Book Review: Jalan-Jalan: A Journey of Wanderlust and Motherhood

Jalan-Jalan: A Journey of Wanderlust and Motherhood. Margo Weinstein, Koehler Books, 24 May 2022, Paperback, Hardback, eBook and Audiobook, 258 pages.

Reviewed by Casie Gambrel.

Margo Weinstein’s Jalan-Jalan: A Journey of Wanderlust and Motherhood is an inspiring, detailed, and entertaining exploration of life and love of travel. 

Margo’s wanderlust craving began in childhood with her desire to escape the Chicago suburbs. At thirteen, she was eager to join Man and His Land Expedition’s Western trip. However, she was too young, so instead, her parents allowed her to participate in their Caribbean trip. During that time, she’d gain the foundational life skills that would serve her future self - resourcefulness and ad-hoc planning all while learning to crew boats, getting her scuba certification, and finding ways to avoid the cooking and cleaning duties like the rest of her peers. At fourteen, she was finally allowed to join the Western trip. She learned to pitch tents, do her own laundry, shop, and cook within her group. The highlight of the trip for her was climbing Mt. Rainier. “It’s probably the most exciting experience I’ll ever have in my life.”

A true throwback to the 1970s, when children would be sent to the wild with few adult guides to climb one of the highest peaks in our nation. Although this profound experience would shape her life, little did she know it was only the beginning of what was to come.

The book gives an intimate portrait of a life well-lived divided into two parts. In part one, the author gives a glimpse at her life before motherhood. We learn early on that Margo wants more than her successful career as a class action lawyer at a reputable firm. She’s hard-wired for extreme experiences and to escape the daily grind she dives into adventure travel. A natural risk taker, she seeks out remote regions of the world to push her limits through trekking, climbing, kayaking, and rafting. She gives a detailed account of her near-death experience in Pakistan, a confrontation with a baboon in Zimbabwe, which reveals the ethics of traveling in Burma (Myanmar) under a dictatorship, and much more. 

In part two, Margo leans into her transition into motherhood and decides to step back from high-risk travel, choosing to embrace all-inclusive beach resorts, stroller-friendly boulevards in Paris, and the entertainment of Disney cruises. This life adjustment gave her a way to satisfy her wanderlust and accommodate early motherhood. She’d soon learn this type of travel wasn’t enough to sustain her adventure-seeking desires. She was ready to welcome experiences that would accommodate her son while challenging and satisfying her need for adventure. During this phase, we follow Margo and her son’s ex-pat adventures with a sabbatical in Shanghai and a new education experience in Bali. Margo doesn’t shy away from the complexities that come from living abroad as a single parent with a young child. On the contrary, she embraces it all. 

Margo gives remarkable insights into the countries, cultures, and peoples she’s encountered along her adventure and provides an insider’s view into the challenges and differences of travel pre- and post-September 11th. 

Jalan-Jalan: A Journey of Wanderlust and Motherhood is a memorable, exotic, off-the-beaten-path adventure of a lifetime. You cannot help but lean into the author’s curiosity and conviction to live life on her own terms as a mother and a professional. Her reflections are generous and encourage us all to step outside of our comfort zone.