Carver writes in a style not unlike Bill Bryson, candidly regaling readers with tales of his worst experiences ("Some of the worst were worse than others.") as well as the best: "I enjoyed a great Abercrombie & Kent trip to China because it was a great adventure, a great itinerary, a great tour group with a great tour director, great hotels (except for a noisy Sheraton in Guilin), great weather, and great tour management. Seven greats out of seven ain't bad."

He says, "Great expectations when traveling are usually the source of my greatest disappointments I'm like the guy in a New...