Description
One couple’s inspiring story as they circumnavigate the world seeking items on an incredible bucket list.
“I’ve pulled the Bucket List back out. Amongst what’s left are the Trans-Siberian Express, the Terracotta Army, the Swiss Alps and the Panama Canal.”
Easy words spoken over an avocado on toast breakfast – catalyst for a global adventure. A 24 country, 57,000-kilometre unforgettable journey across the steppes of Mongolia, the wilderness of Siberia, Putin’s Russia. Through strike torn France, Europe during winter and over the lonely Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Commencing in October 2019 and undertaken by author Emma and injured husband Darryl, the trip will cement their belief that travel is the epitome of learning and the antidote for depression. And while providing an education on the incredible places visited, there will also be lessons on staying one step ahead of a developing pandemic, Google translate, food poisoning and train accidents. Throw in some weighty goals like having a rum in Barbados, a coffee in Guatemala and guacamole in Mexico; it might even be the cure for their itchy feet.
P Reefer –
REVIEWED BY
P Reefer – Reedsy Discovery
I am a Global citizen residing in one of the Happiest Caribbean Countries: Trinidad and Tobago. I am a Teacher of English and Communication Studies. Reading and creating book reviews are my favourite pastimes. I wrote several reviews currently published on Amazon and Goodreads.
Loved it! 😍
Reading Scattergood’s travelogue takes readers to twenty-four amazing destinations spanning four continents.
George RR Martin is accredited with the popular saying that “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, and the one who doesn’t read, lives just one.” Reading Scattergood’s travelogue takes readers to twenty-four amazing destinations spanning four continents and allows the reader to live an adventure-filled and culturally enriched life. The reader experiences the adrenaline rush that occurs at the various train stations and airports. The journey is an enthralling and exciting one that makes it difficult to do anything but continue the trip started. Scattergood also conveys the unsavory aspects of her travelling experience so that readers rejoice that they can enjoy aspects of the tours without a firsthand experience of its traumas and overpriced culinary dishes.
It is likely that a few of the destinations that are on Scattergood’s bucket list are the same as those of thousands of other would-be travellers globally. Four of the destinations visited by Emma and Darryl that are on my bucket list are Italy, France, Switzerland, and Australia. Hats off to this couple for making their bucket list a reality I am not too sure about making my bucket list of destinations into a reality.
While Itchy Feet and Bucket Lists by Emma Scattergood does not have accompanying pictures, many pictures and even virtual tours are available of mentioned sites online. Whenever I read, a travelogue I always try to log on to the visual images to get a greater immersion into the visited landscape, I do recommend this approach for an even more enriching experience of the book. I was stunned by the reality of the Ghost cities of China and the sheer beauty and majesty of the chapels in Rome.
Having visited Barbados numerous times and each time having the opportunity to engage in both work and pleasure, I was still eager to learn where Emma and Darryl ventured. I was amused to learn that they visited one of the Rum factories a place I have never been to but have read about prior. Persons who enjoy traveling and those who have traveled will enjoy sharing the perspectives and vistas of Scattergood. The author’s engaging writing style allows for an easy and enjoyable read. Enjoy your globetrotting.
Liz H –
REVIEWED BY
Liz H – Goodreads Reader
Whether you are planning your own World Trip, or happy to read along for the adventure, Emma Scattergood has tips, planning descriptions, and budgets woven into this fabulous account of her second Bucket List journey.
I sit comfortably reading along, as Emma chatters about her experiences travelling with her husband Darryl, who was severely injured and now requires a walking stick and foot brace to get around. She informs me about each country’s history and current status with a snappy and pertinent description, and shares her mounting excitement of anticipation at each phase.
We share their experiences and humorous moments, Darryl’s dry wit coming to the fore. At times, there are disappointments, changes and even an accident, each requiring a readjustment of plans. Hot tips include using portable Audio Guides, making use of local supermarkets for food supplies, and making use of travel passes such a Eurail train passes and Oyster Cards in the UK. Mistakes happen, however, their determined perseverance wins out, whether lugging wheelie trolly bags over cobblestones or learning the game of Bridge.
From the Great Overland Train Journeys across China, Mongolia and Russia, through the highlights of Europe, to the Cruise over Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the Panama Canal, Emma’s descriptions bring the scenes to life. Watching the sun go down over the Matterhorn, sailing past the rainforests of Panama, or sitting on the deck of the Arcadia Cruise ship looking over Sydney Harbour, I find my Bucket List has grown with wonder and fascination.
As Emma says: “I love this life of travel. Of touching on different countries and places and learning a little of their history. Of being judged by where you are going, not by what you do for a living. The thrill of waking and experiencing a new place.”
Lindsay Crandall –
Reviewed by Lindsay Crandall – Independent Book Reviews
A monumental travel memoir spanning 24 countries in four months
When Emma Scattergood pulls out her and her husband’s bucket list to plan their next great adventure, only four items remain. When asked which location she has in mind this time, she responds, “all of them.” Thus begins the planning of the Scattergoods’ second global adventure. Determined to cross off each location, Emma and Darryl embark on a four-month long journey across Asia, greater Europe, the Panama Canal, America, and across both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Itchy Feet & Bucket Lists dedicates a chapter to each country on their itinerary. Scattergood does an excellent job of interspersing the travel narrative with historical and geographical information and helpful tips for those who wish to one day embark on their own adventure.
The duo’s journey is epic, letting no distance stand in their way. In just a few months, they hit landmarks and notable destinations to satisfy their itchy feet, including the Terracotta Army in Xianyang (the ancient former capital of China), Mongolia by way of the Trans-Mongolian Railway, Russia, and even spend their holidays in England. For the second half of the trip, they take a seven-week cruise aboard the Arcadia, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal, and the Pacific Ocean before arriving home in Aus- tralia just twenty days before a global pandemic is declared. Talk about good timing.
Scattergood’s prose is filled with thoughtful and sharp commentary on her trip. Her writing is what makes the trip come alive:
“…there will be no more time zones to traverse, no more languages to cope with, no more watches to adjust. That despite food poisoning, train accidents, itinerary adjust- ments and a looming world pandemic, we have just done something that neither of us thought we would ever do. We have together, successfully and happily, circumnavigated the entire world.”
Itchy Feet & Bucket Lists is an enjoyable and entertaining read, especially for those who like to travel or who are feeling nostalgic for some pre-pandemic global adventure. Scattergood describes her experiences and surroundings in such a way that pulls readers right along with her on this journey, marrying that bit of anxiety that one feels when traveling through foreign countries with the excitement of venturing outside of their comfort zone.
Whether it’s the descriptions of a particularly cold walking tour of Irkutsk at -14 degrees or the much-anticipated Panama Canal crossing, Itchy Feet & Bucket Lists is an inspiring travel memoir and a fun-filled excuse for readers to examine their own bucket lists and maybe even consider adding a new destination or two.