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360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World
Much more than a travel narrative 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family’s Journey Around the World is a glimpse at what it means to be a “global citizen”—a progressively changing view of the world as seen through the eyes of an American family of four.
After more than a decade of planning, John Higham and his wife September bid their high-tech jobs and suburban lives good-bye, packed up their home and set out with two children, ages eight and eleven, to travel around the world. In the course of the next 52 weeks they crossed 24 time zones, visited 28 countries and experienced a lifetime of adventures.
Making their way across the world, the Highams discovered more than just different foods and cultures; they also learned such diverse things as a Chilean mall isn’t the best place to get your ears pierced, and that elephants appreciate flowers just as much as the next person. But most importantly, they learned about each other, and just how much a family can weather if they do it together.
360 Degrees Longitude employs Google’s wildly popular Google Earth as a compliment to the narrative. Using your computer you can spin the digital globe to join the adventure cycling through Europe, feeling the cold stare of a pride of lions in Africa, and breaking down in the Andes. Packed with photos, video and text, the online Google Earth companion adds a dimension not possible with mere paper and ink. Fly over the terrain of the Inca Trail or drill down to see the majesty of the Swiss Alps—without leaving the comfort of your chair.
John Higham is an aerospace engineer with an expertise in satellites. He is also an avid traveler, frequently writing and lecturing on his own experience traversing the globe. The Highams live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit him online at www.360DegreesLongitude.com.
The Voyages of Tim Vetter interviews 360 author John Higham about what it is like to travel with children, his bucket list and what he and his family have been up to since traveling around the world. Available at http://bit.ly/podcast360 or on search for "360 Degrees Longitude" on your favorite podcast store.
After more than a decade of planning, John Higham and his wife September bid their high-tech jobs and suburban lives good-bye, packed up their home and set out with two children, ages eight and eleven, to travel around the world. In the course of the next 52 weeks they crossed 24 time zones, visited 28 countries and experienced a lifetime of adventures.
Making their way across the world, the Highams discovered more than just different foods and cultures; they also learned such diverse things as a Chilean mall isn’t the best place to get your ears pierced, and that elephants appreciate flowers just as much as the next person. But most importantly, they learned about each other, and just how much a family can weather if they do it together.
360 Degrees Longitude employs Google’s wildly popular Google Earth as a compliment to the narrative. Using your computer you can spin the digital globe to join the adventure cycling through Europe, feeling the cold stare of a pride of lions in Africa, and breaking down in the Andes. Packed with photos, video and text, the online Google Earth companion adds a dimension not possible with mere paper and ink. Fly over the terrain of the Inca Trail or drill down to see the majesty of the Swiss Alps—without leaving the comfort of your chair.
John Higham is an aerospace engineer with an expertise in satellites. He is also an avid traveler, frequently writing and lecturing on his own experience traversing the globe. The Highams live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit him online at www.360DegreesLongitude.com.
The Voyages of Tim Vetter interviews 360 author John Higham about what it is like to travel with children, his bucket list and what he and his family have been up to since traveling around the world. Available at http://bit.ly/podcast360 or on search for "360 Degrees Longitude" on your favorite podcast store.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
45 people are currently reading
5785 people want to read
About the author
John Higham
31 books20 followersAfter completing his graduate degree in aerospace engineering, John Higham moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where he started his career and accumulated ten U.S. patents for various aspects of satellite design. Although he arrived in the Bay Area single, it wasn't long before he met September and they became inseparable. John, September, and their two children, Katrina and Jordan, still live in the San Francisco Bay Area where John continues to design satellites to keep the mortgage current.
When he was about three years old, John used to enthusiastically jump up and down on the bench seat of his family's Ford station wagon, chanting, "Go on a long-long bye-bye!" as the car motored down the highway. Although the days of jumping up and down in a moving car are over, he still gets just as excited at the prospect of going somewhere new.
When he was about three years old, John used to enthusiastically jump up and down on the bench seat of his family's Ford station wagon, chanting, "Go on a long-long bye-bye!" as the car motored down the highway. Although the days of jumping up and down in a moving car are over, he still gets just as excited at the prospect of going somewhere new.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
October 29, 2014
Although it took me 3 months to trek my way through this book, it proved one of the best and most inspiring works I have ever read. I must admit, I was more than one time made supremely jealous of this amazing experience, vested on the kids particularly by their loving and incredibly future-minded parents. Instead of buying the children Wiis and movies, they bought them invaluable experiences on a scale only rarely achieved. I spent 5 months living abroad and have been wanting to return ever since, but this story turned that want into a raging desire. I don't have the tech job, so it will take me longer to save, but I will travel again, now with some good tips both about specific places and about unspecific occurrences. The book does an effective job of getting across the lessons about people and cultures without trivializing or patronizing them. It's not an "Oh, how quaint and cute" tourist trip, but rather a deeply immersive and overwhelmingly packed glimpse into little seen parts of the world, many of which I very well may never get to see. The trip covers geographic wonders and historical horrors, vastly different cultures and places very similar to home, and activities and trips both successful and wildly disastrous. Until I can save up to do the same, I will use my small photographer's income to tour across our own country when I travel for work, using the Higham's story as a guide for investing in the local culture and spending both time and money wisely. This book is a must read for anyone interested in travel or other cultures, although you should probably be careful if you have a penchant for spontaneous traveling, as it will make you want to walk immediate out of your front door, regardless of the fact that you are still in your monkey pajamas.
Won through Goodreads First Reads Program.
Won through Goodreads First Reads Program.
January 26, 2022
One thing you should probably know about me before I proceed with my review. I suffer from wanderlust, the travel bug, or whatever name you feel compelled to call it. If I could explore the world for the rest of my life, I'd be a happy camper. That being said, you can imagine how giddy I was when this book showed up in my mailbox. I immediately got the goosebumps like I do before I travel caused by that feeling of exploring the unknown and the thrill that there may be an adventure in your immediate future.
I started this book and within a page or so I already had one question. Can I join this family? I mean, for real, this family is kickass. They spend 10 years meticulously planning and saving up for this "World-the-Round trip" (and yes, that's World the Round) in which they will travel around the world for 52 weeks with their two children that are 8 and 11. That would be enough to make most parents break out in a sweat and bring them to their knees with anxiety. And did I mention that for a good chunk of this time they will be cycling via tandem bikes from London to Istanbul with children and luggage in tow?
This decently thick travelogue is set up like an itinerary with excerpts of the family's personal journal entries placed in various parts of the stories. There are also added goodies that were included. The book is set up so that at different points you will come to a place where you an go on to Google Earth to visually be a part of their trip. You'll see pictures, videos, and additional text. I found myself checking out a few of them (and will probably check out more at some point) but found it a little distracting while reading to stop and get on my computer. And the likelihood of someone reading this all in front of a computer is pretty slim. Really cool feature to the book but the novelty wears off after awhile.
Anyways, this book is exceptional. I mean it. The Higham family adventure is one of the best vacations I've had from the comfort of my plush little chair. John Higham carefully creates a scrapbooks of sorts as he balances recounting the sights and the scenery (and some interesting facts along the way!) with the family's personal thoughts and experiences as they face the unknown and explore some of the most beautiful places in the world. He touches delicately on the frustrations and annoyances in traveling with one's family (such as how two adults can have alone time??) and shares the joys of experiencing the world and growing together as a family. Alot of travelogues I've read drag in places but he really knows when not to linger on one country for too long and how to balance reflection, descriptions of people and scenery, and insights on history and culture.
Whether he is describing eating ham sandwiches for months, the challenges of "luggage Tetris" or homeschooling kids on the road--be prepared to experience the good humor that the family maintains throughout. I'm not sure I could find the humor in French campgrounds with no toilet paper or being stranded in remote places. But somehow this family is able to face defeat, give it a swift blow to the groin and keep on pedaling through some of the biggest hurdles and trials that one could face whilst traveling.
The best part about this book, for me, is that this family seems to be navigating by the same principle of travel that I believe in. Traveling is so much more than snapping photographs in front of historic sites and staying in posh hotels. True, those are all elements that can make a great trip, but traveling is really about the rich experiences with other cultures and viewing the world as one gigantic classroom. It's, as John Higham points out, "about discovering how people all over the world are similar, yet different in profoundly subtle ways, and how because of those very differences we were always able to find something to eat, something to wear, and somewhere to sleep."
It helps you to realize that at the end of the day "humankind in all its wonderful weirdness is the same all over the planet."
I started this book and within a page or so I already had one question. Can I join this family? I mean, for real, this family is kickass. They spend 10 years meticulously planning and saving up for this "World-the-Round trip" (and yes, that's World the Round) in which they will travel around the world for 52 weeks with their two children that are 8 and 11. That would be enough to make most parents break out in a sweat and bring them to their knees with anxiety. And did I mention that for a good chunk of this time they will be cycling via tandem bikes from London to Istanbul with children and luggage in tow?
This decently thick travelogue is set up like an itinerary with excerpts of the family's personal journal entries placed in various parts of the stories. There are also added goodies that were included. The book is set up so that at different points you will come to a place where you an go on to Google Earth to visually be a part of their trip. You'll see pictures, videos, and additional text. I found myself checking out a few of them (and will probably check out more at some point) but found it a little distracting while reading to stop and get on my computer. And the likelihood of someone reading this all in front of a computer is pretty slim. Really cool feature to the book but the novelty wears off after awhile.
Anyways, this book is exceptional. I mean it. The Higham family adventure is one of the best vacations I've had from the comfort of my plush little chair. John Higham carefully creates a scrapbooks of sorts as he balances recounting the sights and the scenery (and some interesting facts along the way!) with the family's personal thoughts and experiences as they face the unknown and explore some of the most beautiful places in the world. He touches delicately on the frustrations and annoyances in traveling with one's family (such as how two adults can have alone time??) and shares the joys of experiencing the world and growing together as a family. Alot of travelogues I've read drag in places but he really knows when not to linger on one country for too long and how to balance reflection, descriptions of people and scenery, and insights on history and culture.
Whether he is describing eating ham sandwiches for months, the challenges of "luggage Tetris" or homeschooling kids on the road--be prepared to experience the good humor that the family maintains throughout. I'm not sure I could find the humor in French campgrounds with no toilet paper or being stranded in remote places. But somehow this family is able to face defeat, give it a swift blow to the groin and keep on pedaling through some of the biggest hurdles and trials that one could face whilst traveling.
The best part about this book, for me, is that this family seems to be navigating by the same principle of travel that I believe in. Traveling is so much more than snapping photographs in front of historic sites and staying in posh hotels. True, those are all elements that can make a great trip, but traveling is really about the rich experiences with other cultures and viewing the world as one gigantic classroom. It's, as John Higham points out, "about discovering how people all over the world are similar, yet different in profoundly subtle ways, and how because of those very differences we were always able to find something to eat, something to wear, and somewhere to sleep."
It helps you to realize that at the end of the day "humankind in all its wonderful weirdness is the same all over the planet."
June 19, 2020
This is a better than average travel read with the caveat that the writing is informative but not polished or literary in any sense.
Taking your young children to visit 28 countries in the span of a year is a serious undertaking. Bravo.
I have traveled to each of the fifty states, all of the Canadian provinces and many European countries with my own kids. So I can relate to most all of the situations in this book.
3.5 stars
Taking your young children to visit 28 countries in the span of a year is a serious undertaking. Bravo.
I have traveled to each of the fifty states, all of the Canadian provinces and many European countries with my own kids. So I can relate to most all of the situations in this book.
3.5 stars
January 29, 2013
I really enjoyed this family travel memoir! I must admit I even stalled to prevent the inevitable end. Naturally, as the youngest member of a world traveling family myself, this was a very interesting story. I could relate in so many ways, especially Jordan’s Epiloge about going back home.
Throughout this wonderful true story, I caught myself laughing out loud and saying things like, “Oh my gosh!!” “Oh no!!” and “That’s so true!” Loved the chapter about the elephant, could visualize the bridges perfectly in chapter 17 and also chapter 19 was a LOL. Of course there are too many examples to name! You’ll just have to read it for yourself.
The kids were such great sports throughout the whole story. It’s so great that they got to have this experience and now share so many unforgettable memories as a family. After all, family is forever! Definitely a fun, exciting story worth a read! I love the appendix in the back and also the google earth.
Throughout this wonderful true story, I caught myself laughing out loud and saying things like, “Oh my gosh!!” “Oh no!!” and “That’s so true!” Loved the chapter about the elephant, could visualize the bridges perfectly in chapter 17 and also chapter 19 was a LOL. Of course there are too many examples to name! You’ll just have to read it for yourself.
The kids were such great sports throughout the whole story. It’s so great that they got to have this experience and now share so many unforgettable memories as a family. After all, family is forever! Definitely a fun, exciting story worth a read! I love the appendix in the back and also the google earth.
October 7, 2014
I'm not sure to give this a three or a two star rating. There were some funny moments, but I found a lot of it was just we did this and then we did that. The writing was a bit clunky in parts. I couldn't also help but notice the American centric viewpoint at times. Still, I had to admire the parents for travelling with their children for a year and experiencing all the trials and tribulations on their journey.
July 24, 2015
I’ve just finished reading 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family’s Journey Around the World, about the Higham family’s one-year travel journey.
There was a brief moment at the start of the book where I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it. John Higham, his wife, September, and their two kids, Katrina (11) and Jordan (8) had been planning and saving for this trip for years. The family of four started out on tandem bikes: one parent on front, one kid peddling behind. And while I absolutely admired them for doing so, I quickly decided the book might not be for me. Cycling just doesn’t reel me in.
But then without spoiling things for you, something happens and their travel plans were completely altered. The way they dealt with this showed such resilience and spirit of adventure. It was great to read. The book really shifted gears and their story made me laugh and cry and dream of travel. I enjoyed every minute of it, and read more slowly as the book progressed, in an effort to enjoy the experience for longer.
I’ve read extensively within this genre. One of the major problems with many family travelogues is that the kids simply aren’t interesting. It’s the old problem of yes you think your kids are cute, but that doesn’t mean anyone else will. There’s a British family travel writer who comes to mind here—I can’t bear him raving about his children. They sound obnoxious.
This was not the case in this book. John Higham has a great voice. He’s funny and thoughtful and honest. His wife September sounds amazing. His children are interesting and easy to like. Posted throughout the book are snippets from the kids’ travel journals, which make for an entertaining read.
What I loved most about this great book is what I love most about long-term travel: there is an internal journey the traveller takes that is just as important as the geographical one. Higham doesn’t beat you over the head with this, but every member of the family grows and changes as a result of this journey they take. It’s a joy to read about.
This is a wonderful, inspiring read.
There was a brief moment at the start of the book where I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it. John Higham, his wife, September, and their two kids, Katrina (11) and Jordan (8) had been planning and saving for this trip for years. The family of four started out on tandem bikes: one parent on front, one kid peddling behind. And while I absolutely admired them for doing so, I quickly decided the book might not be for me. Cycling just doesn’t reel me in.
But then without spoiling things for you, something happens and their travel plans were completely altered. The way they dealt with this showed such resilience and spirit of adventure. It was great to read. The book really shifted gears and their story made me laugh and cry and dream of travel. I enjoyed every minute of it, and read more slowly as the book progressed, in an effort to enjoy the experience for longer.
I’ve read extensively within this genre. One of the major problems with many family travelogues is that the kids simply aren’t interesting. It’s the old problem of yes you think your kids are cute, but that doesn’t mean anyone else will. There’s a British family travel writer who comes to mind here—I can’t bear him raving about his children. They sound obnoxious.
This was not the case in this book. John Higham has a great voice. He’s funny and thoughtful and honest. His wife September sounds amazing. His children are interesting and easy to like. Posted throughout the book are snippets from the kids’ travel journals, which make for an entertaining read.
What I loved most about this great book is what I love most about long-term travel: there is an internal journey the traveller takes that is just as important as the geographical one. Higham doesn’t beat you over the head with this, but every member of the family grows and changes as a result of this journey they take. It’s a joy to read about.
This is a wonderful, inspiring read.
May 18, 2011
This was a great little story of a family of four who takes a year off from their 'real lives' to travel the world. As I began to read this story, I was a little frustrated - maybe because I was trying to get something out of the book that I wasn't getting. Then, as I continued to read, I became more appreciative for the writing and the way the story is told. Upon completing the book, I got the most out of my reflections of the story as a whole. I am grateful to the writer for not overdoing the descriptions of their experiences (i.e. including every little detail). I realized, in the end, that the most exciting aspect of their story is that for each family/person who would follow the same path, the story would turn out so differently. I smile at the thought of how it would turn out for my family if we did the same.
I most enjoyed the realism of their story - the funny parts that had me laughing out loud, the not-so-great aspects of traveling the world, and the emotions and personality changes the family members experience as a result of their adventure.
I most enjoyed the realism of their story - the funny parts that had me laughing out loud, the not-so-great aspects of traveling the world, and the emotions and personality changes the family members experience as a result of their adventure.
April 14, 2010
I absolutely love this book. It's about a couple who had a dream that they would quit their jobs and take their two kids around the world (mostly on tandem bikes). It is very well written and I have laughed many times throughout the book reading about their adventures. I love that the couple (and their kids) decided to go see the world and teach each other about different cultures. It also has passages throughout the book where you can go on Googlearth and check out where they went. I did not do this as I find that a little disruptive when I just want to read the book! I can't put this one down.
August 18, 2010
This was an honest and witty memoir of one family's yearlong adventure around the world. I appreciate this book because I can relate on some level, since we are also a Mormon family living in the Bay Area. I like to think of myself as adventurous but this was a whole different level. While I plan to travel much more than I am currently able to - and with the kids even! - the only way I can really figure out how to afford it is to live abroad. This definitely made me think about exactly HOW I want to travel Europe though. I don't think I'm up for camping and I am not that fond of biking. So I'm thinking in an RV? Maybe this is wimping out. But I seriously couldn't live on ham sandwiches for months. And changing countries and having to find new accommodations every 2.5 days on average is certainly not my idea of a good time. Seeing the sights and experiencing different cultures is. And like the Highams, that is something I want to pass on to my kids. So congrats to the Highams on writing a great book filled with captivating experiences. One day soon I hope to have my own foreign travel with kids adventures to share!
January 2, 2010
This is not the sort of book I would usually choose to read - a travel book about a family of four taking off a year to go around the world. However, I know the family and the mother was Cyrus's wonderful scout leader last year, so when they wrote a book about their travels I had to read it. We actually read it for bookclub and both John and September came and gave us some of the behind the scenes details about their trip, writing the book, how their lives have changed since, etc. I really liked John's "engineer sense of humor" and it was a great book to have a discussion about in a bookclub. I wasn't convinced that taking off for a similar trip would work for our family, but it did make me want to get out there and experience new adventures (on a smaller scale.) There were links to Google Earth throughout the book so that you could follow them on a map and see extra pictures they had posted. Pretty cool. I was afraid that knowing the family would be the main appeal of this book, but I think many people would appreciate reading about their adventures.
March 5, 2013
Considering how much I love traveling, I thought this book would be a run-away hit for me, but it was pretty middle of the road. Higham writes about taking his family of four on a year-long trip around the world. However, a lot of the book is really about odd bits of minutia and really seems to skim over or miss the really interesting parts of traveling.
He made several clichéd statements about the “learning experience” in traveling that made me roll my eyes. Such as this statement about poverty he made after visiting Tanzania, “I still don’t think handouts are the right answer. But neither is watching from the sidelines. Poverty is a complicated problem, with no easy solutions.” Whoa! Watch out for those deeply philosophical and original insights Higham, you might lose me.
My personal annoyance with many small factors aside, this book did have some interesting bits and I’m glad I read it, but the writing was flawed and amateurish. I’m not sure I would recommend it to most people.
He made several clichéd statements about the “learning experience” in traveling that made me roll my eyes. Such as this statement about poverty he made after visiting Tanzania, “I still don’t think handouts are the right answer. But neither is watching from the sidelines. Poverty is a complicated problem, with no easy solutions.” Whoa! Watch out for those deeply philosophical and original insights Higham, you might lose me.
My personal annoyance with many small factors aside, this book did have some interesting bits and I’m glad I read it, but the writing was flawed and amateurish. I’m not sure I would recommend it to most people.
September 25, 2009
This is my "Great Book" pick of the year, and I have decided that it will be my gift of choice to friends and family this holiday season. I found it an easy, witty and fascinating read as I journeyed with the Higham family around the world. 360 Degrees was easy to pick up and hard to put down, and I feel like I have seen peoples and countries in the world with new eyes. Frequent outbursts of laughter kept me awake reading long after I should have turned out the lights, and even my 8-year old daughter enjoyed listening to excerpts and following up online when her curiousity was piqued. It has moved me to think of destinations outside of my comfort zone for family travel, as well as contemplate ways to just plain spend more time with my own family and see them with new eyes as well. This book is a sure pleaser!
March 20, 2010
what a fun read! I felt like I was there with the Highams as they chronicled their adventures all over the world. They sound like great people to hang out with :) It was enriching to learn about other culture tidbits and to see how the family dealt with various situations. John cracks me up with his thinking and how he appreciates his wife many times in different situations :) The kids have great attitudes and it was also fun to see how the humans all over the world can be alike yet different.
I definitely liked this book than the other book "A Year Off" (sp?) as this is much more entertaining :)
I definitely liked this book than the other book "A Year Off" (sp?) as this is much more entertaining :)
June 14, 2011
This title was on one of the goodreads ads so i followed the link. Very glad i did, love this book. They've been to places i've been as well as places i'm considering and places i am *so* not going. Haven't done the google links yet will check them out before i return the book to the library. it is more of a library book than an own book to me; the checklists and helpful hints might change my mind.
The website and the google links mean i don't have to own this book. I just did a bit of exploring with them. They have great suggestions for trip planning that's the bit i want to use and the daughter's reading list. I am happy to continue *not* reading Captain Underpants.
The website and the google links mean i don't have to own this book. I just did a bit of exploring with them. They have great suggestions for trip planning that's the bit i want to use and the daughter's reading list. I am happy to continue *not* reading Captain Underpants.
December 26, 2017
The story of this family is simply amazing. Having traveled for a year with my family not long ago I connected with many feelings and perceptions they had, especially relating to other cultures and people.
Interesting the way they start their trip comparing Americans to the other cultures, and by the end, they compare new experiences and local habits to things they lived and saw during their trip. They became global citizens.
By the way, excellent book to plan a trip around the world!
Interesting the way they start their trip comparing Americans to the other cultures, and by the end, they compare new experiences and local habits to things they lived and saw during their trip. They became global citizens.
By the way, excellent book to plan a trip around the world!
January 17, 2014
I LOVE this book. I felt like I was on the trip with the family. There was just enough funny, and just enough introspection. I was so sad to be going home when I got to the end. The best thing, though, is it's a book. I can travel around the world again, just by opening the front cover.
Cannot recommend enough, especially if it is a dream of yours to travel around the world.
Cannot recommend enough, especially if it is a dream of yours to travel around the world.
August 10, 2009
This book was very well written and I found I could not put it down. I was fascinated to find out how a family of four travelled around the world, and the end of the book provides a lot of useful information. I loved the humor in the writing as well.
June 5, 2010
I thoroughly loved this book! I was even laughing out loud at times. This book makes Andy and I want to travel with the kids even more. There is so much in life to be learned be seeing how other people live. An added bonus is the quality family time.
June 22, 2011
LOVED this book!!!!! It's about a family who traveled around the world in 1 year with their 2 children. Loved reading about their experiences and learning about places and customs. It made me want to book my trip, too! If you are at all interested in travel, check this out! Well-written!
August 23, 2016
The only thing bad about this book is that it had to end. Not just a travel story but a family-togetherness, weathering-hardships for adventure story. It's funny and interesting and so great. I was sad the journey had to come to an end.
July 22, 2009
what an amazing journey and well-written book! loved it. i suspected they were LDS, although they never quite said so in the book--my uncle confirmed that he knows them and they are.
February 23, 2010
I loved this book! Great travel writing - made me want to get to these places myself.
March 27, 2010
Absolutely loved this book. It was a quick read, but I learned a lot about the world. The only problem with this book is that it made me want to travel!!
June 30, 2010
LOVED this book!
June 18, 2010
My hero! Great book!
July 23, 2016
"Things may be done differently here, but who's to say which is better?"
July 5, 2020
This was a very good book about a family traveling the world told by the dad. They took a year off from work and took their kids out of school to make this trip come true. I didn’t expect it to be so funny and insightful!
February 11, 2013
This is a fun book about travel and family. John Higham, his wife, September, and their two kids, Katrina (11) and Jordan (8) travel together for one-year on a trip around the world! They plan and prepare for years and then take off for Iceland and beyond hoping to learn together about the world and life. They do a lot of planning beforehand, but are flexible and change plans as needed. They plan to start out biking from England to Turkey - a broken leg cuts a lot of that plan short, but they keep going and have some neat experiences.
It's fun to learn about the places they visit - from campgrounds in England to the hostels and valleys of Switzerland, the streets of the Czech Republic, then on to Turkey and Dubai, safaris in Tanzania, Japan, the Great Wall of China, Hong Kong, Thailand, temples in Cambodia, Panama, Bolivia, Peru and Belize. I loved reading about places I had visited and imaging how fun to be traveling there - I want to go back to Switzerland and I need to go to Cambodia and Machu Picchu. They visit some really wonderful places! It's amazing to think of exploring like this for a year, and all together as a family - what a neat way to learn! I don't know that that's the way I'd like to do it, but I think it's a really interesting idea and lots of fun! There are lots of how-to's included for people that want to try to plan a similar trip. I do like the idea of traveling together as a family and think it needs to happen more often.
A theme of the book is that everyone they meet is a little bit different, but a lot the same. They meet many different people and learn first hand what life is like in many different places in the world. It was funny to hear of people in Switzerland wanting to live in Las Vegas. :) The writing is fun and a bit sarcastic, sharing a lot of the family dynamics while traveling together. There is also a blog and a Google Earth layer to follow with pictures and more stories.
Here a few quotes I liked:
In Switzerland "the locals say that when it is raining, God is merely washing the mountains (p. 106)."
"Jordan's Journal, September 24 - I played the Pompeii Pinecone Challenge. I kicked a pinecone, like a soccer ball, all the way through Pompeii. I had to make sure it didn't go over any fences, and I had to figure out a way to get it up the stairs...(p. 116)."
Leaving for Turkey, John admits, "We were on this trip to get past the stereotypes and prejudices in order to 'know' and 'experience.' But talking the talk is one thing; it was not time to walk the walk. I looked at my children lost in their books int he predawn hours. I was envious. They didn't feel my anxiety, because they weren't encumbered by the stereotypes of my generation. I simply had to appear completely confident, even though I wasn't (p. 123)."
"We spent the next hour or so discussing everything from AIDS to the meaning of life, corruption in governments, garbage collection services, and the vastness of space....I had naively thought that these philosophical discussions would occur almost daily on our trip...I had presumed our year together as a family would be spent learning about each other on a new level, debating politics, and discussing the wonders of science. What we found was that the days were filled with the trivialities of existence, just like at home. So, to be able to have a long meandering conversation with my kids under the starlight on an African night was worth the entire trip (p. 152)."
"I learned something very important. Hakuna matata is more than a line out of a movie, and more than a casual greeting--it is a way of life (p. 166)."
"Before I arrived in Lushoto, I would have described myself as a charitable person. But it was in Lushoto that I became a beggar, and the people of the town demonstrated a kind of charity that was frankly foreign to me. It took Lushoto to make me realize that what I lacked couldn't be purchased (p. 169)."
"I marveled at [Katrina's] childlike faith [praying for her brother to get well so they could go to Disneyland in Hong Kong]...and wasn't that what the whole World-the-Round Trip was about? If September and I hadn't had childlike faith, we wouldn't have left California (p. 214)."
"I love being in a new place and discovering what makes it tick (p. 248)!"
"We learned a lot of valuable things we wouldn't necessarily carry in our suitcases, such as we can get by with a lot less stuff than I would have guessed a year earlier. We learned a tiny bit about what the world is like, but also learned that there is way more that we don't know than we do know (p. 336)."
"During our travels, 'home' wasn't a place. It was a feeling of being together. Now that we have activities taking us in different directions, the hardest adjustment is that home once again has become a place. Capturing that same feeling of being together requires work (p. 342)."
It's fun to learn about the places they visit - from campgrounds in England to the hostels and valleys of Switzerland, the streets of the Czech Republic, then on to Turkey and Dubai, safaris in Tanzania, Japan, the Great Wall of China, Hong Kong, Thailand, temples in Cambodia, Panama, Bolivia, Peru and Belize. I loved reading about places I had visited and imaging how fun to be traveling there - I want to go back to Switzerland and I need to go to Cambodia and Machu Picchu. They visit some really wonderful places! It's amazing to think of exploring like this for a year, and all together as a family - what a neat way to learn! I don't know that that's the way I'd like to do it, but I think it's a really interesting idea and lots of fun! There are lots of how-to's included for people that want to try to plan a similar trip. I do like the idea of traveling together as a family and think it needs to happen more often.
A theme of the book is that everyone they meet is a little bit different, but a lot the same. They meet many different people and learn first hand what life is like in many different places in the world. It was funny to hear of people in Switzerland wanting to live in Las Vegas. :) The writing is fun and a bit sarcastic, sharing a lot of the family dynamics while traveling together. There is also a blog and a Google Earth layer to follow with pictures and more stories.
Here a few quotes I liked:
In Switzerland "the locals say that when it is raining, God is merely washing the mountains (p. 106)."
"Jordan's Journal, September 24 - I played the Pompeii Pinecone Challenge. I kicked a pinecone, like a soccer ball, all the way through Pompeii. I had to make sure it didn't go over any fences, and I had to figure out a way to get it up the stairs...(p. 116)."
Leaving for Turkey, John admits, "We were on this trip to get past the stereotypes and prejudices in order to 'know' and 'experience.' But talking the talk is one thing; it was not time to walk the walk. I looked at my children lost in their books int he predawn hours. I was envious. They didn't feel my anxiety, because they weren't encumbered by the stereotypes of my generation. I simply had to appear completely confident, even though I wasn't (p. 123)."
"We spent the next hour or so discussing everything from AIDS to the meaning of life, corruption in governments, garbage collection services, and the vastness of space....I had naively thought that these philosophical discussions would occur almost daily on our trip...I had presumed our year together as a family would be spent learning about each other on a new level, debating politics, and discussing the wonders of science. What we found was that the days were filled with the trivialities of existence, just like at home. So, to be able to have a long meandering conversation with my kids under the starlight on an African night was worth the entire trip (p. 152)."
"I learned something very important. Hakuna matata is more than a line out of a movie, and more than a casual greeting--it is a way of life (p. 166)."
"Before I arrived in Lushoto, I would have described myself as a charitable person. But it was in Lushoto that I became a beggar, and the people of the town demonstrated a kind of charity that was frankly foreign to me. It took Lushoto to make me realize that what I lacked couldn't be purchased (p. 169)."
"I marveled at [Katrina's] childlike faith [praying for her brother to get well so they could go to Disneyland in Hong Kong]...and wasn't that what the whole World-the-Round Trip was about? If September and I hadn't had childlike faith, we wouldn't have left California (p. 214)."
"I love being in a new place and discovering what makes it tick (p. 248)!"
"We learned a lot of valuable things we wouldn't necessarily carry in our suitcases, such as we can get by with a lot less stuff than I would have guessed a year earlier. We learned a tiny bit about what the world is like, but also learned that there is way more that we don't know than we do know (p. 336)."
"During our travels, 'home' wasn't a place. It was a feeling of being together. Now that we have activities taking us in different directions, the hardest adjustment is that home once again has become a place. Capturing that same feeling of being together requires work (p. 342)."
March 1, 2023
Great memoir and travelogue about one family's "World -The-Round Trip" adventures. I would have appreciated some actual trip photos as the Google Earth feature did not work as I read this on my kindle.
July 4, 2017
Such a cool family that embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. Interesting stories combined with just the right amount of facts and history and travel wisdom!
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