“Don’t Hug the Tour Guide!” by Natalie Jane Toubes; Xlibris Corp., 2011
Ever wonder what it would be like to visit Europe, China, England, Quebec, Israel, South America, South Africa? Natalie Jane Toubes can tell you because she’s been to all these places and more. And you can find out what she has to say in her book “Don’t Hug the Tour Guide!”
Toubes’ book paints vivid scenes of fascinating countries all over the globe and many cities right here in the United States for both seasoned and armchair travelers.
Toubes, who taught French and English in high schools and colleges in Chicago, Iowa City, Anchorage and Kansas City, is truly an experienced traveler. She and her now retired husband, Dr. Daniel Toubes, have traveled throughout their entire married lives. Her book covers the 1960s through 2009 — and she plans a sequel since she has even more adventures under her belt.
Toubes said she wrote the book because she had so many wonderful experiences that she wanted to share them with others.
“I felt that by writing this book, it would be interesting to travelers and also people who are thinking about traveling — just about anybody who likes to travel or thinks about it,” she said. “It might encourage them to do it. It’s a wonderful, educational experience.”
In the introduction to her book, Toubes says for as long as she can remember she’s loved to travel. She remembers day trips she and her father and mother took when she was a child, which she believes instilled in her a sense of adventure.
“I always said I wanted to see the world before I left it,” she said. “I’ve been very fortunate.”
Toube’s book is filled with little tidbits and insights from all over the world, including India, which inspired the book’s title.
She writes: “As the trip drew to a close, I became very sad. The group of people we traveled with was very compatible, and we became good friends. To say good-bye was very hard. I hugged Sunil, our guide, and the look on his face was unforgettable, a look of total surprise. Women do not touch men in public in India!”
The secret to remembering her various travels is keeping a detailed journal. Toubes said she would sit down and write about her day every night before she went to bed.
“If you have a journal, you remember and the trip lasts a lifetime,” she said. “I could not have written this book if I had not kept a very detailed journal. I had to do a little research, of course, but wouldn’t have remembered half the things (without the journal).”
She also has a tour book of whatever city or country she visited so she could look up spellings or certain details about it.
In addition, her husband always takes lots of photos, so when she gets home, she immediately goes through them and identifies each one.
“What always bothered me is that people take one picture after another and don’t write down anything about them,” Toubes said. “You know they’re not going to remember.”
All the photos in the book were taken by Daniel Toubes.
When Toubes is not traveling, she enjoys knitting, cooking and reading. She and her husband have been members of Congregation Beth Shalom for 40 years.
The “partially” self-published book is available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and is on the shelves at Rainy Day Books in Fairway. The cost is: hardback, $29.99; paperback, $19.99; $3.03 for Kindle; and $7.99 for Nook.
Toubes said the book has done fairly well and she wants to get started on the sequel.
“I’ve had such a great time … You feel like a citizen of the world. (Traveling) is a good thing; I just wish everybody could do it,” she said.