A wild ride indeed

No Baggage:

A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering

by Clara Bensen
 

The book jacket says: One dress, three weeks, eight countries--zero baggage.
And that's it! She carried a purse with a small assortment of personal care items, two pairs of underwear, a phone, a passport, and a tube of Chapstick.

I'll leave the suspense for the reader, but let me just remark that in spite of the lightness of her physical load, she carried the full load of emotional baggage.  I came to love this not-so-crazy lady taking a wild leap into the unknown with a partner as scared of commitment as she was. Or maybe he was scareder--he wouldn't even commit to a hotel reservation. Or a tube of toothpaste.

It ends up as a lovely love story...somewhere between surrender, contest and compromise, with bad hygiene thrown in for comic relief:

[in Istanbul] It briefly occurred to me that I had no idea which continent I was on as I battled my flight-rumpled hair in the bathroom....
Jeff and I would have to skip the early, always-look-attractive stage of dating...the roots of my hair were dark-tinged with grease. my eyes were dim crescents. My dress smelled like stale fingers on airplane cushions. My armpits had begun their gradual descent into bacterial petri dishes. Oh well.

I have to admit I was getting a bit dizzy halfway. So many places in so little time! But a surprising depth in her growing self-knowing kept me reading. I appreciate many authors who share their travels with me, but I especially thank you, Ms. Benson.  Journey on!