Long before smartphones, Google Maps and online travel guides made exploring the world easier, travel required curiosity, instinct and a willingness to embrace the unexpected. Author Dan Wake experienced that freedom firsthand, walking away from a promising legal career to pursue a decade of adventures across four continents.
In his new memoir, Eat the Wind: Travels with Dictators, Mercenaries, and Queens, Wake revisited the extraordinary journeys and unexpected encounters that shaped his life during the 1970s and 1980s, a time when international travel was far less predictable and getting lost was often part of the adventure.
A graduate of Stanford Law School, Wake appeared destined for professional success. After completing his education, he was on track for a lucrative partnership at a prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm. But in 1985, he made the unconventional decision to leave that path behind and pursue his passion for travel.
His adventures took him hitchhiking across Europe, riding buses through the Amazon jungle and exploring Asia during periods of political upheaval. Along the way, he encountered fascinating personalities and found himself unexpectedly connected to historic events.
Among his experiences was navigating London’s Silver Jubilee celebrations and traveling through the Philippines during the People Power Revolution, which ultimately toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Rather than simply documenting destinations, Eat the Wind captured the spirit of an era when travelers relied on strangers, trusted their instincts and welcomed experiences that could not be planned through an internet search.
Wake described the memoir as an effort to preserve a pre-internet world of adventurous travel that no longer exists.
The book has received positive attention from reviewers. Midwest Book Review praised its combination of adventure, humor and remarkable international encounters, while Kirkus Reviews highlighted its exploration of the connections people make while traveling. Foreword Reviews and Publishers Weekly’s BookLife also recognized the memoir’s engaging storytelling and cross-continental adventures.
Wake’s own journey was not limited to travel. He spent 35 years practicing law before retiring in 2016. Originally from Phoenix, he now lives in Denver with his wife, where they raised three sons.
Interestingly, much of Eat the Wind was written in the late 1980s before Wake set the manuscript aside for nearly four decades. He eventually returned to the project, completed the book and brought his youthful adventures to a new generation of readers.
Published Sept. 15, 2026, by Torchflame Books, Eat the Wind: Travels with Dictators, Mercenaries, and Queens offers a nostalgic look at a time when the greatest travel stories often began with no itinerary at all.
The memoir is available through Amazon.