When we are bombarded daily with news of the terrible state of the stock market, the threat of terrorism and the possibility of loosing one’s job, there is nothing comparable to a good belly laugh. THERE’S NO TOILET PAPER ON THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED edited by Doug Lansky perhaps is just the antidote we need. To fill the prescription the editor has collected 28 travel essays composed by 20 different funny writers that when read together have a fine cumulative and varied effect.

To set the mood, the editor prefaces this compilation of humor essays with a quotation from radio and talk show host Garrison Keillor: “Humor is not a trick. Humor is a presence in the world-like grace- and shines on everybody.”

The opening volley of these discourses recounts how the editor had to figure out how to use the men’s room in a public library in Holland. Now you may ask, what is so difficult about knowing how to use toilet facilities? However, as our victim reiterates, you practically needed an engineering degree to open the stall, as there was no doorknob. Furthermore you could not crawl under or over the door, as there was no crawl space under or over the door. Once the all-important handle was secured from the appropriate authority and the door to the stall had been opened, another complication ensued. How to get out of the stall as you forgot to take the doorknob in with you?

Bill Bryson, who has been described by The Times (UK) as the “funniest traveler alive” and by the Daily Telegraph as “ here is a man who suffers so his readers can laugh” relates how his travel agent booked him into a hotel in the 742 arrondissement in Paris. The hotel was a charmless neighbourhood somewhere on the outskirts of Calais.

David Barry tells about his sojourn in London with his son and as he affirms, “London is a popular foreign place to visit because they have learned to speak English over there. Although frankly they have a long way to go. Often, when they get to the crucial part of a sentence, they’ll realize that they don’t know the correct words, so they’ll just make some silly ones up.”

Other raconteurs include Peter Mayle, John Krich, Carl Franz, Richard Sterling, Lara Naaman, Mary Roach,

These are only a few samples of the 28 essays written by 20 funny writers, who are probably the best in travel humour, that remind us to laugh and not to take ourselves seriously when traveling. Life is too short! In fact it is usually these experiences that we remember rather than the meal we ate at some high priced restaurant. Appropriately the book deserved to win the Best Humour Travel as chosen by the Small Press Book Award.

One criticism I do have, however, is that printed on the back cover is the following statement: “in these pages you’ll find some very funny people, including Art Buchwald, David Letterman and Steve Martin…” When you try to find the essays of these writers all you are given are very brief jokes or sayings attributed to them. This is somewhat disappointing and misleading to someone who does not have an opportunity to flip through the book before purchasing it.