The Wandering Investor by Brendan Hughes contains a survey of
the tourist attractions and economics of several countries. It is partially
investment advice, part travelogue. Countries surveyed included New Zealand,
Australia, Belize, and Iceland. The middle sections cover Peru, South Africa,
Zimbabwe, and Chile. Botswana sounds surprisingly good despite the drawback of
a large desert. The latter half discusses Canada, Colombia, India, Cuba,
Singapore, and Malaysia. Hughes makes Colombia sound frightening, but
apparently, it has good economic prospects. Singapore apparently has strong
manufacturing, health care, and education; as well as tourism. It seems to be
booming. Malaysia has diversified into manufacturing and is growing. Finally,
Indonesia is rated for its strong tourism and domestic activity. Then Hughes
brought things together in the analytical sections: “Travel Lessons Learned”
and “What Makes a Successful Economy?”
The Wandering
Investor is a unique
volume. It was stimulating to read about Hughes’ visit to my own country; and
all his adventures in other countries. Every chapter is introduced by an
account of the Hughes escapades in that particular country. I liked the fact
that the end of each chapter was illustrated with black and white photographs.
I used to read finance magazines, so I was interested in what Hughes had to
say. Hughes’ assessments were generally shrewd; although the situation in
Australia required him to write an “update” section. Some people will want to
read about Hughes' travel, while others will want to read about investments.
There is something in The Wandering Investor for everyone.
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