One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children David Elliot Cohen Travelers’ Tales

Aug 18

On the one hand, you’ve got to like this book. When David Elliott Cohen turned 40, he freaked out, sold everything, swooped up his wife and three kids, and took a year off to travel around the world–from Costa Rica and Burgundy to Zimbabwe, Laos, and Sydney–with clan in tow. This gutsy dive into the non-antiseptic, non-Americanized world (a dream for some), offers an entertaining peek into family life on the road. Written in a personal, personable e-mail style, it’s often hilarious.

On the other hand, you may think Cohen is nuts. His kids cause scenes, break bones, and are often bored with the international scenery. Their family travel budget is measly–$60 a day to cover food for parents, children, and babysitter in places like Paris and Zurich. You can’t help wondering why Cohen didn’t just go the luxe route with the wife and leave the kiddies (including the 2-year-old) at home. While Cohen seems quite likable, as does his wife, Devi, there are moments when you want to report them to a child protective agency. Why are they endangering the lives of their kids–disregarding warnings not to take children into the African game reserve where they are likely prey for hyenas, and trekking deep into nature to see waterfalls and volcanoes with a toddler–just because they’re suffering from midlife crises? After reading a year’s worth of mishaps and adventures–amusing though many are–you may feel like a grandparent, wishing Mr. Cohen and wife would just take their kids home. More a travelogue than a guide, this unusual book nonetheless is filled with many examples of what not to do if you feel inclined to drag your children abroad for a year. After reading this, however, you may not feel like going at all. –Melissa Rossi –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Nostalgic for his adventurous youth, Cohen quit his job at age 40 and embarked on a year-long voyage with his wife, Devi, their eight-year-old daughter and two sons, aged seven and two. This account of their adventures consists of 23 humorous and gripping e-mails that Cohen (an editor of the coffee-table book series that includes A Day in the Life of America) sent to friends and relatives during their 1996 journey to 14 countries, including Costa Rica, Italy, Greece, France, India and Australia. Having the children along sometimes made the Cohens anxious for their safety, but watching them thrill at the sight of wild giraffes, elephants and hippos on an African safari, for example, offset their parental fears. Although the children did not share their parents’ fondness for visiting museums and churches, they were delighted to live on a houseboat and see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A trip to a Jain temple near Delhi (Devi’s father is Indian) so enthralled the family that they got locked in after closing hours. Although this year-long vacation included some harrowing moments, such as when daughter Kara nearly drowned off the coast of Queensland, the author considers the rewards of this unconventional trip for himself and his family well worth any risks or inconveniences they encountered. Photos not seen by PW. Agent, Carol Mann. Author tour. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A year off from work. A meandering, serendipitous journey around the globe with the people you love most. No mortgage, no car payments, no pressure. Though it sounds like an impossible dream for most people, one day David Cohen and his family decide to make it a reality. With his wife and three children, Cohen sets off on a rollicking journey, full of laugh-out-loud mishaps, heart-pounding adventures, and unforeseen epiphanies. Readers join the Cohen family and trek up a Costa Rican volcano, roam the Burgundy canals by houseboat, traverse the vast Australian desert, and discover Istanbul by night. Through it all, the family gets the rare opportunity to get to know each other without the mundane distractions of television and video games, discovering the world through new eyes and gaining fresh perspective on life and priorities.

On the one hand, you’ve got to like this book. When David Elliott Cohen turned 40, he freaked out, sold everything, swooped up his wife and three kids, and took a year off to travel around the world–from Costa Rica and Burgundy to Zimbabwe, Laos, and Sydney–with clan in tow. This gutsy dive into the non-antiseptic, non-Americanized world , offers an entertaining peek into family life on the road. Written in a personal, personable e-mail style, it’s often hilarious.

On the other hand, you may think Cohen is nuts. His kids cause scenes, break bones, and are often bored with the international scenery. Their family travel budget is measly–$60 a day to cover food for parents, children, and babysitter in places like Paris and Zurich. You can’t help wondering why Cohen didn’t just go the luxe route with the wife and leave the kiddies at home. While Cohen seems quite likable, as does his wife, Devi, there are moments when you want to report them to a child protective agency. Why are they endangering the lives of their kids–disregarding warnings not to take children into the African game reserve where they are likely prey for hyenas, and trekking deep into nature to see waterfalls and volcanoes with a toddler–just because they’re suffering from midlife crises? After reading a year’s worth of mishaps and adventures–amusing though many are–you may feel like a grandparent, wishing Mr. Cohen and wife would just take their kids home. More a travelogue than a guide, this unusual book nonetheless is filled with many examples of what not to do if you feel inclined to drag your children abroad for a year. After reading this, however, you may not feel like going at all. –Melissa Rossi –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children

WorldTrek: A Family Odyssey

Book Review by Greta Jenkins for FamiliesOnlineMagazine.com A family of four travels the world. Their goal was to cross all 360 lines of longitude and the equator. Russell and Carla Fisher and their two adolescent daughters Andrea and Lesley have the travel adventure of a lifetime when they take a year off from their life in Houston, Texas. This is the book to read if you are planning a trip around the world or just dreaming about one. It shows the true spirt of adventure and provides practical know-how advice and tips. Advice about planning, packing and ways to make accommodations arrangements on the fly from Internet cafe’s found along the way, is mixed in with vivid descriptions of places to see, modes of transportation, and ways to have a fun trip. The Table of Contents provides an excellent roadmap for the book. Read about all of their travels or choose one of the 19 countries and many more cites they visited No matter if it is Stonehenge in Great Britain, Skellig Michael in Ireland, a youth hostel in Norway, the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, celebrating Lesley’s’ 14th birthday in Estonia, standing in Red Square in Moscow, wandering old town in Prague, hiking in Germany’s countryside, strolling in the Louvre in Paris, eating at a Venetian Bakery, sitting in the amphitheater in Pompeii and taking an early morning jog around the Roman Colosseum, having Christmas in Athens, visiting the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, cruising the Nile in Egypt, navigating the train system and riding elephants in India, taking cooking lessons Thailand, walking on the Great Wall in China, watching Kabuki in Japan, camping the outback in Australia or enjoying the beach in the Cook Islands, the descriptions are detailed and vivid. You feel like you are there beside the Fisher family as they navigate, negotiate, and relish their way around the world. They travel by air, ferry, train and rental car (best budget deal to see much in Europe). Some reservations for accommodations were made ahead –FamiliesOnlineMagazone.com

While The Family Sabbatical Handbook . . . covers the idea of moving abroad for an extended period, WordTrek deals with an even more daunting plan: taking the family on a year-long trip around the world. Again, there are plenty of books and stories out there on singles and couples taking off to see the world, but precious little on doing it as a family unit. This book part travelogue and part advice guide shows those with wanderlust that round-the-world travel is not just for freaks on the fringe of society. The authors admit to accumulating experiences rather than accumulating things, but otherwise they were a pretty typical family. Sitting on the sidelines of the soccer field on a Saturday morning, you probably couldn t pick us out of the crowd. Yet take off they did, selling a car, stashing possessions in storage, and heading off through Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, India, Thailand, East Asia, and Australia before returning home to Houston, Texas. The tone is conversational and direct, with clear-eyed observations and more showing than telling. If nothing else, the Fishers are good editors. In most writers hands the one-year journey turns into enough details to fill a trilogy. Thankfully we just get the impressions and the highlights, along with tales of typical days getting around, getting meals, and finding a place to stay. The important lesson is that it can be done, with the right planning and the right attitude. Russell gets annoyed when a motel owner in their departure city keeps saying how lucky they are to go on this trip. “I wanted to say, ‘Lady, if there is anything that was not involved in the last twelve months of planning, packing, negotiating and just plain grunt labor, it was not luck!’” It s not the lucky who travel for a year. It s the people like the Fishers: ordinary families who find a way to make it happen. –Tim Leffel, Perceptive Travel Book Reviews

Russell and Carla Fisher were intent on expanding the horizons of their daughters, 13-year-old Lesley and 12-year-old Andrea, and they came up with a plan that shocked everyone they knew. The Fishers would put their conventional, suburban Texas lives aside for a year and travel around the world! They could think of no greater gift to give their children. Using the guiding principles of self-reliance, compassion and persistence, Russell and Carla taught the girls more than they could ever have learned in a classroom. In 376 days and across 50,000 miles, the Fisher Family explored Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Estonia, Russia, The Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, India, Thailand, China, Japan, Australia and Rarotonga. The entire family was involved in both the planning and budgeting of the trip, and they home schooled the entire time. Their accommodations were frequently economical hostels and flats, they prepared many of their own meals, laundered their own clothes, practiced speaking foreign languages and using foreign currencies, and they often walked, jogged or used local public transportation to explore both famous and out-of-the-way sites. WorldTrek includes trip-planning and budgeting appendixes to help readers plan their own around-the-world trip.

WorldTrek: A Family Odyssey

Travelers' TalesDavid Elliot Cohen

Comments

Bob Dobolina

August 18th, 2012 at 3:54 AM


Ate this volume up on a flight to the mid-west and enjoyed every minute of it. The book was not meant to be a how-to on taking a family around the planet. There are plenty of books for that. You will discover, through Cohen’s (mostly his wife’s) honesty, in explaining their errors, that it is possible to tour around the world with youngsters in tow, exposing them to things that they never would have. Television is a poor substitute for smelling the grasses in Africa and tasting food in India.

The book wasn’t meant to be deep as it was only an email format which made it easy to digest. I do agree with a reviewer that some of the language was chunky in the thesaurus department.

For those bitter about a rich white guy touring the world, it wasn’t done on a yacht and first class flights and that was the point. They didn’t travel like us bums on busses with no air conditioning in the middle of Egypt in the summer but they did have to consider their children. You don’t want to induce more pain than necessary. The reviewer from Amazon must not have traveled anywhere other than suburban America – the world is full of people who live like this every day. Kids break bones. Children sadly drown at local beaches every year. You don’t have to go to Australia for that. You’re probably more likely to die commuting to a job you hate than eaten by a hyena. The entire objective was to get more immersed in culture than the tourist might, (a person who doesn’t know where they are), and become a traveler, (someone who doesn’t know where they’re going). Maybe Cohen’s family did succeed and maybe they didn’t.

Cohen figured out that the “gather things/junk and defend them materialistic culture” mentality was not satisfying. Too bad more don’t come to that conclusion. His daughter running into the poor girl and getting a real taste of what it could be like was dramatic. Cohen’s daughter came face to face with another little girl her same age, begging for money; the lesson of the trip was drilled home permanently I think.

The meaning of life is not in this book. How to travel the world in not in here either. What is in here is one man’s journey of discovery with his family. The epilogue discussing financing, dealing with children and a spouse for 24/7 was appreciated, too. You do receive some practical information there, so it’s not all prose. Highly recommended for a laugh, those thinking about such a trip and those who will never do it.
Alessandro

August 18th, 2012 at 6:38 AM


I loved this book.

It’s a light, easy read. It’s not a detailed travel guide, so if you want painstaking details, and precise information go to Frommer’s…..but if you want an anecdotal, fun read, inspiring, adventurous and simple pick this up….like a long magazine article/family travel, complete with the chaos that traveling with kids can bring and ideas to sound off of.

Things I would never think of like renting a houseboat on the Burgundy river, or that Turkey was amazing. The book is however pre 9/11, pre George Bush, if that matters, the world seemed a little friendlier then.
Inside Jobbie

August 18th, 2012 at 8:53 AM


When I was courting m wife one of her ideas fascinated me and played a role in my growing appreciation of her. I wont share it here though as I am hoping we may turn this idea to reality one day. When I encountered David Elliot Cohen’s travelogue of his year traveling with his family around the world I immediately thought my wife would enjoy this book as her ideas was also in this range. She never got to the book, but I read it.

Written as a series of emails “One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children” recounts the adventures and the bores of the trip the five plus one person family took. The five included not just Cohen’s wife , seven and 8 year old child, but also a two year old. The plus one was the nanny, who they took with themselves for part of the trip. It would have been an entertaining book in itself if Cohen had told the horrifying, funny, or crazy stories that happened along the road. His style is funny enough to make such mundane activities as taking a cab sound like an adventure. There were two additional aspects though that made the book more than a light read. He used quite a lot of sophisticated words, that I had to look up in the dictionary. I wasn’t expecting an educational experience, but I got one. I was wondering though whether he really spoke that way, or used the word processor’s Thesaurus function to switch simple words to longer one. Nevertheless I enjoyed the learning.

The main reason I liked the book was the quality of his reflections. He was not afraid to look into the inner processes of what was happening in his mind while preparing and undertaking this journey. The truths he found out about himself, his relationship to his wife and children, the stages of childhood development, the assumptions he operated were worthwhile to follow. The process could serve as a model, even if I doesn’t sell every belonging I have, cut all my ties to my surrounding and take my family to lands far away. Introspection is a great tool, no matter what the circumstances are, but I admire those who can do it while white water rafting or running fro hippos, or being lost on the back roads I a country of a distant continent. For this I nominate this book to be read not just those who dream of this kind of travel for those who like to stay at home.
Feedbucket

August 18th, 2012 at 9:25 AM


(…) the children were the BEST part. Isn’t it obvious by the book jacket that this is a story about a FAMILY’s adventures? Written first person by the Dad, it can only have his perspectives and thoughts, with Devi’s and the kids’ interjecting every so often. I am amused by their antics and the sibling rivalry is definitely true to life. (Don’t) forget that David’s purpose to take this trip was NOT to research a book, but to spend time on an adventure with his family, which he does to (most of) our delight. If he had spent more time polishing this book on the journey, I’m certain his joy with the family would have suffered, and I am happy to read the entertainment that he spins for us.

Definitely read the book. It’s fun, a good read, filled with a couple of practical tidbits (tricks and bribes =)) here and there about travelling with your family. When I have kids I’ll definitely do the same, even if they don’t appreciate it yet!!
Scotty Truman

August 18th, 2012 at 10:07 AM


Nice idea, but I did expect a bit more.I expected a more authentic trip – this tended to be more commercial type trip, just lumped in one year instead of few weeks each year.They stayed in Australia for 6 months, so I thought there we will get the impressions how living there feels like, how their culture is different. No such luck – there is basically nothing about it at all. Anyway, it is a fun read, so check it out from the library.
Dave Mc Govern

August 18th, 2012 at 1:08 PM


The books deals with a small family from Texas; the parents took their children on an unforgettable world trip. If you like detailed travelogues, this one is for you. You can nicely follow their journey and enjoy their experiences. The writing was sometimes a bit flat, though. For a seasoned global traveler, the family’s choice of some destinations appears a bit odd – but nobody can argue with the excitement of taking your kids on such an amazing trip overall. If you have a family and are dreaming about long-term travel, World Trek should inspire you to get closer to your own family trip. It could be shorter than the trip of the Fishers and still be very rewarding. One added bonus is Appendix A. Fisher gives detailed information how the family planned and budgeted for the trip. This real life example might be a good complement to any more theoretical books on sabbaticals you might read.
Marchelle Urie

August 18th, 2012 at 3:17 PM


I enjoyed the story as well as the information. I’ve recommended the book to family and friends who are planning an overseas trip for the great resource section of the book. I’ve recommended the book to family and friends who have never traveled overseas for the opportunity to vicariously visit wonderfully exotic locations with the Fisher family.
Get this book to learn how to plan a trip or to learn about places you wish you could travel to. You will be inspired.
Nightryder

August 18th, 2012 at 7:07 PM


Russell and Carla Fisher take the reader along an enlightening 376 day family odyssey through Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Estonia, Russia, The Czech Republic, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, India, Thailand, China, Japan, Austrailia, and Rarotonga. Filled with insighful observations as well as individual and family epiphanies, the Fisher’s live and discover the gifts of other cultures and teach their two daughters lifetime lessons beyond school and home.
A real treat filled with adventure and edification.
A highly recommended read!
Talisman

August 18th, 2012 at 8:12 PM


Many people think long-term travel is only for students, bohemians, retired people, or the ones that leave “it all” behind. This book shows that you don’t have to be crazy, a millionaire, or single to travel the world for an extended period of time. Cohen describes how he, his wife, and three kids of various ages planned, traveled, and returned after a year away. Contrary to many boring travelogues, this one is well-written and sometimes funny. It gives you insight into the ups and downs, including the emotions of the family. It is a great motivational read for families with kids.
Amit Kumar

August 18th, 2012 at 8:43 PM


I think the only reason this book got published was because the author was already known and established in the publishing world. (He published a series of “A day if the life of” photography books.) Had you or I (as unknowns)submitted this manuscript, there is no way it would have been accepted! The writing is not the best. But that said, the book wasn’t that bad either! I did enjoy reading it! I love true stories of people who throw caution to the wind and do something adventurous or out of the common way. To sell everything you own, and use the proceeds to spend a year traveling the world with your wife and 3 young children – that is amazing! Each chapter of the book is actually written as an e-mail message to their friends and family. Some of their escapades and the responses of their children to the various places they visited was amusing. So…if you like travel stories, consider reading this book. Just don’t expect it to be the best you’ve ever read…
dlwillson

August 19th, 2012 at 1:27 AM


This book is a witty blend of honest, practical travel information, and descriptive snapshots of settings that are as paintings, sprinkled with historical facts and hysterical situations that made me laugh out loud, all making the book a quick, enjoyable read.

I recommend the book for anyone who has traveled or is about to travel to any of these places from his family’s journey.
XBuysider

August 19th, 2012 at 5:00 AM


This book has opened a whole new world of possibility for me and my family. This book has helped me to realize that having kids doesn’t mean my dreams of traveling the world have to end or wait until later.

A great family adventure to witness.

The kids in the book are so cute too.
Arush Keerthi

August 19th, 2012 at 6:58 AM


If you liked this book, you will probably enjoy “A Brilliant Teacher” about a family that had a similar year-long adventure, but with very different experiences because they were on a limited budget. Those limitations lead them to meet lots of interesting people and have quite interesting adventures with their three children.
A Brilliant Teacher: Lessons Learned from One Family’s Journey Around the World
MEXI CARTEL

August 19th, 2012 at 8:34 AM


A very interesting and entertaining book. It is not a “how to” book though so if that is what you are looking for then pass this one up. There are a few good ideas that he passes on the reader but it is definitely NOT a instructional book. There is some diatrabe about this patron’s country that are NOT entertaining. These statements are really sad but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Since I am entitled to mine, I have to say this book is only a 3 star.
james hindle

August 19th, 2012 at 9:08 AM


This is a great book. We have often wanted to take a year off for a global trip, but they actually did it. This book helped us as we planned for our month off to Europe with 2 kids, but it also leaves us hungry for a greater adventure. My husband and I loved it!!
Anthony J.

August 19th, 2012 at 10:54 AM


World Trek A Family Odyssey by Russell and Carla Fisher

When a friend passed on this travel book to me I was very interested as I am a reasonably seasoned traveler myself and it boggled my mind to think of a family of four (including two teenagers) putting their lives on hold to go on a year long adventure. And what an adventure it turned out to be! This is not just a travel book ; it gives a detailed description of the year long planning that was necessary before the trip. Most people would balk at the idea of taking their children out of school for a year, closing up their house and putting things in storage but Russell and Carla Fisher have shown us that a trip like this is within reach of anyone. It doesn’t have to be just a dream; it could turn out to be the dream of a lifetime as it was for them. Very useful planning and budget details are given in the Appendices.

During their trip they visited many of the usual tourist spots but were not afraid to go off the beaten track to explore lesser known places which almost invariably turned out to be most interesting and enjoyable and often surpassed their expectations. A less adventurous traveler will be inspired by their narrative.

It was interesting to see how much fun a family can have while traveling on a budget. Indeed, traveling on a budget gave them better and more honest insights into people and places. I enjoyed their spirit of adventure and thoroughly enjoyed my vicarious journey around the world with them, even when they came upon difficult situations. I wish them good luck with their future travels.
Tisha Kulak Tolar

August 19th, 2012 at 2:17 PM


If you liked this book, you will probably enjoy “A Brilliant Teacher” about a family that had a similar year-long world adventure, but with very different experiences because they were on a limited budget. The family in “One Year Off” seemed to have unlimited resources. The limitations in “A Brilliant Teacher” lead that family to meet lots of interesting people and have quite interesting adventures with their three children.
A Brilliant Teacher: Lessons Learned from One Family’s Journey Around the World
Elvin Orta

August 19th, 2012 at 2:54 PM


I read this book years ago and continue to share it with friends and family members. It is a lovely mix of family stories and world travel. I particularly like the lessons it teaches us about how important life is. We only go around once so we better make it good.
Anonymousde

August 19th, 2012 at 7:21 PM


Cohen doesn’t ever own up to his story or its meaning. While it was helpful to my husband & I to read before traipsing off to live an adventure in the English countryside with our five little ones, it left us with the feeling that we could certainly do better.
greentea

August 19th, 2012 at 10:40 PM


I got this book from the library and really enjoyed it. I admit, I initially wasn’t thrilled about reading about a family’s adventures (yawn) but David Cohen is such a good writer it turned out to be a total pleasure. And his family seems great. Hope they’re all doing well, all these years later. Thanks for the good read! I feel like I took a really nice year-long vacation today.
ggeewiz

August 19th, 2012 at 11:31 PM


It is difficult to imagine the courage it takes to put your life on hold for one year, sacrificing careers that have taken years to come to fruition, and venture into the unknown for a once in a lifetime experience. The story of this family and their adventure around the globe is an inspiration to all of us who have dreamed of escaping the routine lives we know so well to seek out what the world has to offer. This book reveals the joy and passion of jumping out the norm and following your distant dreams to the wonderous places that they will take you…not knowing what is around the next corner (of the world!) It was a sensory pleasure to discover each new culture and it’s offerings along with this mainstream American family who openly shares their excitement and challenges throughout their journey. It was a delight!
Taubin

August 20th, 2012 at 4:49 AM


Having bought this book i simply could not put it down. I admire anybody who can sell their house and car to travel somewhere new, taking the bull by the horns and knowing they need to take a risk to experience life. I know, i’ve done it! However, this was a risk and a half. I read the book living the adventure through David Cohen and his family and didn’t want it to end. I am truly inspired and saving for a journey of my own (though i am not sure i am quite brave enough to do what he did).
Muhammad Hazman Mohamed Noor

August 20th, 2012 at 11:02 AM


Whether you’re planning a long trip around the world or a much shorter excursion, “WorldTrek: A Family Odyssey” will not disappoint. This book is a gem. Russell and Carla Fisher and their two daughters travel an entire year to nineteen different countries around the world. The book is well written and easy to read with each stop described in concise and imaginative prose. For those wanting travel tips, “WorldTrek” offers ideas on what to see, how to get there, where to stay, how to pack, and how to stay healthy all within a reasonable budget. In addition, extensive planning ideas and other travel resources are listed in the appendices.

“WorldTrek” is not just a book for those interested in travel. It’s an inspiring story about an ordinary family who did an extraordinary thing with their lives. The Fishers did what is unthinkable to most of us. They quit their jobs and took their daughters around the world for a year, home schooling them along the way while giving them an education that no amount of study could possibly provide. Their adventure required a lot of planning, but planning alone did not make it happen. Through their courage and willingness to risk, the Fisher family reminds us that it’s possible to turn dreams into reality. Their expansive outlook and passion for seeking opportunities are lessons the reader can apply to his or her own travels as well as many other areas in life.
David W Jackson

August 20th, 2012 at 3:44 PM


I really enjoyed reading this book and it was easy to finish. It tries to sound like it is written as it is happening but it seems pretty clear that it has been filtered by hindsight. Although he touches on some of the challenges like getting his kids to stop fighting, again, I think the hindsight filter has mitigated how challenging this might have been at the time. Also, it seems like it focuses on the highlights, much like travel guides do when I was more interested in some of the nitty gritty of the daily life of trying to do something like this with children. What you have is a pleasant travelogue with some nicely written vignettes. My personal take-away is I would rather have my children and I spend more time in fewer places – more likely picking a base and exploring from there instead of living out of a suitcase. I also imagine that this trip cost the Cohen’s a lot more than we would consider spending. They did, for example, bring along a nanny. One very useful aspect of this tale is they had a toddler along with two school age children and we get to see how the different ages affects how they reacted to the trip.
not sure

August 20th, 2012 at 4:42 PM


I ate it up in 2 nights. It was great to read about traveling with kids, who have their own perspectives and don’t care what the guidebook says. The “we took a year off” part was interesting, but the fun part was finding out what the kids liked and why. The humor is welcome. This will make a great gift to parents.
Micah Sifry

August 20th, 2012 at 6:38 PM


This is a decent book, but I enjoyed 360 degree longitude better. The writing in One Year Off isn’t very captivating and the story of a wealthy family traveling the world for a year made it difficult for me to connect with the story. Also, the fact that they couldn’t manage to homeschool their kids on the road and so they decided to spend 6 months in Australia was a bit of a let down (and boring part to the book). I preferred 360 Degree Longitude since while the family is clearly upper middle class they needed to persistently save to do this trip. They also were rugged travelers – camping, staying in hostels and biking. The writing of 360 was far better to boot – I found it difficult to put the book down.
Don Wrinkles

August 20th, 2012 at 11:30 PM


I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a truly inspiration journal of the Fisher family’s adventure in taking a year off to travel the world. It is a candid book on the joys, tribulation and rewards of making a monumental journey with two teenagers in tow. The Fishers traveled across Europe, The Mediterranean, India, Thailand, China, Japan, Australia and Rarotonga. The book chronicles not only the places they traveled but more importantly, their cultural encounters as interested visitors rather than tourists.

The book’s appendix offers terrific detail information on how to plan a similar trip. Even though I don’t see myself taking a year off, the travel information is just as useful in planning a fulfilling two week vacation.

Travel World guide