Book Review "The Good Girls Guide To Getting Lost"

Rachel is the traveler we all wish we could be and the traveler that breaks through her excuses. She was in a place where she felt lost, isolated, confused and didn't know what direction she was going to take. So she did something about it. She threw caution (eh not so much) to the wind and went to Ireland.

I will say the Ireland Rachel kind of drove me crazy. I wanted her to be more adventurous and embrace her experience more than I felt like she was. At the end of her time in Ireland I came to discover that she did adventure unlike I first thought. Travel looks different for different people and everyone's journey is unique. The important thing that happened for Rachel was that she was unhappy and confused and made a decision about her life. She wasn't ready to do what everyone else was doing and so she didn't. Her time in Ireland sparked so much more for her.

She left more confident, ready for adventure and was inspired by travel. Her new found spirit took her all over Australia and South America. She got what she needed through travel and took a hold of her own happiness.

Rachel taught me a lot through her travels. Here I am 2 years out of college with no real direction, working in an industry I like but feeling lost in what I do, living somewhere I don't want to be, and scared to make a life changing decision. Here is a girl who I wanted to be more adventurous, who I was criticizing yet she did it. She did what she wanted while I sit here thinking, contemplating, and not getting any happier. Her journey is inspiring and a different side of reality to travel.

This book is a must read for people wanting to travel. It tells the story of a different side of travel. A side that isn't about the adrenaline junkie or wealthy traveler but of a girl who needed travel to find herself.

Memorable Quotes

“What happens when we lose the things that anchor us? What if, instead of grasping at something to hold on to, we pull up our roots and walk away? Instead of trying to find the way back, we walk deeper and deeper into the woods, willing ourselves to get lost. In this place where nothing is recognizable. not the people or the language or the food, we are truly on our own. Eventually, we find ourselves unencumbered by the past or the future. Here is a fleeting glimpse of our truest self, our self in the present moment.”

“I imagine the people whose lives are most intertwined with mine, and I realize life has gone on without me. The planet has not imploded because I, the girl who has always done what is expected of her, decided not to, just this once.”

“It’s exciting to fit somewhere when I have felt out of place everywhere for so long.”

“Who you are when you are tested might not be pretty, but it's always real.”