Traveling
with Thirsty:
An American Experience
Narrative Non-Fiction
Summary
In the summer of 2024, a young man in his early thirties sets out to cross the United States in Thirsty, a Jeep that had seen better days, but which becomes both refuge and silent witness. On the road, he encounters the quiet realities of small-town America, and voices often left out of the national conversation in a country fractured by political and cultural divides.
Traveling with Thirsty is more than a travel book—it is an intimate and critical portrait of the United States today, and of the inner transformation that emerges from crossing it.
Market fit
A narrative non-fiction work that blends road-trip memoir with cultural and political reportage, offering an on-the-ground portrait of life in a polarized America. The book speaks to readers interested in understanding the country’s social fractures, cultural myths, and everyday realities beyond the headlines.
Positioned at the intersection of travel writing, cultural criticism, and personal narrative, the book will appeal to U.S. publishers seeking smart non-fiction that examines America from an informed European outsider’s perspective.
Target readers
Fans of narrative non-fiction, travel writing, long-form journalism, and cultural criticism, as well as readers interested in contemporary American society, politics, music, cinema, literature and history.
Voice & Tone
Comparable to contemporary narrative non-fiction that blends travel, politics, and cultural reportage, with echoes of Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley and Theroux’s Deep South. The book maintains a distinct voice shaped by an outsider’s perspective and a restrained poetic undertone in certain chapters.
The book adopts a critical yet empathetic tone, avoiding ideological simplification in favor of observation, listening, and nuance.
Existing edition
Published in Spain by Intruso on November 9, 2025.
Paperback.
377 pages.
Further information and audiovisual content can be found in the editorial dossier.
Jorge Müller (Bilbao, 1992) has spent most of his professional career working in the branding sector, which has allowed him to travel the world creating brands. From a young age, he cultivated a passion for travel, living in places such as the United States, India, and the United Kingdom, and undertaking numerous expeditions as a backpacker, by bicycle, and by van.
Although he has been writing travel chronicles and short narratives for over a decade, this is his first full-length work of non-fiction.
Press coverage
Click any item to open it
+
Onda Cero · Por Fin
Sit-down on Onda Cero's national weekend morning show.
Onda Cero · 2.28M daily listeners (network)
+
El Correo
“Four Months in Trump Territory”
Full-page feature in the leading daily of the Basque Country.
“Sleeping in the car helped me connect with a lot of the people I met.”
Read the article
+
Cadena SER · SER Aventureros
Segment on the flagship travel show of Spain's most listened-to national network.
Cadena SER · 4.89M daily listeners (network)
Listen to the full show
+
Radio Euskadi · Boulevard 2
Live studio interview on the Basque public broadcaster.
“I got to see firsthand just how wild the MAGA movement is…”
Radio Euskadi · 154K daily listeners (network)
+
¡HOLA!
The book photographed in the hands of Antonio Riera, of the sustainable fashion label Ecoalf, in a feature published in ¡HOLA! — print and online.
See the post
+
Rafa Tarradas
The bestselling Spanish novelist, published by Planeta, on camera about the book.
+
Librería Momo
Video recommendation from one of Spain's most followed independent bookshops.
100K followers on Instagram
+
Viajando Simple
Episode #210, “Recorrer USA en un Jeep” — a 43-minute conversation on Spain's leading van-life podcast.
205K followers on Instagram
Listen to the episode
+
Librújula
Review by Eduardo Garrido Pascual in one of Spain's reference outlets for books and reading.
“A recognizable voice and a coherent atmosphere built out of its own indecision… a voice that blurs, that doubts, that moves forward with no guarantees.”
Read the review
+
Revista Hincapié
“Viaje por los Estados Unidos” — review by Txefe Martínez Aristín.
“Reading Jorge Müller, I couldn't stop seeing him as one more member of what came to be called the Beat Generation… the Cadillacs and Dodges replaced by a Jeep Grand Cherokee he calls Thirsty.”
Read the review
+
Contra Cultural
Feature interview by Max Sorribas.
“I wanted to understand a country everyone talks about, but that almost no one actually listens to.”
Read the interview
+
Radio Euskadi · Distrito Euskadi
Second conversation with Roge Blasco, the dean of Spanish travel broadcasting.
Radio Euskadi · 154K daily listeners (network)
Listen
+
Levando Anclas · Roge Blasco
First long-form radio interview about the journey, recorded weeks after publication.
Listen
+
Onda Cero · La Brújula Euskadi
Regional edition of Onda Cero's evening news programme.
Onda Cero · 2.28M daily listeners (network)
Quotes translated from the original Spanish. Audience figures: EGM network daily reach, Spain.
Book fairs & events
Click any item to open it
+
Feria del Libro de Madrid — Machado
The book at the Machado Librería stand during the Madrid Book Fair, the largest in Spain.
+
Feria del Libro de Madrid — ACL
The book at the stand of ACL Exclusivas, the distributor for the Basque Country.
+
Feria del Libro de Bilbao — Casa del Libro
The book at the Casa del Libro stand during the Bilbao Book Fair.
+
Feria del Libro de Getxo — Elkar
The publisher’s home town fair, in the seaside district where Intruso is based.
+
Día del Libro — Pernet
Signing at Bilbao’s Book Day, the city’s spring street fair for booksellers and publishers.
+
Book launch
The launch of the Spanish edition in Bilbao, with musician Jon Bañuelos and broadcaster Roge Blasco.
Watch the full eventWhere to find this title
Viajando con Thirsty can be found at 72 bookstores across Spain, plus the main online retailers. Check live availability on Todostuslibros
Chapters summary
1. Prologue
An opening note that frames the journey and the state of mind with which it begins.
2. Looking for Thirsty
The story of how Thirsty appeared, and the process of buying a second-hand car in the United States.
3. The Coyote
Memories and daydreams from the first days on the road, as the author enters a liminal, almost dreamlike state of becoming a traveler.
4. West Virginia
An introduction to the heart of Appalachia, shaped by the decline of the mining industry and its social consequences.
5. Homeless
An unfinished reflection on the scale and visibility of homelessness across the country.
6. Confinement
Solitary days in West Virginia that quietly prepare the author, mentally and emotionally, for the journey ahead.
7. Sago Mine
Reflections of an amateur anthropologist at a deeply moving, anonymous place charged with hidden history.
8. Mullens
Several days spent in a small town that captures the essence of rural West Virginia.
9. Meet the Houcks
Solitude gives way to hospitality when the author is welcomed by a singular family with deep roots going back to early settlers.
10. Goodbye, Country Roads
Leaving West Virginia, reflecting on the mental traps and expectations of life on the road.
11. Polyphemus
A dreamlike episode in which Donald Trump appears confused and monstrous amid Democratic optimism, reflecting on the midpoint of the presidential race.
12. Bluegrass
Kentucky opens the door to the South, prompting reflections on roots music, small-town rural life, and the legacy of the Southern Renaissance.
13. The Three from Kentucky
Three encounters during a brief stay: a local Black politician, a group of young offenders, and a homeless man.
14. Nashville
Arrival in the country music capital, reconnecting with the Houck family and exploring outlaw country as an outsider’s way of imagining America.
15. Fate
The aftermath of Nashville leads to reflections on chance, experience, and how the best stories emerge when traveling without a plan.
16. The Clinton 12
The story of the first Black students to integrate a Southern high school.
17. Trump Rally
Going undercover at a Trump rally, the author observes and analyzes the MAGA movement from the inside.
18. Twelve Baskets
An unconventional urban garden offers dignity and community to unhoused people, revealing their stories through daily coexistence.
19. Unincorporated
A passionate reflection on the contradictions and paradoxes surrounding homelessness in America.
20. Soul Food
Reflections on restaurants, tipping culture, and food as a mirror of the postmodern traveler.
21. Yellowhammer
A monotonous passage through Alabama that highlights the value of stillness and slowness while traveling.
22. The Coyote II
A metaphorical, time-blurred journey through Mississippi, the origins of the blues, the Louisiana bayous, and beyond.
23. The Knock
One hundred nights sleeping inside a vehicle, exploring survival techniques and what it means to inhabit a car alone.
24. Little Boxes
Observations on suburban culture and the central role of the automobile in American life.
25. The Coyote III
Poetic notes from three surreal desert oases that distort and exaggerate MAGA culture, casinos, and places like Quartzsite.
26. Intruder
A reflection on the travel reporter as an outsider, and the ethics and techniques of being a respectful intruder.
27. Laredo
Fear and uncertainty on the border during an interlude in Mexico, including a brief detention by a drug cartel.
28. Texarkana
In search of an outlaw in a roadside bar, the author instead finds philosophy through a biker with a turbulent past.
29. Hell Is Real
A roadside sign becomes an entry point into American evangelicalism and the author’s own existential doubts.
30. The Coyote Dies
An epitaph written during the final flickers of the long journey.
31. This Journey Was Worth It
A farewell letter to readers, inviting them to follow the inspiration of the road.
Appendix - Identity Crisis
An overview of the current U.S. political landscape and reflections on the final stage of the presidential campaign leading up to November 5.
Additional Material
• Filmography
• Music Playlist
Foreign Rights
Marta Carreño | marta@intruso.es