| *Gifted: I was gifted a copy of 20 Travel Tales in 200 Words by the author(s) in exchange for an honest review. |
About 20 Travel Tales in 200 Words
D. Marino and J. Malley, better known in the travel community as the ‘Make Them All Trips of a Lifetime‘ duo, are just releasing their new travel book-come-magazine, 20 Travel Tales in 200 Words. As keen photographers, bloggers, and now authors, Marino and Malley say they felt that releasing their photo-book was the natural progression for their blogging career, showcasing their “true experiences of misadventure, heart and humour while travelling the world”. Each story, or tale, is exactly 200 words, and crafted to perfectly emulate their travel experience in that country or region. Expect tales from Mexico, Costa Rica, Santorini, Jamaica… and many more sun-soaked places.
My review of 20 Travel Tales
If I had to provide a numerical rating for the book, I would give it four out of five stars. I think what is most valuable from this read, other than the absolutely stunning photography, is that it creates a unique, relaxing and transformative reading experience. You might be stuck at home, like me, currently reeling from the news of your redundancy at work, and yet 20 Travel Tales is able to transport you to a different space and time, living through someone else’s travel journeys.
“Photography is a love we share, one which has become a third person who joins us on every trip.”
-Prologue
One of its most impressive features was the use of colour. Intended to be read almost like a travel magazine, each story is paired with at least one full-size travel photo, and you can tell that great thought has been put into the order of the images and tales. By the time you read this, it will be at most one week until stocks of the physical copies arrive on their website, and I would encourage you to take that option if you can afford it. The good news is it’s currently available for pre-order for C$20.99, which translates to around £12.50! They will also be releasing an e-book version soon after, which I had a great experience with.
At its heart, 20 Travel Tales in 200 Words is a short story collection, and my particular favourites were ‘Sometimes Bad Tourists Lead to Good Dogs’, ‘When The Gods Shut a Window, Sometimes they Open a Door’ and ‘It’s Not Moving On, It’s Moving Forward.’ Each tale had its own merit; as described, some were funny, some had a moral, and some even came full circle. I would say that the perfect readers for this book would be travel book collectors, travel enthusiasts, aspiring travel authors, or even just someone who is missing travel.
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Thank you to the authors for providing me with the opportunity to be one of the first to read their book, and I wish you every success. If you’re planning to read it, I hope you enjoy!
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Megbeth Travels 
Thanks so much for the review, glad you enjoyed it!
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