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by Tauni Crefeld (Author)
From the mines of Bolivia to the temples of Nepal, from the chaos of India to the frozen quiet of Milan on the first days of COVID-19, Ride the Camel is a globe-spanning memoir of courage, curiosity, and the unshakable belief that the world changes us-if we let it.
As a young Air Force officer, Tauni ventures into South America and witnesses a ritual sacrifice a Bolivian mine deep inside the jungle-an experience that alters her life forever. From there, every journey becomes a lesson: escaping danger in Guatemala, supporting anti-drug missions in Ecuador where women were not welcomed in uniform, navigating altitude sickness, strange roads, border towns, scams, and cultural barriers.
Over twenty-five years, travel becomes her compass.
She treks the Annapurna Circuit, marries her best friend in a hotel in Seoul, works across Europe, discovers purpose through medical missions, and checks off all fifty U.S. states on a solo road trip meant to reclaim joy. With each stamp in her passport, Tauni learns more about leadership, humanity, privilege, prejudice, and the surprising ways the world shapes an adventurous heart.
But not every journey is beautiful-some are infuriating, heartbreaking, or dangerous. In Saudi Arabia, confronting gender discrimination forces her to stand up to her own company to make real change. In Milan, an ordinary work trip becomes a desperate race against a virus no one yet understood. And in Poland and Slovakia, she learns what it means to stand beside a country at war-powerless but determined not to look away.
Ride the Camel is more than a travel memoir. It is a testament to grit, wonder, and the transformational power of truly seeing the world. For readers who crave adventure, cultural insight, personal growth, and stories that remind us how breathtaking-and complicated-our world can be, Tauni's journeys offer both inspiration and a call to live boldly.
