From Hitchhiker to Wisdom-Keeper:
A Lifetime of Connections
1980 2025
When the World Was Wider
Two memoirs that capture the spirit of adventure and the power of human connection in a world before smartphones and GPS—when travel meant truly getting lost to find yourself.
A Hitchhiker's Guide to Life: Lessons from the Road - Trust, Adaptability and Human Connection by Frankie Sutton
From dodging college assignments to chasing dreams across continents, my hitchhiking adventures became a love story when I met Lance, a charismatic Texan. Together we traversed four years across the USA, Central America, Europe, Turkey and Australia against a backdrop of world-changing events—from revolutions in Nicaragua and Iran to quiet moments in rural villages.
Unearthed from my yellowed letters and shared on Instagram during Covid, these 150 tales offer a roadmap to resilience and embracing the unknown. Whether you're rekindling your youth or discovering a pre-digital world, this guide illuminates life's highways and hidden byways.
When Asia Was Wide: Wandering Through an Opening East by Frankie Sutton
In 1982, I traded my comfortable Melbourne life for a multi-year journey across a rapidly changing Asia. Through intimate letters to my family and John—the love I left behind—I documented my travels from Southeast Asia's diverse landscapes to India's crowded railways to teaching in Japan, all while balancing wanderlust against my ticking biological clock.
This personal odyssey captures both my individual growth and a continent in transition, offering a glimpse of a world before smartphones where train stations promised adventure and chance meetings altered destinies. A love letter to connection measured in postmarks rather than pixels—essential reading for wanderers, dreamers, and anyone at life's crossroads.
My books expand on the captions posted on my Instagram posts. Follow @a_hitchhikers_guide_to_life for the visual journey—from my life decades ago to life today.
Oblivious Witness Podcast "Putting down roots doesn't mean giving up wings."
I was featured on the Oblivious Witness Podcast, where we had a conversation about the basic goodness of people across the globe, the value of human connection, and the importance of protecting the planet that's home to us all.