Customer Reviews

360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

How I came about this book I just can't remember, and it was just a few weeks ago! I found the authors website based on the book and then I pre-ordered it and got it only the day after it was officially released on July 1st, 2009. WARNING: Full on raving and 5 star shenanigans ahead...
I read this book in 2 days. Not an easy feat as I look after two girls, 9 and 2, AND a 44 year old kid posing as my husband.
Once I read the first few sentences I could not put it down. Now, granted, my husband and I have been talking about a trip like this for as long as we have been together, and we place world travel very high on our priority list, so that could be why I just inhaled the thing. But don't take my word for it either! Just check out Amazon.com! In just 6 weeks this non-fiction delight has garnered ONLY 5 star ratings, and rave reviews. And I can totally understand why.
John Higham is a rocket scientist. Not as in, "Oh gee, it doesn't take a rocket scientist." No, he really IS one. He and his wife took 10 years to plan the "world the round" trip (as one of his children exclaimed in their toddler years), and he not only gives great detail of their travels but it is entertaining as heck and hilarious at times! When was the last time you laughed out loud while reading a travel memoir other than a Bill Bryson? Not only is it wildly entertaining, it is also educational without being text-booky, and honestly? You just feel like you are along for the ride, the tandem bike ride, as that is how this family largely travelled. Surviving on ham sandwiches and hitting the off-off beat track and getting sidetracked by some crazy stuff, you will feel like you know each and everyone of these people intimately. Not only that, if you have any interest at all in travelling the world? This will definitely inspire you to google earth yourself an itinerary.
The other neat thing the author did, he created a layer within Google Earth and there are many photos and extra little anecdotes to follow along as you read. Every time you see the little Google Earth symbol in the text you can visit the website and see the added bonus! GENIUS!


All in all a FANTASTIC read for anyone, but especially those of us wanting to travel with our kids.
To read more reviews please visit [....]

I loved this book. I'm not much of a traveler; I don't enjoy camping; I rarely ride my bike (have never ridden a tandem); and am indifferent to ham and cheese sandwiches. However, this book reached out and grabbed me and wouldn't let go until I'd turned the last page.

As I traveled vicariously around the world with the Highams (Dad John; Mom September, Katrina age 11 and Jordan age 8), I'd hear the train whistles, see the sunsets, get drenched in the rain, and even hobble around with one broken leg and a crutch. But what really impressed me was the Highams themselves: their resourcefulness, their obvious respect and love for each other, their good-natured kidding, their intelligence, their care and friendliness as they met people very different from themselves, and especially their good humor as they dealt with daunting problems.

Their hallmark was flexibility: Katrina breaking her leg but insisting on continuing their trip; shipping their bikes back home and continuing their journey on public transportation (bus, train, plane, boat, guided tours with questionable safety precautions); and being the only hikers hiking Machu Picchu without porters (dad had forgotten to check the box).

The book ended with each participant writing a brief epilogue, revealing how their travels had changed their lives, changed their attitudes toward each other, and changed their attitudes toward those with vastly different backgrounds and experiences.

A thoroughly engrossing read.

I am not one to burry myself in a book for hours at a time. Nor am I the type to read passages out loud to family members and friends but as I read this book I found myself doing both.

From the first few pages I found myself drawn in and welcomed as a part of the authors family. It was so easy to become swept away right along with them in their travels. The author does a fantastic job of illustrating with vivid detail the beautiful countryside and then the not so lavish areas as well. There were so many parts where I giggled out loud. As I got caught up in the story going on in my mind I was then able to click on the computer and see first hand the beauty of the landscape and/or the entertaining antidotes of the families travels.

The Google earth layer was entertaining. I found myself putting sticky notes in the book at the parts I wanted to view online because I just had to keep reading to find out what the next adventure or family joke would be.

I loved that the children helped create this book with their journal entries. It certainly is a different perspective to an already witty, insightful and thought provoking book.

I have to admit when I read about some of the locations that this family visited my jaw dropped and I thought to my self `YOU TOOK YOUR KIDS WHERE???'
But as I read my preconceived notions were changed and I took on a different perspective (and admittedly that is NOT an easy thing for me to do). And I am so glad that I got the chance to modify my thoughts as did this family. There were many heartendering experiences that will leave an impression on me even though I didn't experience it first hand. It was so easy to see through the eyes of this family, children included.

I'm sure that I will never have the opportunity to travel the world but after reading the book I wanted to offer my appreciation to the Higham's for allowing me to share their travels Round-the-World.

I found this little gem in my library. I agree with other reviewers that this is an easy read; after I got past the first page, I just inhaled it. As a father of two children who aren't too different in age from the Higham children, it was easy for me to feel like I was traveling in their group. Why did I enjoy it so much? Because:

1. It is laugh-out-loud funny, but it isn't a funny book, if that makes any sense.

2. It made me lie awake at night thinking about what I want to teach my own children about the world, and how best to accomplish that.

What I really liked about this book is that it wasn't about somebody's mid-life crisis that they inflicted on their kids. The idea of traveling as a family was in the works for over a decade, before the author and his wife even had kids. Why? To paraphrase the author, he had learned how travel can shape one's thinking and wanted to give that experience to his children. In that sense, it isn't about some rich family's adventure, but about an average family's desire to discover the world.

As you might imagine, a lot (good and bad) can happen over the course of traveling for a year. There is too much to list, and I don't want to spoil any of it if you haven't read the book yet. BUT I admire their tenacity to keep going; some of the misadventures would have sent lesser people (like me) home. As their year unfolds you see the family not only grow closer together but also see them grow as a family. For example, the larger lessons one might learn at Auschwitz are apparently lost on the two young children because of large crowds and unbearable heat. But by the time those same two children arrive at the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh, the heat is no longer a factor and it is clear that the ugliness of war makes a lasting impression, even on the eight-year-old, who sums up their time in Cambodia by saying," Some things you remember even though you wish you didn't have to."

The end result is a great story. Perhaps not in the Harry Potter sense of the word "great," but it has its own greatness that is palpable because it is a story of real events. I think anyone who wants to gain an appreciation for other cultures should read this book.

So, if I picked up a copy in my library, why am I writing a review on Amazon? Because like another reviewer, I decided that I was making this my gift of choice this Holiday season. And the first person I'm giving it to is myself.

This is a fourth book I read on this subject. A family with children leaves everything behind and travels around the world. It is absolutely one of the best on the subject and more recent than others. This book has enough personal details and funny parts to keep you entertained on the other hand has enough practical information to start somebody on planning a similar trip, or at least follow them on the map. Actually the addition of the Google Earth Layer is a phenomenal idea and supplements the book perfectly. Thank you John Higham and congratulations to you and your family.

John Higham and his wife September planned this trip for more than a decade: a year-long trip around the world. John and September and their two children Katrina aged eleven and Jordan aged eight spent the year visiting twenty-eight different countries, and experiencing many adventures.

This book provides a fascinating perspective of their journey, and the writing is enhanced by the visuals in the Google Earth layer. I found that I read the book first, from cover to cover, before looking at Google Earth but a different reader may prefer to read and enjoy the Google Earth layer at the same time. What makes this memoir/travelogue particularly interesting is that the narrative involves the entire family. Some of the children's journal entries are included as well and their perspectives of events make it all seem more real.

No, everything did not go to plan. However, the family was able to adapt and adjust their plans to meet the challenges posed. One thing that became clear during the journey is how the Higham family's world view evolved in line with their experiences. Some of the experiences are funny, some are concerning and others are fascinating. But it seemed to me, as a reader, that the family that returned to the USA at the end of it all was far stronger.

I enjoyed this book, and the accompanying Google Earth layer. This is not an adventure that I would undertake myself: it is not one of my dreams. I very much admire the Highams for following their dream, and appreciate that they have shared it with us in this form.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

When the Higham family's one year "world the round", trip was over, I was sad too because that was the end of the book.

Yes, I thought the Highams were crazy. Around the world in one year with TWO kids under the age of 12? Camping? Staying at hostels? Feeding piranha's to alligators? Yikes! The book was a real roller coaster filled with funny moments, poignant episodes and thought-provoking descriptions of some of the most horrific sites on the planet. Who thought a rocket scientist could write so well? I loved this book. When I put it down I thought, gee, maybe even I could take a trip around the world. I'd skip the Inca Trail though.

Oh yes I was sad when I finished the book. But wait! There was more! I could go on Google Earth and explore dozens of postings and photos about the trip that were referenced throughout the book. Awesome!

I picked this up out of the blue and really loved it! If you like travel and adventures, this is the book for you. It is funny and you get a bit of a history/culture lesson of the area they're in. The online pictures that accompany this book makes it even better!

I understand budgets, but not on this scale because I love wondering in my local bookstore to see what's new/interesting, jot down the titles and then head for my local library! And ... that is how I found this exceptional book - something different than I normally read and more than worth it! As the author mentions, this type of trip is obviously not for everyone - especially with an eight and eleven year old, but the experience had to be one of lifetime. The fact that the author hooked up with Google Earth makes for a wonderful learning tool for families to experience (not to mention school children in the classroom.) My suggestion if you want to follow along with Google Earth, read the "Google Earth" at the back of the book before you start. Lastly, preparing for this trip had to be an experience itself and to quote the author regarding 10 years of saving (by all four of them)for the trip: "The minivan will get old and the backyard overrun with weeds, but the memories you share as a family will last forever." Enjoy your trip with the Higham family!

As I broke the spine of 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World, I was quite the worrywart. Because I had been one of the incredibly lucky folks to have received John's Higham's wildly entertaining emails DURING the trip (forwarded to me by my sister who was herself incredibly lucky to be on John's email address list to begin with), I couldn't help but wonder how on EARTH John was going to top his already well written stories? But I'm so happy to disclose that as it turns out, I had nothing to fret about after all because even though the emails were amazing, the book is even BETTER.

360 Degrees Longitude is a fun, fast read filled with everything you hope for (but nothing you'd expect) in a "travel" book. The descriptions are so well detailed you feel like you are with the family as they pass through multiple time zones and countries, the conversations so authentic and private you feel like you've been eavesdropping. John's wife September's contributions (she was my sister's roommate in college which explains my "in" on receiving the aforementioned emails) calmly balance as well as ground John's assumptions and reactions. The kids' input is funny and sweet (and truthful and candid) and reinforced in every chapter that "out of the mouths of babes" comes the truth.

Truly one of the most enjoyable books I've read all year (my worrying all for naught). :-)