A Golden Era in World Travel
In the late 70s adventure bus journeys were the most exciting form of international travel. Buses crossed continents to the fabled cities of Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, carrying adventurous travellers across scenic lands and harsh deserts. Many of the passengers were Australians, going to and from Britain and Europe.
Faraway Places with Strange Sounding Names brings this magical era of travel back to life, thanks to Gerald Davis’s determined efforts to gather people’s stories, photos, maps and memorabilia. His book tells the story of the leading operator of the time, the Penn Overland Company, which pioneered the overland travel routes in the 50s, and spread to five continents and 50 countries, as buses crossed the world with passengers in search of discovery and adventure.
Penn Overland, Indiaman and other companies traversed scenic lands and harsh deserts, tours lasted weeks and months and crossed borders freely, until unrest and warfare put a stop to it, and the golden era of overland travel came to an abrupt end. Operators disappeared, and even the records of the Penn company have been lost.
This book is a window into that time, and for the thousands who travelled, a chance to relive their journeys of a lifetime. Drawing on memories and mementos of former Penn staff and passengers the world over, Gerald Davis has saved the story from disappearance, and told it in this evocative book.
RRP $55