Tweet success for Twitchhiker!
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Twitchhiker: How One Man Travelled the World by Twitter
by Paul Smith (Summersdale). £8.99
BORED and cranky in the bread aisle of his local supermarket one day, Paul Smith hits on an idea that will take him halfway around the world - for nothing.
He'll have a crack at using Twitter - the supremely simple social networking site that has taken cyberspace by storm - to arrange travel from random strangers to the ultimate destination on the other side of the world from his Newcastle home.
Granted, he's going to have some explaining to do to the long-suffering on-off girlfriend he has married a matter of days before the brainwave. And there's a very real chance he'll fall flat on his face when push comes to shove and the initial hype dies down.
Smith though sticks by his guns, wins around his wonderfully understanding better half and set about raising awareness in Twitterland of the feat he is about to attempt. In a nutshell, he's going to try and reach remote Campbell Island in New Zealand within 30 days of setting out.
To keep things interesting, Smith sets a handful of rules, amongst which is the stipulation that he can only accept offers of travel and accommodation from people using Twitter and that no plans can be made more than three days in advance. If there's more than one offer after any given three-day period, he must take it, regardless how dodgy it may look. And when in doubt, he'll turn over his fate to fellow Twitterers through an online poll.
At the root of this original and highly entertaining travelog is a simple and very good idea. Indeed I have no doubt the vast majority of readers picking this one up will at some point find themselves thinking: 'Man, wish I'd thought of it first!'
Smith, though, had the drive to put himself on the line. After a buttock-clenching run-up to the challenge, he finds his campaign picking up momentum as, around the world, Twitterers get the idea and run with it. Time and again complete strangers make staggeringly generous offers and inevitably he meets an array of colourful characters along the way.
Making the trip all the more remarkable is Smith's admission (well into the journey) that he is living with bipolar disorder, making him - by his own admission - liable to some unpredictable behaviour along the way.
The story unfolds delightful with plenty of ups and downs along the way and the odd false dawn thrown in to keep things interesting. The Tweet Ups along the way (physical get togethers of like-minded Tweeters) reveal these are far from the stereotype of nerds hiding behind the keyboard (well, most of them, anway). Rather Smith portrays the majority of those he encounters as generous, free-spirited souls keen to harness the endless possibilities of a very simple form of social networking.
Truth be told he benefits greatly en route from some five-star corporate hospitality which somewhat takes the shine of a very bold venture. Inevitably there's a bit of bandwagon jumping and opportunism evident along the way by some of those stepping out of the shadows to offer help. But when you're trying to blag your way around the world and there's the prospect of a bit of good PR in return, who could blame the author for taking advantage - particularly as he could claim that it was all within his own self-framed rules.
If nothing else, Twitchhiker will reawaken a sense of adventure in many who pick it up - and perhaps give the canny budget traveller a few ideas to be going on with...
* Summersdale titles are available in bookshops and can also be ordered through online retailers
