80 days Revisited

Palin's Travels

by Michael Palin

Travel

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Memoir, Humor, Biography

Unknown Binding

First published February 1, 1990

About the author

Sir Michael Edward Palin, KCMG, CBE, FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries.

Palin wrote most of his material with Terry Jones. Before Monty Python, they had worked on other shows such as The Ken Dodd Show, The Frost Report and Do Not Adjust Your Set. Palin appeared in some of the most famous Python sketches, including "The Dead Parrot", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Spanish Inquisition" and "Spam". Palin continued to work with Jones, co-writing Ripping Yarns. He has also appeared in several films directed by fellow Python Terry Gilliam and made notable appearances in other films such as A Fish Called Wanda, for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted the 30th favourite by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

After Python, he began a new career as a travel writer. His journeys have taken him across the world, the North and South Poles, the Sahara desert, the Himalayas and most recently, Eastern Europe. In 2000 Palin became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to television.

Reviews

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Michael Palin's epic journeys as he sets out in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg,from the Jules Verne book,Around the World in Eighty Days.

I didn't care much for the Verne book (though the movie was better),but I loved Palin's adventure.

It is terrific entertainment,even though he barely has enough time to catch fleeting glimpses of the places he visits.As Palin often says,he is a traveller and not a tourist.

A good deal of time is spent at sea,also in train
s,and he even travels in a hot air balloon and by dogsled.

He chats up strangers in an easy,affable manner.This book never gets dull,it is full of amusing incidents and wonderful descriptions of so many countries,despite the scarcity of time at his disposal.

It's a frantic journey,there is hardly any time to relax.He has a deadline to meet.

He does not whine or swear.Unlike some other travel writers who get pretty grumpy (e.g. Bill Bryson),he maintains his good humour no matter how tough the conditions.And he keeps it clean,no expletives,no swearing.

He also finds something to like wherever he is.
As the journey finally comes to an end,Palin finds himself thinking that he would miss it,and the sea,and that he could easily go round the world again.

In later years,he would indeed make so many more such journeys,to the farthest reaches of the earth,and to the most inhospitable of places.Each of them would be a compelling adventure in its own right as depicted in his travelogues,and TV series.

(Thanks to the author for making this book available on his website,palinstravels.co.uk).

[Shovelmonkey1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so I'm outing myself as someone who loves Michael Palin. BUT... yes, there is a caveat to this statement, I only love him when he's doing travel stuff and is not in any way attempting to be humorous in the style of Monty Python. Yes, yes many people persist in telling me that Monty Python is both pant wettingly funny and part of the premier league archive of ageing British Comedy along with the Goodies and the Goons (eh? Exactly) but it just makes me go yeah, yeah WHATEVER! Not my sense of humour. Maybe I'm just a poe-faced moody pants. Uh huh, maybe or maybe Python is not actually the apex of British humour.

Watching Palin trotting around the globe however, is endlessly entertaining and so is reading the travel accompaniment to the series. Loved the series, loved the book. Palin is charming, unfailingly polite, slightly confused and totally British as he circumnavigates the globe in a modern day homage to Phileas Fogg (or Willie Fogg if you watched the cartoon version as a kid and never got around to reading Jules Verne novel).

Watch this on a soggy autumn Sunday afternoon for some great armchair travel then read the book on the commute to work the next week and it'll feel like you're a thousand miles away, and not standing up on a crammed tube train with your face in someone elses arm pit.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mine is the BBC paperback edition of Michael Palin’s Around the World in eighty days. Given the choice between over enthusing (4 star) and under (3 Star) I am choosing to under enthuse. I had thought this was a later travel book by the former member of the Month Python team. I was going to suggest that he was tiring of the travel as adventure story. Instead this is early, schedule focused and perhaps before he had figured out how to best enjoy himself.

Palin’s imposed challenge was to duplicate the original Jules Verne fictional trip around the world, but with the acknowledgement that contemporary geo-politics and the need for a production crew would change the itinerary and the means of travel. There would be no aircraft, also no ballooning. A resource perhaps more famous in the movie than the book, but never mind.

To his and BBC’s credit several opportunities to speed his progress were ignored for a slower method, usually car over train. This could have allowed Palin to have something like real contact with a country but schedule meant he could see more but only in passing.

Clearly Palin is most at ease meeting and relating with his traveling companions, especially the crews of the various boats, than he is in getting any appreciation for locals or localities. We tend to get more about border security than greater or lesser known land marks or history. He is happiest in some degree of luxury hotel and travel modes, The Orient Express and various higher end hotels as available but also happy to dine in other than the tourist cleared and cleaned dinning centers. What come through is a certain crankiness towards his situation and a little towards those who are around him when his local inefficiencies place him behind his schedule.

The result is usually the tiniest of flavors of the locality and typically warm appreciation for the people who operate the boats, from a traditional design Arabian sailing vessel that carries him to India and the increasingly large, usually cargo ships that hop him across much of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. He has a lot of respect for and through him we gain respect for those who plow the seas.

Around the World in Eighty Days is a good book. My recommendation is to watch the televised version. I will be seeking out more of Michael Palin’s travel stories but this one does not have me rushing to the next connection.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having Read Palin's Other book Sahara While My dad was in Hospital, as soon as he was let out, I Ask for this For My 29th Birthday. It Is A truly entertaining book, and one I was itching to get back to reading every second it was out of my hands. Michael Palin has a longtime fan in me.

While it is obvious that Michael Palin takes his role as author and tv presenter seriously, there are moments of great observational humour in this book (as one should expect from someone who was part of the Monty Python crew).

If you want a book that does not bash you over the head with an overload of an info dump, yet provides relevant information, coupled with humour and a sense of life, here you are. A great book.

[India · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the series a few years back and found that Michael Palin appeals to my sense of humour and I do love to watch other people travel to places that I can’t visit. This is not, however, a book about visiting countries and getting to know their culture, it is about the travelling. Palin hops from one method of travel to another and although the journey isn’t all that interesting on audiobook the man himself is. It is his thoughts, feelings and interpretations of everything that happens to him that makes this book a fun read.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first, it was a great idea to attempt re-creating Fogg's journey around the world in 80 days, how will modern travel and the latest in crazy bureaucracy delay or improve the time taken? Palin says at the beginning if he went by plane he could be home in 36hrs, if he went by boat he could be back in 63 days, but what was the point in only seeing clouds or sea? It turns out he might as well have just done that for all he got to see. Everything is timetabled, as soon as he gets off one train/boat he has to rush to get to the next one, it is not until he gets to China that he says enough and starts trying to sightsee a bit, each day sightseeing though results in 5 days panicking to catch up with Fogg. The lowest point was Singapore, boat lands, get in a van, drive across dock, get on a boat, goodbye Singapore.

I've read a few travel books now and travel writers have a certain passion for the journey, they lovingly describe everything they see or do. Palin feels like some old English Gentlemen from the 1920's travelling across the British Empire, the only time he seems to come alive is when talking about food and the crazy things he ate in China. He still brings his humour to the writing but it only got a couple of chuckles.

This is one of his earlier travel books, so I'm hoping next time he won't be so rushed and his enjoyment will show more in the writing.

For the Armchair challenge I'm putting this down as Saudi Arabia.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Michael Palin's TV documentary of the same name is the basis for this book, the book itself actually comes from the diary Palin keeps on his journey, and the result is a delightful book, breezy and well-written (after all, the Monty Python troupe were writers as well as performers), and giving even more detail and color to the experience. Anyone who likes travel narratives would enjoy this one.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1990, Around the World in Eighty Days is a travelogue by Michael Palin, which serves as a companion piece to the BBC documentary series of the same name. The book chronicles Palin's 1988 attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, following the route of Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's classic 1872 novel. His BBC camera and support crew serves the role of Fogg’s sidekick Passerpartout. It is a memoir based on the diary entries Palin kept during his trip. He faces numerous obstacles, from logistical issues to cultural misunderstandings, some of which are rather humorous. He pays particular attention to various modes of transport, from trains and ships to more unconventional methods, ensuring that he does not use any method that was not available in the 1870s.

The book is not just about the physical journey, but also Palin's personal experiences and how the trip affects him. It also provides an interesting perspective on the global politics of the time. His writing style is witty and engaging. I had previously watched the documentary and wanted to revisit the journey in audiobook format, which is nicely narrated by the author. This book marked the beginning of Palin’s career as a travel documentarian. It offers an entertaining blend of historical homage and modern observation. Armchair travelers are sure to enjoy it.

[Matthew Devereux ∞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a very strong memory of being about 17 or something in the 1990s and having summer holidays from school and rushing every morning at a certain time to watch a rerun of Palin's 80 days around the world peregrinations and absolutely adoring it and waiting with great anticipation for the next episode. So I thought it would be interesting to give it a read now so many years later (and about 35 years after the journey itself) and I wasn't disappointed. I love Palin - I don't think many people don't really as, like David Attenborough, there are very few criticisms of him - and I love the way he interacted with people and places during the course of the voyage which was successful as they came in just before the 80 day deadline to follow in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg and Passepartout in Jules Verne's work (which I think I read at about the age of 10 and really enjoyed).

[Aidan EP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the little things we didn’t get in the show. A marvellous companion to the series and a great read!

[Tena Edlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably a 2.5, if I'm being honest. It's from 1988, and there are parts that were so absurdly outdated it felt like Michael Palin's excursion was the old recreation, not the actual novel. I did like hearing about the different ports, different modes of travel, and different fun stories along the way, but I think it would be a lot more interesting if redone now.

[Justine at BookSirens (A Community of ARC Readers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a companion piece to Michael Palin’s TV series Around the World in 80 Days. The series and book are about Michael going on a voyage that replicates the fictionalized travels of Phileas Fogg. I liked the book more because it’s more detailed, and we get to learn about what goes behind the camera as well. Of course, Michael Palin is the perfect presenter and, in this case, writer.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Palin and a film crew of 5 set off to follow Verne's Phileas Fogg's trip using land and sea travel, no air, in comparable time. They travel from London via the Orient Express to the Channel Ferry; then again on the Orient Express to Innsbruck where an Austrian rail strike brings the first of many delays. By the time they have completed Italy, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India they are 10 days behind schedule due to bureaucratic and transport delays. Palin and the soundman have been sick and all are thinner and tanner than when they started. By the time they have crossed China from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Japan from Yokohama to Tokyo Palin has tasted fox, dog, squid innards and snake and cat soup; great for cocktail party stories, but never to be eaten again. No passenger ships, excluding cruise ships, cross the Pacific so that is accomplished via cargo ship. Leaving Tokyo he is still 10 days behind. On the Pacific crossing they make up all 10 days helped by diesel vs 19th century steam and sail and by gaining a day at the International Dateline. Amtrak takes them across the US with only a couple of days off train for a dog sled ride and an air balloon ascent. Another freighter to England and arrival at 79 days and 7 hours from starting. Interesting read considering it is now 25+ years later and some of his perspectives still hold true, although it would be interesting to see it done today and what changes might have occurred.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting reading this 25 years after Palin did this trip in the sense of how far technology has evolved in such a short space of time. I am sure that a lot of the connections they struggled with would have been far easier with all the information we have to-hand nowadays. That, in a sense, made this more fun although fun was not what Palin had for the whole trip. Where this book fails slightly is in the lack of information that you would normally expect from Palin although he cannot really be blamed for this. Days on end at sea, in a car or on a train do not make more for a rollicking read. Still, as always, an enjoyable and very easy read and Palin is a great host.

[Josh Bucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days" is my favorite novel, and it's a delight to see someone like Michael Palin attempt to recreate the journey faithfully despite the advances in travel. I thoroughly enjoyed his description of the journey and the paradox of how slow such a quick paced journey can be. His travels make me want to get off the beaten path a bit more and take the slower way.

[Ellie Mackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant as always but ridiculous how much the world has changed since then...kinda makes me want to attempt a revised version???...

[Trashed Panda Brew Co · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one I forgot I'd listened to last month and in honesty I wasn't overly impressed. I remember watching the series as a child but certainly in this format it hasn't aged well and didn't particularly have much excitement to it.

[Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this every few years.and haven't for a while so I think it's time.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and vivid travelling classic.

[John Defrog: global citizen, local gadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of Jules Verne’s classic novel was that 80 days was the minimum time to travel around the globe and still notice the different countries and cultures you encounter. In modern times, you can circle the planet in an airliner in less than 60 hours (including fuel stops), but you wouldn’t actually experience or even see the world. In 1988, Michael Palin hosted a BBC series in which he attempted to replicate Phineas Fogg’s journey in the allotted time frame, sticking to the modes of transport available to Fogg (i.e. no air travel apart from hot-air balloons). This book is his travel diary from the journey.

I never did get to watch the TV show, so there’s a bit of genuine drama here for me as Palin and his film crew encounter numerous setbacks involving transportation delays and immigration/customs issues, racing to the next connection to try and stay on schedule. But even if I had watched it, Palin includes a lot of detail, anecdotes and personal insight you don't get from the show, which condensed the entire 80-day journey into seven hours of edited video, so it’s not simply a rehash of the episodes. And while Palin notes upfront that the journey’s timetable only allowed for very superficial tourist-level observations of each stop (and from the point of view of a reasonably well-off Westerner with the resources of the BBC at his back), he manages to absorb and convey a lot of detail of the cultures and people he encounters, as well as the drudgery of travelling by rail and sea.

It’s also interesting to read this in 2019 knowing that the details of the various countries Palin passes through are now over 30 years out of date. So in that sense it’s a fascinating snapshot of what it was like in 1988 to travel the surface of the earth without the benefit of things like the Internet and mobile phones. Palin is a great and congenial storyteller, and he makes a great case for getting out of your comfort zone, seeing more of the world and meeting the other people in it.

[Steven Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's truly fascinating that a travel book where literally nothing happens can be so riveting.

Travel books usually have a chapter on Place A, then a few paragraphs on going from A to B then a few chapters on B. Job done. Look at the nice place you can't afford to go, ain't it swell. But the nature of this book isn't so much about A and B but rather the journey itself. As such Palin talks about the places he's in, but it's fleeting. Being in the place isn't the point of the tale, it's just in the way of the overall objective which is getting home again.

So ultimately it feels like 90% of the book is Palin on a boat just chewing the fat and that gives it a unique quality that his other books doesn't have. Palin writes so well (and he narrates the audiobooks) that he can make what might seem as a boring journey in a container ship actually quite engaging.

Something else I never considered, which is actually somewhat depressing, is the time he's doing this. It's 1988, there's no satellite phones or anything to track his progress beyond a blow up globe he carries. He talks of countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and China and they're just not there anymore. Well, at least not as we'd imagine them now so although the time he spends there is understandably short, it's still fascinating. Ironically it seems the one place he talks about which hasn't changed is the United States. I'm assuming they still haven't done anything to upgrade the trains.

All in all it's a tale not so much of an area like Sahara or New Europe but of taking a journey and it's certainly worth your time.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to in audio format.

During the eighties Michael Palin, accompanied by a BBC film crew, attempted to circumnavigate the world in 80 days. Starting on the 25 September he followed the route that Philias Fogg used over hundred years earlier.

This was a fun light hearted read excellently read by Mr Palin himself. I enjoyed listened to stories of the kind people he met whilst travelling and the unusual food he ate.

At one point Michael and the crew were 10 days behind Fogg and I didn't think they would complete the journey in 80 days. When Michael docked in Felixstowe on day 79 I found myself cheering him on back to The Reform Club in London.

I know this book is rather dated with no mobile phones or internet access, but that is what gives the book charm.

[Marie Polega · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Jules Verne's classic Around the World in Eighty Days, this book was very enjoyable. Michael Palin set out to follow a similar route around the world as the fictional characters, using only forms of transportation available in the original, which proved surprisingly difficult. I liked hearing about the various trains, ships, and other ways the group traveled, the sights they saw, and how they compared over 100 years from the novel. I especially appreciated the author's sense of humor and am interested in reading more of his travelogues.

[Christina Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delight to listen to (hurrah for audiobooks) and made me want to read more of Michael Palin’s travel books. It also reads as time travel now, since borders and politics have shifted so drastically since this was written (Yugoslavia no longer exists, and China’s no longer communist). It also avoids the usual racism found in other travel books of the same era, which is honestly a relief. I defy the OG to be this entertaining.

[George Touros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-ignited my own dromomania. A delightful description of a real travel feat, even if (funnily enough) Palin mostly spends his time in trains and ships (occasionally boats) as well as customs offices and ports. Not a good one if you're looking for sightseeing impressions, a great one if you're looking for a glimpse of the people that live on board the huge carriers of consumerism.

[J.D. Kessey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally, I didn't get much out of it.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic travel series 5*

[katy ktp · Rating 4 out of 5]

An invigorating read. Slightly dated now, but Michael Palin is always good value and I thoroughly enjoyed his adventures.

[Steph Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this on Audible. An enjoyable listen from Michael Palin and lots of interesting tales and anecdotes.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the TV programme, as you get more about what actually happened that wasn't broadcast.

Very enjoyable, particularly because it was narrated by Palin himself.