New memoir chronicles one woman's liberating and life-changing trek around the world
Author Penelope van Maasdyk shares her journey of self-discovery in never go trekking

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (MMD Newswire) January 27, 2010 -- In never go trekking, author Penelope van Maasdyk reveals how she followed her heart and gave up everything to travel.

While working in London, van Maasdyk vowed she would only ever travel in style, until one day she felt she needed to try something different. However, that discovery came at a cost - to travel as extensively as she wanted to a part of the world that was completely unknown, not to mention dangerous given that her decision to travel came shortly after Sept. 11, she would have to quit a secure, well-paying job and take a huge leap of faith.

In doing so, van Maasdyk realized she wasn't the person she thought she was, but rather she was "a frustrated hippie" who needed plenty of freedom and a lifestyle that came with never knowing where she would be sleeping from one night to the next. Van Maasdyk feels her travels changed the way she viewed herself as well as her relationship with her husband. The result of her journey was the creation of a whole new person, a person she liked a lot better than the London-living, capitalism-loving girl with a passion for shoes and a throwaway lifestyle.

Van Maasdyk intends for her memoir to be a quirky and brutally honest account of what was often a grueling journey. It will either inspire people to travel or make them want to stay home for good. While hoping to entertain readers, her ultimate goal is to relay the message that compromise is crucial when it comes to matters of the heart.

never go trekking is available for sale online at Amazon.com and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author
After working in various jobs within investment banking in London's financial district, Penelope van Maasdyk gave up her London lifestyle to travel around Southeast Asia and eventually returned to her roots in South Africa. In addition to writing short stories, poetry and blogs about motherhood, van Maasdyk is involved with several volunteer projects within township schools in Cape Town - teaching literacy skills to Xhosa-speaking children as part of the SHINE Programme, facilitating the KARABO grief counseling program for young children, and participating in the Hero Book Project. She currently lives in Hout Bay with her husband and 4-year-old son.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Penelope Van Maasdyk
Email: vanmaasdyk@gmail.com
Phone: 0 11 27 741011621
Website: www.nevergotrekking.com

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