For immediate release—October 28, 2024

Toronto, ON— Ingenium Books is about to publish a new travel memoir, a first for the publisher. The Tortured Traveller: How I Survived the Worst... Vacation... Ever by Sheldon Herman is the author’s account of an ill-fated trip through Southern Africa, which nearly led to his death.
 
Herman, a now-retired officer with the RCMP, booked the trip on a whim when he needed to be elsewhere for two months while his house was being renovated. At the end of 2019, he travelled from Cape Town, South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya, by way of eight other countries in the region. A miscommunication in exactly what the trip would entail led to him being woefully ill-prepared, with hilarious consequences.
 
“After a few other trips that did not go as planned, I began writing stories of my adventures in Europe, Asia, and Australia,” Herman says about how the book came about. “They always gave my friends and family a good chuckle. When the Africa trip happened, I had so many stories to tell that they could fill an entire book. So I decided to write one.”

The Tortured Traveller gives the reader a unique insight into a part of the world they may not be familiar with. Herman has close encounters with much of the local wildlife, including Arnold the Baboon Boss that reigns over the border crossing between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and the notorious lake flies of Lake Malawi. He also meets an array of unforgettable characters, such as Aliyah, the masseuse in Zanzibar whose deep tissue massage leaves him bewildered and bruised. There are some near-death experiences too—ones that aren’t exaggerated for comic effect.

“It’s a completely different title for us,” says Ingenium Books publisher Boni Wagner-Stafford. “We’ve published lots of memoirs but this is the first time we venture into the vacation travel memoir genre. At Ingenium Books, we aim to showcase cultures, and The Tortured Traveller gives us the opportunity to bring cultures together in a different, very entertaining way.”

As for what he hopes to achieve with his book, Herman says, “That it will inspire people to consider exploring the world.”
 
The Tortured Traveller: How I Survived the Worst... Vacation... Ever will be available wherever you buy your books beginning November 18, 2024.

Media inquiries:
Boni Wagner-Stafford, publisher, Ingenium Books
boni@ingeniumbooks.com
1-647-576-2434