Tramp Royale

by Robert A. Heinlein

Book Overview

One of the greatest science fiction writers of all time, Heinlein takes us on a fascinating and unforgettable journey of our own planet Earth. From the bawdy sex shows of New Orleans to the squalid slums of Indonesia, from the Panama Canal to the African veldt and beyond, Heinlein shares his adventures with all the wit and humanity, all the keen observation and bravura storytelling of his greatest fiction.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441821847
• ISBN13: 9780441821846
• Release Date: April 1992
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 371 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A fascinating book, not just for Heinlein fans

In 1953, Robert Heinlein had just made a nice sum of money and decided to travel around the world with it. So his wife Virginia and he planned a trip that would lead them from their home in the Rocky Mountains via New Orleans through South America, South Africa, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand via Hawaii back home. Most of the journey was done by ship, since Virginia was afraid of flying. The trip took a full year and afterwards Heinlein felt the need to digest and order what he had experienced, so he wrote it down as a book. However, it didn't find the favour of his publishers and was printed for the first time after his death. I would say that the reason is by no means a lack of quality, but that he was probably too open and honest with his opinions, some of which were not favourable to countries where his Science Fiction-novels were sold (Australia and New Zealand, to be exact). The book is both a fascinating travel report and provides insight into the character and opinions of one of the greatest writers of the SciFi-genre. It also shows how some of the topics and opinions you find in his later novels were the direct result of this journey. Throughout the book, Heinlein is very honest (for example when criticising how badly tourists were treated in New Zealand back then or the idiocy of red tape all around the globe) without being prejudiced or intolerant. From today's point of view one should keep in mind that the book was written by a patriotic American who had just made it through World War 2 and was stuck right in the middle of the Cold War that was more hot than cold at the time. This influences the way he sees things, but also the way people treated an American tourist - not always in a friendly manner. Despite that 50s view, he was often far ahead of his time (e. g. he was strictly against racism, treated his wife as a partner instead of an inferior half-child, and was not following the prudish morals of his time). That makes his interpretation of the things he saw very interesting. In addition - or rather above all - he has a wonderful sense of humour which always shines through, even in rather unpleasant situations. For that alone I would give this 5 stars. All in all, I enjoyed his way of writing, I was fascinated with what the world was like in the 50s, and found his political, social and economic thoughts at the very least interesting, often convincing. Yes, he did not join the complete rejection of McCarthy, as is mentioned by other reviewers, because he felt that communism was dangerous (and it was at the time). But he does call him a horse's behind and states that what he did was completely ineffective when it comes to real Russian spies / traitors. So even there he remains open-minded and far from the right-wing fanatic some people want to see in him. If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, expect a lot of humour, much depth of thought, an insight into the world of the 50s and travelling conditions at th

An interesting piece of Heinlein trivia....

Like most Heinlein fan's, I picked up this book simply because it was by the man, altho I do like travel books from this period as well. As far as travel books go (and I have quite a collection from the 1950's and also pre-WW2), it's fairly typical of the period. The book's real attactiveness is that you get a glimpse of the real Robert Heinlein, his thoughts, his views, the way he lived his life, what he enjoyed, what he didn't. And also of his wife, Virginia. It's a fascinating insight and just for that, it's well worth the read for any appreciator of Heinlein's science fiction. And as New Zealander, I loved the beautifully scathing chapter on New Zealand. He visited the country before I was born, but his descriptiont bears a remarkable similarity to the country as I remember it in my youth in the 1960's - there were no real facilities for tourists, the six o'clock swill (a relict of WW1) meant bars closed at 6pm, and with workers knocking off at 5pm, you went to the pub and drank as much as you could as fast as you could in one hour - a recipe for the fistfights in the streets that Heinlein describes. Eating out was awful, the hotels were as bad, if not worse than Heinlein describes (I stayed in a few with my parents when they travelled) and a "service culture" didn't exist. You got to take it or leave it - Heinlein's book brings back all those lovely memories of an insular country and a restrictive lifestyle which really doesn't exist anymore. A few reviewers commented that New Zealand isn't like that - well, it isn't now, but believe me, back in the 1950's it was just as he described - and that was in the bigger cities - in the small towns it was even worse. Altho back then we DID like Americans - they saved our bacon in WW2 and Kiwi's still remember that.... And a last comment - the publisher's review above is a piece of rubbish by someone who obviously isn't a Heinlein fan and isn;t really worthy of any further comment.

Interesting, and more than just a travelogue

This is not, of course, a book that a reader new to Heinlein should pick up, but it is an absolute must-read for hard-core fans of RAH. Heinlein describes his experiences in a trip that began in the whorehouses (which he unflinchingly brought his wife into) of New Orleans to the tropical paradise of Hawaii, while hitting such interesting spots as the extremely isloated Trista da Cunha, Java, the contrasting "utopias" of Uraguay and New Zealand and others in-between. I found Heinlein's observations to be dead-honest, always interesting, and frequently enlightening. Of course, being Heinlein, he could not just stick a bunch of lifeless travel essays on paper and call it a book. Instead, you also get (throughout the course of the book) his views on politics, foreign policy, travel expenses and red tape, and lots more. He also gives many travel tips (some inevitably dated) to those who are interested. But perhaps the most interesting thing about the book to Heinlein fans is the inside glimpse you get of his private life. Much is shown about his relationship with his wife Virginia (who, for reasons never stated, he refers to as "Ticky") and you get to see the way he operated in a given situation. Of course, a casual science fiction fan could care less about this, but to the veteran of RAH's fiction (the target audience of this book) it is a treasure trove of Heinleinia.

Heinlein the man -- You can finally meet him.

You've read all his fiction, and you've played with the ideas. You like some and you don't like others, but they're all worth thinking about. You'd really like to get to know him better - the real man, not the political writer you can read in Expanded Universe.Wouldn't it be nice if he had taken a year out of his life to wander around, look at the world, and write down what he saw and what he thought about it? Wouldn't it be fun to follow him around the world?He did. You can.This is, simply put, the best collection of Heinlein's thought you'll find. No, he didn't go to Russia on this trip, but his views on Latin America, South Africa and the South Seas are fascinating. Along the way he discusses bureaucracy, politics, freedom, politeness, and nature.And no other writer could write a straightforward description of taking his wife into an establishment that turned out to be a whorehouse, without a trace of embarrassment, prudishness, or lewdness.Most of his travel tips are dated, of course. On the other hand, if you ever travel through the Panama Canal, TAKE HIS ADVICE. Elsewhere, he describes a delightful and elegant way to frustrate a compulsive check-grabber. He also explains, in simple, straightforward fashion, what makes people eager to help some people when they are sullen with others.But you're not reading it for travel advice. You're reading it to travel with Heinlein. Read a contemporary account of McCarthy's committee, or a 50s condemnation of apartheid. (Heinlein, never a coward, tried to convince South African whites that this system wasn't going to work.)Heinlein's ready to take you around the world. Have a nice trip.

Entertaining Period Piece

Tramp opens with Robert Heinlein announcing to his wife that they have a little too much money lying around and that they will be going on a round-the-world trip. After sorting through a great deal of consular red tape, they embark on a sea journey from New Orleans down along the west coast of South America. Thence, the Heinleins fly across the Andes to Buenos Aires, sail up the coast to visit São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and then cross the Atlantic to South Africa, with a call at Tristan da Cunha mid-journey. From there, they sail east, touring the island countries of the Indian Ocean, finally ending up in Australia and New Zealand. And in spite of Mrs. Heinlein's terror of flying, they make the last leg of their journey in airplanes, via Fiji and Hawaii. While in each country, Heinlein sketches a general picture of life there as he sees it, fleshing it in liberally with anecdotes and opinions. Heinlein's perceptions are limited in Latin America and other places with a language barrier, but he does his level best to tell us what he knows; the language difference does not hobble his keen empathy. In my opinion, he does a superb job of capturing the painstakingly polite manner of speech and behavior of Latin Americans, even though his Spanish is largely limited to `por favor' and `gracias' (the latter phrase he mistakenly uses in Brazil, as well). In anglophone countries, on the other hand, Heinlein is in his element, thoroughly engaged with the people and situations he encounters, and more often able to transcend mere reporting. In addition to the cultural commentary and travel tips, Heinlein gives readers a glimpse of his life with Virginia Heinlein, whom he refers to throughout the book as "Ticky." The repartee exchanged by the couple seems close to the kind of badinage Heinlein includes in his post-Stranger fiction, and I wonder if they really talked to one another that way, or if ! Heinlein is simply taking artistic license with their dialogue. Perhaps both are true. In any case, Heinlein appears to have had his hands full with Ticky, whom he describes as an anarchist, and who spends a good portion of the book rebelling against the status quo, as when, in one episode, she smuggles packs of American cigarettes past South African customs, tucked here and there about her person. Small wonder that Heinlein found it necessary to pack barbiturates. Essentially, Tramp Royale is an Eisenhower-era period piece. Heinlein's description of the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore will not help today's traveler to the Far East, nor will his advice on politesse and pidgin Spanish necessarily save the 1990s tourist from falling victim to the current crime wave in Latin America. I also get the sense that Heinlein is not quite sure whether he wants to recount the tale of his 1954 round-the-world voyage, issue advice