5 Ways to Carry a Goat

Overview

There's nothing like a blog post to inspire angry rants from anonymous readers: it's the talkback radio of the digital age. So why is Australia's leading travel blogger Ben Groundwater setting out to put faces to his readers' made-up names? Armed with a backpack, a laptop and a cover story in case of emergency, Ben has a plan: to travel the world, relying purely on the kindness of his sometimes frightening, but always interesting, readers. After posting a cry for help on his blog, he has a globe-circling itinerary of apparently friendly strangers who have offered him their homes - not to mention their radio shows, hallucinogenic drugs, beachside eco-resorts and daughters' weddings. This is Ben's chance to dig deep into the realms of his digital universe: Who's out there reading his blog? Where do they live? What are their lives like? And how do you carry a goat home in Ethiopia? Over 14 weeks, 14 countries and about a thousand beers, he answers these questions and many more. Five Ways to Carry a Goat is the hilarious tale of putting virtual friendships to the test of reality.

Author Biography

Ben Groundwater is an Australian travel writer, blogger, journalist and anything else someone will pay him to be. A professional writer for 10 years, Ben began his career in Brisbane before deciding to see the world, taking off to write freelance travel features for newspapers like the Sydney Morning Herald and the Courier-Mail, as well as various travel magazines. He now lives in Sydney, and writes Fairfax Media’s hugely popular travel blog The Backpacker, upon which this, his first book, is based.