The Unknown Reader Signs Off Sharing Ereader Tips for Travel

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

eFrog Press has been honored to post the monthly musings of The Unknown Reader. After all, where would writers be without readers? However, our Unknown Reader has increased her travel schedule and can no longer expound regularly about ereaders and ebooks. Since no one has ever seen her face, perhaps we could use a stand in who is equally passionate about ebooks. If you would like to audition to fill in for The Unknown Reader, please send your blog post ideas via the eFrog Press Form. We will protect your identity!

Missed earlier posts? Here they are:

More is Less When You Travel with An Ereader

The Unknown Reader’s Ereader Tools for Travel

Have Ereader, Will Travel

Crash! Bang! Flash! Those were the sounds we heard as our plane took off from San Salvador airport in the midst of a hellacious thunder and lightening storm. It was at that moment I found yet another unexpected use for my Kindle—an adult pacifier! As the plane taxied down the runway in a torrential downpour, I held onto my Kindle as if it were my lifeline! It withstood an immeasurable pounds-per-square-inch human grasp and allowed me to channel all of my “fear factor energy” onto its small surface. The first portion of the flight was equivalent to being on the world’s bumpiest roller coaster. My Kindle permitted me to become distracted as I read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

The Unknown Reader takes a reading break after hiking to Machu Picchu

Yes, we survived the flight and returned with rich, vivid memories and life-altering experiences from our summer travels. We developed a deep admiration for the Inca civilization and the Quechua people, who taught us so much about Peru’s rich yet tragic history. The Galapagos was also an exhilarating experience. To swim with sea lions, penguins, and marine iguanas is quite simply indescribable. The Galapagos is a photographer’s paradise and we have over 6,000 digital pictures to prove it!

My Kindle is now filled with the names and emails of many new friends we met while exploring Peru and Ecuador. I suspect I also inspired quite a few people to add an ereader to their travel “must haves” as they watched me retrieve information or add a notation on my own ereader.

After returning from this extensive trip I have decided to put my energy into photography, volunteering at a local wildlife museum, and, most importantly, coordinating an effort to assist one of the Quechua porters who carried our gear on the Inca Trail. My husband and I want to secure the funds so 64-year-old Mario can have cataract surgery. He needs to be able to visually soak in the beauty of his homeland—a land and a people we have grown to love.  It is also time to begin planning next summer’s adventure—cycling from Prague to the North Sea. My plate is full, so this will be my last Unknown Reader entry. I wish you safe travels and encourage you to leave room in your satchel for your ereader.

Fond Farewell

Help us bid a fond farewell to The Unknown Reader who has dazzled us with her travels and her inventive use of her Kindle ereader. Before she goes off  into the sunset she would love to know how your ereader has added to the quality of your life either on an exotic trip or in the comfort of your own home. Please share.

More is Less When You Travel with an Ereader

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

The Unknown ReaderTake the Leap welcomes monthly posts from The Unknown Reader. Her posts give writers a chance to learn how this avid reader uses her ereader. Today she shares preparations for yet another travel adventure.

It’s happening again! I wake up in a cold sweat and must breathe deeply to calm down… I have to remind myself it was only a bad dream! Every time the departure date for a long journey draws ever closer I have the same dream—I am at the airport about to check-in and realize I forgot my passport! However, last night’s dream had a new twist! I see myself clearing security and a look of panic overtakes me… “Where is my Kindle?”

I suspect you are wondering, “So what’s the big deal if you forget your ereader?” Please read on and learn how I have transformed a Kindle into my personal tour guide and why this new pre-trip nightmare justifiably turned my blood cold!

I have spent the past eight months reading samples of travel books, which I downloaded on my Kindle as possible resources for our upcoming trip to Peru and Ecuador. I have purchased three: Moon Handbooks: Peru by Ross Wehner and Renee Del Guadio, Lonely Planet: Discover Peru, and Moon Handbooks: Ecuador & The Galapagos Islands by Ben Westwood.

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The Unknown Reader’s ereader tools for travel

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

The Unknown Reader reading on an iPadBeing a Virgo, organization tools simply make me salivate!  The Kindle application Notepad put me into a complete trip-planning frenzy and has proven to be my absolute favorite “must have” application on my Kindle. Best of all, it can be purchased for just $.99 on Amazon! I have loaded this user-friendly program with all sorts of information that I can quickly access while traveling.

My husband and I travel for extended lengths of time, so the weight factor is always critical.  If you have ever taken the time to weigh the vast piles of papers that mysteriously end up in your traveling gear, you will appreciate my suggestions for using the Notepad application for the Kindle. (more…)

Have eReader, Will Travel

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Reflections from the Unknown Reader

Cycling the Altmuhl River, Germany

Cycling the Altmuhl River, Germany

I am not a person who must purchase the latest, greatest trending devices when they hit the market. My cell phone is four years old, and I think I still have some of the same clothing I wore in college! However, I must confess, the thought of owning an e-reader made me weak at the knees when they first were advertised. I waited until April 2011 and then made the decision to purchase a Kindle for my husband and another one for myself. It was one of the BEST purchases I have ever made for a variety of reasons—many of which, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn, will enhance your travel experience.

My husband and I have wanderlust and our e-readers have added a whole new dimension to the travel experience. We have backpacked and kayaked in the arctic, cycled across many European countries, connected with long lost family in Northern Ireland, photographed wildlife in Africa, and are currently planning a trek up the Inca Trail in Peru followed by a wildlife photography spree in the Galapagos Islands.

An e-reader offers endless savings in the weight restriction arena—the top priority for our style of travel. (more…)