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Adventures in Opting Out: A Field Guide to Leading an Intentional Life
Opt out of expectations and live a more intentional life with this refreshing guide from the national bestselling author of The Year of Less.
We all follow our own path in life. At least, that's what we're told. In reality, many of us either do what is expected of us, or follow the invisible but well-worn paths that lead to what is culturally acceptable. For some, those paths are fine -- even great. But they leave some of us feeling disconnected from ourselves and what we really want to do. When that discomfort finally outweighs the fear of trying something new, we're ready to opt out.
After going through this process many times, Cait Flanders found there is an incredible parallel between taking a different path in life and the psychological work it takes to summit a mountain -- especially when you decide to go solo. In Adventures in Opting Out, she offers a trail map to help you with both. As you'll see, reaching the first viewpoint can be easy -- and it offers a glimpse of what you're walking toward. Climbing to the summit for the full view is worth it. But in the space between those two peaks you will enter a world completely unknown to you, and that is the most difficult part of the path to navigate.
With Flanders's guidance and advice, drawn from her own journey and stories of others, you'll have all the encouragement and insight you'll need to take the path less traveled and create the life you want. Just step up to the trailhead and expect it to be an adventure.
We all follow our own path in life. At least, that's what we're told. In reality, many of us either do what is expected of us, or follow the invisible but well-worn paths that lead to what is culturally acceptable. For some, those paths are fine -- even great. But they leave some of us feeling disconnected from ourselves and what we really want to do. When that discomfort finally outweighs the fear of trying something new, we're ready to opt out.
After going through this process many times, Cait Flanders found there is an incredible parallel between taking a different path in life and the psychological work it takes to summit a mountain -- especially when you decide to go solo. In Adventures in Opting Out, she offers a trail map to help you with both. As you'll see, reaching the first viewpoint can be easy -- and it offers a glimpse of what you're walking toward. Climbing to the summit for the full view is worth it. But in the space between those two peaks you will enter a world completely unknown to you, and that is the most difficult part of the path to navigate.
With Flanders's guidance and advice, drawn from her own journey and stories of others, you'll have all the encouragement and insight you'll need to take the path less traveled and create the life you want. Just step up to the trailhead and expect it to be an adventure.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 15, 2020
213 people are currently reading
4861 people want to read
About the author
Cait Flanders
2 books850 followersCait Flanders is the author of Wall Street Journal bestseller, THE YEAR OF LESS. Described by Vogue as “a fascinating look into a living experiment that we can all learn from,” it has been translated into 11 languages, and sold 300,000+ copies worldwide.
Her second book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, is a field guide to opting out of expectations, changing paths, and leading a more intentional life. Powell's Books says it, "offers a sturdy and flexible framework to navigate whatever path you are currently on."
Cait's story has been shared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, BBC Radio, CBC Radio, Oprah.com, Treehugger, Forbes, and more. Originally from the west coast of Canada, she now lives in the UK countryside.
Her second book, ADVENTURES IN OPTING OUT, is a field guide to opting out of expectations, changing paths, and leading a more intentional life. Powell's Books says it, "offers a sturdy and flexible framework to navigate whatever path you are currently on."
Cait's story has been shared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, BBC Radio, CBC Radio, Oprah.com, Treehugger, Forbes, and more. Originally from the west coast of Canada, she now lives in the UK countryside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
October 20, 2020
I was SO looking forward to reading this book because I loved Flanders' previous book, Year of Less. This one was disappointing. The premise sounded great - "opt out" of the expected paths and find your own way/adventures. She writes the book with "opting out" being an analogy to hiking. But, like many reviews said (and I didn't want to believe) it was VERY repetitive and used the same few examples over and over and over. And most of the examples were pretty vague, so it didn't have much impact. One thing I really admired about her previous book was how open and honest she was with her struggles and changing her life. This book seems half formed - a good idea with not much material to back it up. I was so looking forward to this book and it was very disappointing. I would be open to another book by her, but I would not recommend this one.
December 8, 2020
The Written Review
Just published my October Book Vlog and whew! It was a lot of reading but so worth it!
Cait Flanders has taken a path less traveled by - she had a traditional job and direction in life...but she just felt increasingly out of place.
No two paths are the same, just as no two people are the same.
So, she began to wonder...what happens if she opts out?
If she doesn't work a 9 to 5, if she doesn't invest in a home and if she doesn't live her life according to society's expectations.
There is a cost to staying on one path, especially if it doesn’t feel like the one you should be on. But there is also a cost to walking away and venturing into the unknown.Opting out is much like climbing a mountain - there's new challenges behind every corner. People might look at you like you are crazy. But the view from the top - breath-taking.
This was a fun, quick book.
I liked hearing about her life and how she took on the challenges from her chosen path.
I loved that she shared her triumphs and also her failings - it was interesting to learn about what didn't work!
My favorite part was the constant shout-outs to Squamish, BC. (Which just-so-happens to be the place my dog is named after!)
All in all, this was a lovely book. I do want pick up her first one - The Year of Less! It sounds like such a good one!
With thanks to Little, Brown Spark and Cait Flanders for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
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September 22, 2020
Adventures in Opting Out is such a refreshing and timely guide for finding one’s own path in life. I don’t know about you all, but I am spending more time than ever on screens and somehow less time feeling purposeful.
Cait Flanders has a plan for that. Adventures in Opting Out is all about the path less traveled and finding the life you want. The book is divided into guidance along that path and also includes hiking analogies because the author is a prolific hiker. This book inspired me to make some changes and simplify, something I’m always trying to improve.
I really want to listen or read Cait Flander The Year of Less. I definitely could use some help with minimalism and think it’s a good fit with what I learned from this book.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Cait Flanders has a plan for that. Adventures in Opting Out is all about the path less traveled and finding the life you want. The book is divided into guidance along that path and also includes hiking analogies because the author is a prolific hiker. This book inspired me to make some changes and simplify, something I’m always trying to improve.
I really want to listen or read Cait Flander The Year of Less. I definitely could use some help with minimalism and think it’s a good fit with what I learned from this book.
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
July 19, 2020
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My honest to god gut reaction while reading this was: Cait...girl...please tell me something I don't know.
I appreciate the message that Adventures in Opting Out is trying to deliver. I fully ascribe to the belief that we should live our own lives fearlessly the way we want, not how other people want us to live them. Make messes, go on big or little adventures, find your niche community whether it is bookworms in quirky cafés or fisherman in little river boats or hikers struggling to reach the next peak. Live this life fully. Yes. Preach.
That being said, Flanders' writing style, although friendly and warm in tone, left much to be desired. The same annecdotes or lists of her personal life accomplishments were repeated over and over. She continuously crammed the chapters with references from her previous book, her friend's stories, and references of the works of other inspirational/motivational mental health speakers and authors (such as Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown and Cheryl Strayed). It left little room for her own thoughts and comparisons to the struggle of living authentically with climbing a mountain peak. This almost felt like a rip-off of Strayed's Wild, it was so unoriginal. Plus all of these choppy inserts left my reading experience feeling stilted and disjointed. The book probably could have been condensed to 25-50% of what it was without these additions and the message would have stayed the same.
I won't be adding this one to the shelf, nor recommending it either, unfortunately. Sorry Cait - but congratulations on publishing the book you have always wanted to write! Someone else will appreciate this cathartic read, but it won't be me.
My honest to god gut reaction while reading this was: Cait...girl...please tell me something I don't know.
I appreciate the message that Adventures in Opting Out is trying to deliver. I fully ascribe to the belief that we should live our own lives fearlessly the way we want, not how other people want us to live them. Make messes, go on big or little adventures, find your niche community whether it is bookworms in quirky cafés or fisherman in little river boats or hikers struggling to reach the next peak. Live this life fully. Yes. Preach.
That being said, Flanders' writing style, although friendly and warm in tone, left much to be desired. The same annecdotes or lists of her personal life accomplishments were repeated over and over. She continuously crammed the chapters with references from her previous book, her friend's stories, and references of the works of other inspirational/motivational mental health speakers and authors (such as Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown and Cheryl Strayed). It left little room for her own thoughts and comparisons to the struggle of living authentically with climbing a mountain peak. This almost felt like a rip-off of Strayed's Wild, it was so unoriginal. Plus all of these choppy inserts left my reading experience feeling stilted and disjointed. The book probably could have been condensed to 25-50% of what it was without these additions and the message would have stayed the same.
I won't be adding this one to the shelf, nor recommending it either, unfortunately. Sorry Cait - but congratulations on publishing the book you have always wanted to write! Someone else will appreciate this cathartic read, but it won't be me.
September 16, 2020
Please no more self help books based on a hiking analogy.
September 29, 2020
I was so looking forward to Cait’s second book but it feels bland, repetitive, and overly simplistic. It’s actually painful to write this because I so enjoyed her first book and also her Instagram posts.
October 24, 2020
Flanders uses an extended metaphor to compare making different life choices to the elements of a hike. I really liked her first book, which felt personal, compelling and left me ruminating for quite a while. Sorry to say that this one feels distant, bland and highly repetitive. She works very hard to break down the hiking metaphor into infinitesimal pieces to keep the theme going. I know she was trying to come up with a “guide” that would ostensibly help anyone on any life journey that goes against the grain. But I just don’t feel inspired or buoyed during or after reading it. 2.5 stars.
November 28, 2021
I was a longtime reader of Cait’s blog, and loved her work. It was a grounded voice that resonated with me, and was a refreshing change from the rest of the Canadian personal finance blogosphere.
I read her first book and didn’t enjoy it - perhaps it was better for readers who were new to her as an author, but it was more or less a reprint of her blog.
When this book came out, I gave it a try. She’s written how this book feels a lot different than her last one.
This book fell flat for me pretty much immediately. Cait has beautiful writing on her blog, but none of the depth and nuance shows up in her books. Maybe she shines in shorter mediums. Or maybe I don’t like autobiographical works. I find myself skimming this book, which is never a great sign. Now I know why she came home partway through her year away - because she didn’t plan ahead and accommodation got expensive. Oops? Cue the skimming.
She’s writing this in 2019/2020 based on her experience in 2019. It doesn’t give enough time and space to properly reflect on what we know and learn. It’s too rushed and misses the mark. Sorry Cait. I am a genuine fan but... this isn’t it. You are better than what’s getting published here.
I read her first book and didn’t enjoy it - perhaps it was better for readers who were new to her as an author, but it was more or less a reprint of her blog.
When this book came out, I gave it a try. She’s written how this book feels a lot different than her last one.
This book fell flat for me pretty much immediately. Cait has beautiful writing on her blog, but none of the depth and nuance shows up in her books. Maybe she shines in shorter mediums. Or maybe I don’t like autobiographical works. I find myself skimming this book, which is never a great sign. Now I know why she came home partway through her year away - because she didn’t plan ahead and accommodation got expensive. Oops? Cue the skimming.
She’s writing this in 2019/2020 based on her experience in 2019. It doesn’t give enough time and space to properly reflect on what we know and learn. It’s too rushed and misses the mark. Sorry Cait. I am a genuine fan but... this isn’t it. You are better than what’s getting published here.
January 24, 2021
Ugh, forgive me. Flanders’s new-found habits are commendable, but this reads like (what I imagine is) a narcissistic millennial’s blog, or worse—a hobbyist’s podcast. “I’m different and here’s why!!! :))). Worship me!!!”
Yes, shedding the yoke of materialism, thumbing your nose at hyper-consumerism, giving up tech addiction (and drugs & booze), and sharing that knowledge is important. Consume less; waste less; live holistically. Thoreau, the fraudulent hermit, did likewise more famously (for a lesson in this argument, read Donovan Hohn’s article for The New Republic (https://newrepublic.com/article/12316...) published a lifetime ago, in 2015. Learning to simply live with less is the cardinal habit humanity will need to embrace if we hope to stall the painful reality of the Anthropocene coming . . . but it won’t happen. At least the few of us who do so can die knowing we tried, with rigor-mortis middle fingers to the rest of you, as we’re slid into the furnace’s incinerating flames. Que sera, sera \m/
Yes, shedding the yoke of materialism, thumbing your nose at hyper-consumerism, giving up tech addiction (and drugs & booze), and sharing that knowledge is important. Consume less; waste less; live holistically. Thoreau, the fraudulent hermit, did likewise more famously (for a lesson in this argument, read Donovan Hohn’s article for The New Republic (https://newrepublic.com/article/12316...) published a lifetime ago, in 2015. Learning to simply live with less is the cardinal habit humanity will need to embrace if we hope to stall the painful reality of the Anthropocene coming . . . but it won’t happen. At least the few of us who do so can die knowing we tried, with rigor-mortis middle fingers to the rest of you, as we’re slid into the furnace’s incinerating flames. Que sera, sera \m/
August 4, 2020
I read and enjoyed the author's first book. This one didn't hit home with me quite as much. There are some good bits about opting out from "regular" life and following the life path that suits you best. Flanders tried to parallel opting out with hiking terminology and it sometimes works, but at other times just feel a little gimmicky. From reading the book, I know the author was trying to make the information here more generalized rather than sharing more of her own story but I think this book would have benefited from more of her own experiences. We can get self-help from anyone. What makes a book stand out is the author's own story and we get some of that but not a lot.
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 6, 2020
Dang. I really did like The Year of Less and I like Cait's voice, but I just did not feel a connection with Adventures in Opting out. Small sections of the book landed solidly, but overall I didn't feel like it had much value for me. Too bad.
December 16, 2020
This book could be called ‘Adventures In Self Indulgence, A Field Guide When Life Is All About You’.
April 11, 2021
Another great book by Cait! I thoroughly enjoyed her first book and I think I enjoyed this one even more. While it is a lot about "hiking", its simultaneously about life and the different adventures we go on. Well done, Cait!
July 30, 2025
This was not a good read for me personally. I made it about 40% of the book until I logged into goodreads to check reviews and saw a lot of thoughts that echoed mine.
There were some really good quotes in this book that resonated with me in the beginning and the end, but the middle of the book didn’t feel relevant and meandered while losing the point.
There were some really good quotes in this book that resonated with me in the beginning and the end, but the middle of the book didn’t feel relevant and meandered while losing the point.
March 2, 2022
This book gets my lowest rating -dum dum duuuuum- which in my books means "I regret the time I wasted on this book and will actively tell people not to read it lest they suffer a similar fate". Cait's first book got four stars from me, meaning that I enjoyed it, and will recommend to others, but wouldn't reread it.
In contrast to Cait's first book, I got the feeling that she did not write this book for others, she wrote it for herself. Every time she writes "you" and gives some sort of insight or advice, it felt like Cait is having a self-indulgent conversation with herself. This book felt like an awkward visit with a person you may want to be friends with, but they just keep talking about themselves, and telling you specific details that you really don't care to know about.
Drawn-out muddle of incredibly mundane and unnecessary minutia of the author's life decisions peppered with awkward hiking metaphors. I feel like I’ve just read a self-indulgent millennial humble-brag travel lifestyle blog, with numerous name-dropping of other financial bloggers and authors. I did not find anything profound here (just a few sentences that rung true, but weren't anything earth-shatterring), which was disappointing because I quite enjoyed her first book. Overall, highly annoyed by author as a person now.
I mean, if you want to know the dates of Cait's trips, what friends she travelled with, and unnecessary stories of the conferences she originally met these people at, along with more specific dates, go ahead, WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS LIFE. I understand the power of journaling, so I’m sure writing this was very cathartic to Cait, but this should be advertised as the personal journal that it is, rather than a self-help book. It should be called "Cait's adventures in opting out", and "a field guide" seems like false advertising.
“I will spare you the boring details of how long it took me to book a place for the fall”, she says, after dozens of pages of details and specific dates of her bookings, and follows this up with more boring details. WHY, CAIT, WHY?! I’m so annoyed by you, that I’ve gone from being slightly intrigued by your unconventionally-spelled name, to thinking that the spelling is stupid. That's how bad this book was - bad enough that my brain has decided to irrationally target your name for a personal attack.
I listened to it at 2x speed, and it was a waste of ~3 hours. I guarantee that I would have gotten more insights on how to live a more intentional life if I just sat and stared at a wall for 3 hours. Don't read it. Go stare at a wall.
In contrast to Cait's first book, I got the feeling that she did not write this book for others, she wrote it for herself. Every time she writes "you" and gives some sort of insight or advice, it felt like Cait is having a self-indulgent conversation with herself. This book felt like an awkward visit with a person you may want to be friends with, but they just keep talking about themselves, and telling you specific details that you really don't care to know about.
Drawn-out muddle of incredibly mundane and unnecessary minutia of the author's life decisions peppered with awkward hiking metaphors. I feel like I’ve just read a self-indulgent millennial humble-brag travel lifestyle blog, with numerous name-dropping of other financial bloggers and authors. I did not find anything profound here (just a few sentences that rung true, but weren't anything earth-shatterring), which was disappointing because I quite enjoyed her first book. Overall, highly annoyed by author as a person now.
I mean, if you want to know the dates of Cait's trips, what friends she travelled with, and unnecessary stories of the conferences she originally met these people at, along with more specific dates, go ahead, WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS LIFE. I understand the power of journaling, so I’m sure writing this was very cathartic to Cait, but this should be advertised as the personal journal that it is, rather than a self-help book. It should be called "Cait's adventures in opting out", and "a field guide" seems like false advertising.
“I will spare you the boring details of how long it took me to book a place for the fall”, she says, after dozens of pages of details and specific dates of her bookings, and follows this up with more boring details. WHY, CAIT, WHY?! I’m so annoyed by you, that I’ve gone from being slightly intrigued by your unconventionally-spelled name, to thinking that the spelling is stupid. That's how bad this book was - bad enough that my brain has decided to irrationally target your name for a personal attack.
I listened to it at 2x speed, and it was a waste of ~3 hours. I guarantee that I would have gotten more insights on how to live a more intentional life if I just sat and stared at a wall for 3 hours. Don't read it. Go stare at a wall.
September 28, 2020
This book is hard to categorize its part self help, part memoir part travelogue. The author focuses on the idea of it being okay to "opt out", choose to live some aspect of your life in a way that's different than others expectations, if it doesn't hurt you or other people. She talks some about her own opt out of having a permanent residence and deciding to travel around Europe for a time but also interviews others who have had their own opt out. She uses a hiking analagy throughout.
I overall liked it. But it felt repetitive at times and I found myself wishing she had sat on this for another 6 months so she'd have more material about her own travels. She just hadn't been traveling very long when she mentions that her deadline for finishing the book is approaching. Even though it ties together fine at times it felt like she repeated stuff to fill a word count.
I listened to the audio and it went by fast.
I overall liked it. But it felt repetitive at times and I found myself wishing she had sat on this for another 6 months so she'd have more material about her own travels. She just hadn't been traveling very long when she mentions that her deadline for finishing the book is approaching. Even though it ties together fine at times it felt like she repeated stuff to fill a word count.
I listened to the audio and it went by fast.
March 6, 2021
I generally love Cait Flanders, but I really struggled reading this book. She didn't tell her story in a way that made me root for her, she name drops friends we don't know all over the place, and I honestly don't really think the metaphor that she based the whole book on works very well. She bases a lot of the book on a travel experience that she is having WHILE writing the book... and I don't really understand how that works. Plus, the book supposedly shares the stories of other people (not just Cait) opting out... but in reality, it really doesn't. I still love Cait, but this book wasn't it.
October 8, 2020
Meh. I didn’t like the first book so don’t know why I thought this would be any different. It’s not that it was a bad book - I just didn’t get the content I was hoping for.
October 26, 2021
Leer a Cait Flanders siempre me da una sensación de paz y armonía muy especial. Ya consiguió hacerme sentir así con su primer libro, y lo ha vuelto a hacer con este.
Yo soy una persona que me considero "disfrutona de salirme de lo común", por lo que este libro no ha sido para mí un descubrimiento de las aventuras que puedes encontrar saliéndote de lo establecido. Sino que ha sido un libro en el que me he sentido acompañada y entendida, en el que he visto que no me encuentro sola.
Me encanta que Cait anime en este libro a cada uno de nosotros a conocernos mejor y a disfrutar de la vida que realmente queremos vivir. Sin embargo, la lectura se me ha hecho a veces repetitiva, a veces aburrida. Lo que sí que me ha gustado ha sido su comparación durante todo el libro con el mundo del senderismo.
Yo soy una persona que me considero "disfrutona de salirme de lo común", por lo que este libro no ha sido para mí un descubrimiento de las aventuras que puedes encontrar saliéndote de lo establecido. Sino que ha sido un libro en el que me he sentido acompañada y entendida, en el que he visto que no me encuentro sola.
Me encanta que Cait anime en este libro a cada uno de nosotros a conocernos mejor y a disfrutar de la vida que realmente queremos vivir. Sin embargo, la lectura se me ha hecho a veces repetitiva, a veces aburrida. Lo que sí que me ha gustado ha sido su comparación durante todo el libro con el mundo del senderismo.
September 19, 2020
I had low expectations after reading the other reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book! Cait’s wide network of friends/bloggers allows her to share experiences and anecdotes that have something for everyone. I found myself particularly drawn to her story about her friend Nicole. Her personal experiences, while still central, take a backseat to the overarching plot of the novel, which allows the reader to become the focus. While reading this book, I spent a good deal of time looking introspectively at my own life.
This book also came out at the perfect time. COVID related quarantine has given me more time than ever to be alone with my thoughts and take stock of my life. Even before I opened this book, I was aware that I needed a change. I could relate to almost all of the “questions to ask yourself if you think you need a change.” However, I wasn’t sure how to start or even if I should do anything differently (could I really give up my stable/well paying job in the middle of a pandemic, just because I am not happy??). This book gave me permission to let myself think about what changes would truly let me get on the right path.
I can see myself continuing to reread this book as I continue with my journey and I’m sure I’ll get something different out of it each time. Certain stories may resonate more while I am at a different stage. I’m excited to have something to refer back to when I find myself stagnating and need additional inspiration.
I’ve been following Cait’s journey for a long time. When I was paying off my own debt, I turned to her blog as a source of inspiration and guidance. Looking back at those early posts, it is so clear to me how far she has grown as a person and as a writer. This book felt like the truest expression of who she has become.
This book also came out at the perfect time. COVID related quarantine has given me more time than ever to be alone with my thoughts and take stock of my life. Even before I opened this book, I was aware that I needed a change. I could relate to almost all of the “questions to ask yourself if you think you need a change.” However, I wasn’t sure how to start or even if I should do anything differently (could I really give up my stable/well paying job in the middle of a pandemic, just because I am not happy??). This book gave me permission to let myself think about what changes would truly let me get on the right path.
I can see myself continuing to reread this book as I continue with my journey and I’m sure I’ll get something different out of it each time. Certain stories may resonate more while I am at a different stage. I’m excited to have something to refer back to when I find myself stagnating and need additional inspiration.
I’ve been following Cait’s journey for a long time. When I was paying off my own debt, I turned to her blog as a source of inspiration and guidance. Looking back at those early posts, it is so clear to me how far she has grown as a person and as a writer. This book felt like the truest expression of who she has become.
October 19, 2020
I’m disappointed to write this review, as a great fan of Cait’s blogging, social media, and first book. I feel this book missed the mark. I was looking forward to reading about the experiences of other people and their opt-outs as advertised but I felt she barely scratched the surface either any of them. She indicated in the book that she didn’t think she could finish writing the book due to personal challenges, but hunkered down and did, and it’s shows. The only lesson I really took away was the hiking phrases which helped me on the hiking trip I took immediately after. Also, can we get a thesaurus for the term opt-out? Was used in repetitive fashion that it sounded amateurish.
September 18, 2020
This book had me with this....
"We all follow our own path in life. At least, that's what we're told. In reality, many of us either do what is expected of us, or take the invisible, but well-worn paths that lead to what is culturally acceptable. For some, those paths are fine-even great. But they leave several of us feeling disconnected from ourselves and what we really want to do. When that discomfort finally outweighs the fear of trying something new, we're ready to opt out."
Loved this book. Grateful it exists.
"We all follow our own path in life. At least, that's what we're told. In reality, many of us either do what is expected of us, or take the invisible, but well-worn paths that lead to what is culturally acceptable. For some, those paths are fine-even great. But they leave several of us feeling disconnected from ourselves and what we really want to do. When that discomfort finally outweighs the fear of trying something new, we're ready to opt out."
Loved this book. Grateful it exists.
November 15, 2020
The underlying premise of the book has a lot of promise but the execution just wasn't there. I liked the analogy threaded through the book of hiking and making choices to 'opt out in life.' However Caits examples were not that inspiring or great. One that came up a few times was Cait living in another country but not being able to find accomodations that meet her budget in a few weeks. Would not recommend.
April 7, 2021
Found this one pretty boring, very repetitive. Enough already with the hiking analogies! Did not inspire me, nothing new there.
June 15, 2025
I loved this book. I live a sort of alternative life, not your typical path that most choose. A lot of Cait’s thoughts deeply resonated with me.
November 7, 2020
If you need inspiration or support during a time in your life when you want to change your path, this might give you that helping hand. As someone who plans every trip, every adventure and wants to know what I’ll do along the way, this book helped me see the joy of giving a new path a try without having to know all the answers before I start. Cait says, “You can’t know what’s going to happen or how you’re going to feel about it until you start going down the new path. Instead, you have to work past the fear of doing it ‘wrong’ or ‘failing’ and simply TRY.” Thanks, Cait. New horizons await!
September 27, 2020
I was really excited to dig into this book after loving Cait's first book, The Year of Less. The tagline says it's a field guide and that's exactly how it feels when you're reading. While none of the advice is groundbreaking per se, it does give helpful reminders and encouragement from a friend who feels like a fellow trailblazer. I especially connected with the section titled The Viewpoint and the Seventh Sense chapter. It was nice to read other people's stories in opting out rather than just the author's experiences. I feel the book could have gone more in-depth into the subject but overall it was a good read for a Saturday afternoon spent by the river. I'm sure I'll be letting my friends borrow this book for years!
November 10, 2020
A while back, I did a year-long project called "A Simple Year." Cait Flanders was one of the facilitators, and I have followed her work since then. Her recent book, "Adventures in Opting Out: A Field Guide to Leading an Intentional Life," draws on hiking metaphors to reveal truths she has learned from years of opting out of debt, consumerism, drugs, drinking, and some societal expectations. In 2019 she opted out from her "normal life" to spend a year trying to live traveling and working abroad as a writer. While the hiking metaphors distracted me some from what she has trying to say, her time in the UK, especially over months in Cardiff, drew me in.
Having played with the idea of possibly living for the UK for six months to a year at a time, it was helpful to hear how Flanders did this. One of the helpful things for her was trying to re-create her basic routine of coffee shop, grocery, trails to walk, and access "to something big in the wild to give [her] perspective, such as a mountain or body of water" (167-168). Day adventures rounded out her time, along with an extended two weeks away at one point.
Lots to think about "opting out" in regard to my own life, past, present, and future. And as Flanders quotes (225) Cheryl Strayed ("The Ghost Ship that Didn't Carry Us"): "I’ll never know and neither will you of the life you don’t choose. We’ll only know that whatever that sister life was, it was important and beautiful and not ours." So be as intentional as possible and see what adventures await.
I am glad Flanders opted out in 2019, because 2020 would have been so much more challenging. . . .
Having played with the idea of possibly living for the UK for six months to a year at a time, it was helpful to hear how Flanders did this. One of the helpful things for her was trying to re-create her basic routine of coffee shop, grocery, trails to walk, and access "to something big in the wild to give [her] perspective, such as a mountain or body of water" (167-168). Day adventures rounded out her time, along with an extended two weeks away at one point.
Lots to think about "opting out" in regard to my own life, past, present, and future. And as Flanders quotes (225) Cheryl Strayed ("The Ghost Ship that Didn't Carry Us"): "I’ll never know and neither will you of the life you don’t choose. We’ll only know that whatever that sister life was, it was important and beautiful and not ours." So be as intentional as possible and see what adventures await.
I am glad Flanders opted out in 2019, because 2020 would have been so much more challenging. . . .
February 10, 2023
I loved the idea of this book - the cover, the cute doodles at the beginning of each chapter, the promise of adventure, the idea of choosing an atypical path in life.
But, for me, the whole book felt unhinged. Was this a story of Flander's travels? Or was this a how-to book on hiking? Or maybe a tell-all diary of her recovery from alcoholism and drug abuse? Or, as promised, a guide to help readers take their life onto a new route?
The short chapter introductions (titled the base, the viewpoint, the valley, the slope, the summit) were well thought out and clever, giving perceptive wisdom about the stages of learning and acceptance of circumstances. But the rest of each chapter floundered. It felt as if these 5 mini-chapters were then force-fed to become standard book length. Everything felt forced.
I chose this book because I am in the midst of a career transition, after 26 years in the classroom. I hoped for positive insight that I could apply to my situation. "It's okay to go against the grain", "Realizing there's a choice is the first step", "Look at how I took a risk and got this result" ... that kind of thing. But Flander's adventures are the ramblings of a privileged millennial who has no responibilities, has a wealthy parent as her safety net, and can endlessly indulge in her self-serving whims.
Moving on ...
But, for me, the whole book felt unhinged. Was this a story of Flander's travels? Or was this a how-to book on hiking? Or maybe a tell-all diary of her recovery from alcoholism and drug abuse? Or, as promised, a guide to help readers take their life onto a new route?
The short chapter introductions (titled the base, the viewpoint, the valley, the slope, the summit) were well thought out and clever, giving perceptive wisdom about the stages of learning and acceptance of circumstances. But the rest of each chapter floundered. It felt as if these 5 mini-chapters were then force-fed to become standard book length. Everything felt forced.
I chose this book because I am in the midst of a career transition, after 26 years in the classroom. I hoped for positive insight that I could apply to my situation. "It's okay to go against the grain", "Realizing there's a choice is the first step", "Look at how I took a risk and got this result" ... that kind of thing. But Flander's adventures are the ramblings of a privileged millennial who has no responibilities, has a wealthy parent as her safety net, and can endlessly indulge in her self-serving whims.
Moving on ...
February 14, 2021
I would have gotten more out of this book if I had picked it up 10 years ago in my early twenties when I was floundering a bit more. My well-intentioned mother gifted this to me and it’s probably one I wouldn’t have picked up for myself, just full disclosure. I agree with a lot of the reviews that the ongoing hiking analogy just didn’t work. It was repetitive and bland and didn’t add much. The strongest parts of this book were the stories about other people and what was actually happening to Cait during her travels, and the conclusion of what she took away from the experiences. It would have more compelling as a travel memoir with some take away lessons and tips infused into it. There really was no ‘how-to’ about this book. This could have been a stronger long-form article rather than a book. I hate writing negative reviews, especially because I think I would really like the author as a person and her short-form is pretty good. This just kind of felt like she got a second book deal and had to fill 200 pages for a story that could have been done better in 3.
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