- 360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World
Courtesy of Alyson Books
360 Degrees Longitude: One Family’s Journey Around the World
by John Higham. Alyson Books, 2009; $17.95.
Yet, author John Higham, a Silicon Valley–based aerospace engineer who also has been a TravelMuse contributor, his wife, September, and their two children, Katrina, one of TravelMuse’s Teen Voice writers [read about her gap-year experiences hiking both the Great Wall in China and the Arenal volcano in Costa Rica], and Jordan (ages 11 and 8, respectively, at the time), did just that.
In 360 Degrees Longitude, Higham engagingly takes readers on his family’s yearlong cultural and educational adventure, making it to 35 countries (28 for any significant amount of time) along the way, including Poland, Italy, Dubai, Tanzania, Thailand, China, Japan, Chile, Bolivia and Belize.
They rode camels, went on safari, got stranded on long bus rides that became unbearably longer, explored Costa Rica and its Tortuguero region, and experienced Carnivale in multiple destinations, among other adventures.
Pros
Even if you’re not the type of person who cares to read other people’s travel tales because it’s difficult to appreciate the author’s experiences without personally knowing them or because they make you frustrated you’re not out on the road yourself—and I count myself among that group—you still just might enjoy reading this collection of essays.
The Highams spent 10 years planning their journey, and John Higham shares his research, insight and humor to weave together stories that entertain as well as educate. It’s also peppered with short journal entries from Katrina and Jordan, adding to its value as a family-travel resource.
This also isn’t a collection about just the good and goofy things that happened to the Higham family; it includes some difficult moments, such as when they learn why girls in some countries are being forced into prostitution at younger and younger ages (because they’re likely not yet affected with the AIDS virus), and why strewn garbage everywhere in one place is a given (there’s no money for garbage cans, let alone collection service).
The family starts in Europe and early on learn that even the best-laid plans can go horribly wrong—when Katrina breaks her leg and sprains her wrist in a rock-climbing fall, and the plan to bicycle from London to Istanbul gets cut short in Switzerland. The following chapters are a lesson in how to adapt and adjust quickly while on the road, which will be necessary many more times during their journey.
Where the book really opens up is in Section III, when the family travels through the Middle East and into Africa and out of their comfort zone, especially when they get stranded, cashless, in Tanzania (“Stranded by Our Stupidity,” pages 150-169). Another great chapter is “Please Pass the Armageddon Pills,” on Bolivia, where the family agrees to a five-day overland trek on dirt roads and through 60 miles of salt flats in one of the most remote places in the world, in a tentative (at best) Unimog vehicle.
Great Tips
One of my favorite aspects of the book is its integration of Google Earth, with a Google Earth logo accompanying passages where readers can go online and see multiple images of the places while they’re reading about them. John Higham also included this feature in his article about hiking the Via Ferrata in Europe, and it really brings the stories to life. www.360degreeslongitude.com/concept3d/360degreeslongitude.kmz
There’s even a New York Times article that references Higham’s use of this relatively new tool.
Also be sure to check out the “How To” chapter at the end of the book, with tips for beginning to plan an extended family travel adventure of your own, and a humorous list of “Stupid Facts.” For more information, visit the Web site for the book, www.360degreeslongitude.com.
Cons
As proven with the Google Earth connection, the best way to capture a place is through photos, and even though the book directs you to great images, I still would have liked 360 Degrees Longitude to include more of them, and in color, for those not reading along next to a computer.
Also, even though the chapters are formatted as essays, they contain a wealth of insightful information for anyone planning to visit the countries covered, such as anticipating what to expect when you need medical attention in various countries (“Danger! Banana Crossing!,” pages 253-254, among other passages.) An index would help people zero in on topics they’re specifically interested in.
Worth Buying?
If you’re already a well-versed traveler to most of the places the Highams visited, then you might find some of the information and experiences old news. If not, then I give it an unequivocal yes, especially if you’re considering taking an extended family vacation outside the United States. You will rethink the definition of family travel after reading it. 360 Degrees Longitude is an inspiration for what is possible on the road, and even in one’s life.
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