Short, funny travel stories make excellent beach reads. Looking for some summer entertainment that will make you laugh, yet still touch your heart? One of the top beach reads of 2019 is Junkets & Jaunts: Avocado Margaritas, Surf City Soul and the Center of the World Pyramid.
This recently self-published anthology of short travel stories is perfect reading for a day at the beach. Or, sitting poolside (maybe with an avocado margarita at hand?). These breezy beach reads are true travel stories—set in 10 different locales in the United States.
For instance: Veteran travel writer Ron Donoho describes upscale food and lodgings at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. But the real story is his quest for the perfect avo-rita.
At the high-end Four Seasons, pool attendants hand out frozen grapes and cherry Coke floats brimming with cherry gelato. But the unlikely star at the pool is the Verde Margarita. A lighthearted, yet in-depth, interview with the pool bartender reveals true mixological insight. It will make you thirsty for more poolside literary treats.
Donoho was born in Baltimore and now lives in sunny San Diego. Many of his funny travel stories are fanned out across Southern California. The table of contents includes Huntington Beach, Catalina Island and Palm Springs (where his account is one long flashback told from a massage table).
Funny Beach Reads
There’s also a voyage to the Center of the World. You know the Center of the World (with its landmark pyramid and mythical Stairway to Nowhere) is in California’s Sonoran Desert, right?
Things get sporty, too. After decades of going to Las Vegas to watch NCAA Tournament basketball, he reflects on the new generation making the pilgrimage to Sin City for March Madness.
And in the L.A. suburb of Carson, he attends an NFL football game between teams from the two NFL cities where the franchises abandoned him. Emotions clash when the Los Angeles Chargers play the Baltimore Ravens.
A collection of short travel stories might be considered a travelogue. This beach read isn’t exactly that. These funny travel stories do include the top hotels, restaurants and attractions in destinations. But the highlights come from human interactions.
The best regional insights come from bartenders, car-share drivers and casino dealers. Hospitality industry workers know where to find the best meals and deals. Show genuine interest, though, and they’ll open up to you about their lives. And often, their lives will reveal the true nature of a city or region.
For more than two decades, Donoho has chronicled destinations for national publications, city magazines and regional websites. His work has covered business travel, high-end resorts and budget weekend getaways. Today, most of his beach-read travel stories wind up on junketsandjaunts.com.
The author is at his best when peeking around the corner from the press tour. Case in point: A rainy staycation in Carlsbad (home of Legoland) turns into a quasi-romantic comedy about an after-dinner escapade (“Getting Our Just Desserts”).
You’ll have to get the book to find out just what decadence occurred in a Westin Heavenly bed after dinner that fervid night.
Buy the Book!
Junkets & Jaunts: Avocado Margaritas, Surf City Soul and the Center of the World Pyramid is available on Amazon.com in ebook and paperback format.
2 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
Comments are closed.