Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals: Adventures in Love and Danger

by Wendy Dale

From salsa dancing in a rum-induced haze and struggling to exercise in Colombia (the guerillas were using the track again today), to crossing international borders unconventionally and dodging bombs in Lebanon (the good news was that they were small bombs), Wendy somehow manages to find herself in the midst of hysterical, adventurous, and often illegal situations. Case in point every time she heads to Costa Rica, she is forced to visit another prison. Although a jail may not be everyone's idea of a place to find a date, Wendy soon falls in love with a man, a country, and its people and risks everything she has to clear his name.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Essays

336 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2003

About the author

Wendy Dale is the co-writer of the Emmy-nominated television feature, The New Adventures of Mother Goose. She has worked as a corporate writer, a public relations consultant, a speechwriter, a desktop publisher, an ad copywriter — and there was even a brief stint as a celebrity journalist. Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals has been reviewed by Outside, Playgirl, Time Out New York and Bookpage. It was chosen by USA Today as one of the best travel books of the summer.

Reviews

[Wendy Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Kind of biased here.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wendy Dale has a lot of guts. She details the good, bad, and ugly of her journey and doesn't hold back even when it's less than flattering to herself…and one could argue that there are many of those moments.

There's a lot of humor in the book. I particularly loved the "latte" conversation on page 57. Classic! I also enjoyed the several times when she addressed her reader directly. She writes with a very matter-of-fact, conversational tone.

The important message that I took away from all of the craziness of this tale was that by honing the art of acceptance of others you find your own personal peace.

I enjoyed reading this book so much that I took the time to write Dale and tell her so. She even wrote me back! I would definitely be first in line to buy her next book. Hopefully there's another one coming soon.

[Yelena Malcolm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally shy away from travel literature penned by women as, in my experience, a lot of it gets into the author's personal romantic trysts and angst and strays from the adventure and information I find worthwhile in travelogues. This book purported to be different: a tale of fulfilled wanderlust and off-the-beaten-path locales.

Which it sort of was, until the author gets laid for the first time at which point the entire book devolves into her concerns about the man, then men, she loves and goes from being an independent woman into a blithering idiot full of naivete and purple prose.

I was soundly disappointed and only kept reading expecting her man troubles to be a, if rather long, side tale and that she would return to travel soon enough.

So that makes yet another female-authored travelogue that can't keep to the story, or rather makes the story about the author. I don't like to beat up on women writers, I just wish the ones I read didn't continue being so predictable when it comes to content. The wilds of Patagonia, Namibia, Finland, and Labrador are never, I repeat never, enhanced by knowing how sad you were about your breakup when you visited.

End rant.

[Kattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book...ask the author to lend you money, she is very trusting.
I'm hoping that this book is in some part fiction. I hope she's not really that gullable, and I hope those aren't really her parents or she's adopted. Traveling the world is one thing...
So I guess what I'm saying is that the choices made by the author bugged me while reading. Odd little story.

[Peggy Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this is a memoir, not a travel book, but keeping that in mind I highly recommend this book to people who like to travel. Wendy manages to avoid all of the expected tourist places in spite of her best intentions. I learned a lot about what it's like to live in a 3rd world country.

I was immediately captivated by Wendy's intelligent and humorous voice and her interesting and entertaining experiences. I lived vicariously through her narration and am happy to say that I can now cross meeting a man in prison and living in poverty in a 3rd world country off my todo list. Thank you for that, Wendy. I loved that Wendy struggled with her relationship with her mother and was able to finally forgive and accept her (spoiler alert!). This is what life experiences and maturity are supposed to accomplish. I walked away from the book knowing that I will be more accepting of others in the future. People "fight because they want to". What a profound thought. I will ponder this long after I have forgotten the other details of this story.

What I want to know is why 20 years have passed and Wendy has not written another book?

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Travel memoir, or memoir in general, is a genre that I have not previously read. I started reading Bill Bryson's books in the last year, and now it seems like half the books I read are memoirs of some kind, particularly travel (for my money he is the very best of the travel genre). I enjoyed this story for the most part; it is more memoir than travel memoir, as the author ends up in some unlikely places, but more of the story is about her relationships, her attempts to get employment, her childhood and parents, and various exploits inside Costa Rica and Colombia. It was an entertaining poolside read for my summer vacation. I could understand how some of the reviewers have mixed feelings about the book -- the decisions made by the author and her lifestyle (and her parents, OMG) can leave you feeling a bit breathless and glad to be safely where you are.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir that starts out being about travel but really ends up being about a lot of other things. Wendy Dale spent the first 25 years of her life being the uber-adult, a reaction to her transient and often slightly chaotic childhood. However, a daring trip to Lebanon to visit a friend gives her the travel bug and she soon finds herself buying one way tickets to several Latin American locales. Unlike many who visit Costa Rica, Dale doesn't spend much time hitting the beaches but instead finds herself getting an "almost inside" look into a Costa Rican jail. How this happens and where it leads makes for one interesting story and Dale is a funny, self-decprecating writer who makes you feel like you're sitting next to her at a bar, being regaled with tale after tale. It's well worth your time.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost put this book away a couple of times but eventually I decided I needed to know how everything worked out. Wendy Dale combines stories of her dysfunctional childhood & family with tales of her travel adventures and then gets down to the nitty gritty of the book's title. She falls in love with a Colombian man who has been incarcerated in a Costa Rican prison and she is determined to prove his innocence and free him. Wendy is an extremely funny and descriptive writer and I enjoyed those qualities in the book thoroughly. However, her lifestyle was quite off-putting to me but, as I said, I had to find out how things ended!

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked this book at first, but she made some decisions that I thought weren't that great. We all make foolish choices in the game called love, but there were a lot of red flags that I think she missed. It was okay, but the last part really dragged on.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travel lore books are quickly becomming one of my favorites...I can travel without leaving home and with no expense! I loved her style of writing, putting the reader right in the thick of things, even the personal things happening in her own life. Loved this book!

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

It started out great, but eventually I grew tired of her general ditziness and diatribes regarding past vacation experiences. It felt like I was reading a travel journal where I wanted to punch myself in the face afterwards for reading it.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book grates. It basically boils down to, "Most people do this, but I do this other thing! My life is so crazy and interesting!" Yeah, not so much.

[Hannah C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I originally picked it up mildly intrigued since I had an upcoming trip to Costa Rica planned, but then I couldn’t put it down and finished it in 3 days. A lot of the reviews here frequently judge Wendy and her “poor decisions”. I think it’s safe to say they missed the point of the book. I’ve lived through my own versions of betrayal, drifting friendships, cultural immersion through love, and men who pulled me in even when my mind said “no.” The idea that when you travel, your first world problems become more mundane is 100% accurate. Having spent a fair share of time in third world countries, I especially related to that. The book has a lot of interesting underlying themes and messages, but you have to try and connect to the author and understand the why behind her actions instead of just judging them at face value.

Spoilers ahead!
Towards the end of the book, after everything she had been through she realized she could be content even working in an office because she no longer had that dying urge of wondering what else the world holds - she already knew.
I would say she came off as super unaware and even gullible when it came to money, frequently letting other people drain her savings and abuse her financially without setting boundaries. It was sad to see, but all too common considering the notion that a lot of foreigners think most Americans are wealthy or have it easy. Some of it was tough to read in the sense that you see her slow but steady downhill spiral once Francisco gets out of jail - she goes from someone making $500 a day (20 years ago!) in LA, with her own apartment, car and freedom to travel wherever she wanted to a girl budgeting $1 to eat because neither her nor her boyfriend could find a job in Colombia. She even remarks the drastic changes in herself and how now she required so little to be happy - the sacrifices she made for love, family and friendships were evident and it highlights how the need to be loved and feel as though you belong can easily outweigh the need for a life of luxury and comfort. It was sad for me to see her friendships decay, especially considering she had moved to Costa Rica partly because of the family dynamic and sense of community those friendships gave her. People who think she moved just to be with Francisco missed a lot of underlying messages and themes of the book. As an American with their own family dysfunction, I related to finding community in other strangers families and appreciating the close knit culture most Latin countries have.
The end really drove me crazy due to the sudden exit of Francisco, although I feel like he lied to Wendy about going to Costa Rica. Personally I think he knew he was getting back into a life of crime and that she was better off in the United States, not starving next to him in Colombia, and chose to sever the tie in a way that she would stop trying to save him. Or maybe he really was dumb enough to go back into Costa Rica to try and get answers out of his ex-wife. Regardless, the ambiguity lingers, and that’s part of what makes the book powerful. I found myself wishing there was a sequel. For me this book wasn’t just a travel memoir, it was something that I could relate to on multiple levels that made me reflect on my own decisions and experiences trying to figure out where I belong.

[Kim Gjerde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure this book was written by my writing coach nearly two decades ago. I could see my 2o something self reading this book, but not something my 40 something self would likely read now days. I do love travel literature, and the the first part of the book does have that and it's funny. The middle of the book is mostly a silly love story and the last part is coming of age, growing up story. I am glad I got to read it and I am so thankful to Wendy Dale for her encouragement and coaching with my own memoir.

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was nothing wrong with the writing, let's put that out there first. I just couldn't get interested enough to finish it. I read about 150 pages which is more than I usually give a book, but in the time its been on my nightstand I've read three other books and started a fourth. I finally decided to put it in a Little Library in the hopes that it'll find another, more interested, reader. Good title. Not so interesting adventures.

[Siara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. I was interested because I was going to be traveling soon after reading this and was hoping for some tips or suggestions based on her experiences. Nope. The first half of the book was pretty decent but then she met a man and it all went down hill. If I knew it was going to be an (awful) "lovestory" I wouldn't have even picked it up.

[Christina Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a fun read. The ridiculousness of the situations that the author ends up in are cringeworthy, but told in such a light-hearted, self-aware manner that you just have to laugh - out loud! I was riveted by this story of travel, family and love. This is one that I will read again.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried, I really tried...

[Christine Comito · Rating 3 out of 5]

travel memoir of a young woman whose family moved around a lot when she was growing up and ends up in Honduras "because our dollars will go so much further there." So after college, she can't settle down, and vacations in dangerous places like Lebanon. She goes to Costa Rica, meets a con man who certainly doesn't expect her to go after him when he steals her money. Then in prison, she meets another man, who seems nice, he is Colombian and in prison for supposedly stealing his ex-wife's car. Author believes he is innocent and spends months and money to free him from prison, then they leave Costa Rica and live together in Colombia until they run out of money. Her uncle tricks her into coming back to America and soon the Colombian drifts off to drug-carrying activity and they split up and she goes back to LA to work in tv.

[Amanda Dodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's easy to create travel writing these days that brag about never seeing anything because only tourists actually visit the main sites when they leave the country. Dale has a way of writing about non-tourist traveling without looking down on people who do. If anything she's more perplexed: I wanted a Pina colada and a beach, wtf am I doing at a prison? Instead of snotty: real travelers don't visit the beaches, they connect with locals by eating crackers in back alleyways. This makes her adventure a lot more fun for those of us who actually like to see the Eiffel Tower when they visit France.

[Jen]

Of COURSE I have a bookshelf titled "Quirky and Fun"---and this book fits the bill. Keep in mind, however, that this is coming from someone who has a long history of meeting people on airplanes and then getting to be good friends with them. I have never, however, dated anyone I've met on vacation, nor have I ever been involved with a man (or men) in prison, unlike our fearless heroine here.

This fun little read is great for the summer season of travel. While you're waiting because of yet another flight delay, just be glad you're not in prison in Costa Rica.

[P.ko · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a wanderlust not for the faint of heart, the traveler who demands more from the world, exchanging cowardice for courage, passivity for persistent passion. To quote Dale, "Travel is like the high drama of youth. It's the best and worst at the same time. One minute you are flung to the depths of despair, the next, you feel the giddy, exaggerated joy of an adolescent. For me, it had been a chance to make rash decisions, to take wild risks, to lose everything knowing I'd still have plenty of time to earn it all back."

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty amusing at times, but I also frequently found myself thinking, "Holy shit, this girl is so stupid, she's lucky to be alive". I mean seriously, two foreign boyfriends in prison? One of whom she met WHILE he was in prison? I mean, there's giving up your job and traveling the world searching for meaning, and then there's just plain being stupid and reckless. I also could have done without all the "My mom made me the screwed up person i am" crap, even if it did get resolved in the end. Seemed a little cheesy to me. Not a bad airport book though.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

H.E. lent me this book. The author is one of his friends and gave him a signed copy, and like him she's smart, world experienced, political, and very funny. The book reflects all that and more.

I found myself laughing out loud in a lot of places, so if you like travel, writing, and humor, I recommend reading this book.

Finished reading July 14, 2007.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting novel. I'm not sure it was funny, although it's touted as humor. It was more vulnerable and painful than funny. I finished it on the plane, coming back from another state which will be my new home in two months, and I thought home really is where you are internally as much as externally. Location isn't everything.

[Seasweetie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting autobiographical book. I enjoyed it and was entraced by it, but also frustrated by the author's seeming to take for granted things that were handed to her that others would have given their right arm for. I won't fault her - or anyone else's - naivete, though. I could relate to that, and to her in that regard.

[Tori]

2009- From reading the back of the book, I was expecting this book to tell funny stories about the narrator's travels, and that IS how the book started out. Then it switched over to her romance with a Columbia in a Costa Rican jail. I may not have traveled as much as the author, but I'd like to say I have a lot more common sense.

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book probably would have worked better as a series of essays. While some of her descriptions, of her visit to rural Central American dentist, or Christmas with her free-spirited and vagabond parents, are fun and hilarious, the story gets bogged down at other times and too often diverts into deeply introspective reflections on why she feels compelled to wander the world.

[Sascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reintroduced me to the fun of travel essays. Although the book is not quite as funny as Bill Bryson's most famous, it held its own. Wendy Dale helped me go to places I would not likely go on my own and then she reminded me why.

[chauncey · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny book written by an American woman with wanderlust. she ends up stuck in south america with no money and no passport, but eventually finds her way back to the States. it's a great read for anyone who has ever felt the siren call of far off destinations and other ways of life.