I grew up with a family that would travel a great distance only to sit by the hotel pool. I just thought this was normal. Naturally as I started traveling as an adult it took me a long time to get outside of my comfort zone (I was 'that guy' who would open TripAdvisor and plan out the top 5 tourist stops). This book is a confrontation with fear, and Potts writes it beautifully. Get it before your next trip and you'll grow exponentially from it. From the hotel pool to the couch of a friendly Thai family, it's a big leap but well worth it.

This is one of two books that I took with me in 2004 around the world. The other is Walden by Thoreau. This is arguably, the most practical manual of life philosophy that I've found. It's an outstanding book for those people who feel trapped in any situation in their business or career or who simply want to experience more in life.