Book Review: “Escape Plan – Ditch the Rat Race, Discover the World, Live Better for Less” by Mark Mason

The book “Escape Plan- Ditch the Rat Race, Discover the World, Live Better for Less” by Mark Mason sounded appealing from the title when I first saw it. Perhaps my expectation was more along the lines of “Eat, Pray, Love” where I’d be inspired to visit the world. However, this e-book is more of an “action plan” or “how to” book.

This e-book focuses on traveling for long periods of time and all of the things to consider with this path. Mark Manson brings you through many of the basics, such as what adapters/converters for electronics are used in different countries, as well as some less commonly discussed topics, like how to handle your mail while traveling abroad for longer periods and what type of bank or credit card to use. He gives a lot of useful tips and information, including links, making it a great reference guide. He provides very specific tips and does not gloss over the topic. For instance, he gave websites and step by step instructions on how to replicate some of the ways he has booked airfare. He also covered booking all types of accommodations and different ways to travel (volunteering, etc.). In addition to the pragmatic travel concerns, the author talks about how to make friends and connections while traveling, and how learning the language of a country can help you make friends. He also gives basic rundowns of many countries and languages.

There were both things I liked about this e-book and things I didn’t. My negative reactions were mostly due to much of the swearing throughout the book. I thought that it was unexpected and unnecessary and read as though this was just a young man writing his thoughts down as he would speak. I can understand using a swear word or two for extreme emphasis in a written book, but used commonly throughout the book made it feel less authoritative. What I liked about the book was the solid information that was given on things like visas (I learned more about visas than I ever knew before!), insuring yourself on longer trips, cell phone usage abroad, and costs of living in different countries. For someone trying to determine if they want to engage in world travel, the author gives someone enough concrete information to help them decide or not fear the unknown of long term travel. I also think it brings up topics that someone might not otherwise consider when thinking of traveling abroad. The author obviously has a lot of experience traveling and living abroad himself and much of the information in this e-book would be useful to someone considering world travel. As someone who has traveled around the world myself (not extensively, but have been to several continents and countries, though I haven’t lived abroad), I found that his information seemed honest and accurate in many places. I would recommend this e-book for a comprehensive guide to give a checklist of all the sorts of things to consider and think about for traveling around the world.