You do not have to traverse Africa by bicycle, solo extreme climbing routes or snowboard down glaciers in order to have an adventure. Between the extreme adventurer who craves for the adrenaline rush and the tourist who avoids any danger is the traveller. He or she also seeks adventure but without risking life and limb. The memories of seven decades published here show that the average person can also travel adventurously. They contain early travel experiences that made a lasting impression, episodes of youthful wanderlust, hitchhiking trips, long cycling tours, epic road trips through the Balkans and the United States and extensive journeys in South America. Hikes and climbs in the Andes, in Africa and in the Alps round off the picture. Travelling not only makes us experience the present, it also brings us back to the past. How can we walk the border between Austria and Italy in the Dolomites without remembering the First World War? How can we ignore history when we visit Sarajevo or Mostar? And how can we stand in front of La Moneda, the presidential palace in Santiago de Chile and not think about the original Nine Eleven that took place there in 1973? Exploring new regions and foreign countries without relying on tour operators is not entirely risk-free but the independent traveller is rewarded with intensive experiences and unforgettable memories.

Herbert Herzmann wurde in Wien geboren. Nach dem Abschluss des Studiums der Germanistik und Geschichte zog er zuerst nach Schottland und dann nach Irland, wo er Senior Lecturer in German am University College Dublin wurde. Er veröffentlichte zahlreiche Aufsätze über Literatur und Theater in Fachzeitschriften sowie einige Bücher. Vortragsreisen führten ihn in die USA und nach Südamerika. Als Bergsteiger besuchte er Ecuador, Tansania und die Alpen. Er lebt in Dublin und Wien. Seine Hobbies sind Reisen, Bergsteigen und Klettern. Herbert Herzmann was born in Vienna. After completing his studies of German literature and history in Vienna and Salzburg he moved first to Scotland and then to Ireland where he became a senior lecturer in German at University College Dublin. He published articles on literature and theatre and a few books. Lecturing tours brought him to the USA and South America. As a mountaineer he visited Ecuador, Tanzania and the Alps. He lives in Dublin and Vienna. His hobbies are travelling and mountaineering.