We want you to judge our book by its cover... (Really!)

Happy Hour Travels: Kenya – A Safari Guide, Straight Up, is the first book in our new Happy Hour Travels series. 

It is written by Canadian travel writer Ruth Atherley (co-host of the Happy Hour with Ruth & Roxy podcast) and Kenyan safari guide Rashid Billow, who has spent his life in the bush and knows it like the back of his hand.

Part practical guide, part love letter to Kenya, it’s the book we wished we’d had before our first safari. You’ll get the honest, been-there advice you need: what to expect, what to pack, how to stay safe, and how to tip with respect. And you’ll get Rashid’s insider knowledge from years of guiding, the kind you usually only hear around the campfire.

Woven through it all are the stories: the leopard that appeared out of nowhere, the warriors who walk you home under the stars, and the people who’ll steal your heart. 

Whether you’re packing your bags or still in the dreaming stage, this book will take you there.

No fluff. No sales pitch. Just straight-up guidance and great stories from people with the dust on their boots to prove it.

We’ve narrowed it down to three covers. All three photos were taken by Rashid. Now we need you.

Pick your favourite: 1, 2 or 3. Vote buttons above and below.

Voting closes Saturday, November 21, 2026 .

We'll reveal the winning cover on December 1, 2026.

1 – The Tusker. Photo by Rashid Billow, taken in Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya, near the Tanzania border. Amboseli is famous for its big-tusked elephants and its views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, which rises just across the border.

2 – The Leopard. Photo by Rashid Billow, taken at Solio, a private ranch and rhino sanctuary in central Kenya, between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range.

3 – The Cheetah. Photo by Rashid Billow, taken in the Masai Mara in southwestern Kenya, where the plains run into Tanzania’s Serengeti and the Great Migration thunders through every year.