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It's on the Meter: One Taxi, Three Mates and 43,000 Miles of Misadventures around the World
When three friends – Paul, Johno and Leigh – clicked ‘buy’ on an iconic London cab, little did they know what they were letting themselves in for. Leaving the Big Smoke in their taxi bound for Sydney, the lads began a 43,000-mile trip that would take them off the beaten track to some of the most dangerous and deadly places on earth. By the time they arrived home, they would manage against all the odds to circumnavigate the globe and break two world records.
From altercations with the Iranian secret police to narrowly escaping the Taliban, the trio’s adventure is filled with hair-raising escapades. Feel the fear, revel in the fun and meet some of the hundred passengers the taxi picked up along the way, as the authors take you on their action-packed journey.
From altercations with the Iranian secret police to narrowly escaping the Taliban, the trio’s adventure is filled with hair-raising escapades. Feel the fear, revel in the fun and meet some of the hundred passengers the taxi picked up along the way, as the authors take you on their action-packed journey.
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 10, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 24, 2024
3,5 Sterne
Drei Freunde aus England haben eine verrückte Idee. Mit einem alten Londoner Taxi wollen sie nach Australien fahren und dabei möglichst viele Länder durchqueren und die Welt umrunden. Sponsoren werden gesucht, Visa beantragt, dann geht es los.
Es ist ein Abenteuer der besonderen Art. Grundsätzlich hat mir das Buch sehr gut gefallen. In fremde Länder reisen, ist eigentlich immer ein Abenteuer, und hier sind natürlich Länder dabei, die nicht unbedingt zu den typischen Urlaubszielen gehören. Da wird es auch schon mal brenzlig oder sogar gefährlich.
Ich fand das Reiseabenteuer der drei Freunde sehr interessant, manchmal aber auch ein bisschen langatmig erzählt. Mir hat irgendwie ein bisschen die persönliche Note gefehlt.
Drei Freunde aus England haben eine verrückte Idee. Mit einem alten Londoner Taxi wollen sie nach Australien fahren und dabei möglichst viele Länder durchqueren und die Welt umrunden. Sponsoren werden gesucht, Visa beantragt, dann geht es los.
Es ist ein Abenteuer der besonderen Art. Grundsätzlich hat mir das Buch sehr gut gefallen. In fremde Länder reisen, ist eigentlich immer ein Abenteuer, und hier sind natürlich Länder dabei, die nicht unbedingt zu den typischen Urlaubszielen gehören. Da wird es auch schon mal brenzlig oder sogar gefährlich.
Ich fand das Reiseabenteuer der drei Freunde sehr interessant, manchmal aber auch ein bisschen langatmig erzählt. Mir hat irgendwie ein bisschen die persönliche Note gefehlt.
June 26, 2016
Like most great ideas, this started in a pub; why not drive the iconic London cab from Tower Bridge all the way to Sydney, just see how much it would ring up on the meter. After they sobered up, they still though it was a good idea, and this was why they found themselves clicking ‘buy’ on a cab not long after. If only they knew they just what they were letting themselves in for…
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. Ernest Hemingway
First though, their new vehicle needed prepping. It was given a full service, new tyres and a roof box were fitted. Leigh, the trip’s mechanic, welded in extra seats and he even decided to fit a winch, just in case. The decided to use the journey to raise money for the Red Cross and thought whilst they were there that it would be nice to set a world record as well. Their leaving day fast approached and Europe and the world beckoned.
They were intending on using the Couchsurfer website to find people to stay with on their trip, as well as pulling in favours from friends to make it as cheap a trip as possible, the days driving around Europe were a fun filled, alcohol fuelled blast. As they came closer to the Middle East and Iran, they suddenly realised that it was going to be a lot more dangerous. The people there were lovely, but they found that stopping to take photos in a restricted area was not the cleverest idea… However, that was a piece of cake compared to the journey through Pakistan where they were accompanied by armed guards. India next where they absorbed the sights and smells scared themselves witless on the roads and the acquired the odd bug or two. In Tibet and China they needed an official guide as their car was not Chinese registered, and so they collected Fred. It was a bit of a culture shock for him to be in the same car as three 20 year old English guys. After China came Laos and an opportunity to make their once in a lifetime trip even bigger.
This book is full of amusing anecdotes and occasionally some very scary moments. Remarkably, they managed to survive all the trials and tribulations of being stuck in a small car for over a year. The idea of taking random people they met as passengers was great, as they brought their own personalities to the trip was a great idea; some of them even joined the guys twice. I liked the way that the two authors wrote from their own perspectives, for me it works so much better that having a homogenised text. If you want an alternative travel book to read, you can’t go far wrong staring with this one.
Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. Ernest Hemingway
First though, their new vehicle needed prepping. It was given a full service, new tyres and a roof box were fitted. Leigh, the trip’s mechanic, welded in extra seats and he even decided to fit a winch, just in case. The decided to use the journey to raise money for the Red Cross and thought whilst they were there that it would be nice to set a world record as well. Their leaving day fast approached and Europe and the world beckoned.
They were intending on using the Couchsurfer website to find people to stay with on their trip, as well as pulling in favours from friends to make it as cheap a trip as possible, the days driving around Europe were a fun filled, alcohol fuelled blast. As they came closer to the Middle East and Iran, they suddenly realised that it was going to be a lot more dangerous. The people there were lovely, but they found that stopping to take photos in a restricted area was not the cleverest idea… However, that was a piece of cake compared to the journey through Pakistan where they were accompanied by armed guards. India next where they absorbed the sights and smells scared themselves witless on the roads and the acquired the odd bug or two. In Tibet and China they needed an official guide as their car was not Chinese registered, and so they collected Fred. It was a bit of a culture shock for him to be in the same car as three 20 year old English guys. After China came Laos and an opportunity to make their once in a lifetime trip even bigger.
This book is full of amusing anecdotes and occasionally some very scary moments. Remarkably, they managed to survive all the trials and tribulations of being stuck in a small car for over a year. The idea of taking random people they met as passengers was great, as they brought their own personalities to the trip was a great idea; some of them even joined the guys twice. I liked the way that the two authors wrote from their own perspectives, for me it works so much better that having a homogenised text. If you want an alternative travel book to read, you can’t go far wrong staring with this one.
July 19, 2018
Yet another adventure that I have missed out on as it happened, this was all over social media, there were blogs and various interviews, it made the cover of the Wall Street Journal and was even on the BBC, but somehow I missed all mention of this. So it gets added to the list of amazing achievements that passed me by until it was made into a book, the likes of The bloke who walked the Amazon, The chap who swam the amazon and all the others I've yet to spot.
Paul, Johno and Leigh are a bunch of lads who like to have a few beers and challenge each other to do crazy stuff, one night they decided to buy a taxi and drive it as far as possible. They seem clueless at times, when they have the choice between spare parts and a "banging" sound system they choose to leave the spare parts at home. Their mechanic has only dabbled a little bit in that role and they only plan the route as far as India as they are not expected to get past Europe.
The writing is done by Paul and Johno, it jumps between the two of them throughout the book, using different fonts you can tell who is currently writing. You'd think that would make the book a mess but their character and writing style is so similar I never got my head around who was writing until they mentioned the other guy. It flows really well and it was interesting to get the two different perspective views on the situations.
It was interesting to read how they evolved and grew up....slightly... during the journey. Leigh their mechanic becomes an expert at bodging the car, 97 times he had to fix things. They never really improve with dealing with border crossings, at times things start to become a tad dangerous and you're worried they ain't going any further. The psychology behind 3 big guys in one taxi for 15months and how they managed to live that long together without the end result being violence is beyond me.
They give an honest account of the things they do, the rules they break and the people they meet. And they do meet some real crazy characters on the way. This book is a great advert for couchsurfing and the honesty and friendliness of people all over the world, even in countries/areas classed as dangerous to westerners they were treated well.
This was a great book, a classic travel book in my opinion, so many laughs and it does feel a shame that it has come to an end. If you're new to reading travel books then this is a great place to start.
Blog post is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
Paul, Johno and Leigh are a bunch of lads who like to have a few beers and challenge each other to do crazy stuff, one night they decided to buy a taxi and drive it as far as possible. They seem clueless at times, when they have the choice between spare parts and a "banging" sound system they choose to leave the spare parts at home. Their mechanic has only dabbled a little bit in that role and they only plan the route as far as India as they are not expected to get past Europe.
The writing is done by Paul and Johno, it jumps between the two of them throughout the book, using different fonts you can tell who is currently writing. You'd think that would make the book a mess but their character and writing style is so similar I never got my head around who was writing until they mentioned the other guy. It flows really well and it was interesting to get the two different perspective views on the situations.
It was interesting to read how they evolved and grew up....slightly... during the journey. Leigh their mechanic becomes an expert at bodging the car, 97 times he had to fix things. They never really improve with dealing with border crossings, at times things start to become a tad dangerous and you're worried they ain't going any further. The psychology behind 3 big guys in one taxi for 15months and how they managed to live that long together without the end result being violence is beyond me.
They give an honest account of the things they do, the rules they break and the people they meet. And they do meet some real crazy characters on the way. This book is a great advert for couchsurfing and the honesty and friendliness of people all over the world, even in countries/areas classed as dangerous to westerners they were treated well.
This was a great book, a classic travel book in my opinion, so many laughs and it does feel a shame that it has come to an end. If you're new to reading travel books then this is a great place to start.
Blog post is here> https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2018...
February 20, 2018
Schöne Inspiriation für unsere bevorstehende Reise!
June 9, 2025
A super cool adventure for this travel bug. I realize they were 3 twenty-something males, but I was a little disappointed they didn't see more or say more about the cultures and sights. They clearly experienced lots by meeting locals, eating streetfood and so on, but often seemed more interested in finding a party than seeing some of the places...
July 8, 2022
Three British twenty-somethings buy an English taxi to drive to Australia. But according to the unwritten law of a taxi driver: via the longest route (the meter runs).
At times this was a slightly funny story, but at a certain point I was done with the alcohol worship, the dumb behaviour and the partying. It's a story with little depth and little background information about the areas traveled, but well suited for some mindless reading entertainment.
At times this was a slightly funny story, but at a certain point I was done with the alcohol worship, the dumb behaviour and the partying. It's a story with little depth and little background information about the areas traveled, but well suited for some mindless reading entertainment.
February 9, 2022
ITS SO GOOD! kann ich jedem empfehlen der selbst gerne reist und inspiriert werden möchte. War sehr einfach zum lesen und konnte es teilweise nicht mehr weglegen! :) Mir hat der Erzählstil so gut gefallen! 100% recommended <3
October 15, 2018
This was one of those books you keep reading because it has so much promise and you keep hoping it will fulfill its promise on the next page.
It didn't.
Disappointing read.
It didn't.
Disappointing read.
June 1, 2020
Got this as a gift and was sceptical about it. But I loved every page of these guys wild adventure -It fueled my will to go on my own
January 16, 2017
I think I liked the idea of this book more than the literary excellence of the writing. I loved the idea of getting into an old taxi and deciding to drive across the world. I liked the clever and imaginative ways that the guys had to stretch their budget (such as coach surfing) as well as make regular repairs to the car and get out of trouble when needed. I would love to do a journey such as this although I'm probably less equipped to deal with it than the boys in the story. I'm pleased I read it as I wouldn't normally pick something like this to read but it certainly gave me more incentive to travel further, probably not in a taxi though!
January 9, 2020
Same thing repeated in every country, sorry but gave up before they left Europe!
November 14, 2020
An easy & entertaining read about 3 guys who leave uni & travel round the world in a black cab.
May 24, 2022
Die Geschichte einer durchgeknallten Weltreise mit einem Londoner Cab. Großartig. Da will man sofort den Rucksack packen und los.
August 7, 2024
"The fact that someone was now paying for us to complete our adventure and that the story was starting to be picked up by major newspapers and TV stations showed that we were doing something remarkable, even if it was really just an excuse to go travelling and party on an overextended road trip with our best buddies."
I said this in one of my Goodreads updates while reading this, but this book is like if 90s Ashton Kutcher wrote a factual account of traveling the world. That either does it for you, or it doesn't, there isn't a whole lot of inbetween. I fell on the "doesn't" part of the spectrum, but there were some redeeming qualities about these guys' trip that kept me reading.
The back-of-the-book summary is what's inside - three friends, in an attempt to put off being an adult post-college decide to take a London cab on a worldwide tour to break a Guinness world record and circumnavigate the world. Along the way they meet a host of friendly people, make their way through miles of bureaucracy, become expert roadside mechanics, and just overall have a good time with their buds.
They really do just party their way through the first part of the book, to get it out of the way early. Lots of drinking, partying, and couchsurfing, before waking up, driving all day, and doing it again in another location. I'm not a huge drinker or partyer, so they do come off as being a bit insufferable in the beginning to me.
But you can see a tonal change right around when they start trekking through the Middle East. I feel like we get a bit more introspection out of them about the world they're just now starting to see and about the people around them. There's less about how they're drinking their way to liver failure, and more about the scenery, the journey itself, and how much of a struggle it is to keep their cab running on a day-to-day basis. It's these little nuggets of introspection that were the most interesting to me.
But I mean, at the end of the day they do come off as being insufferable dudes who haven't really grown up yet circumnavigating the world on someone else's dime to put off having to make adult decisions. Which, fair, they're up front about that in multiple places in the book, but it's still a little tedious to read about.
I said this in one of my Goodreads updates while reading this, but this book is like if 90s Ashton Kutcher wrote a factual account of traveling the world. That either does it for you, or it doesn't, there isn't a whole lot of inbetween. I fell on the "doesn't" part of the spectrum, but there were some redeeming qualities about these guys' trip that kept me reading.
The back-of-the-book summary is what's inside - three friends, in an attempt to put off being an adult post-college decide to take a London cab on a worldwide tour to break a Guinness world record and circumnavigate the world. Along the way they meet a host of friendly people, make their way through miles of bureaucracy, become expert roadside mechanics, and just overall have a good time with their buds.
They really do just party their way through the first part of the book, to get it out of the way early. Lots of drinking, partying, and couchsurfing, before waking up, driving all day, and doing it again in another location. I'm not a huge drinker or partyer, so they do come off as being a bit insufferable in the beginning to me.
But you can see a tonal change right around when they start trekking through the Middle East. I feel like we get a bit more introspection out of them about the world they're just now starting to see and about the people around them. There's less about how they're drinking their way to liver failure, and more about the scenery, the journey itself, and how much of a struggle it is to keep their cab running on a day-to-day basis. It's these little nuggets of introspection that were the most interesting to me.
But I mean, at the end of the day they do come off as being insufferable dudes who haven't really grown up yet circumnavigating the world on someone else's dime to put off having to make adult decisions. Which, fair, they're up front about that in multiple places in the book, but it's still a little tedious to read about.
September 21, 2023
“It’s on the meter” by Paul Archer, Johno Ellison, afterword by Leigh Purnell.
The book was a gift to me from my friend as it reminded her of travelling and adventures. I started this book in the UK and ended reading it in USA.
Laughed my head off. Brilliantly scary. True points about USA:
- “..the power of the British accent” - complete true! Americans swoon at the British accent.
- “We found that most American shops had the confusing practice of only adding sales tax, which varied in each state, once you got to the checkout, meaning you never knew exactly what you’d end up paying until the last minute.”
Chapter 35 - page 201
Chapter 34 - Chinese culture - page 198
Ch49- page 273
Is that a Grenade launcher?
I put golf ball in it and shoot them… that’s how we play golf in AMERICA
A travel journal of three friends who planned this trip in a pub and went on travelling the world in a London taxi (which was bought on eBay) called Hannah which had the interior mechanics of a Land Rover Defender, for 15 months.
A terrific read. 100% recommend!
The book was a gift to me from my friend as it reminded her of travelling and adventures. I started this book in the UK and ended reading it in USA.
Laughed my head off. Brilliantly scary. True points about USA:
- “..the power of the British accent” - complete true! Americans swoon at the British accent.
- “We found that most American shops had the confusing practice of only adding sales tax, which varied in each state, once you got to the checkout, meaning you never knew exactly what you’d end up paying until the last minute.”
Chapter 35 - page 201
Chapter 34 - Chinese culture - page 198
Ch49- page 273
Is that a Grenade launcher?
I put golf ball in it and shoot them… that’s how we play golf in AMERICA
A travel journal of three friends who planned this trip in a pub and went on travelling the world in a London taxi (which was bought on eBay) called Hannah which had the interior mechanics of a Land Rover Defender, for 15 months.
A terrific read. 100% recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2018
Loved, loved, loved this book! Whilst there isn't much more that can be said about the book that isn't already included in the bio (Three mates, drunken idea, drive around the world in a London black cab, traverse some of the world's extremes, blah, blah, blah, etc.) this combination of events, the personalities of the authors and the challenges encountered along the way, make it an excellent and hilarious page turner.
Without doubt, my favorite paragraph from the book, and one that had me laughing out load on the local bus to work, was this:
"The sound system, however, was still banging... until Leigh discovered the source of the ant invasion was a colony in our subwoofer. We tried all the dubstep we could get our hands on, but it appears that not only can ants survive under water for two weeks (true story), but they are also impervious to Skrilex. We even tried Johno's disturbingly extensive collection of Bonnie Tyler, but 1980s power ballads didn't have the same fumigation effect on ants as they do on a dance floor. The sub had to go."
Without doubt, my favorite paragraph from the book, and one that had me laughing out load on the local bus to work, was this:
"The sound system, however, was still banging... until Leigh discovered the source of the ant invasion was a colony in our subwoofer. We tried all the dubstep we could get our hands on, but it appears that not only can ants survive under water for two weeks (true story), but they are also impervious to Skrilex. We even tried Johno's disturbingly extensive collection of Bonnie Tyler, but 1980s power ballads didn't have the same fumigation effect on ants as they do on a dance floor. The sub had to go."
January 16, 2023
When three twenty-somethings in a pub decide to break a world record for distance traveled in a London Taxi, this is what results. From England through Europe and Scandanavia, to Russia and then through Asia to Australia, plus an extension that the USA, this was a lot of fun. A joy to read, this was a great look at the world in 2011-2012, especially youth culture (pubs/clubs/couchsurfing). It alternates between the voices of two of the three participants (differentiated by two different font styles) and is a relatively quick read. it was a lot of fun and well worth it for armchair travelers.
July 22, 2018
This is a great book. If you’re looking for educational insights in to the countries visited then you’ll be disappointed. However, the tales of what it’s like traveling the world with your mates in a taxi are amazing. Breakdowns, arrests, kid nappings and insane parties in all four corners of the world; this book has it all.
January 8, 2019
This book is exciting and motivational. It fuelled my desire to travel the world!
I found this book to be a page turner, it was hard to put down as I just wanted to know what the boys got up to next.
It is written in a very typically British and humorous way which only added to me imagining myself in their situation and sparking my imagination for my next adventure.
I found this book to be a page turner, it was hard to put down as I just wanted to know what the boys got up to next.
It is written in a very typically British and humorous way which only added to me imagining myself in their situation and sparking my imagination for my next adventure.
January 31, 2021
It sounds good when you read the summary. But this is not a kind of book which you enjoy in terms of reading. Looks like this book is written to give one mere a perspective what usually happenes when you start to think to travel and when you travel.
The author tried its best to write and to give us the glance what happened in every country in a summarise way.
The author tried its best to write and to give us the glance what happened in every country in a summarise way.
Read
May 2, 2023It's happened to all of us. A brilliant idea at 3am, when we're drunk under the painting and the frame. We wake up in the morning with a hangover like a beam, and if we remember anything, we quickly sweep it under the rug. Not these guys. These guys have given a whole new dimension to crazy ideas in an alcoholic haze. And it was a real ride.)
March 23, 2020
Don't just read it, get out and do it
Yeah well done guys, great adventure and enjoyed the book. There's an adventure out there for everyone, no matter age or ability. Just get to the pub and start planning!!
Yeah well done guys, great adventure and enjoyed the book. There's an adventure out there for everyone, no matter age or ability. Just get to the pub and start planning!!
May 14, 2020
Such a fun book to read! I love living In the age where I can Google locations mentioned to get the imagery in my head while reading. Also, if you suffer wanderlust this book will make it worse. Learning there's a band called Austrian Death Machine might be worth the read alone lol.
May 28, 2023
Highly recommend for a quick read, and is easy to read and follow, quite interesting about local cultures etc, wish they had wrote more in depth of certain places. Rather than we went here parked up for 7 days then went back.
April 27, 2024
Wasn't expecting much from this - students on a road trip - whats to like?! But an excellent well written account of the trials and tribulations of this round the world journey. Well done lads and well fixed, blagged, imbibed and accomplished.
November 10, 2018
What a great tale, kept me hooked from the start. Highly recommended for anyone with a sense of adventure
June 4, 2019
Good fun read
If you enjoy travel stories focussed on having fun along the way then read this. A quick but fun read.
If you enjoy travel stories focussed on having fun along the way then read this. A quick but fun read.
July 6, 2019
A nice read.
January 16, 2020
Excellent read
Really enjoyed this book, funny and entertaining jolly around the world. Must have been a blast. I need to book some more adventures!
Really enjoyed this book, funny and entertaining jolly around the world. Must have been a blast. I need to book some more adventures!
March 25, 2020
2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews