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Traveling with “No Sense of Direction”

By Eric Raff

Did you ever want to just quit your job and take off traveling – just head off in a general direction with no time requirements, no itinerary – just feel the freedom and experience the adventure – maybe write a book about your experiences?

Eric Raff did. But, Eric Raff was also a vice president of Ogilvy and Mather, one of the top advertising agencies in America, living and working in the advertising capitol of the world New York City, a serious professional making good money, on a career track. He couldn’t just take off, leave his job, maybe mess up his whole career. Could he?

No! Everyone –  parents, relatives, friends – agreed. That would be “crazy”. Everyone, that is, but Eric.  He decided that now was the time to see the world. So, he quit his job, put his briefcase in the closet, bought a backpack and a one-way ticket and headed off – Traveling – With No Sense of Direction.

Eric traveled far and well – to over 60 countries on six continents - not as a tourist, but in the best tradition of real travelers. And, he kept notes. And, he wrote a book titled No Sense of Direction about his adventures, the fascinating places he’d visited and, more importantly, some of the eclectic and memorable cast of characters he met along the way.

With a finely honed sense of humor and an engaging story-telling manner, Eric takes his reader on his journey, to meet his fellow travel mates, to accompany him as he finds himself in Russia without a visa, helping a Chinese acquaintance get a puppy through customs, escaping the wrath of a colorful 8 year old Vietnamese kid named “Scarface” and more - every day alive with new adventures, new sights, new people, new thoughts.

Eventually, the world of responsibility called and Eric left the heady freedom of traveling with no sense of direction to return home and re-enter the professional world he’d left. Today, Eric Raff is a world traveler, and he’s also a senior vice president at Grey Direct, one of the largest Direct Marketing agencies in the world – proving that sometimes if you follow your heart you can “have your cake and eat it too”.

For anyone who ever thought about just taking off and seeing the world, “No Sense of Direction” is the perfect book to read. It also just might provide an incentive to follow your dreams.

Traveling, after all, is not necessarily an act of irresponsibility or escape. Done well, it can be a powerful fulfilling experience. And, it is possible to return to the world of productivity and responsibility and reenter the fast track towards success. Just ask Eric Raff.

Reviewed by Madelyn Miller

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