Absolutely Faking it - Tiana Templeman

For Tiana Templeman, travel has always meant hiking boots and hostels, so when she wins a trip for two to stay at thirteen of the world's most exclusive five-star hotels including economy airfares, it sounds like the chance of a lifetime, an opportunity to see how the other half lives.

But with a travel budget stretched tighter than the straps on their bulging backpacks, Tiana and her husband have no room for diamonds and designer clothing (if they actually owned any in the first place). From the Ritz in Paris to the Dorchester in London and the Peninsula in Hong Kong, Tiana is faced with questions of etiquette she never thought she'd have to answer: is it all right to cook instant noodles beside the Chanel toiletries in the bathroom? How do you deal with tipping when you can't even afford a bottle of water from the mini-bar? And what on earth are you meant to do with a private butler?

Through fourteen countries, over five months and with countless hilarious and mortifying adventures, Tiana learns that in establishments catering for those with champagne tastes when you're on a beer budget, life can be harder than it looks.

It took me two attempts to start reading this book, but once I got into it I actually really enjoyed it.

At first Tiana and her husband are so worried about how they look and fit in to their surroundings in their flash hotels that I actually gave up on the book I was that frustrated with their whining, but once they settled in to their accommodations, the book actually got interesting and you got to hear about some pretty interesting places (Some that I have never thought about visiting before and now am intrigued by).

I still think that more detail could have been give at each of the locations hey visited. For a 5 month long holiday it is a surprisingly short book, even in the places written about that I have been to, I felt important or obvious details were left out. But it did give me a good sneak peak in to some of the extravagant hotels that I will probably never get to experience myself.

I would probably read this book again one day, and would definitely recommend it as a light read for those who enjoy travelling, but a word of warning – reading this book can lead to a sudden onset of travel bug fever!