Year 1 - fur babies in France
by Jacqueline Lambert
The first in a highly-rated series of travel memoirs, which follow the true story of a couple who gave up work, accidentally bought a caravan, then sold up to tour full-time with their four loveable cavalier/poodle pups. Each book by this award-winning author is a stand-alone adventure.
Paperback
English
Brand New
Publisher Description
"And then there is the most dangerous risk of all - the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." Randy KomisarJackie and Mark were both made redundant in their early 50s. They decided to get a dog - but ended up with four; cuddly Cavapoos Kai, Rosie, Ruby and Lani.Then, never having owned a tin box on wheels, they accidentally bought a caravan. They named her 'Kismet' - which means 'Fate'.Half way down the second bottle of CCC (Caravan Celebratory Champagne) they made the perfectly rational decision to go straight from being First-Timers to Full-Timers. Within a month, they had sold most of their possessions on eBay and rented out their apartment to tour in Kismet full time. They called it 'Early Retirement' and set out to Live the Dream by touring Europe with their surfboards on their roof.Based on Jackie's travel blog. 'Fur Babies in France' is the true story of their first year on wheels with Kismet and 'Big Blue' - their trusty tow vehicle (and toy box) - a Hyundai iLoad panel van.It was a steep learning curve; one that involved lots of breakages and started on Day 1 with a near-death experience! However, Jackie and Mark approach all their mishaps and misadventures with more than a pinch of humour.And avoiding the crowds to tour France by the back roads, they finally found what they were looking for; beauty, peace and tranquillity, with a bit of windsurfing thrown in!
Author Biography
Jackie Lambert has long had a passion for travel and adventure. Always a bit of a tomboy, it was an accidental white-water rafting trip down the Zambezi that really opened her eyes to the experiences that the world has to offer. The trip was not, as she expected, 'floating down the river looking at wildlife.' Somewhere between the adrenaline of tackling Grade 5 rapids in crocodile infested waters and the raw beauty of sleeping under the stars on the banks of the river, she determined that she was no longer content to live her life in thin slices. Since then, she has travelled as much as time and budget would allow and has rafted major rivers on every continent except Antarctica. Before meeting her husband, Mark, she took a sabbatical from work (although she was single at the time, she asked for - and was granted - maternity leave!) to spend several months backpacking around Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. A keen skier and windsurfer, Jackie is a Team Rider for the UK's National Watersports Festival, to which she has contributed many articles and blogs about windsurfing. She is also the wordsmith behind her own dog-centric caravan travel blog, World Wide Walkies, which has been featured in the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Newsletter and Dog Friendly Magazine. She and Mark were made redundant in 2016 - and have been travelling ever since.
Review
"Laugh out loud funny... offers valuable information about travel with dogs...you don't need to be a caravanner to appreciate this book... The book is beautifully written and I loved every sentence."Great read! Enjoyed this fun book. A well written, real, honest travel guide with lots of useful information.I can't remember the last time I bought a book and read it in entirety in two days...I could not put it down.
Long Description
"And then there is the most dangerous risk of all - the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." Randy Komisar Jackie and Mark were both made redundant in their early 50s. They decided to get a dog - but ended up with four; cuddly Cavapoos Kai, Rosie, Ruby and Lani. Then, never having owned a tin box on wheels, they accidentally bought a caravan. They named her 'Kismet' - which means 'Fate'. Half way down the second bottle of CCC (Caravan Celebratory Champagne) they made the perfectly rational decision to go straight from being First-Timers to Full-Timers. Within a month, they had sold most of their possessions on eBay and rented out their apartment to tour in Kismet full time. They called it 'Early Retirement' and set out to Live the Dream by touring Europe with their surfboards on their roof. Based on Jackie's travel blog. 'Fur Babies in France' is the true story of their first year on wheels with Kismet and 'Big Blue' - their trusty tow vehicle (and toy box) - a Hyundai iLoad panel van. It was a steep learning curve; one that involved lots of breakages and started on Day 1 with a near-death experience! However, Jackie and Mark approach all their mishaps and misadventures with more than a pinch of humour. And avoiding the crowds to tour France by the back roads, they finally found what they were looking for; beauty, peace and tranquillity, with a bit of windsurfing thrown in!
Review Quote
"Laugh out loud funny... offers valuable information about travel with dogs...you don't need to be a caravanner to appreciate this book... The book is beautifully written and I loved every sentence." Great read! Enjoyed this fun book. A well written, real, honest travel guide with lots of useful information. I can't remember the last time I bought a book and read it in entirety in two days...I could not put it down.
Details
