Review of 'Imperfect Journey Around the World' by Daniel Baylis

This report provides a comprehensive book review of Daniel Baylis's 'Imperfect Journey Around the World', a non-fictional travel narrative. The review details the author's background, publication information, and a summary of the book's content, which chronicles the author's personal experiences and observations across various countries. The report analyzes the author's purpose, the book's structure, and theoretical perspectives, including traveler's fatigue and volunteer tourism. It includes personal reflections, comments from reviewers, and a critique of the work, highlighting the blend of fact and fiction in the first-person narrative. The review also references relevant literature and provides a bibliography, offering a detailed analysis of the book's themes, structure, and overall impact. The author's experiences and insights are examined in the context of travel literature, and the review concludes with an assessment of the book's strengths and weaknesses.

Running head: BOOK REVIEW
Book Review
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A. Content of the Material
1. Full details of the author and publication- The selected book is “Imperfect Journey around
the World”, by Daniel Baylis. It is a non-fictional travel narrative on the personal experiences of
Daniel Baylis. It was published by Sparks Publication, (ISBN 978-0-9920882-0-0) and written in a
first person point-of-view (Daniel Baylis, 2018). The cover page of the book is equally gripping
with different pictures of Daniel, in a kaleidoscopic manner. The book comes in both hardcopy and
softcopy consisting of 420 pages.
2. About the Author- Daniel Baylis was born in British Columbia in Canada, he has a degree in
Human Relations from Concord University. Writer and an adventurer, he has written articles for
The Guardian, Fast Company and Huffington Post. His preferences covers a wide array of
interesting things like old-school country music and Malbec wine, indulges in portrait photography
and obviously, is an avid traveler by choice.
B. Summary of the Material
1. Brief Outline of the book- The content of the novel, is a chronicle of people, scenic beauty
of countryside and occurrences of events in Daniel’s life that makes the novel a complete
whole. The novel opens with a Prologue where we get a glimpse of the growing up years of
narrator.
2. Summary of the Book- The novel opens with a Prologue where we get a glimpse of the
growing up years of narrator and writer Daniel Baylis, where the first line of the chapters
questions in a rather simple and straightforward manner, “what compels a person…journey
around the world?” The first few pages give the reader the background information about the
narrator, choices and inclination, his family background in a rather witty and matter-of-fact
tone. Later on, we progress at an expeditious speed from nostalgic architecture and cafes of

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Buenos Aries pulsating with life that Daniel was also a part of. His journey then continues to
ancient Morocco, beautiful France. The geography is dominated by the majestic Alps and the
four seas, the Mediterranean, North Sea, British Channel and Atlantic Ocean. The author
Daniel is the spokesperson of the place France and we get the tinge of pleasure that he finally
feels at France after months of leaving life as a vagabond. In the last pages the turbulences,
weariness all make the author stronger and ready to return back to the life he had once left
behind.
3. Author Purpose- The purpose of the author in writing the book is to give like Jack
Kerouac’s On the Road, a very realistic way of stating the day to day events, snatching away
any glimmers of fantasy and leaving bare for the readers to sink in the contrasting beauty of
dull and phenomenal that his journeys have brought to him. The geography is dominated by
the majestic Alps and the four seas, the Mediterranean, North Sea, British Channel and
Atlantic Ocean.
a.Critique of the Material
1. Theoretical Perspective- Daniel was suffering from traveler’s fatigue towards the end of
his journey that are frequently witnessed in travel narratives like Literature of Travel and
Exploration (McWilliams, E. (2014). Daniel was feeling extremely de-motivated to continue
forth we sense a gloom in his voice as he crouches beside a sea and remarking the beauty of
light glimmering like “a star in the waves”. He started to fade into the oblivion during his stay
in the foreign countries and longed for his lifestyle back in Canada. The last bit of the book,
teases the readers with a different Daniel now like Ulysses craving for home, after months of
peril. In case of traveler’s fatigue, he is driven by a hope of desolation for all he has left behind
and feels nothing for the adventures of his remaining journey (Angelo et al., 2017). His stay in

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France was supported by volunteer tourism, which is more pervasive in the developing
countries (Benson, 2015). The tourist experience that Daniel had was mutually beneficial to
him and community he chose. The phenomenon also permitted him the chance to immerse
himself into different cultures eliminating the racial and cultural peripheries (Dillette et al.,
2017) as voltunteer tourism does in the book Popular Humanitarism in Neoliberal Times.
Daniel’s narrative is infused with novel experiences that he learns during his stay in the
dilapidated castle and like most of the travel narratives, the book promotes harmony in between
multiple culture and understanding.
2. This depth and treatment of the book- it is reflected in the detailed insight of his mind
set like he wants to travel around the world over the power of his money. The length covers
proportionately his journey and introspective reflections and themes of alienation, yearning for
one’s roots in the light of personal experiences of the author apparent in the last part of the
book.
The structure of the book is simple, first few pages give the reader the background
information about the narrator, his choices and inclination, his family background in a rather
witty and matter-of-fact tone. To critique the work, the first light towards his willingness to
travel round the whole word is reflected in the page three of the book where the narrator jotted
down his to-do list. However, the writer was not dreamer but a practical thinker and this got
reflected in the page 4 of the book where prioritize before his to-do list. The book gives us
practical scenarios of travelling for instance language and cultural barriers that Daniel faces a
writer and adventurer in profession hailing from Canada.
3 Personal Reflection -I am an avid traveler by interest and therefore I like how we progress at
an expeditious speed from nostalgic architecture and cafes of Buenos Aries. The day to day

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experiences transgress the setting and time and appeal to the yearning that each of us has within
us. His journey continues to ancient Morocco, beautiful France and finally Australia vibrant with
arts and culture providing the readers with a kaleidoscopic portrait of the world.
4. Comments by Reviewers- Many reviewers have applauded Daniel’s poetic language of the
last part of the book. It exposes a vulnerable side of Daniel, crouching beside a sea and
remarking the beauty of light glimmering like “a star in the waves”. The book’s introspective
tone sets the adieu of the author from the world of aspiration and beauty, escapades and trials
and a growing sense of detachment with his own self (Dillette et al., 2017).
Fig: Daniel’s Travels in Morocco
Source:("Daniel Baylis", 2018)

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There is a lack of distinction between fact and fiction in writing especially in case of a
first person point-of-view where the writer is at liberty to manipulate the facts for creativity
alongwith the incorporation of inventive facts. The thread of narrative involves a degree of truth
interwoven with fiction in order to improve the quality of work. Daniel treats the book as honest
personal journal of gradual self-discovery and plunging into the essence of life. The flamboyant
tone and sheer optimism of the writer, endeavor with which he gives us insights into travelling
make the book a must read.
Fig: Daniel’s Tours in France
Source: ("Daniel Baylis", 2018)

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Reference List:
Angelo, K. M., Kozarsky, P. E., Ryan, E. T., Chen, L. H., & Sotir, M. J. (2017). What proportion
of international travellers acquire a travel-related illness? A review of the literature.
Journal of travel medicine, 24(5).
Benson, A. M. (2015). Why and how should the international volunteer tourism experience be
improved?. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 7(2), 208-214.
Daniel Baylis. (2018). Daniel Baylis. Retrieved 19 January 2018, from
http://www.danielbaylis.ca/
Dillette, A. K., Douglas, A. C., Martin, D. S., & O'Neill, M. (2017). Resident perceptions on
cross-cultural understanding as an outcome of volunteer tourism programs: the Bahamian
Family Island perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(9), 1222-1239.
McWilliams, E. (2014). " No Place Is Home—It Is as It Should Be": Exile in the Writing of
Maeve Brennan. Éire-Ireland, 49(3), 95-111.

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Bibliography List
Adams, P. G. (2015). Travel Literature and the Evolution of the Novel. University Press of
Kentucky.
Beuka, R. (2016). SuburbiaNation: Reading Suburban Landscape in Twentieth Century
American Film and Fiction. Springer.
Gale, C. L. (2016). A Study Guide for" Bildungsroman". Gale, Cengage Learning. Retrieved
from https://books.google.co.in/books?
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%22+Bildungsroman
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v=onepage&q=A%20Study%20Guide%20for%22%20Bildungsroman%22.&f=false
Ord, M. (2016). Travel and experience in early modern English literature. Springer. Retrieved
from https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=y10YDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Ord,+M.+(2016).
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bUUC0l&sig=9ge3ngHzwXist4sqMi-unbDmffE#v=onepage&q&f=false
Speake, J. (Ed.). (2014). Literature of travel and exploration: an encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN
13:978-1-579-58247-0