Around the World with a Spare Pair of Jeans
My Adventures Along the Hippie Trail and Beyond
by Jean Ramer

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With nothing but a backpack and an open mind, Jean Ramer was ready to turn life on its head. Fed up with a career spent in a classroom of unruly children, Jean decided a change of scenery was in order. The year was 1975, and the Hippie Trail through West and South Asia was a popular route for young people eager for adventure. There began the journey of a lifetime. Departing from London, England, Jean started out in France and Italy, then moved on to Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Thailand, before she made it to Australia. However, Jean’s journey was not without its setbacks. Travel in the 1970s meant no internet, no GPS, and no easy way to retrieve cash. Access to safe drinking water was not guaranteed. Jean describes with candour and humour how she tackled obstacle after obstacle as she roamed further into unfamiliar cultures. Although Jean didn’t know it at the time, many places she visited were about to go through drastic changes. The Iranian Revolution and the Soviet-Afghan War closed borders and changed the face of Asia. The eventual capture of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, many of whose victims were back-packers travelling on the Hippie Trail at this time, casts her adventures in a whole new light. Jean’s writings provide a snapshot into this part of the world during a fascinating era in its history. For adventure lovers, armchair travellers, and everyone in between, Jean Ramer’s travel memoir is an eye-opening story of resilience, awe, and self-discovery.

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Jean Ramer kept extensive diaries throughout her travels, and was inspired to write this book to share with readers what travel looked like in 1975, before the world changed so drastically. She is also the author of Old South Tales: Historical Stories of Wortley Village and Old South London, published in 2016. Jean lives in London, Ontario.

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Contributors

Author

Jean Ramer