On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer

Rick Steves' travel books and shows are always informative and entertaining.  This publication isn't a typical guide book.  Actually, it's not a guide book at all. It's a memoir and diary of an amazing trip he and his friend endured when they were in their twenties.I did say endured as it was described as an primitive adventure with total lack of refinement. Filthy conditions for sleeping, dangerous border guards and at times meals with questionable concern regarding preparation. That said, it's exactly what he and his friend wanted to check off the bucket list.  The Hippie Trail. You know straight off you'd have rough conditions but it's the adventure of a lifetime.This is actually the diary of two 23 year old friends who make this show more trip work on a showstring budget.  They controlled themselves by limiting photos to 11 per day.  These were the days of film and no cell phone snaps.  The appeal to me was reading about the youthful carefree attitude regarding travel.  Something I have done, but wouldn't repeat now. I was in Europe the same year Steves arrived to start this journey but my loose itinerary was all about seeing western Europe (and as much of it as possible) before money ran out. A one way ticket from Miami to Luxembourg and savings lasted me (and the now ex-husband) for a year and a half before returning home.  I interject this because I get the youthful sense of adventurous traveling, sleeping in a van, discovering new foods and cultures with zero responsibilities.  Much thanks to Deb at Readerbuzz for the opportunity to read this book. show less

Rick Steves, known as a travel writer and for travel programs on PBS, has written this book from a diary he kept during a 1978 trip. He was 23 when he and a friend traveled through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. Most interested in understanding how people lived day to day in each of the countries, he records interactions with ordinary people as they they go about their daily lives. Steves ends the book writing that the trip changed his life causing him to become the life-long world traveler and writer we know rather than continuing to be a piano teacher during the school term and traveler during the summer.

For me the book sometimes became a bit tedious when it was more detailed than needed but reading it was a show more good experience. Quite often I thought about how different it might be today. show less

I really enjoyed tagging along with Rick Steves and his friend Gene as they traveled the Hippie Trail from Europe to Nepal back in the late ‘70s. My ticket was the audiobook narrated by Rick, who reads it with the same genial charm he brings to his travel show. Even though I didn’t get the instant gratification of seeing the photos he referred to as I listened, the attached pdf file was easy to access so it was no trouble to pull them up from time to time. There are pluses and minuses to take into account in deciding whether to read this in print or on audio, but I don’t think you can go wrong either way.

On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the making of a Travel Writer is written by Rick Steves. Published in 2025.
Brilliant. I loved it. The book reminded me so much of myself and my husband trekking across Europe and North Africa in the early 1970s.
Memories. Photographs. Intimate, personal writing and reflection.
References to Peace Corps Volunteers . [Having been a Peace Corps Volunteer, myself in the Pacific, I know that on-the-ground PCVs can help with anything and everything.]
Maps.
The exhaustion from having ‘to bargain’ over everything. The lack of plumbing.
The handwritten diary notes and expense sheets.
The Preface and Postscript reflecting on how this journey through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal show more in 1978 changed his life.
I enjoyed reading the book so much, and am rereading the book as I write this review.
Thank you Rick and Gene. ***** show less

Rick Steves, travel writer extraordinaire, writes about his travels just after graduating from college in the late 1970s. If you’re a fan of Steves’ travel stories on NPR, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s informative and humorous and vintage Rick Steves.

This is truly enjoyable for me as I love the travel guides and I'm a fan of the show on PBS.

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