Jalan-Jalan - by Margo Weinstein (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Can you combine wanderlust and motherhood? Margo Weinstein did.

For decades, Margo Weinstein escaped her demanding legal practice by kayaking, whitewater rafting, trekking, and climbing in remote regions. Then she had a son and found herself in the kiddie pool on a Disney cruise. Searching for a new path, a jalan-jalan, that could accommodate motherhood and satisfy her wanderlust, she dragged her young son to the other side of the world, moving first to Shanghai and then to Bali.

Adventure seekers and armchair travelers will relish reading Weinstein's exploits as she battles baboons in Zimbabwe and surfaces under a capsized raft in Pakistan. Parents will appreciate her efforts to explore the world with a kid in tow and marvel at her expat life in a villa where a python on the stairs, a scorpion in the outdoor shower, and Hindu offerings ceremonially placed next to the infinity pool and Wi-Fi router are daily realities.

Told with intelligence, humor, spirit, and Weinstein's version of practicality, Jalan-Jalan will inspire you to find your path and take the trip of a lifetime.

Review Quotes

"Read this book and then go (even when they tell you not to)." -Charles Wheelan, author of We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year

"A thoroughly enjoyable, action-packed adventure that makes you realize how accessible the incredible can be if you want it enough . . ." -Kate Sweetman, author of Reinvention: Accelerating Results in the Age of Disruption

"Weinstein throws open the door of possibility, inviting us to expand our own repertoire of travel." -Meg Stafford, author of Who Will Accompany You?: My Mother-Daughter Journeys Far from Home and Close to the Heart

"Whether you're an armchair traveler or a seasoned adventurer, you will find yourself getting swept away by Jalan-Jalan: A Journey of Wanderlust and Motherhood, Margo Weinstein's intimate, illuminating memoir. . . . Weinstein personifies the word 'daring.'" -Lisa Kusel, author of Rash: One Family's Escape to Paradise

"Margo Weinstein's Jalan-Jalan takes readers along on her incredible life adventures off the beaten path . . . making for a compelling, can't-put-it-down read. A rewarding and enriching experience on all levels!" -Laura Galloway, author of Dálvi: Six Years in the Arctic Tundra

"If you've ever wondered how it would feel to completely upend your life and make sure your kids know something other than chicken nuggets and Paw Patrol birthday parties, here's your book! Sink deep into the couch and read about what happens when a mom leaves the American rat race and takes her kid with her . . . to the other side of the world." -Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow, author of Free-Range Kids

"Death-defying whitewater rafting, a nighttime climb up Mount Rainier, and dealing with snakes and scorpions as unwanted house guests-all things I will never do. But Margo Weinstein's Jalan-Jalan almost makes me want to." -Lisa M. Lilly, author of The Awakening supernatural thriller series

"Strap into your armchair and let Jalan-Jalan take you on a wild ride! Whether she's rafting in the Hindu Kush or navigating schools in China, Weinstein's adventures are the perfect antidote for wanderlust." -Gregory E. Buford, author of Kept: An American Househusband in India

"Jalan-Jalan: A Journey of Wanderlust and Motherhood is a touching memoir that takes readers into the adventures and unexpected twists and turns of both international travel and parenting. . . . Jalan-Jalan is an amazing, captivating read that you won't be able to put down." -Sheila Maloney, author of Family Gap Year: How We Moved to Brazil, Dropped Our Overscheduled Lives, and Created a Sustainable Happy Future for our Family