ‘Time, Money and Morality’, Gino and Mogilner conclude from their research that that money is a corrupt resource and that time can actually “salvage individuals’ ethicality”. Shifting from a financial-centric world-view to one in which time is the major influencer of all decisions will therefore not only make you a happier person, but also someone who is more congruently grounded in their beliefs. Emotions such as humour and love may carry no price-tag, but they are infinitely more valuable than any paper trail.

So, how are you going to spend your most scarce and influential resource? How are you going to spend your life?