John Ahern
Award-winning travel author
“We row hard in the bowels of the slave ship, doing lots of stuff we don’t want to, dreaming of the day we can afford to do what we really want. And when that day comes, we wonder why we didn’t wake up to the fact that life is short and that we should have chased our real dreams earlier.”
Award-winning author John Ahern fervently believes that travel represents a vehicle for positive life-changing renewal. So much so, he has travelled through over 90 countries and visited all 7 continents. Although, you may not want to copy his actions. Along the way, John has been shot at, poisoned, tear gassed, robbed at gunpoint and locked up in an African jail. He has stowed away in a Columbian cargo plane, ridden across countries on the back of trucks and the roofs of buses, and been a passenger in not one, but two train derailments. You’d reckon he’d learn! But as John loves to say: ‘A life without risk is no life at all.’
In between adventures, John has shared inspirational stories, and tips on writing and travel, at literary festivals, TEDx, travel expos, book clubs, conferences, libraries, and travel memoir writing workshops. Adding to an array of national and international media coverage, John has been featured in long-form interviews on the ABC Conversation Hour, BBC Radio Saturday Live and National Geographic.
Sometimes you have to lose your way to find yourself
A hilarious, confronting and high-risk journey through the wilds of Africa. Hitching rides on buses, bakkies and freight trains, two hopelessly naïve overlanders lurch from one life-threatening situation to the next, confronting armed militia, charging elephants, leprosy and landmines. But when a rookie mistake turns catastrophic and lands John in the middle of a capital punishment trial, the adventure takes a darker turn.
The hilarious, poignant and inspiring story of what happened when an Aussie dad threw in his highflying corporate career and embarked on the ultimate family adventure.
“Full of laughs but…amid all the fun and foibles of travel is an honest heartfelt mediation on the meaning of modern life.”
Sydney Morning Herald.
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