Bad Trips: A Sometimes Terrifying, Sometimes Hilarious Collection of Writing on the Perils of the Road

Susan Perks, formerly a teacher and librarian, is a travel agent in
Thompson, Manitoba.

“A sometimes terrifying, sometimes hilarious collection of writing on
the perils of the road.” The subtitle says it well. Writers from a
number of countries were invited to tell of their worst journeys. The
result: 50 living writers entertain us in different ways and with
varying degrees of drama. Some of these writers are Ronald Wright,
Irving Layton, Dirk Bogarde, Graham Greene, Bob Geldof, John Updike, Jan
Morris, and George Woodcock. All of the writers have agreed to donate
their royalties to Canada India Village Aid. CIVA is a registered,
nonsalaried charity dedicated to building medical and agricultural
facilities in some of the poorest areas of rural India.

Fraser has travelled extensively. After earning a doctorate in
literature from the University of London, he lectured for several years
and is now a full-time writer. His fiction is included in many
anthologies, and he is the author of Taking Cover and Foreign Affairs.

The 50 stories are divided into 6 sections: The Very Idea of a Bad
Trip; Writers and the Fear of Flying; Writers as Tourists; Lucking Out
with a Bad Patch of Road: Writers and the Effects of War; and Classic
Questers in Extremis. Each story is unique and different, and seemingly
every corner of the earth is covered. Each story is introduced by a
brief blurb about the writer.

The reader can let his or her imagination wander all over the world.
This is the type of book with which you can read a chapter or two at a
time, or settle down for a whole evening of fascinating travel. There is
something in it for everyone. I enjoyed it immensely, and I highly
recommend it.