All You Need is Luck

Frank Nelson

All You Need is Luck is the very funny story of an ordinary couple who decided to take a chance and do something extraordinary which others only dream about. Seven years ago Frank and Maria Nelson traded in excellent jobs, financial security, the safety net of family and friends, plus deep roots in their local community, for a nomadic lifestyle few people ever experience. This book recounts their first two years on the road after saying goodbye to their home in New Zealand.

During this time they lived and worked in Australia, England and the United States besides visiting Indonesia, France and Thailand. Leaving their comfort zone thousands of miles behind, they worked at American summer camps in Vermont and Cape Cod; at hospitals, a university and other jobs in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia; and looked after scores of pampered pets in the poshest of homes all over England.

This amusing adventure will appeal to anyone with a sense of humour but especially those who sometimes wonder what it would be like just to take off ... and keep going.

Review by Chrissi (260104) Rating (8/10)

Review by Chrissi
This is a lovely story about two people who decided to jack in their jobs, rent out their home and travel the world. It started as a plan for a year in 1996, and at the end of the book, the adventure had gone on for two years.

There are some lovely anecdotes in this book, and seeing England from a different perspective is always interesting – Frank and Maria went from England to New Zealand in 1979, and returning was a bit of a shock… as you can imagine. They went from steady jobs to working when and where they could, Maria is a nurse and Frank a journalist – but both seem willing to turn their hand to anything.

It is always surprising the things that you don’t know about the country you live in, and I was particularly enchanted by the idea of Animal Aunts. Animal Aunts is a pet sitting service where the sitters look after people’s pets in their own homes – the English are barmy about their pets and many of the pets are barking mad with their own personality traits – documented here all with great affection.

I suppose that this is not dissimilar to the writing style of Bill Bryson, the little asides and observations that are made throughout the book make for a very warm feeling for Frank and Maria and all their experiences. They come across as lovely people and I will quite happily wait a while for the next instalment of their travels. It is nice to live vicariously other people’s bravery – it is brave to just give up and move around wherever the whim takes you, and this is a warts and all view of travelling the world. From American summer camps to waterfront apartments, they have experienced some lovely (and some not so lovely) places, and I can only wish them well for the future.
Chrissi (26th January 2004)