The Travelling Ape: What Travelling (Nearly) Everywhere Taught Me about Humanity, Geopolitics, and Happiness

Book info: The Travelling Ape: What Travelling (Nearly) Everywhere Taught Me about Humanity, Geopolitics, and Happiness (Paperback, 516 pages) – Fuzzy Flamingo, 2023. Language: English.

Gold Medal Winner: Independent Press Awards in the Travel Category, 2024Gold Medal Winner: International Book Awards in the Travel Category, 2024Silver Medal Winner: Readers' Favorite in the Travel Category, 2024“Heartfelt, illuminating, and frequently humorous” — Thomas Swick, NYTimes Book Review contributor and author of The Joys of Travel“A travel book like no other” — Matt Walker, Guardian contributor and author of Europe United“These fun, inspiring (and sometimes alarming) adventures will persuade you that the urge to travel is in our DNA” — Charles Wheelan, NYTimes contributor and author of We Came, We Saw, We Left“At once a bible for us dromomaniacs and a persuasive polemic for why you should become one” — Travis Jeppesen, Author of See You Again Pyongyang“Oozes love for travel, cultures, the human race, and most importantly learning” – Nicos Hadjicostis, Award-winning author of Destination Earth“The author leaves the reader with a refreshing and positive outlook on our shared humanity” – Bhavana Gesota, author of The Art of Slow TravelWhat’s our planet really like?Are humans mostly good or bad?Is civilisation heading in the right or wrong direction?How many rhetorical questions can you ask before it gets boring? One bewildered, insignificant ape believes he has answers to these questions. Michael Mackay Richards is one of around 400 Homo sapiens – 0.000000001% of people who’ve ever lived – to have visited over 150 of the world’s 195 countries. Which last time he checked, was officially quite a lot of countries.The Travelling Ape is an award-winning book that explores what travelling the world taught him about life, humanity, and the geopolitical turmoil that so defines us. And how exploring the world changed him as a person, too. A journey infused with sharp insights and equally entertaining anecdotes of personal humiliation, from when travel goes wrong. From the streets of Pyongyang and street food in Bangkok, to silent meditation retreats in India, to a ride on an abandoned roller coaster in Iraq for some reason, no stone is left unturned on this epic (and sometimes weird) global odyssey. Throughout The Travelling Ape, Richards highlights key insights and personal growth through travel, such as:• Travel renews your spirit and curiosity in the planet.• Humanity and the world are in much better shape than the media makes out.• People of different cultures and religions are all essentially the same.• Over 99% of people are good people.• Travel can change you as a person and help you fall in love with humanity.With a unique voice, one of the best-travelled apes in history offers you a fresh take on the world.It’s one that just might help you fall back in love with it. Editorial Reviews Review "Michael Richards has travelled widely and thoughtfully, accumulating not only miles but insights. The Travelling Ape is a heartfelt, illuminating, and frequently humorous examination of the human passion to see and understand the world."
Thomas Swick, NYTimes Book Review, National Geographic, and Smithsonian Magazine contributor and author of The Joys of Travel.

"Michael Richards has lovingly explored our planet like few others. His fun, inspiring (and sometimes alarming) adventures will persuade you that the urge to travel is in our DNA."
Charles Wheelan, Wall Street Journal and NYTimes contributor. Author of We Came, We Saw, We Left and The Centrist Manifesto.

"A wicked read by a restless globetrotter who manages to combine his own exciting experiences with in-depth info and thought-provoking commentary. This book will inspire any traveller to hit the road."
Gunnar Garfors, author of Elsewhere: A Journey to the World's Least-Visited Countries. TEDx speaker, first person to visit every country in the world twice.

"Trapeze around the world through amusing and thought-inducing stories bound to tickle your lust for travel. Peppered with lessons learned and insights gained, the author leaves the reader with a refreshing and positive outlook on our shared humanity."
Bhavana Gesota, author of The Art of Slow Travel.

"At a time when it's easy to lose faith in mankind, this optimistic, kind, and ultimately celebratory book by Mike Richards is the perfect global antidote to restore that faith."
NomadMania, directory for the world's most widely-travelled people.

"Written with humour, optimism, and light-hearted introspection, The Travelling Ape takes readers on a journey through the joys and challenges of travel itself. It's a broadly upbeat look at the world that reminds readers that — although global society is not without its challenges — most people are kind, curious, and good."
Kim Dinan, author of The Yellow Envelope: One Gift, Three Rules, and a Life-Changing Journey Around the World, contributor for Backpacker Magazine.

"Mike Richards's impassioned travelogue is an inspired antidote to the petty nationalisms that divide us. This witty and highly readable Travelling Ape paves a much-needed way forward toward a cosmopolitan interconnectivity — without which, we're surely all doomed."
Travis Jeppesen, NYTimes and Wall Street Journal contributor and author of See You Again in Pyongyang.

"If I had my way, The Travelling Ape would be required reading in all secondary school and university geography and world history classes. It kindles a passion for learning about other places and will make the reader want to take a trip around the world."
Greg Ellifritz, author of Choose Adventure: Safe Travel in Dangerous Places.

"This book is both a joy and a tonic for anyone who has ever wondered about the value, or otherwise, of travel. Michael Richards's relentless positivity and curiosity about the world shines through on every page. His introspective travel memoir brims with humanity and happiness - a good thing, these days - and the writing zips along with humour and honesty. It's a great read, I loved it."
Jules Brown, author of The Born to Travel Collection: Tales From a Travel Writer's Life and Rough Guides contributor.

"A truly engaging book, told with great humour. It gives a great understanding of what it's really like to travel to off the beaten track destinations, as well as giving fascinating insight into geopolitics, the deeper meaning of travel, and much more."
Lupine Travel, experts of off-the-beaten-track travel. About the Author MICHAEL MACKAY RICHARDS is an author, as well as a global economic and political research analyst from London, UK. Prior to this, he completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Politics and International Relations from the University of Bristol in England. His passion for global affairs extends to travel. He's visited 155 out of the world's 195 countries according to the UN definition, documenting his travels and views on his website Michael is also a certified meditation instructor with the British School of Meditation, with several thousand hours of meditation practice and several silent meditation retreats under his belt. He also wrote this blurb about himself in the third person.