Be very, very afraid. When you step through your door for an innocent excursion, grave danger awaits. You might be mugged; tied up; attacked by scorpions, piranhas, or tarantulas; trapped in a falling plane or elevator, a runaway train, a car on a cliff, a sandstorm, a riptide, or a riot. But now it's safe to take that vacation anyway. Just pack The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel, and you'll know what to do when you find yourself, say, leaping between rooftops: "Because you will not be moving fast, it is safe to roll head over heels, unlike jumping from a moving vehicle." Now you'll also know what not to do: never pick up a tarantula, as the spines on their abdomens are like little harpoons, and don't yank the reins of a runaway camel ("Pulling on the nose reins can tear the camel's nose--or break the reins"). You may have the sense, if a leech invades your air passage, to gargle with a 50 percent solution of 80-proof alcohol--but without this book, would you remember not to inhale?

In short, this is the most delightfully terrifying, all-true, laugh-out-loud hilarious book since the original Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, which covers such horrors as alligators and quicksand. Don't leave home without it! --Tim Appelo


From Publishers Weekly
Just in time for summer travel, the hyperimaginative and slightly paranoid authors of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, 1999's favorite gift book, deliver what will no doubt become popular airport reading for stranded passengers in 2001. Starting with the cheery statistic that "more than 50 percent of all travelers run into problems," and the basic advisory to "always be ready for the worst," the book presents concise and extremely knowledgeable "how-to" assistance on a range of topics: e.g., stopping a runaway train, surviving a hostage situation, escaping from a car hanging over the edge of a cliff, surviving in a plummeting elevator, navigating a minefield, crossing a piranha-infested river, treating a severed limb, removing a leech and even foiling a UFO abduction. Like their earlier handbook, the success of each entry is based on the authors' ability to provide detailed and truly helpful advice on even the most outlandish or horrific situation and make the reader think, "Sure, I could successfully crash-land a small propeller plane on water, or easily climb out of a deep well, or locate and treat individual bleeding arteries on the stump of a severed arm. Nothing to it!" Their delivery evinces a calm precision that even the most worried traveler will find reassuring if faced with one or more of these eventualities, such as trying to escape when tied up ("When your captives start binding you, expand your body as much as possible") or encountering an extraterrestrial biological entity (EBE), unlikely as that might be: "Firmly tell the EBE to leave you alone... Go for the EBE's eyes (if they have any) you will not know what its other, more sensitive, areas are." Although some appendixes on strategies for packing, etc., seem boilerplate, overall this is another eminently practical, enjoyable survival guide. Watch out for those tsunamis! Illus. (May)Forecast: The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook was a runaway bestseller. This will be, too.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Penn Jillette's experience as a theater performer (Penn & Teller, magicians) stands him in good stead as he gives an energetic and emphatic reading of a list of possible travel disasters with accompanying do's and don'ts. Though some (abduction by an alien) are intended to be comical, others (hostage situation, hotel fire) are all too possible. A wealth of information is related in a husky voice that commands attention. Stereo sound effects loudly divide each section. General advice on packing, getting a good seat on an airplane, or foiling thieves (put your laptop in a diaper bag, carry an inexpensive "mugging wallet") is included. The final section has several helpful phrases in five languages; you could pick out the most useful. Remembering just a few of these tips could save your life. You might want to pack the print version. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Armchair travelers and adventure travelers alike will get a kick out of The Worst-Case Scenario Travel Handbook, the companion volume to Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht's runaway bestseller, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. Learn vital travel skills, such as how to stop a runaway camel, how to cross a piranha-infested river, and how to foil a UFO abduction, in this entertaining and -- believe it or not -- useful guide.

Most travelers won't need to know how to remove leeches, survive a sandstorm, or treat a scorpion sting, but thanks to hardcore adventure travel guides, such as Robert Young Pelton's bestseller The World's Most Dangerous Places, there are more and more "danger tourists" willing to risk their lives for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If that's your cup of tea, then you should definitely pack The Worst-Case Scenario Travel Handbook. The book's potentially lifesaving advice comes exclusively from experts who have extensive medical or scientific training or years of field experience with the deadly creatures, natural disasters, or hostile terrorists mentioned in the book. For example, the section explaining how to escape when tied up was written by "The Amazing Flanagan," a magician and escape artist. Who else would you trust for that information? The instructions for treating a severed limb were contributed by a Harvard Medical School physician, and the notes on how to stop a car with no brakes come from a demolition derby driver.

Whether or not you're planning to travel into regions where life-threatening situations involving sandstorms, tsunami, or tarantulas are common, fate could throw you a curve ball at any moment. Be prepared with The Worst-Case Scenario Travel Handbook -- that runaway train or volcanic eruption might be right around the corner. (Julie Carr)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

If you have to leave home, take this book! The team that brought you The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook now helps you navigate the perils of travel. Learn what to do when the tarantula crawls up your leg, the riptide pulls you out to sea, the sandstorm's headed your way, or your camel just won't stop. Find out how to pass a bribe, remove leeches, climb out of a well, survive a fall onto subway tracks, catch a fish without a rod, and preserve a severed limb. Hands-on, step-by-step instructions show you how to survive these and dozens of other adventures. An appendix of travel tips, useful phrases, and gestures to avoid will also ensure your safe return. Because you just never know...

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly