This is the inspiring story of an ordinary guy who achieved two great goals that others had told him were impossible. First, he set a record for the longest automobile journey ever made around the world, during the course of which he blasted his way out of minefields, survived a breakdown atop the Peak of Death, came within seconds of being lynched in Pakistan, and lost three of the five men who started with him, two to disease, one to the Vietcong.
After that—although it took him forty-seven more years—Albert Podell set another record by going to every country on Earth. He achieved this by surviving riots, civil wars, trigger-happy child soldiers, voodoo priests, robbers, corrupt cops, and Cape buffalo. He went around, under, or through every kind of natural disaster. He ate everything from old camel meat and rats to dung beetles and the brain of a live monkey. And he overcame attacks by crocodiles, hippos, anacondas, giant leeches, flying crabs—and several beautiful girlfriends who insisted that he stop this nonsense and marry them.
Download and start listening now!
“Even the most jaded armchair traveler will enjoy these breezy anecdotal vignettes from Podell’s fifty years of journeying…This is absolutely not a travel guide but rather a shout-out to those who crave adventure from someone who persists with good luck and no fear of the unknown.”
— Library Journal
[T]here is never a dull moment.
— Kirkus“Part travel adventure tale and part madcap farcical comedy, where Hunter Thompson meets Anthony Bourdain.”
— Chicago Tribune“Albert Podell tells of his adventures with gusto, bravado, and humor.”
— Portland Book Review“An engaging and colorful storyteller… Even if your desire for exotic travel never takes you out of your reading chair, you’ll find Podell a fascinating companion.”
— BookPage“Tom Perkins’ narration is clear, comfortably paced, and easy to follow.”
— AudioFileBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Albert Podell has been an editor at Playboy and three national outdoor magazines and has written more than 250 freelance articles. He was co-leader of the Trans World Record Expedition and coauthor of Who Needs a Road?, an adventure classic still in print after nearly five decades. He holds a BA in government from Cornell, was the graduate fellow of the Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago, and received a law degree from New York University. He lives in New York and is an all-around outdoorsman—skier, boarder, mountaineer, climber, camper, hiker, biker, archer, angler, surfer, kayaker, scuba diver, windsurfer, long-distance swimmer, and vegetable gardener.
Tom Perkins, an award-winning audio engineer for over forty years, has expanded his skills to narrating and has earned an AudioFile Earphones Award. He learned by working with the world’s best voice talent during his career, and he continues to engineer a variety of projects.