Book info

• Title Around the World in Eighty Days
• Author Michael Palin
• Year 1990
• Genres Non-Fiction, Travel

Following the route taken by Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club to circumnavigate the world. The rules were simple, but nothing else about the trip was straightforward... From a tour of Venice on a rubbish barge to ship spotting at the Suez Canal and the bicycle rush hour and snake snacks in China, this is an unparalleled tribute to man's ability to make life difficult for himself.

Thoughts

Listened to Michael narrating his journey around the world in audiobook form and it was lovely. Such a warm guide, gently travelling across the globe by boat and train, avoiding planes and desperately trying to keep ahead of the schedule. You can easily see Michael loves the people that he meets – spending so much time in close confines with people on boats, you’ve got to be open-minded and gracious and the hero that Palin is.

I guess the only downside to this super-quick journey around the world is that there isn’t a lot of time to investigate the places we travel through. A couple of adventures here and there when waiting for a boat to depart, but mostly it was a matter of observing countries flying by super quickly, or travelling over the waves to get home as quickly as possible.

A good start to Palin’s adventures, but I can’t wait to read more and delve a bit further into his travels.

Rating: 4 / 5