Author Jim Jensen looks back on a six year travel adventure that few experience today. Without a cell phone or internet connection, and with barely any money, Jensen makes his way around the world by land and by sea. After thumbing rides across the U.S., he sails on a yacht under an Aussie captain, stopping at both hellish and paradise-like islands. After arriving in Oz he works on boats, then moves to Thailand where he street hawks. Backpacking in India, Nepal and Afghanistan results in illness and poverty before Germany provides physical and financial recovery. After further adventures in and around Europe, including a stint on an Israeli kibbutz, Jensen hitchhikes back to Germany where he ends up living and working illegally for four seasons at a rural Bavarian village. Travel Instincts chronicles the sometimes hilarious and other times profound exchanges Jensen has with people around the world, the moments of despair and joy that such an adventure magnifies, and his efforts to understand the colorful and complex tapestry of cultures and characters in our increasingly globalized--but often dysfunctional--world.