Have you ever wanted to experience the world as it is: messy, beautiful, unpredictable, and alive? Do you crave travel stories that show the truth, not the brochure?
From Namibia’s desert roads to Colombia’s cloud forests, from campervan mishaps in Europe to typhoons in the Philippines and fevers in India, this is a decade of raw, unfiltered travel told with honesty, humour, and an eye for the beautifully absurd.
Between 2014 and 2025, Armand Wadsworth and Jo Knight travelled through some of the most remote and unforgettable corners of the world
These journals, first published on getrealtravel.com, were never meant to be neat itineraries or idealised travel guides. They are true stories: candid, unpredictable, occasionally chaotic, and deeply human.
Journey from the red dunes of Namibia to the volcanic highlands of Costa Rica; through Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the storm-lashed islands of the Philippines. Follow the authors through pandemic-era Europe in a campervan, across the Balkans, along the rain-drenched backroads of Ireland, into the jungles of Central America, and finally into the Andes, Amazon, and Sierra Nevada of Colombia. By travelling alongside Armand and Jo, you’ll feel the joy, chaos, wonder, and deeply human moments that make the world worth exploring.
Throughout, Jo’s resilience and photography shape the narrative, capturing rare birds, fleeting light, and moments of unexpected humanity. Armand’s writing offers humour, self-deprecation, and a traveller’s instinct for turning misadventure into story. This remarkable book gives you a front-row seat to real, unpolished travel, helping you see the world with fresh eyes, even if you’re reading from home.
Whether trekking high passes, recovering from Chikungunya in Myanmar, riding out a Christmas typhoon, getting lost in the Mani Peninsula, or sharing slivo with strangers in Bosnia, these journals reveal a world that is beautiful, fragile, chaotic, and profoundly alive.
Perfect for readers of:
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travel memoirs
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adventure travel writing
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van life and overland journeys
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off-the-beaten-path exploration
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reflective, humorous travelogues
Readers love this book because it reminds us that the best journeys aren’t perfect. They’re honest, unplanned and human. And they show us the world, and ourselves, in ways we never expect.
Arrivals and Departures contains over eighty of the very finest of Jo Knight’s travel photographs.
This is not a guidebook. It’s a decade-long conversation with the world.
