True Travel

A semi-biographical collection of stories told from my point of view. These are funny, exciting, and sometimes horrifying true tales of my experiences working above and below the surface of the water. The jobs were on dams, bridges, and oilrigs in rivers, lakes and the oceans.

Only four men survived the plane crash. The pilot. A politician. A cop... and the criminal he was shackled to. On an icy night in October 1984, a commuter plane carrying nine passengers crashed in the remote wilderness of northern Alberta. Four survived: the rookie pilot, a prominent politician, a cop, and the criminal he was escorting to face charges. As the men fight through the night to stay alive, the dividing lines of power, wealth, and status are erased, and each man is forced to confront the precious and limited nature of his existence.

It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense. —Mark Twain After selling their Minnesota home, Travis and Wendy plan an elaborate departure from the United States before repatriating themselves to the UK. Buying a second-hand RV, visiting states unknown, and selling the campervan after reaching Florida seems like the perfect exit. So they pack their lives and blind Shih Tzu into a once-luxurious thirty-one-foot RV and hit the open road. As they roll through the Midwest, heading for the Deep South, they soon discover “RV” doesn't mean “Reliable Vehicle...

Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other, a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.

Whenever someone asks me what the most memorable tour was during my 15 years as a tour operator and tour guide, I never hesitate to say – this one – THE FLINDERS AND BIRDSVILLE TOUR. When I look back on it, I often wonder how we got away with it. This is a true story of a group of Kiwi Seniors on a bus trip through Outback Australia in 2008. The travelers survived, sadly the bus did not.

On May 3, 2010, an Irish national named Jeffrey Lendrum was apprehended at Britain’s Birmingham International Airport with a suspicious parcel strapped to his stomach. Inside were 14 rare peregrine falcon eggs snatched from a remote cliffside in Wales. So begins a tale almost too bizarre to believe, following the parallel lives of a globe-trotting smuggler who spent two decades capturing endangered raptors worth millions of dollars as race champions - and Detective Andy McWilliam, who’s hell bent on protecting the world’s birds of prey.

In What Really Happens in Vegas, full of surprises for both newcomers and Las Vegas regulars, James Patterson and Vanity Fair contributing editor Mark Seal transport listeners from the thrill of adrenaline-fueled vice to the glitter of A-list celebrity and entertainment.

In the summer of 1978, 21-year-old Paul Wilson jumps at the chance to join two local icons on a dream surf trip to mainland Mexico, unaware their ultimate destination lies in the heart of the drug cartel country. Having no earthly idea of where he’ll get the money to pay his share and determined to prove his mettle, he does the only thing he can think of: He robs a supermarket.

Drawing on historical documents and contemporary accounts and on exclusive interviews with Carlsen's family, Delaney opens a window into the world of the merchant marine. With deep affection, and respect, for the weather and all that goes with it, he places us in the heart of the storm, a "biblical tempest" of unimaginable power. He illuminates the bravery and ingenuity of Carlsen and the extraordinary courage that the 37-year-old captain inspired in his stalwart crew.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, until it doesn’t. It was one hot night and I wanted so much more. But the next morning, she was gone. The only thing she took with her was my heart. I never figured love at first sight was real, but it was. Skip forward eight years later and guess who shows up needing a job? Just so happens that I need an assistant. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. She’s a smart cookie, though, and feels the tension between us. I’m not sure if it’s lust, love, or my need for revenge, but I’m not giving up without a fight. My lover turned enemy,...

Best part about just one night? You can be whoever you want. But so can they. She was my mystery girl. Until she wasn’t. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who lied about who I was that night in Paris. Now I see the real her. And she needs help. I’m willing to give her more than that. Working together is just what I need. Her curves are the best part of my day. My night, too. But nothing this good is easy. When someone threatens to burn us down, I’m left wondering. Was one night in Paris all it was supposed to be?

In the tradition of Into the Wild comes an instant classic of outdoor literature, a riveting work of uncommon depth. I’m planning on doing four days in the jungle.... It should be difficult to get lost forever: These were the haunting last words legendary adventurer Roman Dial received from his son, before the 27-year old disappeared into the jungles of Costa Rica. This is Dial's intensely gripping and deeply moving account of his two-year quest to unravel the mystery of his son's fate.

Embark on an exhilarating journey through time with "The Water Maiden," a spellbinding tale that blends the allure of Diana Gabaldon's epic adventures with the mystique of Barbara Erskine's historical intrigue. When Abigail unexpectedly hurtles through time, she finds herself stranded in the tumultuous sixteen hundreds. Amidst suspicion and uncertainty, she forges an unlikely alliance with four sisters accused of witchcraft. Together, they navigate the perilous waters of a bygone era, Abigail relying on her newfound resilience and feminine guile to survive. As Abigail encounters fleeting ...

There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. But perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world's oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation.

In the summer of 1989 Eric Bullard took a month off from his job as Vice-President in charge of sales and marketing for the family publishing company and returned to the Hindu ashram where he had lived and studied for three years. It was supposed to be a vacation, a sort of rest before the heavy Christmas season's workload. But what he found there and the resulting years of uncertainty, mystery and finally great magic will leave readers on the edge of their seats, questioning their own perceptions of reality. Sometimes shocking, sometimes humorous, always on the edge, "The Ashram" is a true...

In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. In that euphoric year Rory MacLean travelled from Berlin to Moscow, exploring lands that were - for most Brits and Americans - part of the forgotten half of Europe. Thirty years on, MacLean traces his original journey backwards, across countries confronting old ghosts and new fears: from revanchist Russia, through Ukraine’s bloodlands, into illiberal Hungary and then Poland, Germany and the UK.

Young and in love, their lives ahead of them, Tami Oldham and her fiancé, Richard Sharp, set sail from Tahiti under brilliant blue skies, with Tami’s hometown of San Diego as their ultimate destination. But the two free spirits and avid sailors couldn’t anticipate that less than two weeks into their voyage, they would sail directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history.

Investigating a mysterious, nineteenth-century secret society called the Order of Meonia, researchers Graham Phillips and Jodi Russell are drawn into a remarkable true story of the unexplained. On visiting an ancient burial site on remote moorlands in central England, an inexplicable storm rages directly around them while the surrounding countryside remains peaceful and calm. Before long, their lives are dramatically changed. Astonishingly, they find themselves in a reality that seems impossibly transformed. Dates have moved, history has altered, and things are no longer the same. Are they ...

Scarlet Alien slavers took me off the street as I was walking my dog. I cried like a baby when I realized I would never see him again. Other aliens rescued us before we were sold at auction. Our hopes of going home were dashed when we learned no one knew how to find Earth. On a ship tour, I met Lieutenant Commander Pyrron Advantu, who told me he was mine as he shook my hand. It happened so fast, but he was gorgeous, and our attraction was strong. My simple life had turned to chaos. It wasn’t love at first sight, but I wanted him. Pyrr Scarlet is my soulmate, and I wouldn’t deny her even...

Grab your beverage of choice, we’re going back on the road! Bringing you A Haunted Road Atlas: Next Stop, from the New York Times Bestselling authors of true crime/supernatural podcast And That’s Why We Drink! From the truest crimes to the spookiest supernaturals, this guide will have even more stories, beverage pit stops, and ice cream recommendations.