Smashwords

For those of you who prefer electronic books but don’t have Kindles, Waltzing Australia is now available at Smashwords. That means it is now in forms that will work in Nooks, iPads, and any other device on which books can be downloaded.

If you’re interested, you can find it here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/143849

So now, everyone can have access to the adventure, the joy, the history, nature, and lore of Australia that flows through the pages of Waltzing Australia. I’m pleased that the delights of the land Down Under can now be shared with an even wider audience.

Of course, I’ll still keep posting peripheral material here — all the things that wouldn’t fit in the book. So you can continue to enjoy and learn about Australia, even if you don’t latch on to the larger story. But, of course, I do hope you’ll join me on my 20,000-mile trek around and across a country I found so enchanting.

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Travel Discount

I didn’t say anything about my trip to Egypt and Jordan — but it was great. I went with Overseas Adventure Travel, which always runs amazing tours. The groups are small (14-16 people), and they always include cool extras, like home-hosted meals, cooking lessons, lectures, and cultural interaction with locals, as well as all the “big” stuff you expect.

This is the fourth trip I’ve gone on with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT). I also did their Morocco trip, their China and Tibet tour, and a three-week Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam combo. I’m thinking of doing one of their South American trips next year. Or maybe a safari. Or maybe northern India. Sigh. So many places, so little time.

The way OAT advertises is primarily by word-of-mouth. Once you’ve been on a trip, you can tell others about the organization — and you can offer discounts. The discounts are $50 off land-only tours and $100 off tours that include a river trip. (Egypt included a four-day Nile cruise, and in China, we spent four days cruising up the Yangtze — but not all trips include river segments.) All you have to do is mention that I sent you to them and give them my customer number — 637771a. That gets you the discount on your trip. Then, once you’ve fallen in love with them, you can give others discounts on their trips.

I don’t always go on tours — in fact, most of my trips are on my own. But when I do want a tour, OAT is where I look first. As a writer, I don’t make all that much money, but OAT offers great prices and the most bang-for-your-buck of any outfit I’ve traveled with. (And as an FYI, the “adventure” in OAT is cultural adventure — no bungee jumping or kayaking over waterfalls.)

So check them out — http://www.OATTravel.com — and tell them I sent you. I don’t know anyone who has ever regretted taking an OAT trip.