There’s something irresistibly funny about the way travel appears to be so easy and effortless on paper. You’re at home, imagining freshly baked croissants, cobblestone streets, and a perfect itinerary. You imagine everything going according to plan until reality shows up with its bag of unexpected surprises. This is exactly the way our 39-day European adventure began in 2013.
Me and my spouse Leslie were prepared to embark on the journey that will last a lifetime. The maps were printed, we had highlighted guides, booked train tickets, and had what we considered to be a great itinerary. We’d go to London, Brussels, Bruges, as well as Europe’s Romantic Road, Prague, Vienna, Lake Como, and Paris. All of it sounded… feasible. However, somewhere between Heathrow and a train that broke down in Germany, I realised something very important — sh#! is happening and makes for one amazing story.
Since the time we arrived in London, our well-planned journey was a hilarious turn. London was greeted by fog, rain, and a train ride that felt as if it were an Olympic marathon with a load of luggage. Leslie, who was still recovering from hip surgery, raced through each day like a champion when I lost us (more than once). She would look at me or laugh and then ask, “Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Actually, I rarely did.
The best part is, these accidents are the reason why this trip was memorable. It was hilarious to laugh at every turn, every delayed train, and every missed connection. Once you’ve traveled for a long time and you’re able to see that it’s not about the number of attractions you’ve seen, it’s about the stories you’ve accumulated on the way.
This is what”Sh#! Happens when Traveling With John and Leslie was an assortment of genuinely hilarious, messy moments that illustrate the experience of traveling as a normal couple in exceptional situations. It’s not a glitzy travel guide. It’s a non-fiction work about love, resilience, and the humour that keeps us moving when things do not go as planned.
In Brussels, we discovered that ordering the wrong item from a menu is an act of defiance. In Germany, we were able to find that GPS signals are notorious for their cruel, humorous sense. In Prague, we found ourselves in the midst of a crowd who were celebrating something that we couldn’t understand, but embraced nevertheless. In Paris, well, Paris was everything you’d think, minus the particular Metro door that nearly swallowed us up completely.
Every day was a surprise. However, what we found out during the course of our travels was that the most memorable moments aren’t always those you have planned. They’re those that surprise you, like an unintentional sight from the Eiffel Tower at sunset or a chuckle following a long, chaotic day.
Many readers have told me that the book makes them feel like they’re travelling with us without the loss of luggage. They smile at our stories, sigh at our everyday annoyances, and are reminded that it doesn’t need to be perfect in order to be beautiful.
Travel is a mirror of life. You plan, prepare, and plan again, but the true magic happens in the unexpected moments that you didn’t think about. That’s why Sh#! Happens resonates so deeply. It’s a reminder to smile when plans don’t go as planned, keep an open mind no matter how tired, and to be awestruck by the journey because that’s where the true stories are.
If you are a fan of great non-fiction books that inspire you to laugh, contemplate, and think about your life differently, then Sh#! Happens is the ideal companion. It’s not all about flawless travel. It’s about the hilarious, heartwarming, joyful, and occasionally absurd aspects of being a human.
It’s not only what you’ve done, it’s what you did to get there and who was on your side in the event of a mishap. Take a look at “Sh#! Happens” today, and find out the ways that erroneous turns can lead to the most desirable places to go.
