Product Description

Danger lurks at every corner. Volcanoes. Sharks. Quicksand. Terrorists. The pilot of the plane blacks out and it's up to you to land the jet. What do you do? The "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" is here to help: jam-packed with how-to, hands-on, step-by-step, illustrated instructions on everything you need to know, from defusing a bomb to delivering a baby in the back of a cab. Providing frightening and funny real information this indestructible pocket-sized guide is the definitive handbook for those times when life takes a sudden turn for the worse. The essential companion for a perilous age. Because you never know...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15279 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Piven and Borgenicht's Worst-case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel is, like their previous bestseller The Worst-case Scenario Survival Handbook, a pithy, witty and surprisingly useful guide to getting through life's stickier patches with body, soul and even dignity intact.

The difference here is that the authors have addressed the kind of glitches, pitfalls, disasters and conundra one might encounter when sojourning in distant or hostile lands. Hence there are sections offering advice on: How to Control a Runaway Camel; How to Survive in Frigid Water; How to Pass a Bribe; How to Deal with a Tarantula; and so on. Some of the problems and chapters might seem a little far-fetched and remote (How to Cross a Piranha-infested River); others all-too local and everyday to be confined to a travel book (How to Survive a Mugging). Each and every chapter is clearly written, accompanied by simple but effective illustrations, and derived from the accumulated wisdom of top survival experts in various armies, navies, academies and universities. There's also a very handy appendix dealing with general travel tips, such as which thumb-gestures to avoid when you don't want to insult the natives, and how to say, "Hello, I have been seriously wounded" in Japanese. This is a must-pack for all modern adventurers. --Sean Thomas

From the Back Cover
Always be ready for the worst - you're at risk from the moment you step outside your front door! Here are illustrated, step-by-step instructions on what you need to know NOW:
How to Cross a Piranha-Infested River
How to Survive a Sandstorm
How to Stop a Runaway Train
How to Survive an Airplane Crash
How to Build a Shelter in the Snow
How to Escape from the Trunk of a Car
How to Treat a Scorpion Sting
How to Survive a Volcanic Eruption
How to Pass a Bribe

...plus an appendix of essential travel strategies, phrases, and gestures to use - and avoid.

About the Author
David Borgenicht, co-author of THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK, says his love of "worst-case scenarios" came from a trip to Pakistan during which he rode around in a heavy-armored vehicle. His other books include MOM ALWAYS SAID: "DON'T PLAY BALL IN THE HOUSE" AND OTHER STUFF WE LEARNED FROM TV (Chilton/Krause), SESAME STREET: UNPAVED (Hyperion), and the LITTLE BOOK OF STUPID QUESTIONS (Sourcebooks). He lives in the relative safety of Philadelphia. Joshua Piven is co-author of THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO SURVIVAL HANDBOOK. He has written dozens of articles for magazines and newspapers, including COMPUTER SHOPPER, WORKING AT HOME, and BUSINESS PHILADELPHIA. He's ready for anything.

Customer Reviews

This book will appeal to the adventurer and the spy in you.
Although at first glance you may be tempted to dismiss 'The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel' as a gimmick, it is actually packed full of fascinating information which could save your life one day, provided you are the type of person who finds themselves falling through ice or being trapped in a high rise hotel which is on fire. From practical information on how to land a plane, to the improbable scenario of an alien abduction, you are guided through your worst fears in a step by step manner. The aim is always survival -- a good story to tell the grandchildren is the added bonus. This book will capture the imagination of anyone who reads it. Perhaps I will never have to cross a piranha-infested river, but if the worst case scenario should arise, I now know that it can be done in the dead of night. I have, however, travelled extensively throughout Asia and could have done with knowing how to remove a leech, stop a runaway horse, survive a riot, not to mention pass a bribe! Of course the first question on my mind when I read the book was how correct the information was. After all, I don't want to be up to my knees in piranha before I find out that the author was dealing in 'old wives tales'. But each scenario is accompanied by a qualified scource. For example, the I know piranha don't attack at night because Paul Cripps, an Amazonian explorer of thirteen years, tells me so. I can check everyone's credentials at the back of the book. In fact, the only negative aspect of this book is that the chances of you having it with you, or of your having a free hand to read it in the event of one of these worst case scenarios actually happened to you, are slim to none! So while it is perfect for all the Indianna Jones' out there with photographic memories, for the rest of us, no matter who we are, it is simply a very entertaining read to dip in and out of.

Humorous Advice for Secret Agents and Ordinary Travelers
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel has four primary uses:

(1) To let you fantasize safely about what you would do in a life-threatening situation you probably won't face, but have seen in the movies (survive after being lost in a jungle, escape a mob, survive a kidnapping)

(2) Provide humorous scenarios that you will probably never face to give you a good laugh (being abducted by a UFO, handling a runaway camel, getting rid of a leech in your nose)

(3) Practical advice for challenges that many travelers will encounter (stopping a car with no brakes, handling a runaway horse, foiling thieves)

(4) Reducing risk of harm from unlikely events that you probably do think about (escaping a hotel fire, what to do after falling onto a subway track, surviving an elevator fall).

I was impressed that although I did not expect to learn anything I could ever use, the book actually had several sections which I wish I had known about when I faced travel challenges in the past (handling scorpion stings, what to do in a hotel fire, how to stop a runaway horse that someone else is on, making a shelter in the snow, avoiding having your carry-ons stolen at the x-ray machine). I suspect that I will be able to use this information in the future.

Another benefit I got was to realize that I could handle some emergencies that I would normally consider well beyond me. In these days when travel seems more dangerous than before, this book may also be worth carrying to play the role of Dumbo's magic feather -- to build a little confidence. For example, I don't like to fly in small planes. I think I could follow the instructions in the book for crash landing a small plane in water, as long as someone could help me. But I could never remember all of these details in a crisis. Having the book along will help me relax a lot more on my next small plane flight.

People with phobias about certain travel situations may find the knowledge that they gain here can help reduce their anxiety.

One of the best parts of the book came in the foreword by David Concannon of the Explorers Club who described the many hideous things that had happened to him in order to encourage you to realize that the unexpected does happen, you need to accept what is beyond your control, always have a contingency plan, and no matter how bad things are . . . they could get worse. As a result, you will probably spend more time thinking through the potential challenges that you will face on future trips, and be better prepared to handle these challenges.

My favorite funny parts in the book were the runaway camel, passing a bribe, foiling a UFO abduction, trailing a thief, losing someone following you, jumping from a moving train, escaping from being tied up, ramming a barricade, surviving a volcanic eruption, surviving a tsunami, getting rid of leeches, and crossing a piranha-infested river. Indiana Jones, move over!

Even if you never travel, the book "will provide good information and entertainment for the armchair survivalist."

Be prepared!

Crucial 4 Those Unlikely But Possible Life & Death Moments
I thought this book was excellent.

If ever I were to find myself in any of these situations I would feel reassured having read, and studiously absorbed, these invaluable tips and hints.

The humour ??

Well, instructions on how to bring a bolting camel under control is an immensely witty concept when you live in Kent. Coupled with such pithy recommendations as not letting go (I hate pain, you think I'm gonna let go voluntarily ??) also made me chortle.

For all those regular BR commuters out there you may wish to read the section on how to stop a train in an emergency !!!! A train heading straight for you on the same track would come under this category !!