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Transit Lounge

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"“Transit Lounge” is a contemporary book consisting of short incidents, observations and reflections while travelling to 30 countries across six different continents during the last 15 years.

The book is a personal account of travels to places in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Mauritius), South America (Venezuela and Argentina), Asia (China, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,Malaysia and Thailand), Europe (UK, France, Italy,Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Georgia,Turkey, Croatia and Romania), USA, Australia and New Zealand.

It was interesting to observe all these different cultures and people from an Indian perspective. The book is a compilation of small incidents and events during such travels; it includes losing an air ticket, dealing with difficult custom officials or getting mugged in a prime location in a foreign country."

216 pages, Paperback

Published October 12, 2017

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129 people want to read

About the author

Sunil Mishra

14 books16 followers
Sunil has keen interest in writing, and he has previously authored 3 books “Who Stole My Time”, “Who Stole My Job” and “Transit Lounge”. He writes a fortnightly column in Free press journal – a Mumbai based newspaper. Sunil works with several universities in India as startup mentor and advisor.

Sunil is a software professional with over two decades of experience in the field of banking technology. Currently, he is working with Infosys in India in the area of digital technologies and start-up ecosystem. He has earlier worked with McKinsey, Accenture and I-flex solutions.

Sunil is an MBA from IIM-Lucknow and holds a B.Tech from IIT (ISM), Dhanbad.


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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Murali Ryan.
225 reviews29 followers
February 22, 2018
One novel hundreds of places in your two hands.

Transit Lounge by Sunil Mishra, I had reviewed bunch of books before but this one makes me to feel jealous over author on every page. Because isn't it is blessings to get a job that gives you the opportunity to travel across the world.

In this novel author shared all experiences that he made out in his job career of over 15 years. The novel goes like a travel diary where narration was far perfect. Author had made arrangement of each chapter according to the continents.

Chapter 1 - Africa with countries like Ghana, Egypt, Nigeria and Mauritius.
Chapter 2 - Middle East Asia with countries like UAE, Turkey, kuwait and Iran.
Chapter 3 - USA.
Chapter 4 - Western Europe with countries like UK, Netherlands , Belgium, Italy, France and Denmark.
Chapter 5 - Eastern Europe with countries like Romania, Georgia and Croatia.
Chapter 6 - Australia and New Zealand.
Chapter 7 - Asia with countries like singapore, malaysia, china, sri lanka, thailand and indonesia.
Chapter 8 - Latin America with countries like argentina and venezuela.

In all these countries and places author visited he written like comparing his previous trips or how the place differ from India, The unique followings of that place and their culture/heritage details makes me to hooks up completely in the book. Also a minor details like old international airport facilities and present developments in it all this small, small details gives a intresting flow to the novel. I was also amused behind Tehran having -2℃ & rich life of some African countries.

The cover was a average one but well suits for novel and also the title is apt one. The lucid language that author used here was also been a plus point.

Overall, Transit lounge will makes you to see/imagine different wonderful places of world in 200 pages. I wish author a good success for novel and request to share more travel stories like this in future too. I recommend this novel to every travel lovers here and also to readers who likes to read different genres.
Profile Image for Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ).
2,229 reviews81 followers
February 9, 2018
Title: Transit Lounge
Author: Sunil Mishra
Format: Paperback|
Publisher: Leadstart Publishers
Publication Date: 16th October 2017
ISBN-13: 9789352017157
Number of Pages: 212

Book Title: The book title "Transit Lounge" itself talks that the book is about one of the most exciting things in a person's life i.e. travel.

Book Cover: The book cover has a world map in a very sober color and that itself gives the reader a nice feeling.

About The Book:
Not everyone is so fortunate to go on a world tour. But thanks to today's entertainment and media including books that makes everyone travel the world virtually. This book also takes each and every reader "literally to a world tour through its words". The author has impeccably narrated every minute detail of a journey to a new place right from choosing the place of travel till a person reaches his destination.

The book comprises of 8 chapters and each chapter is divided to a set of countries that the author has travelled. The book is also a perfect travelogue of the author and this can be used as a reference to know about the various places, customs followed in each country, the habitat, the weather conditions, the travel process with a live demonstration feeling.

The experience of each journey that also includes beautiful memories and hiccups during travel is very well documented. A reader can thus virtually travel to the places while reading the book. Kudos to the author who has turned his own travel into a dreamy virtual journey of many readers.


Book Title: 5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Content: 5/5
Narration: 5/5
Verdict: A worthy read!!!

I personally rate the book 5 out of 5

Profile Image for Rajan.
637 reviews43 followers
March 22, 2018
The world is a wonderful place. There are countless cultures, customs, dialects and ways of life. There is no one right or wrong way. This book gives as a glimpse of the diversity around the globe.

This is a travelogue and written as a non fiction mode. Sunil Mishra is fortunate to be a software engineer, which allowed him to circumvent the globe for his work. Africa is amazing and so is Middle East. Iran I liked in in particular as they are so anti American and they have an equivalent of almost all American products.

US of A has got the detailed mention. I liked the analysis of American way of life and Sunil’s theory about rise of Trump. The X=X+1 hypothesis is wonderful and funny for Indian immigrants as he keeps thinking to return to India next year.


The horrible service at UK hotels is appalling. Eastern Europe is so dull and it seems time has frozen there.


The book is written in simple English a la Chetan Bhagat style. The coverage is brief and it can be more interesting. The emphasis is more on facts and less of scenic beauty and emotional connect. There are many typos in book and the pictures are drab. It must have been color photographs.

4/ 5 stars.
Profile Image for Saumya.
212 reviews876 followers
December 22, 2017
3.5 stars

Book : Transit Lounge

Author : Sunil Mishra

Language : English

Pages : 216

Publisher : Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd.

Transit lounge by Sunil Mishra is a travelogue and it contains the experiences of the author’s travels to 30 countries across six continents in the past 15 years. In the beginning itself, the author has specifically mentioned that he has written this book from an Indian person’s perspective which made me wonder as to what he meant by that exactly. I realized that the author has made a conscious effort to talk aibout the countries he had visited in terms of India, comparing their lifestyles with the Indian lifestyle and the general environment, economic policies and where India stands in their comparison. That made this book very relatable and interesting at the same time because I was able to grasp the information easily.

Read the complete review on my blog : http://preciselysaumyas.com/transit-l...
Profile Image for Banaja Prakashini.
121 reviews11 followers
January 29, 2018
3.5 stars

Full review at- https://www.banajaprakashini.in/trans...
A candid account of travel to various countries in the world. Transit lounge by Sunil Mishra is a book of experiences worth the read, based on the early times when the author had started travelling for work, the book takes us on a tour that any other modern day book probably doesn’t. Since its about the author travelling to those countries, years ago, a reader will find something new in everything. You can make a mental comparison of the current amenities and of the times that were. It was always something new to discover and always something new to read about. I was fascinated to read that their dinner cost them half a million Cedis (currency of Ghana), and you could see posh cars running on the roads, almost everywhere. I always had a soft spot for Africa and the first twenty three pages were and absolute delight.
Profile Image for Manpreet Kaur.
149 reviews649 followers
December 7, 2017
An excellent travel memoir... a must-read for any Indian who often wonders what other countries are like, what is it like to live in so and so country, how different is it from India, and much more.
The author discusses several important aspects about each country he travelled to during his life. He discusses the economic and political conditions there, how is it like for Indians, how safe it is, how is it like for tourists and stuff like that.
All of it is very thoughtful and enlightening. A great read if you're into non-fiction or travel memoirs.
Profile Image for Subhajit Das.
368 reviews112 followers
January 22, 2018
Book Name (with Tagline): Transit Lounge (An Indian’s account of travelling to thirty countries across six continents)
Author Name: Sunil Mishra
Format: Paperback
No of Pages: 216
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt. Ltd. (16/10/17)
Blurb: The blurb section of this book has been written in a compact way, to the point and actually it is giving a clear thought about the content of the book. So, as a reader, I think that, without any exaggeration, the blurb is apt accordingly.
Cover: The front cover of the book is good and justifying the inner substance of the book. It is appropriate, no doubt (though, it could have been designed a little more unique way, scope was there actually, but as I said, it’s good so far). Good job done by Tina.
Title: Title is really good, unique, catching and with the tagline provided, I must say that, it is complementing the theme of the book pretty well. Hence I consider it appropriate one indeed.
Language & narration: Language of the book is lucid and pretty much simple enough to comprehend. One thing I noticed throughout the entire book is that, author has really good sense of humor and that’s why, even some serious concerned issues also have been presented by coating with sarcastic humor while elaborating the hidden message or opinion clearly in front; it’s a very good and rare quality I can say. Mention of Hindi language is there in the book at places and the meanings are given in the bracket properly. Narrating style of the author is neat, clear and maintained in a single flow throughout the book. While describing any scenic beauty or any historic significance of any place, way of narration is something to be concentrated on the most, to spread the charm into the reader; because, the reader is seeing the same place or knowing the same fact through the narrator’s vision or words and thus the reader is having a conception about the place in mind, so to make it neutral, author needs to pick his words selectively, and in this aspect, I must say that the author has passed with flying colors. Narrating his personal experience (any good or bad) is obviously depends on the situation he was in or faced, so it’s natural that he will represent his point of view; so it’s quite interesting to go through and know the phases he faced. Overall, good and well narrated book according to me.
Plot: As the tagline suggests, it is a personal travelogue (consisting of various types of short incidents, thorough lookouts and observations & opinions or reflections of thoughts) of an Indian to 30 different countries across 6 continents (during last 15 years). So the base is about an Indian’s travel through the world and by keen observation, exploring India in the process through various perspectives.
Setting: Here I have to mention the name of the countries & the continents included, that the book is based on. Starting from Africa to Latin America, I’ll point out all the places that had been covered by the author. They are- (Africa) Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Mauritius, (Asia) China, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Turkey, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, (USA), (Europe) UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Georgia, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, (Australia, New Zealand), (Latin / South America) Venezuela, Argentina.
Theme: Travelogue, Travel Memoir.
Contents & My Verdict: As I mentioned earlier in the plot section, the book is based on author’s personal experiences and opinions, observations while travelling to thirty different countries across the world. Each country & continents represent different customs, social environment, way of hospitality, cultures, socio economic scenario, differences based on political background too. Not only the previous things, scenic beauty, historical significance, local beliefs, transport system, maintaining system, way of socialization- whatever the aspect may be, but everything mentioned here are clearly been observed, pointed out & elaborated by author’s view, and trust me, they have been presented to the most neutral way possible. Author is a keen travel lover (which is evident), but during the last 15 years, all these visits to the above mentioned places are not for just travelling purpose. It’s the call of business trips and professional scenario that made him landed to these various places at times (sometimes some places are being visited multiple times). Author has presented the truth aptly, that even 20 years ago, for a person from middle class background; these International travels were literally matter of dream actually. Let alone financial condition, even the availability of transport system was not in favor in that way. But during last twenty years, there has been huge change and development in India; rather I should say, India’s evolving towards betterment is quite noticeable indeed. Growth of IT sectors in a large way across the globe, made it possible today to travel abroad and get familiar with various places. This book is a compilation of small incidents and various events that author had gone through during his travels. He travelled, stayed, (some places for long time, some are short) and portrayed a clear view of the places and their surroundings with perfect observation. That’s why, in some places, we will see the descriptions and narration as a residential point of view and some of the places are tourists point of view. Any where any place he visited, comparison with India or observing their cultures and environment and people from an Indian’s perspective, are evident in his thoughts.
Many incidents were eye opener for the author and mentioning such events makes us realize the pros and cons of staying there and help us to realize India even more vividly. This book teaches us that no matter how many differences are there regarding various aspect according to the cultures and environments (social & economic both) of the countries, but the basic core values of all the countries are more or less, have much similarities with India. I want to mention some things that stricken me instantly while going through the book- starting off the journey and facing the problem in clearing immigration in Mumbai, legendary story of “Dodo bird” in Mauritius, mistakenly capturing the photo of a Lady in Iran who was not covering her head with clothes (burqa) and her reaction, the Swine Flu fear during first visit in Turkey, author’s view about 9/11 incident (on World Trade Center- after seeing the signs of devastation while his visit in USA), every big leadership change brings hope, Obama’s oath taking ceremony and the Taxi driver’s answer to author’s question regarding this, mugging in UK and how author escaped from that unpleasant situation, author’s point of view in certain issues and his firm belief with logic, the Slumdog Millionaire question in Belgium, fire alarm incident while cooking paratha in New Zealand, leaving bag in Taxi and getting the same again while returning from Shenzhen in China, some of the Indian histories are linked with European history, some previous conceptions about some particular places have changed too. To explore the actual essence of travelling around the world, just pick this book up and go through the journeys by yourself.
Recommendation: I would love to recommend this book to each & every travel enthusiast and to everyone who are in fond of exploring new places and passionate about travelling. This book is definitely a sure shot for them. Thank you.
Rating (Overall): 5/5 Stars.
Profile Image for Venkitesh Mathakode.
239 reviews15 followers
December 16, 2017
In Transit Lounge, Sunil Mishra... succeeds in the difficult task of opening the readers eyes to the many perceptual enhancements that travel can provide. A very interesting little book that opened my eyes in a number of ways, and helped me to understand part of why I'm not a very good traveler. I love that this book focuses on, ahem, the art of traveling, as in, the different little aspects that go into traveling and visiting new places.

A beautiful well written travel memoir. Every one who likes to travel outside India should read this. You will be able to get a glimpse of the culture of other countries , the economic as well as political situations of other countries , for Indians whether these countries are safe enough, these points are covered and given in lengthy in this book. The author has given his own experience while travelling to these countries. 30 countries in 15 years ...if you like travelling please read this.

The book is a pleasure to read: nicely paced, very unique and stylish. Still, I think this is the sort of book most people should read before they go anywhere, as it enumerates many, facts of life that people might forget as they plan their travels. A nice non-fiction...Easy read...
Profile Image for Rakhi.
Author 2 books98 followers
January 15, 2018

Who doesn't like to travel and explore more places. I have always been a travel freak and when I got hold of this book, I was delirious. The blurb is like that Menu displayed in front of your favourite restaurant that you cannot hold yourself from devouring it. A personal account of travels to Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Mauritius, Venezuela, Argentina, China, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Georgia, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, USA, Australia, New Zealand. Readers get to have a first hand experience of the national, Geo political and even anthropological examinations.
When the book took off with the travel experience at Ghana my thought was that the author might have kept the best for the last because there is not much to be written about an African country other than the overdone poverty and unhygienic living standards and theft. But my prejudice got a good setback when I read more about the experience in Ghana. Contrary to the general notion, author tells the readers that Ghana is a safe country with picturesque nature, well maintained roads and the most unexpected night life. While Ghana is an unexpected surprise Nigeria managed to maintain the prejudice as it is. Even after being an African country Egypt is always confused as a middle east country because of the religious indulgence. Despite this the country was quite developed about a decade back due to the so called dictatorial leadership. Mauritius is yet another surprise. Author has frequented this so called honeymoon destination for his business trips.

The anti Americanism of Iran is interesting read. Kuwait and UAE is quintessential examples of how oil has become the treasure for the natives who doesn't even consider moving a finger to get something done. The visit of turkey is accompanied reminders of the past when the country was transformed from orthodox Christianity to Muslim belief. The experience in USA is one of the longest chapters. Now comes UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France and Italy which forms the Western Europe which in turn happened to be on the prosperous side. The chapter on Italy could have bee elaborated more because the chapter left me wanting more on the architectural finesse as well as the Gondola and Fountains in Italy. Eastern Europe seems to be another continent and it is difficult to believe the proximity and yet diversity in living standards in these countries. When it comes to the Asian countries, it becomes more relatable and author has made a detailed analysis of the reasons why the GDP rates of the Asian countries varied so much. The icing on the cake would be Argentina and Venezuela which is a comparatively unexplored area for the Indians.

The book compares the living standard and lifestyle of Indians with that of the people of the countries he visited without prejudice and at some instances he has suggested a few alternatives to overcome the crisis in India as well. Hence the book is not merely a travelogue but an analytical account of the author's trips to the various countries. It is an abstract of the travels by the author in the past 15 years and to summarise the same in a 216 page book without losing the crux is not at all a cakewalk. Inspite of extending the whole experience to a huge encyclopedic book, author has made the purpose of the current capsule lovers.
Profile Image for Kiran K Adharapuram.
279 reviews34 followers
June 21, 2018
BLURB:
“Transit Lounge” is a contemporary book consisting of short incidents, observations and reflections while travelling to 30 countries across six different continents during the last 15 years.
The book is a personal account of travels to places in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Mauritius), South America (Venezuela and Argentina), Asia (China, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,Malaysia and Thailand), Europe (UK, France, Italy,Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Georgia,Turkey, Croatia and Romania), USA, Australia and New Zealand.
It was interesting to observe all these different cultures and people from an Indian view point. The book is a compilation of small incidents and events during such travels; it includes losing an air ticket, dealing with difficult custom officials or getting mugged in a prime location in a foreign country.”

Intrigue:
This is the best pick for travelogue enthusiast, Author was very successful in explaining the various countries as part of his work and out of his interest, this book stands as manual for readers who are visiting those respective places and he was very keen in looking the places he visited and his experiences(good & bad), few disappointments then and there in his travel, he also made sure the various aspect that reader should consider during the travel and stay in those countries such as weather conditions, habitat, people and their cultural differences.

My Verdict:
If you ever think of visiting 30 different countries sitting at the same place, this book does that trick for its reader, this is an indian perspective of analysing and understanding the country and its people along with the practices and weather conditions and habitats of those place, author took utmost care to keep the place and its descriptions very crisp and clean, thereby reader never felt drag at any place.
As a business traveller of 3-4 countries, I can correlate those places and the key points which the book primarily focused, Author also took care to explain some of the historical connections to those places which drags reader with a decent pace, At few places he explained the cheat, mugging and few of the unpleasant experiences he undergone, I personally felt he would have given some positive point writeup on the same country/Place to balance the negativity, as there was a chance the reader will end up carried away with those perceptions when he/she actually visits.

My Rating:
Book Title & Cover- 5/5 (A sensible an attractive world map matches the book title)
Narration: 4.5/5 (Impressive narration)
Language : 4.5/5 (Simple and profound usage of words)

Overall I rate “Transit Lounge – #Sunil Mishra” as 5/5, one of the good book for travel enthusiastic readers and serve as a manual or a must read to get mentally prepared for their journey, especially culture, habitat, historic prominence and most importantly from people front.

Cheers
Kiran K Adharapuram
Profile Image for Sohinee Reads & Reviews (Bookarlo).
351 reviews275 followers
March 2, 2018
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Read the full review on my blog: https://poesyinchrysalis.wordpress.co...

I don’t think there’s any living being (and by that I mean humans) who wouldn’t want to travel around the globe. I am a very deserving candidate of such a category. But not all of us are in a position that allows us to travel. So, we are stuck in our homes, probably reading travel books, watching travel videos or hearing people brag about their international trips. *Sigh* Okay champs, I am settling to travel around the world through a book for now. Transit Lounge by Sunil Mishra is one such book that lets you travel the world. You don’t even have to move from your reading position and you’ll already find yourself in Ghana, Kuwait, USA; 30 different countries to be exact.

The book is divided into chapters according to the continents and the countries the author has travelled in those continents. The second chapter talks about the author’s visit to Iran, Kuwait, UAE and Turkey. Visit to Tehran has been a memorable one for the author from the way he talks about this capital. We do have many myths when it comes to Islamic Countries but soon the author found them to false. He also noticed the cultural differences. The author visited Iran in 2005 and he had his chance of seeing the Anti-Americanism close and upfront. There are some more interesting incidences which he accounts in this book.

He also travelled to the US, visited some of the European countries, Australia, New Zealand, some of the Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and lastly Argentina and Venezuela.

I really liked the overall division of the chapters, how he covers part of the world and not only shares his personal experience but also provides us with an insight of the countries. We get to know about so many different cultures and people through this book. While we can be different from the people living in parts of the different countries, somewhere we do share some similarity with them and you can only see it when you travel to other countries.

The only thing is there are some grammatical errors in the book and though the author shares his personal experience of his travel journey, I felt it would have been much more better if some conversations would have been included. I wanted to see the interactions between the author and the local people of the countries. But still, this book is good as it is.

RATINGS:

Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Book Title: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Concept: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Narration: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Language and Vocabulary: ⭐⭐⭐.5

Grammar and Punctuation: ⭐⭐⭐
135 reviews18 followers
January 15, 2018
Title - Transit Lounge

Author - Sunil Mishra

Publisher - Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd

Publication date - 16 October 2017

Number of pages - 216

ISBN 10 - 9352017153

ISBN 13 - 978-9352017157

Format - Paperback 

Genre - Travelogue


Transit lounge is a novel regarding the travel diaries of India. It consists of small stories, observations and experiences while travelling from an Indian point of view. It deals with 30 countries across 6 different continents and is spread over the span of 15 years. It includes countries in Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand. It gets interesting while reading since the reader gets to observe the different cultures and different ideologies from an Indian perspective. Book includes the whole experience of travelling, sweet as well as bitter. It is an awesome book and the author has raised some very relevant points about the countries that he focuses on. This is my first book related to travel and I must say, it was a very good experience reading it.

Cover - The cover of the book reminds me of my childhood when I was fond of Atlas which was full of beautiful maps and I used to ponder over them. It brought back memories of the childhood. A beautiful cover on which is written the name of the author, the title and "An Indian's account of travelling to thirty countries across six continents".


Title - Transit Lounge is according to me the best suited title for the book. Sunil has created the book in a very beautiful way and the title is a crisp and attractive one.

Language and writing skills - Sunil's efforts are clearly visible in the book. The way he has put things about various countries across the globe from an Indian Indian perspective is really appreciable.

Strengths - Everyone who loves travelling will definitely like this book. The way Sunil has written the experiences and incidents related to travelling is really good. This first travelogue read of mine was definitely a good decision.

Ratings -

Cover - 4.9/5

Title - 4.8/5

Language - 4.5/5

Writing skills - 4.5/5

Narration - 4.5/5

Idea - 4.7/5

Overall rating - 4.7/5
Profile Image for Mangala.
5 reviews4 followers
January 8, 2018
writer narration was simple and easy to understand.But however I never got that exhilarating experience while reading at same time it was not boring too.

This book was author narration of travel experiences to different countries across the globe.For every destination author has put for some facts,breaking some myths .It starts with Africa,lets say ghana(its being a safe place than nigeria,its currency cedis denomination made him feel like spending millions),nigeria(its people looting nature ),mauritius( travelling to office by boat).middle east,iran(hilly city instead of desert,how iran restrict themselves from westren influence example not wearing tie too!,how author struggled to manage tehran translator )kuwait(its inherited wealth vs acquired wealth,how people crave for free drinks even in flights),turkey(there was brief narration about how ottoman empire flourished in turkey ,lavish dinners,how Christianity and islam are part of turkey now).US(incidents like how cab driver has used business sense in netting passenger with higher fare and later transferring them to their colleagues,how he ended up buying newticket even though he did check in mid way ,how people in west were conservative too ,followed family values).uk(I like author view point on why rule based system is giving edge to UK compared to india),amsterdam(Canals,window girls,bicycles,how aging population of westren europe can turn out to be a bottle neck in near by future),Belguim(antwerp diamond business,manneken pis story,also movie slumdog millionaire changed west percetion about india),France(their balance approach to work life is described very well).georgia(this georgia of eastern europe,i was aware of US only).Australia(i liked the way every hotel check in process is automated,author struggles in finding room,their work life balance concept was amazing) etc. I wish there were more photographs ,Black and white pictures dont create that ease.On whole it was nice read

Profile Image for Divya.
41 reviews3 followers
December 25, 2017
I am very fond of travel dairies reading someone's experience in splendid language always fills me with excitement. Travelling always been my first love since I learn to walk. Reading this book gave me proper knowledge about many unseen culture, weather, hospitality, manners of different people of various countries. Author boldly described his own point of view before visiting the country and after visiting it, undoubtedly he have great knowledge about economy, environment and about government policies. I was very impressed by his detailing skill and his way of observation, everything in this book is mentioned perfectly whether it's food, clothes, music, source of entertainment or travelling.
Book is all about one man's journey who is travelling for business and compares his own country (which is India) with some great countries. During his journey he saw many pros and cons of living in particular country, in this book he wrote about some bitter truths and some prickling lies. Which motivate us to work hard and to develop for better future. Seeing broad mind, driving on broad roads is what I call development, reading this book will, also teach you that how modern countries are still rooted to their cultures and give their best to pass their legacy to upcoming generation.

After end of this journey, there's something you carry back with yourself that is a sack of memories and a proper guide.......
Read this book it will keep you reminding to travel a lot and read a lot as well.
I recommend this to every soul who loves to fly, get up and start packing..& don't forget to carry this book.
Profile Image for Sumith  Chowdhury.
831 reviews23 followers
February 17, 2018
A vivid experience of traveling as viewed from the eyes of the author. The places he explored have been visualized, documented & explained in a beautiful way from the perspective of an Indian person. That's what makes this book good for reading from any average person. A travel companion, a tour guide, a helping hand you can say when it comes to traveling & exploring an unknown place occupied & inhabited by the native people pertaining to that place. It's easy to travel anywhere given the time, fortunes & resources at hand. What make it difficult is the culture, food, place to dwell in especially when it comes to Indians like us who have varied choices, preferences, likes & dislikes, tastes, gourmets, fashion trends.
The book highlights these points precisely & talks about the necessities, requisites, prerequisites in depth & detail. That's the intriguing part of it.
Language seems nice, simple & easy to understand. Narration is okay. Cover design seem okay. Title is apt. A good book to read, especially for Travellers.
135 reviews7 followers
February 17, 2018
Oh how I wish this book never ended.
Transit Lounge by Sunil Mishra is like the whole world has come together in some 200 odd pages.

The author has very nicely described his experience to 30 countries across 6 continents. It was like a world tour for me , sitting comfortably in my own space. The book has given me so much knowledge about so many different cultures that it feels like I have actually travelled along with the author .

The cover perfectly compliments the theme and goes very well with the title .
The lucid language and smooth narration will make you live each and every place . The use of images to describe various places added a flavour of interest . The book is written from the point of view of a tourist and you will throughly enjoy the taste of different states.

If you are a travel lover , then you cannot miss this one . It was a great experience reliving the experience of the author .

Rating -
Cover - 4/5
Title - 4/5
Narration - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
Profile Image for Jalpa Makwana.
160 reviews4 followers
February 11, 2018
Transit Lounge as the name already suggests, it is based on travelling experiences. It is quite informative guide. Here, author describes 30 different coutries were he had been on business trip, he has described every good or bad memory which he experienced during his trip and also narrated every countries distinct experienced which is really amazing and useful. So it is really turn out to be as a travel guide. I wish I could see these much places in my life. If I couldn’t be experience such an amazing world tour in future, but here is the virtual tour I can still sense the amazing trips. So, I would recommend this book to all travel enthusiasts who can experience these 30 countries amazing rides.
6 reviews
January 9, 2018
Refreshing Read
Transit Lounge is about Sunil Mishra’s experience of travelling 30 countries over the span of 15 years. It is not a novel or a short stories type of book, so start this book with an open mind and the book will really open your mind to lot of things we are ill-informed about. The incidents and situations the author faced are relatable and give us an insight about Do’s and Don’ts of travelling to certain countries. For someone who wants to travel the world, this book will be so useful. This travel journal is a refreshing read. This journal is a proof, how the trend in travel both for business and pleasure have evolved in 15 years. The transformation is eye-opening.
19 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2018
What makes travel a travel in not the destination but the experiences. Travelling has always been most sought after experience for every curious soul. Transit Lounge will give you the experience of thirty different destinations. This book is must read for every travel enthusiast and also a must read for someone who isn't into traveling. This book might inspire you to have your own set of experiences. With a beautiful cover illustration and effective writing style this book sets itself apart from numerous books being published everyday. Grab this book and explore the places with author.
Profile Image for Anukriti Malik .
183 reviews126 followers
February 2, 2018
This is my first ever travelogue and I absolutely loved it. Sunil Mishra in his book Transit Lounge expresses his experience of traveling 30 countries over the span of 15 years. At first I felt this would be a boring and textual kind of book but few pages in and I could feel the wanderlust inside me wanting for more. The author perfectly describes each and every minute detail of his travel (he won't tell you what to pack and what not to ).

The comparative analysis of every country to India is what I felt was the USP of this travelogue. The information is quite vital and relate able and you can easily imagine yourself traveling to the countries talked about in the book. The flow is well paced and not lengthy if you see the number of countries the author has visited. The writing is a little led down for me. The sentence formation could have been a tad little better , the editors should have given this piece a little more time and care. At some places where I got disconnected with the travelogue and it took me a while to pace up again.

In all this is a great read. Pick it up for the wanderlust in you and if you are looking for something different.
Profile Image for Rishank Bharatiya.
9 reviews
March 9, 2018
It is a wonderful read for everyone. This book contains the author's experiences of traveling to 30 different countries. It gives you an opportunity to see the world with the eye of a person like us, rather than with the bookish or historical perspective. Nice presentation of journeys.
Profile Image for Ashish.
17 reviews1 follower
November 26, 2017
I received this book as a Giveaway.

The writer has described his experiences well in this travelogue. While reading I felt like I was there and could see the various places through the writer's eyes.

The book however failed to keep me interested to continue reading in a single seating. The short incidents and memories of the writer's travels are more like a descriptive essay. I feel it could have been better if the writer would have structured the contents chronologically instead of by geography so that it could be easier to relate.

The content is good and gives sort of an introduction to various cities & their cultures around the world.
Profile Image for Mahesh Sowani.
Author 9 books7 followers
January 20, 2018
I love travel writing. It gives the immense pleasure of visiting the most wonderful places in the world. No wonders an arm chair traveller like me lapped up the book Transit Lounge. It documents the travel experiences of the author across thirty countries. This book is his personal account of travels to places in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Mauritius), South America (Venezuela and Argenina), Asia (China, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand), Europe (UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belguim, Georgia, Turkey, Croatia and Romania), USA, Australia and New Zealand.

The write ups are small. Neither too long to bore you, nor too short to leave you high and dry. The book is full of nuggets of the authors experiences. The author tells us how in Ghana the funeral is actually a sendoff ceremony rather than a mark of sorrow and grief. The writer is quiet in awe about motor cycle taxis in Africa. He seems to be unaware that in the tiny state of Goa these motor cycle taxis are a ubiquitous affair. Speaking of the middle east countries he says that Most of the times we do not realize that the world knows these countries from the lens of the western media which is not very kind to them. He says the family bondage in the small towns in US is as good as in any middle class family in India. London tubes he says need substantive investment to be called anywhere modern. London is a city of walkers, it has a widespread city transport too which helps people move around easily. His experience of checking into an unmanned Western Europe hotel is both harrowing and intriguing.

The author tells us how the imported goods, that were most sought after a few days ago, have lost their sheen. Denmark he says is the most prosperous nations in the northern Europe, where some people commute every day to work by flight. European cities are very tourist friendly he says. The common saying in Singapore he says is -irrespective of the economic status, everyone has a house, mostly built by government.

He bursts the bubble of prosperity by keeping the immigrant’s life stark naked in front our lives.

The book though very well written is ridden with mistakes. These typographical errors play a spoil sport. So incident becomes inddent, civic becomes dvic, class becomes dass and the crest jewel – click becomes dick. I wish the book was well edited and these mistakes were avoided. Yet I loved the book. It didn’t disappoint me.
Profile Image for Nitin Vadher.
111 reviews2 followers
March 1, 2018
This is the first time I am reading a memoir on travel, so it’s a totally new experience to see the world from other’s prospective. I loved to read this book; author has very frankly presented each and every country he visited in straight forward way.
More than twice author has visited many countries mentioned in the book, so he has perfectly expressed the past and current situation of the country, which gives good experience to know the current scenario.
The flow of the book and writing style of author is simple, easy to understand, each chapter are classified in continent and then further divided into countries, which is plus point to remember and know much more about that country. I loved to read the two good experience author has mentioned in this book while traveling i.e. in Singapore there was an accident, both the car owner shake’s their hand and went away without any dispute and author lost his bag in taxi; somewhere in china, within 2 hour he got his luggage in good condition, which is not possible in India.
Some of the interesting thing which I came to know through this book is
• “Okada” a new concept of motorcycle taxis in Nigeria,
• Indian connection with Mauritius,
• Wealth of Kuwaitis and 50% partnership with local if you want to do business in Kuwait,
• Interesting facts about Istanbul (a historical place to study the past),
• Friendly police in Singapore,
• Scratch and waterproof currency of Malaysia.
Cons:
• You will not get detailed knowledge (i.e. what to eat, were to stay, how to reach etc.) of any places mentioned in this book.
• There is lots of spelling mistakes in the book, editing is needed.
If you love to travel, this book is for you. I highly recommended this book to travel freaks, a good travelogue by the debut author.
Profile Image for Dimple Singh.
Author 10 books14 followers
January 28, 2018
Title: Transit Lounge

Author: Sunil Mishra

Publisher: Leadstart Publishers

Publication Date: 16th October 2017

ISBN-13: 9789352017157

Number of Pages: 212

Have you ever traveled to different countries by just reading a book? I am lucky enough that I got the opportunity to read a book that not only gave me an overview of different continents and countries but also highlighted the various issues over there. Transit Lounge is a travel memoir by Sunil Mishra that describes his visit to thirty countries across six continents. The book is divided into 8 chapters:

Africa- Starting with the memorable trips
Middle-East, some little travelled destinations
United States of America- one of the most common destinations of Indians
Western Europe- Growth & prosperity of the past decades
Eastern Europe- Similar but fragmented
Australia & New Zealand- Gifted with abundance & natural beauty
Asian region and city states- Emerging nations on world stage
Latin America- Yet to be discovered by Indians
The book was written in a very simple and illustrative way. While reading the book the reader can feel as if she is present at that place. The text is highly accompanied by images at regular intervals. The book is written from an Indian tourist’s perspective. The book very well describes the issues that every country faces and how to deal with them as a traveller. It is more like a travel guide to me. Overall, it was a perfect and worthwhile read. I would recommend this book to all those who are keen to know about different countries and love to travel.

My Ratings:

Title: 4/5

Cover: 5/5

Blurb: 5/5

Content: 5/5

Presentation: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Profile Image for SCULPTOR Of EMOTIONS.
451 reviews5 followers
February 18, 2018
Blurb-
""Transit Lounge" is a contemporary book consisting of short incidents, observations and reflections while travelling to 30 countries across six different continents during the last 15 years. The book is a personal account of travels to places in Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Mauritius), South America (Venezuela and Argentina), Asia (China, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand), Europe (UK, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Georgia, Turkey, Croatia and Romania), USA, Australia and New Zealand. It was interesting to observe all these different cultures and people from an Indian perspective. The book is a compilation of small incidents and events during such travels; it includes losing an air ticket, dealing with difficult custom officials or getting mugged in a prime location in a foreign country."
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Review-
Transit Lounge, a perfect title which goes with the content. This is a complete different kind of book which I read. Since few months I've just read books on thrill and romance. This book takes you on an amazing journey through various countries and different continents of the world. I loved the way the author narrated every scene and the way he travelled. The hardwork is clearly visible. Its not easy to write on different countries in the way author did. Turned into a fan of his work and would love to read more of his work. Grab this amazing book and roam in different countries with the imagination created by the Author.
Overall Ratings- 4.8/5
Narration-5/5
Characterization-4.5/5
Plot-5/5
Cover-3.5/5
Title-4/5
Profile Image for Vidhya Thakkar.
1,086 reviews140 followers
March 20, 2018
Read more reviews at www.vidhyathakkar.com

Transit lounge is a book for all those who love travelling, it a travelogue of the author who visited 30 countries in the span of 15 years. The author expresses his experiences of visiting all the countries and their lifestyle. He compared all the destinations with India.He narrated how they have a completely different culture, lifestyle from India. One can easily connect with the story. The author managed to keep readers connected with his experiences which were narrated perfectly. They are not too short and not too long.  The author has beautifully described lifestyles, the culture of each and every country. How things there are different from here. The plot of the story is good. It's easy for a reader to understand each and every aspect of the author. The flow of the story is smooth. there are some places where it was boring but again, there was a curiosity to know about different countries. The language is simple and connecting. One feels like they are travelling with the author. The pace is also good. It's smooth and crisp. The cover and the title of the book is also good. The information is relatable and one who loves travelling must pick this book.

Overall it's a good story for all those who love to travel.

Profile Image for Malvika Singh.
44 reviews12 followers
January 21, 2018
You can read my review also on www.booksandmuggles.com

Sunil Mishra has written Transit Lounge as a memoir of his many travels through various countries, 30 in number to be precise. In the book, he talks about all his journeys and his experience through the airports and various countries. He has provided details of every country, facts are provided and myths, decoded. The book starts with his journey to Africa where Malaria is rampant and his brush with corruption at Mumbai Airport. He embarks upon his journey to every new country with equal enthusiasm and describes about these places in this travelogue cum memoir.

The author tells us about his experiences, sometimes good and sometimes bad like being mugged in a foreign country. He has given a comparison of lifestyles and living conditions of each country with that of India and that makes an interesting read. The book does lose steam at times and I did lose my interest more than a couple of times. It can be a good point of reference for those who like to travel to different countries. A decent read and maybe enjoyed by those who like non-fiction. I, on the other hand, am a pure fiction lover so maybe my lack of enthusiasm is due to that.
3 reviews
January 19, 2018
Transit lounge is a travelogue. The author shares his experience of travelling to 30 countries across 6 different continents during the last 15 years.
The quote “you can travel different places by reading a good book” holds true for this book. It is a must read for everyone who wonders what it is like to travel different countries and wants to know about different cultures and people.
This book draws a contrast between India and rest of the world. The book is really well written and the reader will feel that he is travelling and visiting all these places personally. You will get to know so many different things about different countries but you will be able to connect with your roots better as the writer tries to develop a better understanding about India and its cultures. The book is a bit boring at few points but if you will keep on reading you will start enjoying it.

Profile Image for Julian Walker.
Author 3 books12 followers
November 8, 2018
A rather different kind of travelogue, with the author's opinions and perspectives on multiple countries visited over a period of years. What was especially interesting was the way that he perceived some of those venues, sights and country habits I take for granted - I also have to disagree with his views on the UK, but then I see it from an English perspective,

I was intrigued to discover a constant travel companion was Indian food, and enjoyed the slightly quirky use of English grammar, which grew on me as I read of his adventures. One change I do recommend for the Kindle edition, is a technical tweak - as when the letters 'ci' or 'cl' appear together in a word, it is printed as a 'd'.

An enjoyable and different world view.
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