Synopses & Reviews
This is the inspiring story of an ordinary guy who achieved two great goals that others had told him were impossible -- first by setting a record for the longest automobile journey ever made around the world -- in 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 47 more years - Albert Podell set another record by going to every country on Earth. He achieved this by surviving riots, revolutions, civil wars, trigger-happy child soldiers, voodoo priests, robbers, pickpockets, corrupt cops, and Cape buffalo. He went around, under, or through every kind of earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, volcanic eruption, snowstorm, and sandstorm that Nature threw at him. He ate everything from old camel meat and rats to dung beetle 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. Albert Podells Around the World in 50 Years is a remarkable and meaningful tale of quiet courage, dogged persistence, undying determination, and an uncanny ability to extricate himself from one perilous situation after another -- and return with some of the most memorable, frightening, and hilarious adventure stories you have ever read.
Review
Advance Praise for
Around the World in 50 Years:"Setting out on mad travel quests is bound to be fun, especially when its like Crocodile Dundee produced by Monty Python and directed by Woody Allen." —TONY WHEELER, founder of Lonely Planet
“The fastest and most thrilling adventure book ever.” —TRACIE MAX SACHS, five-time World Cup speed-skiing champion
"Albert Podell's passport would be a more fascinating read than many a thriller, but the stories behind each stamp in his mad quest to touch every corner in the world are even better. This is a great book by an even greater traveler." —PETER ALLISON, author of Whatever You Do, Dont Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide
"Albert Podell travels the world having more hair-raising misadventures and harrowing escapes than Indiana Jones. He and we are lucky he survived them all to write this delightful book. Podell introduces the reader to way-off-the-beaten-path venues and immerses himself in the local cultures, often while risking his life coping with bandits, wars, and corrupt officials. He gives us unwritten rules for survival as the outsider in what is perhaps the broadest range of human cultures ever portrayed in a single book. And he puts these intriguing experiences in the context of major events and world history. Around the World in Fifty Years sets a new standard for adventure travel books." —Will Lutwick, author of Dodging Machetes: How I Survived Forbidden Love, Bad Behavior, and the Peace Corps in Fiji
Praise for Who Needs a Road?
“A fascinating adventure.” —Newark Advocate
“Exciting, breezy and readable.” —Atlanta Journal
“Full of humor and adventure. A story that might be told before an open campfire. Racy and zany.” —The New York Post
Review
"Its like
Crocodile Dundee produced by Monty Python and directed by Woody Allen."—Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet"Podell's passport would be a more fascinating read than many a thriller, but the stories behind each stamp in his mad quest to touch every corner in the world are even better. This is a great book by an even greater traveler."—Peter Allison, author of
Whatever You Do, Dont Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide"The fastest and most thrilling adventure book ever."—Tracie Max Sachs, five-time World Cup speed-skiing champion"Podell traveled the world having more hair-raising misadventures and harrowing escapes than Indiana Jones. He survived them all to write this delightful book.... perhaps the broadest range of human cultures ever portrayed in a single book. And he puts these intriguing experiences in the context of major events and world history. It sets a new standard for adventure travel books."—Will Lutwick, author of
Dodging Machetes"Swashbuckler, philosopher, humorist, Al Podell has lived, and written, a splendidly rollicking adventure."—Trevor Morrison, Dean, New York University School of Law
"I tell my students to live life fully, and Al Podell's tour de force, described in fascinating detail in this wonderful book, shows that he has done just that." —John Sexton, president, New York University
"This fascinating book is filled with adventurous curiosity and constant drama, and written with delight, humor, and compassion." —James Fulton Hoge, Jr., former editor of Foreign Affairs and publisher of New York Daily News
Synopsis
The New York Times Bestseller
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 serious accident 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, revolutions, civil wars, trigger-happy child soldiers, voodoo priests, robbers, pickpockets, corrupt cops, and Cape buffalo. He went around, under, or through every kind of earthquake, cyclone, tsunami, volcanic eruption, snowstorm, and sandstorm that nature threw at him. 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.
Albert Podell's Around the World in 50 Years is a remarkable and meaningful tale of quiet courage, dogged persistence, undying determination, and an uncanny ability to escape from one perilous situation after another-and return with some of the most memorable, frightening, and hilarious adventure stories you have ever read.
Synopsis
In 2003, Albert Podell realized that hed been to 110 countries in the world. What if, he wondered, he could go to them all? He would set foot in not just the well-known tourist destinations in Europe or the vacation spots in Latin America, but the little-known, far-off lands that most people don't know exist.
In Around the World in 50 Years, Podell recounts the misunderstandings, detours, accidents, breakdowns, robberies, and even wars that he needed to overcome to visit every corner of Earth. He describes his encounters with voodoo rituals, fruit-bat pie, the Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon, Cuban counterintelligence agents, the New Guinea wigmen, camel caravans, the Lords Resistance Army, and much, much more.
With a wry, exuberant style, Podell's observations on the unusual and exotic places that lay beyond the usual tourist trails make this book a standout on the travel writing shelf.
About the Author
ALBERT PODELL has been an editor at Playboy and three national outdoor magazines and written more than 250 freelance articles. He was co-leader of the Trans-World Record Expedition and co-author of Who Needs A Road, an adventure classic still in print after nearly five decades. He holds a B.A. 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.