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We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year
What would happen if you quit your life for a year? In a pre–COVID-19 world, the Wheelan family decided to find out; leaving behind work, school, and even the family dogs to travel the world on a modest budget. Equal parts "how-to" and "how-not-to"—and with an eye toward a world emerging from a pandemic—We Came, We Saw, We Left is the insightful and often hilarious account of one family’s gap-year experiment.
Wheelan paints a picture of adventure and connectivity, juggling themes of local politics, global economics, and family dynamics while exploring answers to questions like: How do you sneak out of a Peruvian town that has been barricaded by the local army? And where can you get treatment for a flesh-eating bacteria your daughter picked up two continents ago? From Colombia to Cambodia, We Came, We Saw, We Left chronicles nine months across six continents with three teenagers. What could go wrong?
Wheelan paints a picture of adventure and connectivity, juggling themes of local politics, global economics, and family dynamics while exploring answers to questions like: How do you sneak out of a Peruvian town that has been barricaded by the local army? And where can you get treatment for a flesh-eating bacteria your daughter picked up two continents ago? From Colombia to Cambodia, We Came, We Saw, We Left chronicles nine months across six continents with three teenagers. What could go wrong?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 26, 2021
320 people are currently reading
7206 people want to read
About the author
Charles Wheelan
9 books512 followersCharles Wheelan is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College. He joined the Dartmouth faculty fulltime in June of 2012.
Wheelan’s most recent book, Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, was released by W.W. Norton in January of 2013. Three weeks later, it reached the New York Times bestseller list for hardback nonfiction. The San Francisco Chronicle called it a “brilliant, funny new book.” The New York Times described Wheelan as “the Dave Barry of the coin-flipping set.”
From 2004 to 2012, Wheelan was a senior lecturer in public policy at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He taught several courses on understanding the policy process for Master’s students. For the 2004-05 academic year, he was voted Professor of the Year in a Non-Core Course by the Harris School student body.
In the fall of 2005, Wheelan created and taught the inaugural International Policy Practicum (IPP), in which 12 students studied economic reform in India for an academic term followed by a 10-day trip to Bangalore and Delhi to meet with economists, politicians, educators, civic leaders, and other experts. Subsequent IPPs have visited Brazil; Jordan and Israel; Turkey; Cambodia; and Rwanda and Madagascar.
In March of 2009, Wheelan ran unsuccessfully for Congress as the representative from the Illinois 5th District in the special election to replace Rahm Emanuel. In its editorial assessing the race, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “Voters will find a ballot filled with impressive and thoughtful candidates . . . especially Charlie Wheelan, a University of Chicago lecturer who combines a razor-sharp mind with a boatload of charm and an impressive expertise in economics and foreign policy. We expect great things from Wheelan in the future.”
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Chicago, Wheelan was Director of Policy and Communications for Chicago Metropolis 2020, a business-backed civic group promoting healthy regional growth in the Chicago area.
From 1997 to 2002, Wheelan was the Midwest correspondent for The Economist. His story on America’s burgeoning ex-convict population was the August 10, 2002, cover story. He has written freelance articles for the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other publications.
Wheelan’s first book, Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, was published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2002. The book, an accessible and entertaining introduction to economics for lay readers, was released in paperback in September 2003 and is now published in 13 languages, including Arabic and Hebrew. The Chicago Tribune described Naked Economics as “clear, concise, informative and (gasp) witty.”
In 2007, Naked Economics was selected by 360 Degrees of Reading as one of the 360 books that every college bound student should read, alongside authors ranging from Sophocles to Malcolm X. Naked Economics was also selected as one The 100 Best Business Books of All Time by 800-CEO-READ.
Wheelan is also the author of 10 ½ Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said and An Introduction to Public Policy, a comprehensive textbook on public policy published by W.W. Norton in November of 2010.
Wheelan holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Chicago, a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. He lives in Chicago with his wife and three children.
Wheelan’s most recent book, Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data, was released by W.W. Norton in January of 2013. Three weeks later, it reached the New York Times bestseller list for hardback nonfiction. The San Francisco Chronicle called it a “brilliant, funny new book.” The New York Times described Wheelan as “the Dave Barry of the coin-flipping set.”
From 2004 to 2012, Wheelan was a senior lecturer in public policy at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He taught several courses on understanding the policy process for Master’s students. For the 2004-05 academic year, he was voted Professor of the Year in a Non-Core Course by the Harris School student body.
In the fall of 2005, Wheelan created and taught the inaugural International Policy Practicum (IPP), in which 12 students studied economic reform in India for an academic term followed by a 10-day trip to Bangalore and Delhi to meet with economists, politicians, educators, civic leaders, and other experts. Subsequent IPPs have visited Brazil; Jordan and Israel; Turkey; Cambodia; and Rwanda and Madagascar.
In March of 2009, Wheelan ran unsuccessfully for Congress as the representative from the Illinois 5th District in the special election to replace Rahm Emanuel. In its editorial assessing the race, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “Voters will find a ballot filled with impressive and thoughtful candidates . . . especially Charlie Wheelan, a University of Chicago lecturer who combines a razor-sharp mind with a boatload of charm and an impressive expertise in economics and foreign policy. We expect great things from Wheelan in the future.”
Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Chicago, Wheelan was Director of Policy and Communications for Chicago Metropolis 2020, a business-backed civic group promoting healthy regional growth in the Chicago area.
From 1997 to 2002, Wheelan was the Midwest correspondent for The Economist. His story on America’s burgeoning ex-convict population was the August 10, 2002, cover story. He has written freelance articles for the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and other publications.
Wheelan’s first book, Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, was published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2002. The book, an accessible and entertaining introduction to economics for lay readers, was released in paperback in September 2003 and is now published in 13 languages, including Arabic and Hebrew. The Chicago Tribune described Naked Economics as “clear, concise, informative and (gasp) witty.”
In 2007, Naked Economics was selected by 360 Degrees of Reading as one of the 360 books that every college bound student should read, alongside authors ranging from Sophocles to Malcolm X. Naked Economics was also selected as one The 100 Best Business Books of All Time by 800-CEO-READ.
Wheelan is also the author of 10 ½ Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said and An Introduction to Public Policy, a comprehensive textbook on public policy published by W.W. Norton in November of 2010.
Wheelan holds a Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Chicago, a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. He lives in Chicago with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 661 reviews
August 21, 2023
If you like bill Bryson you may like this book. Think of bill Bryson, his wife and 2 children going on a year trip around the world. I tried, I really tried. I am not a bill Bryson fan. This was a book Group read, and if they all like it I am not going to mention bill Bryson's name. I mean, Maybe they don't know who he is yet.
And then because I was too tired to read a great book or even a good book I Finish this book. And sometimes I slept through this book. Once in a while I went back to see what I missed. Nothing. Then I wondered how 1 person could make a joke out of everything and anything? And last of all, I went to the book group and I couldn't help myself I told them that I didn't like it and that it was like bill Bryson's books. Only 2 people knew who he was. Now they want to read his book on his walk king the Appalachian trail. At least that is 1 of his better books.
And then because I was too tired to read a great book or even a good book I Finish this book. And sometimes I slept through this book. Once in a while I went back to see what I missed. Nothing. Then I wondered how 1 person could make a joke out of everything and anything? And last of all, I went to the book group and I couldn't help myself I told them that I didn't like it and that it was like bill Bryson's books. Only 2 people knew who he was. Now they want to read his book on his walk king the Appalachian trail. At least that is 1 of his better books.
January 31, 2022
I loved the idea of the book but I came out of it thinking this man must be incredibly exhausting and dare I say boring to be around. I’ve read a lot of travel and family memoirs and this was an odd one. There was a real lack of actual curiosity about the locations they went to and I still don’t have a sense of why they wanted to go on this trip. Why not split it up over a few summers? Why take 9 months at once? It seemed grueling.
I couldn’t figure out the high school-aged daughter's school situation. She didn't want to join them so she could play volleyball and attend her junior year. A couple of chapters later in the book, she is refusing to turn in her homeschooling/virtual school assignments. Why is she in a virtual school if she is living at their home with her aunt and uncle in her hometown? Is it an issue with the curriculum since she would be joining them later? Why wouldn't he mention that? Where is she playing volleyball if not school? Why can't her aunt and uncle make sure she is doing her work while the author is taking care of their child in another country? Her parents do not seem concerned that she isn't doing her school work. He doesn't seem surprised and gives a story that paints her as an untrustworthy liar to illustrate that. So why leave her behind with relatives who don’t care to supervise her? What is she doing all day?
This seems nitpicky but it really illustrates the holes and lack of info in the book. I know how much Pringles costs in various countries but some threads were never really connected. There was a huge amount of logistics talk, finding hotels, long bus rides, talks about airports, visas and taxis but not a lot of descriptions of what they actually did. They saw temples in Myanmar. What temples? What did they look like? Who built them? Who knows? Why does he call “Calcutta”, Calcutta and not Kolkata? The longest descriptive parts of the books were about his fixation on tracking down a kiwi in NZ to fulfill a “lifelong dream”. It turns out he never even bothered to look at a picture of a kiwi before the trek because he sees a weka and excitedly takes pictures and has to be told it’s the wrong bird. What?
Cute enough and I think it was supposed to funny but why weren’t there more stories? I get not everyone is great at engaging, descriptive writing but maybe don’t write a travel memoir then? The logistics parts were often lacking any real motivations or connecting details despite being lengthy. I still am not sure why the family didn’t travel as a whole to get the multi entry visa in India or barring that, why didn’t half stay in Kolkata where they thought the daughter was going to need urgent medical care? The visa story was many pages long, why do I still have questions? Same with the trip to Bhutan. They had to spend $250 a day per person (which seems like a lot) there yet he wanted to get a steep discount on their excursion so much that he had the daughter make a fake ID so they would obtain the discount fraudulently. Couldn’t the excursion fee count against the $250? I don’t know because he didn’t tell us.
Who puts off getting flesh eating bacteria taken care of once diagnosed and a doctor located (after a long ordeal) to go on another excursion for a week?
Everything seemed like an afterthought to talking about transportation and food costs. For people who wanted to travel the world they didn’t seem to interact with people much or do much besides ride the bus and occasionally hike. Maybe they did but why wasn’t that in the book?
Some of the encounters with locals were cringe inducing like the comparison of the owner of the houseboat they were renting to Dev Patel in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He was very othering in other parts as well.
The parents don’t seem terribly interested in parenting any of the children which seemed lead to some of the issues they had over and over again.
I never got a sense of the wife at all. Considering how obnoxious he painted his chatterbox son and presented his middle child as a lazy liar, that’s probably a good thing for her.
I struggled to finish and was left wondering why he decided to take this trip, much less share the story with the general public.
I couldn’t figure out the high school-aged daughter's school situation. She didn't want to join them so she could play volleyball and attend her junior year. A couple of chapters later in the book, she is refusing to turn in her homeschooling/virtual school assignments. Why is she in a virtual school if she is living at their home with her aunt and uncle in her hometown? Is it an issue with the curriculum since she would be joining them later? Why wouldn't he mention that? Where is she playing volleyball if not school? Why can't her aunt and uncle make sure she is doing her work while the author is taking care of their child in another country? Her parents do not seem concerned that she isn't doing her school work. He doesn't seem surprised and gives a story that paints her as an untrustworthy liar to illustrate that. So why leave her behind with relatives who don’t care to supervise her? What is she doing all day?
This seems nitpicky but it really illustrates the holes and lack of info in the book. I know how much Pringles costs in various countries but some threads were never really connected. There was a huge amount of logistics talk, finding hotels, long bus rides, talks about airports, visas and taxis but not a lot of descriptions of what they actually did. They saw temples in Myanmar. What temples? What did they look like? Who built them? Who knows? Why does he call “Calcutta”, Calcutta and not Kolkata? The longest descriptive parts of the books were about his fixation on tracking down a kiwi in NZ to fulfill a “lifelong dream”. It turns out he never even bothered to look at a picture of a kiwi before the trek because he sees a weka and excitedly takes pictures and has to be told it’s the wrong bird. What?
Cute enough and I think it was supposed to funny but why weren’t there more stories? I get not everyone is great at engaging, descriptive writing but maybe don’t write a travel memoir then? The logistics parts were often lacking any real motivations or connecting details despite being lengthy. I still am not sure why the family didn’t travel as a whole to get the multi entry visa in India or barring that, why didn’t half stay in Kolkata where they thought the daughter was going to need urgent medical care? The visa story was many pages long, why do I still have questions? Same with the trip to Bhutan. They had to spend $250 a day per person (which seems like a lot) there yet he wanted to get a steep discount on their excursion so much that he had the daughter make a fake ID so they would obtain the discount fraudulently. Couldn’t the excursion fee count against the $250? I don’t know because he didn’t tell us.
Who puts off getting flesh eating bacteria taken care of once diagnosed and a doctor located (after a long ordeal) to go on another excursion for a week?
Everything seemed like an afterthought to talking about transportation and food costs. For people who wanted to travel the world they didn’t seem to interact with people much or do much besides ride the bus and occasionally hike. Maybe they did but why wasn’t that in the book?
Some of the encounters with locals were cringe inducing like the comparison of the owner of the houseboat they were renting to Dev Patel in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He was very othering in other parts as well.
The parents don’t seem terribly interested in parenting any of the children which seemed lead to some of the issues they had over and over again.
I never got a sense of the wife at all. Considering how obnoxious he painted his chatterbox son and presented his middle child as a lazy liar, that’s probably a good thing for her.
I struggled to finish and was left wondering why he decided to take this trip, much less share the story with the general public.
December 12, 2025
Charles Wheelan, Dartmouth professor of Public Policy, and his wife Leah, a high school math teacher, turned 50 and decided to embark on a nine-month midlife travel adventure around the world. And, by the way, their three teenage children (ages 13, 16, and 18) traveled with them.
We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year opens with a scene in Medellin, Columbia, where Pablo Escobar used to roam, where the family is accidentally split up into three groups while trying to catch a train. Ninety minutes later, they still haven't located two of their children. This story grabbed my attention right away because I "lost" my seventeen-year-old daughter in Santorini, Greece while traveling there ten years ago.
The book is hilarious! They travel by plane, boat, car, train, bus, and on horseback. There are multiple family meltdowns. When online classwork isn't being completed by their children, Charles and Leah try many tactics, including pleading, bribing, threatening, and punishing. Throughout the book, I reminded myself how glad I am that my children are now grown adults.
The Whelan family encounters snakes, huge spiders, bullet ants, and their oldest daughter is stricken by a flesh-eating parasite. They enjoy culinary adventures, including eating from street vendors.
A few favorite passages near the end of the book are memorable:
* Fortune favors those who get a passport and go.
* Carpe diem. Seize the opportunity. Jump through the window of opportunity.
* Experiences become an ingrained part of our identity.
I listened to We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year on audiobook. It is narrated superbly by the author, Charles Whelan. I was able to hear the genuine joy in his voice when he saw unusual, colorful birds and the frustration in his voice when dealing with bureaucrats who wouldn't assist him with time-pressing visa and passport issues.
Highly recommend, especially for the wanderlust!
We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year opens with a scene in Medellin, Columbia, where Pablo Escobar used to roam, where the family is accidentally split up into three groups while trying to catch a train. Ninety minutes later, they still haven't located two of their children. This story grabbed my attention right away because I "lost" my seventeen-year-old daughter in Santorini, Greece while traveling there ten years ago.
The book is hilarious! They travel by plane, boat, car, train, bus, and on horseback. There are multiple family meltdowns. When online classwork isn't being completed by their children, Charles and Leah try many tactics, including pleading, bribing, threatening, and punishing. Throughout the book, I reminded myself how glad I am that my children are now grown adults.
The Whelan family encounters snakes, huge spiders, bullet ants, and their oldest daughter is stricken by a flesh-eating parasite. They enjoy culinary adventures, including eating from street vendors.
A few favorite passages near the end of the book are memorable:
* Fortune favors those who get a passport and go.
* Carpe diem. Seize the opportunity. Jump through the window of opportunity.
* Experiences become an ingrained part of our identity.
I listened to We Came, We Saw, We Left: A Family Gap Year on audiobook. It is narrated superbly by the author, Charles Whelan. I was able to hear the genuine joy in his voice when he saw unusual, colorful birds and the frustration in his voice when dealing with bureaucrats who wouldn't assist him with time-pressing visa and passport issues.
Highly recommend, especially for the wanderlust!
October 6, 2020
In this travelogue, Charles Wheelen describes how he and his wife took sabbaticals from their teaching jobs for nine months, their eldest daughter delayed college for a year, and their two other teenage children left their in-person schools to do work online. So, two adults made the decision to travel with three teenagers in countries that require a slew of vaccinations. They made this decision while neither drunk nor high. I don’t get it either.
They were lucky they left when they did—at one stop, Charles assured their hosts there was no way Trump could become president, until a few months later, when he did. Oops. But the trip predated Covid, a trip they obviously couldn’t take if they’d delayed it. “Fortune favors those who get their passports and go.”
The thing about reading travel memoirs is that you can a learn about a place you’d like to visit someday, a place you’d like to learn about but have no desire to visit (the majority of places they traveled to fall in this category for me), or remembering places you enjoyed traveling to so you can see how it’s changed or just remember the trip yourself.
This could have been better. It definitely had opportunities to be funnier. The places I’ve traveled even in the United States where I speak the language is often filled with dumb errors like missed trains and misunderstandings, and that’s where a lot of chances for humor arise. It’s a pain in the butt at the time, but later, you can see your errors as funny and, ideally, illuminating. Almost all the humor in this book comes from when he reports the squabbling among the children—their dialogue is hilarious. It also made me so, so grateful I don’t have children that would become teenagers at some point. I don’t know how anyone survives that.
The other thing about traveling yourself or reading about it means that when you come home, you appreciate things America does well and what it could do better. In Bhutan, citizens must wear national dress in temples, schools, government offices, and on national holidays. “Imagine the government of the United States dictating what Americans are required to wear on in public on the Fourth of July.”
I enjoyed this. It’s worth the time. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES JANUARY 26, 2021.
They were lucky they left when they did—at one stop, Charles assured their hosts there was no way Trump could become president, until a few months later, when he did. Oops. But the trip predated Covid, a trip they obviously couldn’t take if they’d delayed it. “Fortune favors those who get their passports and go.”
The thing about reading travel memoirs is that you can a learn about a place you’d like to visit someday, a place you’d like to learn about but have no desire to visit (the majority of places they traveled to fall in this category for me), or remembering places you enjoyed traveling to so you can see how it’s changed or just remember the trip yourself.
This could have been better. It definitely had opportunities to be funnier. The places I’ve traveled even in the United States where I speak the language is often filled with dumb errors like missed trains and misunderstandings, and that’s where a lot of chances for humor arise. It’s a pain in the butt at the time, but later, you can see your errors as funny and, ideally, illuminating. Almost all the humor in this book comes from when he reports the squabbling among the children—their dialogue is hilarious. It also made me so, so grateful I don’t have children that would become teenagers at some point. I don’t know how anyone survives that.
The other thing about traveling yourself or reading about it means that when you come home, you appreciate things America does well and what it could do better. In Bhutan, citizens must wear national dress in temples, schools, government offices, and on national holidays. “Imagine the government of the United States dictating what Americans are required to wear on in public on the Fourth of July.”
I enjoyed this. It’s worth the time. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES JANUARY 26, 2021.
January 20, 2021
From South America to Australia, Vietnam to India, and so many more countries; Charles Wheelan takes us on a travel adventure with his family. Part travelogue and part memoir, Wheelan describes how him and his family are able to leave behind real life and travel for about 9 months at a time. He explains how he’s able to do so and even though it sounds so impossible, he makes it sound so easy! I love hearing about people’s experiences so I was intrigued how they made their travel plans and where they went. I even wrote down some places I’d want to go once travel is safe (ie: Rotorua, New Zeland famous for it’s hot springs).
Wheelan also offers insight on how him and his wife navigated these travels with three teenagers. He talks about how they managed to balance homeschooling and dealing with general parenthood challenges overseas. From normal family fights to flesh eating bacteria and exploding penis’ - this book covers it all. There is even a part where they are teaching their son CJ what consent means. I will admit that the home schooling parts bored me but I feel like parents would find the information useful or interesting. I do love that they took their kids traveling at such a young age and have such a passion for it as a family.
Thank you to Netgalley and to W. W. Norton and Company for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wheelan also offers insight on how him and his wife navigated these travels with three teenagers. He talks about how they managed to balance homeschooling and dealing with general parenthood challenges overseas. From normal family fights to flesh eating bacteria and exploding penis’ - this book covers it all. There is even a part where they are teaching their son CJ what consent means. I will admit that the home schooling parts bored me but I feel like parents would find the information useful or interesting. I do love that they took their kids traveling at such a young age and have such a passion for it as a family.
Thank you to Netgalley and to W. W. Norton and Company for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2021
For years I have loved travel narratives and while I can't remember the book that started me on the road of wanting to read the journeys of others (maybe A Walk Across America and One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children , my ears prick up any time I hear about a new narrative that chronicles people's journeys. I do find, though, that some don't go into enough detail while others go into too much detail, and I confess one aspect I find a little offputting is too much inner reflection of the journey of their minds or inner selves.
However, this one was just right with an appealing combo of practical travel details (how to take a year off, sites, lodgings, experiences) and family angst (traveling with a pre-teen and teens - ye gods!). What was particularly appealing was the selection of areas they traveled and with descriptions of the areas along with personal experiences, both good and bad.
All in all one of the best travel narratives I've read in years and I didn't want it to end.
This is perfect for fans of the two books I mentioned above, and if one is wanting more about family travels, try The World Is Our Classroom: How One Family Used Nature and Travel to Shape an Extraordinary Education and How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together
Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.
However, this one was just right with an appealing combo of practical travel details (how to take a year off, sites, lodgings, experiences) and family angst (traveling with a pre-teen and teens - ye gods!). What was particularly appealing was the selection of areas they traveled and with descriptions of the areas along with personal experiences, both good and bad.
All in all one of the best travel narratives I've read in years and I didn't want it to end.
This is perfect for fans of the two books I mentioned above, and if one is wanting more about family travels, try The World Is Our Classroom: How One Family Used Nature and Travel to Shape an Extraordinary Education and How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together
Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.
March 11, 2021
You know that guy in the office who tries so damn hard to be funny, or “likeable”, that you actually end up just wanting to punch him in the throat?! Well, that’s how I felt about the author; Charles Wheelan. His attempts to be the nerdy cool dad were SO DAMN ANNOYING & his 12 yr old son...don’t get me started. They traveled to so many exciting destinations, exploring some of the most desired sites, visiting 6 continents & yet many pages were about needing Internet connection.
For a family trip around the world, a lot of this book felt repetitive. This was a #BorrowNotBuy for me.
I took away a star because I couldn’t stand the narrator, either.
I know sometimes authors read reviews. If Mr. Wheelan does read this review, I apologize for my visceral reaction to his family travelogue. I’m sure he and the family are lovely people, and I’m happy they had this amazing opportunity but next time, please don’t plug your other books, it’s super tacky.
For a family trip around the world, a lot of this book felt repetitive. This was a #BorrowNotBuy for me.
I took away a star because I couldn’t stand the narrator, either.
I know sometimes authors read reviews. If Mr. Wheelan does read this review, I apologize for my visceral reaction to his family travelogue. I’m sure he and the family are lovely people, and I’m happy they had this amazing opportunity but next time, please don’t plug your other books, it’s super tacky.
March 7, 2021
Whole phrases are repeated, often. Needs a good editor
August 2, 2021
Ever dream of taking a sabbatical from your job for 9 months to travel the world with your family? That is just what the Wheelan family does, as is chronicled in this book. They visit six continents with their three teenagers, while homeschooling two of them. This is a pretty accurate picture of what this book is all about...and I loved it! I admit to being the prime audience for this book. I have a family, I love to travel, and this is something I would love to do with my own family (even before reading this book). The author, Charles Wheelan, is the dad from this adventure who writes with wit and reflection. I thought it was lighthearted and fun while also taking into consideration the gravity of world history. If you love to travel, this book will satisfy some of that wanderlust!
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
July 22, 2021
We made an appointment at the local travel clinic. In theory, each of us required a one-hour appointment. We persuaded the clinic to let us all come at once. This was the first trip-related activity we did as a group and it gave us a sense that the adventure was imminent. As we stepped up to the receptionist, I said loudly to CJ [13 y.o. son], "Don't tell them that you have gonorrhea." The woman sitting in the waiting area looked up from her magazine.
CJ exclaimed loudly, "I don't have gonorrhea." The receptionist looked up, as did two more people in the waiting area.
"Perfect," I said. "That's very convincing."
"Because I don't have gonorrhea!" CJ yelled. Everyone in the waiting room was now looking at him.
"Dad!" Katrina [18 y.o. daughter] hissed. "You're acting like a nine-year-old." CJ chortled as he caught on. He was amused by a penis-related joke and the fact that we had successfully annoyed Katrina.
"I don't think most nine-year-olds would know what gonorrhea is," I told Katrina.
"That's true," Sophie [16 y.o. daughter] added. CJ chortled some more. Katrina stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact with any of us.
"Just ignore them," Leah [wife] admonished.
"Why did you marry him?" Katrina asked accusingly, her nostrils flaring in frustration. "Seriously."
Meet "Team Wheelan": educator parents and three teens who decided to take a "family gap year" back in 2016-17. If you find the author's sense of humor "immature" or "annoying," this is probably not the book for you. If you don't like teens or reading about teens and their emotional drama, this book is not for you. (As a former high school teacher, currently homeschooling my adolescent sons, I really like that age group. And my sense of humor probably reflects that. I laughed out loud at the above passage and many others.)
I'm hoping to make a family trip to South Korea next spring when my sons will be 13 and 15, pandemic allowing. (We lived there when they were very young -- my younger son was born there -- but they don't remember it all all.) This book made me even more eager to take them, and to travel more as a family before they leave the nest. The Wheelans had many hilarious moments and great experiences, but also their share of traveling snafus (including bureaucratic red tape and flesh-eating bacteria) and total family meltdowns. It's all here. (He also discusses many of the details that allowed them to take a "nine month break from life," which he fully admits includes a lot of privilege and good luck.)
The only thing I don't care for is the "starting in the middle" (or sometimes even the end) format that the author often employs in his chapters, apparently to build suspense, but which I found distracting (and more annoying that his sense of humor). Each titled chapter begins with an excerpt from later in the chapter and a map of the area covered in the chapter, before jumping into the "story," often still a ways into the sequence of events, but not up to the excerpt. (That probably sounds even more confusing than it is.) For example, Chapter 4, titled "If You Want Peace, You Won't Get Justice," begins with this excerpt:
Then, the author details the family's arrival in Colombia and their travels which culminate with them attending a "peace concert" in Bogotá, where a police officer comes across the plaza to...tell the author his backpack is unzipped (from removing aforementioned camera). I ended up trying to skip the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter, which is more difficult that it sounds because when my eyes see words, they want to read them.
Overall, this is an entertaining travel memoir, focused more on the family aspect of the trip, while covering a lot of locations. If you want a travelogue or memoir that focuses more on specific places (and/or doesn't include teens and dad jokes), look elsewhere.
CJ exclaimed loudly, "I don't have gonorrhea." The receptionist looked up, as did two more people in the waiting area.
"Perfect," I said. "That's very convincing."
"Because I don't have gonorrhea!" CJ yelled. Everyone in the waiting room was now looking at him.
"Dad!" Katrina [18 y.o. daughter] hissed. "You're acting like a nine-year-old." CJ chortled as he caught on. He was amused by a penis-related joke and the fact that we had successfully annoyed Katrina.
"I don't think most nine-year-olds would know what gonorrhea is," I told Katrina.
"That's true," Sophie [16 y.o. daughter] added. CJ chortled some more. Katrina stared straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact with any of us.
"Just ignore them," Leah [wife] admonished.
"Why did you marry him?" Katrina asked accusingly, her nostrils flaring in frustration. "Seriously."
Meet "Team Wheelan": educator parents and three teens who decided to take a "family gap year" back in 2016-17. If you find the author's sense of humor "immature" or "annoying," this is probably not the book for you. If you don't like teens or reading about teens and their emotional drama, this book is not for you. (As a former high school teacher, currently homeschooling my adolescent sons, I really like that age group. And my sense of humor probably reflects that. I laughed out loud at the above passage and many others.)
I'm hoping to make a family trip to South Korea next spring when my sons will be 13 and 15, pandemic allowing. (We lived there when they were very young -- my younger son was born there -- but they don't remember it all all.) This book made me even more eager to take them, and to travel more as a family before they leave the nest. The Wheelans had many hilarious moments and great experiences, but also their share of traveling snafus (including bureaucratic red tape and flesh-eating bacteria) and total family meltdowns. It's all here. (He also discusses many of the details that allowed them to take a "nine month break from life," which he fully admits includes a lot of privilege and good luck.)
The only thing I don't care for is the "starting in the middle" (or sometimes even the end) format that the author often employs in his chapters, apparently to build suspense, but which I found distracting (and more annoying that his sense of humor). Each titled chapter begins with an excerpt from later in the chapter and a map of the area covered in the chapter, before jumping into the "story," often still a ways into the sequence of events, but not up to the excerpt. (That probably sounds even more confusing than it is.) For example, Chapter 4, titled "If You Want Peace, You Won't Get Justice," begins with this excerpt:
I took my camera out of my backpack and began shooting. Less than a minute later, an officer across the plaza pointed at me. I was well aware that soldiers and law enforcement types generally do not like to be photographed. The officer began walking in my direction.
Then, the author details the family's arrival in Colombia and their travels which culminate with them attending a "peace concert" in Bogotá, where a police officer comes across the plaza to...tell the author his backpack is unzipped (from removing aforementioned camera). I ended up trying to skip the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter, which is more difficult that it sounds because when my eyes see words, they want to read them.
Overall, this is an entertaining travel memoir, focused more on the family aspect of the trip, while covering a lot of locations. If you want a travelogue or memoir that focuses more on specific places (and/or doesn't include teens and dad jokes), look elsewhere.
June 26, 2021
Brief, brief, brief summary: A family took a 9 month trip and travelled around the world.
When I was a kid, my dad took sabbatical leave and we went to Haiti for a year. It was 1988-89. It was (of course) one of the formative experiences of my childhood, dwarfing pretty much everything else that followed. My nickname on the soccer team the next few years was, "Haiti" because I talked about it incessantly.
The summer of '93 we took a trip around the US - and a lot of Canada. We went from PA up through Niagara Falls to Ottawa to Quebec City, through the Soo né Sault Locks... (I remember Michigan begin so incredibly foreign at the time, and now I'm living 20 minutes from the border...) We went down through St. Louis... went up the arch. Down to Arches, Bryce and the Grand Canyon... etc... etc...
I feel it's been something of a failing of mine that we haven't done something similar as a family, but we've had our reasons. (And we've gone to PA, FL, TN, etc... We're not entirely stationary...)
When we took the trip out west, I was eleven. My dad forced us all to keep a journal. It was a very good move on his part. Writing has always helped me process things.
I think that was part of the reason I was really drawn to the book, and liked it and the reason I was put off by it and didn't like it. Having lived it, it was both a piece of nostalgia for me, as well as a bit of jealousy - my family could easily (...well, maybe not easily... certainly writing a book is a lot of work) have written an interesting account of our travels and exploits.
Am I petty? Very well, I am petty... I am small. I contain shallowness.
Among my other quibbles were how often Wheelan used the word "picturesque." I wish I had read it as an e-book so I could do a word-count. I'm guessing it was between 6 and 18. Either way, anything over two strikes me as too many.
And there was just some weirdness with the family. I'm not sure that a 13 year old can consent to his dad writing about the first time he had an erection. Sure, they're natural and all, but some shared stories are meant to stay within the initial circle of trust.
Of course that weirdness is what makes a book a book, and those stories are what set one family apart from another - which is why I can't dock it too many stars.
The family obviously loves and cares for one another, and shared experiences strengthen connections. Works encouraging such endeavors are their own reward.
So kudos to the Wheelan family, and here's to many more.
I'd be remiss to leave off this review without mentioning that it was recommended to me (and my most-esteemed-reader-of -a-wife, Liz) by our sister-in-law Mandy. We read it for something of a family-book-club - where we'd discuss it at family vacation. BUT when vacation came, we only spent like... 15 minutes discussing it. Two stars for the amount of book discussion we spent. Bumped up from one, because I'm happy I read it.
Here's hoping we do this again next year.
When I was a kid, my dad took sabbatical leave and we went to Haiti for a year. It was 1988-89. It was (of course) one of the formative experiences of my childhood, dwarfing pretty much everything else that followed. My nickname on the soccer team the next few years was, "Haiti" because I talked about it incessantly.
The summer of '93 we took a trip around the US - and a lot of Canada. We went from PA up through Niagara Falls to Ottawa to Quebec City, through the Soo né Sault Locks... (I remember Michigan begin so incredibly foreign at the time, and now I'm living 20 minutes from the border...) We went down through St. Louis... went up the arch. Down to Arches, Bryce and the Grand Canyon... etc... etc...
I feel it's been something of a failing of mine that we haven't done something similar as a family, but we've had our reasons. (And we've gone to PA, FL, TN, etc... We're not entirely stationary...)
When we took the trip out west, I was eleven. My dad forced us all to keep a journal. It was a very good move on his part. Writing has always helped me process things.
I think that was part of the reason I was really drawn to the book, and liked it and the reason I was put off by it and didn't like it. Having lived it, it was both a piece of nostalgia for me, as well as a bit of jealousy - my family could easily (...well, maybe not easily... certainly writing a book is a lot of work) have written an interesting account of our travels and exploits.
Am I petty? Very well, I am petty... I am small. I contain shallowness.
Among my other quibbles were how often Wheelan used the word "picturesque." I wish I had read it as an e-book so I could do a word-count. I'm guessing it was between 6 and 18. Either way, anything over two strikes me as too many.
And there was just some weirdness with the family. I'm not sure that a 13 year old can consent to his dad writing about the first time he had an erection. Sure, they're natural and all, but some shared stories are meant to stay within the initial circle of trust.
Of course that weirdness is what makes a book a book, and those stories are what set one family apart from another - which is why I can't dock it too many stars.
The family obviously loves and cares for one another, and shared experiences strengthen connections. Works encouraging such endeavors are their own reward.
So kudos to the Wheelan family, and here's to many more.
I'd be remiss to leave off this review without mentioning that it was recommended to me (and my most-esteemed-reader-of -a-wife, Liz) by our sister-in-law Mandy. We read it for something of a family-book-club - where we'd discuss it at family vacation. BUT when vacation came, we only spent like... 15 minutes discussing it. Two stars for the amount of book discussion we spent. Bumped up from one, because I'm happy I read it.
Here's hoping we do this again next year.
May 9, 2021
I really enjoyed this pre-COVID travelogue / memoir and raced through it. I’m a parent of teens myself so can relate to SO MUCH of what this family experienced on a parenting level. I desperately want to travel more so I loved living vicariously through their experiences. I knocked it down one star because of the privileged white American viewpoint that, while acknowledged, still felt a little superior and voyeuristic.
January 19, 2025
initially four stars, but had to subtract one because the author was ... frustrating. his attempts at being the silly goofy dad, especially when describing his kids antics, left me rolllling my eyes. he was giving i hate my kids and i should have done this gap year alone
March 1, 2021
Reading this book made me wish we had taken the time to do something like this with our kids. I’m sure the histrionic times were as bad (or worse) than the author made them out to be,but his descriptions of the sights they saw and the adventures they had were magical (and funny). The logistics of the plan, both to keep the home front solid, and the trip running smoothly were not uncomplicated, and I’m sure that, at times, there were, if not regrets, a sense of missing things from home, but what a great story.
February 10, 2021
I won this book on Goodreads. I was excited to start this book but as I got further along in reading I found my enthusiastic nature waned to the point of not caring any more. I found the eco warrior environmental aspects in the book off putting. For instance when the author talks about how cow flatulence and now also cow burps are contributing to climate change. Come on! Really? I wanted to hear stories of travelling around the world, not about how travel impacts global warming. The author states he leans left when it comes to the environment but then why would be take his family on a nine month around the world trip flying all over the world through six continents adding to his "carbon footprint." Although he said he would institute a carbon tax, to me this is still hypocritical and to those who feel global warming is anthropogenic should just stay home. Then at another point in the book he said that the election of Donald Trump is going to take us to "uncharted territory." Again, geez, how so? My God, it was so irritating that I lost interest. If you're going to write a travel book keep it about travel and leave out all the garbage left-wing talking points. I got through 50% of the book and skimmed the rest.
February 23, 2021
Written by a me-type author - privileged, white, educated, dad-joke wielding father of three for a target audience of me. I loved living vicariously through the author as he and his wife took sabbaticals and pulled their children out of school to recreate an around the world journey they took when first a couple. The subtitle "A Family Gap Year" is right on. I don't have the budget, chutzpah, or language skills to pull off the same trip, but I am now actively dreaming of some good family vacations.
August 30, 2021
An enjoyable travelogue of parents taking their three teenagers on a nine month gap year around the world. Charlie and Leah orchestrated an amazing itinerary that often wore me out just thinking about it. I very interested in their adventures until the last couple months when the trip began to feel a bit monotonous. How many train, bus, taxi rides do we need to hear about?I think with a few judicious edits along the way, I would have been engaged throughout. I wanted to be done but they finished it with their typical energy.
Both parents respected their kids’ idiosyncrasies and except for a few full family meltdowns, they kept their family moving forward. CJ at 13 was the most entertaining and volatile. I loved it when his mom gave him a tough math problem and he responded, “I wish I was a taco” as he rolled around on the floor. Katrina (18) was a great problem solver, especially when she had to handle her encounter with flesh eating bacteria. Sophie, the 16 year old procrastinator, made her parents sure they never wanted to home-school again.
I found their stay in Bhutan to be especially fascinating. I loved that they all got certified to go scuba diving. CJ and dad even went at night. Dad is a prof at Dartmouth and mom is a public school principal which gave them the privilege of this trip. Although they stuck mostly to a budget and gave some convincing financial advice, most families would have a hard time making this happen. Then again, I know that not being willing to take risks is at the heart of my inertia. In the end, that will be one of my biggest regrets.
Both parents respected their kids’ idiosyncrasies and except for a few full family meltdowns, they kept their family moving forward. CJ at 13 was the most entertaining and volatile. I loved it when his mom gave him a tough math problem and he responded, “I wish I was a taco” as he rolled around on the floor. Katrina (18) was a great problem solver, especially when she had to handle her encounter with flesh eating bacteria. Sophie, the 16 year old procrastinator, made her parents sure they never wanted to home-school again.
I found their stay in Bhutan to be especially fascinating. I loved that they all got certified to go scuba diving. CJ and dad even went at night. Dad is a prof at Dartmouth and mom is a public school principal which gave them the privilege of this trip. Although they stuck mostly to a budget and gave some convincing financial advice, most families would have a hard time making this happen. Then again, I know that not being willing to take risks is at the heart of my inertia. In the end, that will be one of my biggest regrets.
April 21, 2021
As an armchair traveler these days, I loved this book. The Wheelan family took a gap year for the 2 adults & a high school graduate, while homeschooling their 2 younger teens, on a trip around the world. Other readers might enjoy revisiting some cities & sites through their eyes: several South American countries and the climb to Machu Pichu, Asia including Cambodia and South Viet Nam. They also spent time in Iran and South Africa - too many continents, countries, cities, and villages to name. And multiple modes of transportation! For a travel memoir, I enjoyed the writing style, the disclosures about what family members learned about themselves and one another, and lessons learned in negotiating group family travel. The adults put a lot of trust in their kids, enabled their independence, and only lost them once or twice on the journey. There's a heart moving description with photos of the children engaging with a group of children rejected by their families because of physical and other differences.
November 1, 2024
I was disappointed. I had friends that took a year and traveled like this family, so I was hoping to learn about how the family bonded, learned things about themselves and other cultures. Unfortunately, the author started using a few choice words, so I skipped through some areas. It got worse. There was more bad language, reference to drinking, sarcasm, and inappropriate conversations about sex. I feel like I wasted my time and would not recommend this book.
I wish he would have not added those things and just stuck to their travel experiences.
I wish he would have not added those things and just stuck to their travel experiences.
March 15, 2023
Highly enjoyable— like laugh out loud kind of enjoyable. This book is such a wholesome look at not only the joys of traveling and family but also the raw reality of how much traveling can make you hate each other in the midst of it. Solid stuff.😁
May 23, 2022
I was excited to read this book because the family traveled for 9 months visiting six continents. I figured I could enjoy the various locations through the authors eyes. However, details of places visited consisted of a lot of discussion about meals from street vendors, some restaurants, and even more discussion about the budget, and trying to find free internet service.
I didn’t care for the fact that the author came across as condescending when he spoke about his children. His oldest child had a sore on her foot when they left South America and it wasn’t getting better. The family arrives in New Zealand and the family goes on a 3 day hike. The father wants to see a kiwi and Katrina ( the daughter with the sore on her foot) goes with him to visit another island because no one else cares about seeing a kiwi. Finally the family manages to get Katrina to a clinic to check on her foot. Sadly, she was misdiagnosed with a staph infection. Eventually they find out that she has a flesh eating bacteria. The author’s mother asked them to send a picture of the sores and her dermatologist diagnosed the condition.
He seems to take pleasure in the dumb questions/observations of his son C.J. and enjoys any opportunity to get him to say or do things that embarrass the child. When they went to get their shots for the trip and stepped up to the receptionist he said loudly “don’t tell them that you have gonorrhea” which caused people in the waiting room to look up. C.J. said loudly “I don’t have gonorrhea” and Charles continued to egg him on so C.J. said loudly “how could I have gonorrhea?”, you get the idea. When C.J. and Sophie took scuba diving classes Charles told him that if he got an erection while scuba diving his penis would explode. He got the instructor of the class to tell them the same thing. Nobody ever told him it was a joke until the dive instructor realized that C.J. might not know. The kid had already been out on two dives.
I felt sorry for C.J., liked Katrina and Leah, Sophie was a typical teen pushing boundaries and making questionable decisions. Charles put a lot of focus on himself and wasn’t someone I could relate to at all.
If the stories I shared don’t bother you, this might be a book you would enjoy.
I didn’t care for the fact that the author came across as condescending when he spoke about his children. His oldest child had a sore on her foot when they left South America and it wasn’t getting better. The family arrives in New Zealand and the family goes on a 3 day hike. The father wants to see a kiwi and Katrina ( the daughter with the sore on her foot) goes with him to visit another island because no one else cares about seeing a kiwi. Finally the family manages to get Katrina to a clinic to check on her foot. Sadly, she was misdiagnosed with a staph infection. Eventually they find out that she has a flesh eating bacteria. The author’s mother asked them to send a picture of the sores and her dermatologist diagnosed the condition.
He seems to take pleasure in the dumb questions/observations of his son C.J. and enjoys any opportunity to get him to say or do things that embarrass the child. When they went to get their shots for the trip and stepped up to the receptionist he said loudly “don’t tell them that you have gonorrhea” which caused people in the waiting room to look up. C.J. said loudly “I don’t have gonorrhea” and Charles continued to egg him on so C.J. said loudly “how could I have gonorrhea?”, you get the idea. When C.J. and Sophie took scuba diving classes Charles told him that if he got an erection while scuba diving his penis would explode. He got the instructor of the class to tell them the same thing. Nobody ever told him it was a joke until the dive instructor realized that C.J. might not know. The kid had already been out on two dives.
I felt sorry for C.J., liked Katrina and Leah, Sophie was a typical teen pushing boundaries and making questionable decisions. Charles put a lot of focus on himself and wasn’t someone I could relate to at all.
If the stories I shared don’t bother you, this might be a book you would enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2021
This book was the first time I saw a long waiting list "35 holds on 23 copies" at the library and decided to wait it out. It took 8 weeks but finally a copy was available for me. I delved right in and was not disappointed. After 15 months barely leaving my house, it was such a gift to travel vicariously around the world with Charles Wheelan and his family! In addition to piquing my interest about the mechanics of a worldwide trip as a family of five, and about the various places they visited, I appreciated Wheelan's crafted storytelling. He gives us just enough of the family dynamics and the details of the trip, to make it real, funny, and alternatingly enticing and daunting. I admire the value he puts on spending time with his teenage kids. And what a counterexample to the stereotype of helicopter parenting - the Wheelan kids are taking subways and walking and flying all around various forign countries on their own! Whether travelling or at home, the model of family dynamics portrayed in this book is a delightful mix of inspiring and validatingly familiar. I wish I could read it again anew, it was so enjoyable!
February 14, 2021
Imagine having the means and time to take off on a trip around (much of) the world...and then imagine you have to take it with three teenagers.
Charles Wheelan's book conveys much of the joy and angst of traveling with his wife and their three kids---two daughters and a son---who seem to be pretty good eggs.
From comfortable neighborhood Air B&Bs to cramped travels on overnight busses and trains, the family makes their way across much of the southern hemisphere and part of Europe, finding a lot to ponder in both the world they experience and in their own company as a family. Full of humor and insight into how much of the rest of the world lives, it's a great read for armchair travelers.
Charles Wheelan's book conveys much of the joy and angst of traveling with his wife and their three kids---two daughters and a son---who seem to be pretty good eggs.
From comfortable neighborhood Air B&Bs to cramped travels on overnight busses and trains, the family makes their way across much of the southern hemisphere and part of Europe, finding a lot to ponder in both the world they experience and in their own company as a family. Full of humor and insight into how much of the rest of the world lives, it's a great read for armchair travelers.
June 14, 2022
This is not the type of book I would typically read. A cashier at Barnes and Noble, who missed her calling as a sales person, sold me this book for 50% off. It was entertaining to read about a family going to places I don't want to go and doing things I don't want to do. Unfortunately, it was also exhausting. Many of the travel decisions made no sense for a family that suffers from what seems to be fairly severe motion sickness. The result was multiple stories about puke.
The author's sense of humor was also exhausting. Everyone has a unique sense of humor and I recognize that humor is a great way to deal with stress and fear so I tried really hard to get on board. I was almost there. I had even convinced myself that the nickname "Scoop" didn't grate on my nerves. And then, I got to the chapter about the not at all funny lie to a child about an exploding penis. No doubt CJ is used to this kind of "funny" lie but it was exhausting for me. I almost quit the book there but by then I had too much invested in the family and I wanted to know how it would all turn out.
Speaking of CJ, the most funny, laugh out loud part of the book was when he went up to the bus driver and, speaking confidently in Spanish, asked, "Make urine on the road together?" I also really wanted to see the llama selfie but I looked for it in the book and it wasn't there.
I did think the author did a really good job of bringing out the different personalities of every member of the family. At times, I wondered if any of the stories were embellished. Somehow I don't think they were...but I do hope the exploding penis lie was corrected much sooner than was reported and that it was embellished for comedic effect. I'm going to assume it was (for my own sanity) and give this book 3 stars. For the most part, I liked it, but it was too exhausting for me to really love it.
1 Day Later...
For some dumb reason, I can't stop thinking about the bad role the author (Charles) played in this book. So I read some other reviews, from 1 star to 5 stars, and realized that I probably rated this book too high. I'm going to type out my frustrations here so I can let this book go.
I said above that the author did a good job of bringing out the different personalities of every member of the family and I stand by that statement, but the way he portrayed his family, the kids especially, really bugged me. I now realize that is because he did it from a very negative point of view. Most of the statements that described his children were degrading and in the few statements he made about his wife he managed to do it with a snide comment (I remember something comparing her to Oprah). Charles also managed to portray himself negatively, even degrading his own sense of humor. He left his wife in a foreign airport with 2 kids to fend for herself for the night and didn't even bother to make sure she was ok. My husband would have moved heaven and earth to make contact with me in that situation, or better yet, he would never leave me in that situation in the first place. (Note to author: you may want to leave some stuff out of your next memoir if you want to sell books to old fashioned ladies like myself.) I am left wondering why Leah married him. She is obviously a capable person who doesn't need the protection of a man so there must be some other reason. He must have some great qualities. What are they?! Do they have deep conversations? Is he a magnificent lover? Lots of stamina? Does she actually like his sense of humor? Or does she appreciate that he is capable of cleaning up puke? The answer to these question would be more interesting to me than the entirety of this book. I feel like I know absolutely nothing about him other than that he's an introvert. I am left loving the family despite the author, not because of him. Maybe that was his objective? If so, job well done.
Another thing that I can't figure out is the why. Why did they travel, why did he write this book? There are some superficial reasons at the front of the book so I went back to them to try and find my answer:
1. Because they had done it before and wanted to do it again - a statement of fact followed by a want that doesn't go into a deep enough reason.
2. They wanted to recharge/reflect - this is better accomplished by staying in one spot, not by racing all over the place. There were very few passages in the book that provided reflection.
3. Because taking time off is a great career move - Okay, maybe for him (selfishly) but why drag along the rest of the family?
4. It's an invaluable part of the children's education - this one I can get on board with but there were very few passages in the book about educating the children that did not include the kids on the internet trying to educate themselves. And don't forget the lie Charles told his son while educating him about scuba diving, a serious and potentially dangerous activity.
5. Because I'm a huge proponent of high school graduates taking a gap year - So am I, but that's not a reason to write a book about it.
6. Because it's cheaper than you think - a statement of fact and not even close to a "why".
7. And finally, why not? - The name of my sail boat is "Why Knot" so I can get on board with this. Still, you don't see me writing books about my sailing adventures because "why not" is not a compelling enough reason to publish a story. No one cares to read my sailing journal save my husband. SO...I am left wondering, why? Why did they put themselves through this? "The things we learned" chapter was only a few pages long and touched on things that could potentially be deeper but there was no support for it within the story. I just read 270 pages of chaos and I'm still wondering...why?
As with all reviews, I wrote this mostly for myself. However, If anybody is still reading this, I hope my critiques help you understand why you are feeling the way you do after reading this book. I am a sensitive person when it comes to children. I'm sure most people won't take this book as seriously as I did. But if you are one of those sensitive few like me, this review is for you.
I'm downgrading my rating to a 2 and attempting to let this book go. I'm putting it in a box destined for the library.
The author's sense of humor was also exhausting. Everyone has a unique sense of humor and I recognize that humor is a great way to deal with stress and fear so I tried really hard to get on board. I was almost there. I had even convinced myself that the nickname "Scoop" didn't grate on my nerves. And then, I got to the chapter about the not at all funny lie to a child about an exploding penis. No doubt CJ is used to this kind of "funny" lie but it was exhausting for me. I almost quit the book there but by then I had too much invested in the family and I wanted to know how it would all turn out.
Speaking of CJ, the most funny, laugh out loud part of the book was when he went up to the bus driver and, speaking confidently in Spanish, asked, "Make urine on the road together?" I also really wanted to see the llama selfie but I looked for it in the book and it wasn't there.
I did think the author did a really good job of bringing out the different personalities of every member of the family. At times, I wondered if any of the stories were embellished. Somehow I don't think they were...but I do hope the exploding penis lie was corrected much sooner than was reported and that it was embellished for comedic effect. I'm going to assume it was (for my own sanity) and give this book 3 stars. For the most part, I liked it, but it was too exhausting for me to really love it.
1 Day Later...
For some dumb reason, I can't stop thinking about the bad role the author (Charles) played in this book. So I read some other reviews, from 1 star to 5 stars, and realized that I probably rated this book too high. I'm going to type out my frustrations here so I can let this book go.
I said above that the author did a good job of bringing out the different personalities of every member of the family and I stand by that statement, but the way he portrayed his family, the kids especially, really bugged me. I now realize that is because he did it from a very negative point of view. Most of the statements that described his children were degrading and in the few statements he made about his wife he managed to do it with a snide comment (I remember something comparing her to Oprah). Charles also managed to portray himself negatively, even degrading his own sense of humor. He left his wife in a foreign airport with 2 kids to fend for herself for the night and didn't even bother to make sure she was ok. My husband would have moved heaven and earth to make contact with me in that situation, or better yet, he would never leave me in that situation in the first place. (Note to author: you may want to leave some stuff out of your next memoir if you want to sell books to old fashioned ladies like myself.) I am left wondering why Leah married him. She is obviously a capable person who doesn't need the protection of a man so there must be some other reason. He must have some great qualities. What are they?! Do they have deep conversations? Is he a magnificent lover? Lots of stamina? Does she actually like his sense of humor? Or does she appreciate that he is capable of cleaning up puke? The answer to these question would be more interesting to me than the entirety of this book. I feel like I know absolutely nothing about him other than that he's an introvert. I am left loving the family despite the author, not because of him. Maybe that was his objective? If so, job well done.
Another thing that I can't figure out is the why. Why did they travel, why did he write this book? There are some superficial reasons at the front of the book so I went back to them to try and find my answer:
1. Because they had done it before and wanted to do it again - a statement of fact followed by a want that doesn't go into a deep enough reason.
2. They wanted to recharge/reflect - this is better accomplished by staying in one spot, not by racing all over the place. There were very few passages in the book that provided reflection.
3. Because taking time off is a great career move - Okay, maybe for him (selfishly) but why drag along the rest of the family?
4. It's an invaluable part of the children's education - this one I can get on board with but there were very few passages in the book about educating the children that did not include the kids on the internet trying to educate themselves. And don't forget the lie Charles told his son while educating him about scuba diving, a serious and potentially dangerous activity.
5. Because I'm a huge proponent of high school graduates taking a gap year - So am I, but that's not a reason to write a book about it.
6. Because it's cheaper than you think - a statement of fact and not even close to a "why".
7. And finally, why not? - The name of my sail boat is "Why Knot" so I can get on board with this. Still, you don't see me writing books about my sailing adventures because "why not" is not a compelling enough reason to publish a story. No one cares to read my sailing journal save my husband. SO...I am left wondering, why? Why did they put themselves through this? "The things we learned" chapter was only a few pages long and touched on things that could potentially be deeper but there was no support for it within the story. I just read 270 pages of chaos and I'm still wondering...why?
As with all reviews, I wrote this mostly for myself. However, If anybody is still reading this, I hope my critiques help you understand why you are feeling the way you do after reading this book. I am a sensitive person when it comes to children. I'm sure most people won't take this book as seriously as I did. But if you are one of those sensitive few like me, this review is for you.
I'm downgrading my rating to a 2 and attempting to let this book go. I'm putting it in a box destined for the library.
March 4, 2021
This is one of my favorite genres (family drops everything to travel around the world together), and it was really fun to read it during the pandemic, approaching a year of being home with two teenage girls and a younger brother. I really enjoyed the author's voice and his blend of family stories and information and vignettes from the places they traveled. I also appreciated that they were not traveling with some big goal in mind: "learn more about buddhism" or "learn how to be better parents."
April 19, 2024
Informative, entertaining, sometimes a comedy of errors (or even a sh*t show). Interesting perspective from a parent (who is also an academe), when he decides to throw his family (which includes three teens) into a variety of out-of-the-realm-of-daily-life international scenarios over six continents for a year - most definitely out of all their comfort zones many times over. Experiencing the constant familial banter as they navigate daily craziness, multicultural interactions, a health crisis, international politics and economics, many plans that go awry (and some that don't), it's an intriguing snapshot of family life, travel life, academic life, cross-cultural life, and life in general. I appreciated the trust and autonomy they often gave their children in situations that could have turned precarious. You can see three independent beings in the works as a result.
July 4, 2022
Great read! Charles Wheelan has a very good sense of humor. I laughed out loud several times! I could relate to the “dealing with teenagers” for sure. It was interesting to read this book about them traveling around the world while I was on a mini- road trip of my own. My complaints of being on the road pales in comparison to what they endured. I have the utmost respect for this family. What an adventure they had!!!
May 3, 2021
I loved this novel. Charles Wheelan and his family decide to take a "gap year" and travel around the world. It was fascinating to read about the places they visited and how they did it on a tight budget. The interactions he and his wife had with their teenagers were very entertaining. It was often laugh out loud funny, and I could completely relate.
If you like travel books and enjoy entertaining family dynamics; I suggest adding this book to your reading list.
If you like travel books and enjoy entertaining family dynamics; I suggest adding this book to your reading list.
March 27, 2021
I loved this. I fell in love with the (imperfect) Wheelan family. The way Charlie wrote about his family was so endearing. He was realistic about their travel woes, but I would be surprised if anyone finished without extreme wanderlust. I actually cried at the end (lol) bc it was so sweet the way they accomplished what they set out to do and the lessons they learned en route. An excellent reminder that travel is always worth it and experiences beat things!
February 27, 2023
I am staving off cabin fever and wanderlust by reading travel books. It’s super effective! I wish the author included more of his photos. I think he has a blog, so I am going to see if I can find it.
I found it!
Wheelangapyear.blogspot.com
I found it!
Wheelangapyear.blogspot.com
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