Ramon Carver in BEST AND WORST TRAVELS (365 pp, 140,000 words) writes candidly for Boomers or Seniors and upper middle class travel buffs (that is, anybody having time and money resources). He shares his worst experiences, "Some of the worst were worse than others," and his best, "There was an Abercrombie & Kent trip to China-- a great adventure, a great itinerary, a great tour group and great tour director, great hotels (except for a noisy Sheraton in Guilin), great weather, and great tour management. Seven greats out of seven ain't bad!"
Carver admires authors of adventure travel books, but he writes that his primary concerns aren’t the same as those of young adventurers. He definitely prefers Comfort, Safety, Good Weather, Good Company, Good Food, Means of Controlling Heat & Cold, and Shelter for the Night – not necessarily in that order, but pretty much.
Carver asks and answers the big question: "How may I determine if a trip will be right for ME?" He reveals what happened on five trips with Yale Exes (one grim event and four great experiences), Abercrombie & Kent, Inc., (three of the best trips ever and one snoozer), and tours with groups as well as various independent exploration.
And he writes about the great fun he had teaching Conversational English with Global Volunteers in Xian (China), Barlad (Romania), and Ostuni (Italy).
A prizewinning dramatist* and author of the "What I wish I'd Known Before I Went" travel series, Carver addresses virtually every concern of travelers who fear that the worst will happen (forgetting that the best also happens). He provides an amusing, definitive list of things that can go wrong, and he offers cautions and solutions.
He’s toured England and elsewhere like ex-pat Bill Bryson (Notes from a Small Island) to whom the book is dedicated ), sailed on upscale Sea Cloud I, QE2, QW2, and Silverseas & Seabourn ships to thousands of places like Patricia Schultz (1,000 Places to See Before You Die), traveled on trains like Paul Theroux (Riding the Iron Rooster), and he’s ridden astride a dromedary in Egypt.
Clearly, Carver travels widely, retreating to his home in Salado, Texas, or to Austin, with his wife, Barbara.
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*As a playwright, he has had plays produced at Yale (TAKE CARE Y'SELF), Off B'way at the Samuel Beckett Theatre (AIN'T NOBODY LOVES YOU LIKE A MAMA BUT YOUR MAMA TILL SHE DIES!), in Hollywood (CATCH AS CATCH CAN!), and in San Francisco (A LIT

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