Summary of P. J. O'Rourke's Holidays in Hell

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 In the 1980s, every country with a middle class had gotten into the travel business. American tourists no longer stood out. The earth's travel destinations were jam-packed with littering Venezuelans, peevish Swiss, smelly Norwegian backpackers, and Saudi Arabian businessmen getting their dresses caught in revolving doors.

#2 Modern travel has a lot of different types of tourists. In 1867, the famous old monuments were still there, but they were surrounded by scaffolds and green nets and signs saying, Il pardonne la restoration, please.

#3 Modern tourists have seen Mannix dubbed in forty languages and the watch adjustments of Newfoundland, Malaysia, and Nepal, but the sermons in stone are all sung with cement. Cement is the granite, marble, and porphyry of our time.

#4 The Grand Tour is no longer a stately procession of likeminded individuals through half a dozen of the world's major principalities. Modern tourists have to see the squalor so they can tell everyone back home how it changed their perspective on life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669359593

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on P.J. O'Rourke's Holidays in Hell

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 19

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

In the 1980s, every country with a middle class had gotten into the travel business. American tourists no longer stood out. The earth's travel destinations were jam-packed with littering Venezuelans, peevish Swiss, smelly Norwegian backpackers, and Saudi Arabian businessmen getting their dresses caught in revolving doors.

#2

Modern travel has a lot of different types of tourists. In 1867, the famous old monuments were still there, but they were surrounded by scaffolds and green nets and signs saying, Il pardonne la restoration, please.

#3

Modern tourists have seen Mannix dubbed in forty languages and the watch adjustments of Newfoundland, Malaysia, and Nepal, but the sermons in stone are all sung with cement. Cement is the granite, marble, and porphyry of our time.

#4

The Grand Tour is no longer a stately procession of likeminded individuals through half a dozen of the world's major principalities. Modern tourists have to see the squalor so they can tell everyone back home how it changed their perspective on life.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Travel to Lebanon is difficult. You can’t visit as a tourist, and you can’t get a visa unless you are a journalist, diplomat, or arms salesman.

#2

There are a number of Beirut hotels still operating. The best is the Commodore in West Beirut's El Hamra district. The staff is cheerful, efficient, and will try to get you back if you're kidnapped.

#3

West Beirut can be visited by foot. The city is full of surprises, such as the sacking of the Saudi embassy because of long