The Voluntourist: A Six-Country Tale of Love, Loss, Fatherhood, Fate, and Singing Bon Jovi in Bethlehem

Ken Budd’s The Voluntourist is a remarkable travel memoir about losing your father, accepting your fate, and finding your destiny by volunteering around the world for numerous worthy causes: Hurricane Katrina disaster relief in New Orleans, helping special needs children in China, studying climate change in Ecuador, lending a hand—and a heart—at a Palestinian refugee camp in the Middle East, to name but a few. Ken's emotional journey is as inspiring and affecting as those chronicled in Little Princes and Three Cups of Tea. At once an inspirational true story of powerful family bonds, of sacrifice, of self-discovery, The Voluntourist is an all-too-human, real-life hero whom you will not soon forget.

What does it take to live a life that matters?

• A Global Volunteer Journey: From rebuilding homes in post-Katrina New Orleans to lending a hand in a Palestinian refugee camp, this six-country quest is a powerful testament to the power of helping others.
• Father-Son Story: Driven by the sudden death of his father, this poignant memoir is a heartfelt exploration of grief, legacy, and what it means to be a son.
• A Journey of Self-Discovery: Confronting his own childless life, Ken seeks purpose and finds unexpected answers while caring for special needs children in China and studying climate change in Ecuador.
• Adventure Travel Memoir: For readers of Eat, Pray, Love and Three Cups of Tea, this is an honest, funny, and deeply moving travelogue about finding your place in the world.

VOL·UN·TOUR·IST
n. 1. A guy who attempts to save the world in an attempt to save himself.
2. Someone who can only do it two weeks at a time.

When Ken Budd was thirty-nine, his father collapsed after eighteen holes of golf. Ken and his wife raced to the hospital—but it was too late. In the weeks that followed, as grieving friends revealed how his father had changed their lives, Ken started questioning his own life—and admitting, after years of denial, that he and his wife would never have children.

And then, still struggling with grief—his grief at losing his father, his grief at not being a father—Ken received an e-mail with the subject line: "Katrina Relief Volunteer Opportunities." He signed up. He went to New Orleans. And he kept volunteering: Costa Rica, to teach English; China, to work with special-needs children; Ecuador, to study climate change; the West Bank, to assist refugees; Kenya, to care for orphans. His goal: to find purpose by helping others, one trip at a time.

Wry, funny, and heartbreakingly honest, The Voluntourist will linger in your mind long after you've turned the last page.

“One of the best-written travel memoirs...this book spins a compelling yarn, linking six varied experiences into a cohesive narrative. Recommended for anyone who has been, or is interested in becoming, a ‘voluntourist.’ ” - Library Journal

“Readers of this unique travel memoir will undoubtedly be inspired to take a voluntour of their own, and the author includes helpful tips on how to do just that.” - Booklist

“A solid introduction to the world of volunteer tourism and a pleasant diversion for those who don’t mind a wandering road.” - Kirkus Reviews

“In his sincere and subtly written memoir, Budd gracefully--and often humorously--records how he changes ‘emotionally, physically, spiritually’ as he travels to work with ‘people with real problems and different perspectives.’” - Publishers Weekly

“Heart-warming...tempered with exactly the right amount of acerbic wit...Unless you’re comfortable laughing loudly in publis, you don’t want to read this on your daily commute.” - Vertge Magazine

“For those of you who haven’t read Ken’s book yet, get your copy NOW! It’s really that good.” - Jae-Ha Kim, syndicated travel columnist, Chicago Tribune

“Funny, touching, insightful and compelling.” - The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy

“Lively...Entertaining...The author’s intelligence and autobiographical honesty engage the reader...Budd is a skilled writer with a good ear for dialogue.” - PerceptiveTravel.com