Book: The Aspiring Traveler's Handbook

International travel is a dream of many, but often shelved for being too expensive or difficult to work into an already hectic life. Jackie Laulainen’s The Aspiring Traveler’s Handbook: A Preparation Guide to International Travel (self-published, $20) seeks to diffuse those negative notions, and give the reader knowledge necessary for a globetrotting adventure. Particularly helpful is the author’s advice on how to prioritize finances to make travel a reality, and the personal stories of her travels provide real-world examples of the methods in action. Much of the information—such as visa requirements and international cell phone use—can be found online, but Laulainen conveniently curates this information, making the book a handy resource to keep on the bookshelf and certainly justifies purchasing a book rather than trolling the Internet.