- Global Travel Writing
- Literary Travel
- Guatemala Travel Guide
In his new book, Mark Walker reflects on his fifty years of travel miscalculations and disasters and how and why he travels changed over the years, as has who he traveled with. As a young Peace Corps Volunteer with no overseas travel experience, the world was his oyster, and he figured he could go anywhere if he set his mind to it—with little or no money. Then he married a Guatemalan lady and had to think more about “our” needs; then, three children meant additional requirements and responsibilities. And later, as a professional fundraiser, he would set up donor visits to program areas where the organizations he represented needed funds, which meant considering the needs of up to fifteen individuals of all ages, including children and some donors in their 70s and 80s. He’s become a savvier trekker, although he was still prone to the occasional snafu. This book is part of the “Yin & Yang of Travel” series of ten essays” It’s an invaluable portal into the world of timeless travel and what can go wrong.
During the author’s travels and extensive reading, he discovered Moritz Thomsen’s third book
, The Saddest Pleasure, whose title originated from a quote in Paul Theroux’s
Picture Palace: “Travel is the saddest of the pleasures. It gave me eyes.” This basic supposition inspired him to write his new book and would inform and put the author’s travels into perspective. It also helped him appreciate the miscues, disasters, and disappointments he experienced on the road and made him a better traveler and writer.
BIOMark Walker was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and spent over forty years helping disadvantaged people in the developing world. He’s worked with groups like CARE and MAP International, Food for the Hungry, Make-A-Wish International, and was the CEO of Hagar USA.
His book,
Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond, was recognized by the Arizona Literary Association. According to the
Midwest Review, “…is more than just another travel memoir. It is an engaged and engaging story of one man’s physical and spiritual journey of self-discovery.”
His articles have been published in
Ragazine and
WorldView Magazines, Literary Yard, Scarlet Leaf Review, and Quail BELL. At the same time, the “Solas Literary Award sponsored by “Traveler’s Tales,” recognized two essays, most recently the Bronze for “Best Travel Writing—Adventure Travel.” Two of his essays were winners at the Arizona Authors Association Literary Competition, and another was recently published in ELAND Press’s newsletter. He’s a contributing writer for “Revue Magazine” and the “Literary Traveler.” His column, “The Million Mile Walker Review: What We’re Reading and Why,” is part of the Arizona Authors Association newsletter. He's working on his next book,
Moritz Thomsen, The Best American Travel Writer No One’s Heard Of, and continues to produce a documentary on indigenous rights and out-migration from Guatemala, “
Trouble in the Highlands.” His honors include the "Service Above Self" award from Rotary International. He’s a board member of “Advance Guatemala.” His wife and three children were born in Guatemala. You can learn more at www.MillionMileWalker.com
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