Sex and hospitality co-star in 'A Vagabond Story'

Through a remarkable series of encounters on Mexican beaches and beyond, debut author Grant Lingel found beauty, serenity, and the inspiration to document his journey.

In his memoir, “Imagine: A Vagabond Story,” Lingel recounts his 2006 journey throughout Mexico and Central America. With a particular attention to detail and the creation of a sense of immediacy, Lingel recounts his experiences with “sex, drugs, and salsa dancing,” but more importantly, his spontaneous and fascinating encounters with new people.

Having almost finished his undergraduate career at the City University of New York at Buffalo, Lingel decided to embark on a reflective journey to a distant place, where he hoped to discover a global perspective. Lingel left with only $300, a one-way ticket to Mexico, and significant apprehension toward the difficulties he might face. One year later, Lingel returned to New York with an experience that changed his life.

In an interview, Lingel described the ways in which his voyage was life changing: “I learned how to be a person, I learned how to survive, to question life and to be approachable. It’s amazing how quickly you can grow when you’re in a new environment with all new people and a clean slate,” he said. “If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t be so curious, or have such a wanderlust.”

Throughout the memoir, Lingel describes his stays in the small towns and beaches of Mexico, where he volunteered and joined other foreign travellers on a road trip to Guatemala and Belize. Lingel met many people who, collectively, contributed the most to the beauty of his experience. “It was the people that I met and the stories that they told me that taught me the most,” he said.
Having met people from all around the world during longer stays in Playa, or briefer visits to neighboring countries, Lingel began to value the ephemeral moments shared between people. He cherished the stories that they had to tell and the connections that form instantaneously between strangers.

In “Imagine,” Lingel openly talks of his personal experience with drugs and risky encounters with the Mexican police, as well as brief love affairs. The memoir is written honestly and objectively, resembling a travel journal. Lingel takes an approach similar to the writing of Bruce Chatwin, who, through descriptive passages, brings accounts of new places to life.

When his journey came to an end, Lingel clung to the vivid memories from his adventures and encounters. He decided that the only way to preserve these moments was to write them down, and, in doing this, relive his experience.

Lingel said that he intended for his memoir to inspire college students, in particular those in their final year, to travel and to be introspective, contending that through travel one can learn more about life and the world than one can in a classroom.

“People need to learn that breaking past that fear and embracing the unknown can lead to paths that have never been walked before, doing things that seem impossible,” Lingel said.

In the future, Lingel plans to travel to Tanzania and open his own hostel, where he can reciprocate the hospitality and generosity of those who welcomed him in Central America and to meet people from around the world.

“My trip has transformed my opinion on the world, showed me that the world is really welcoming and will open itself to you. A hostel is a good place for like-minded, curious people, who want to experience much more than a two-week vacation,” Lingel said.

For more information and to read the first three chapters of “Imagine: A Vagabond Story,” visit www.vagabondstory.com.