Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell

Albert Podell's Around the World in 50 Years is a nonfiction travelogue published by Thomas Dunne Books in March 2015, chronicling the Brooklyn-born former magazine editor's decades-long mission to set foot in every country on Earth — a goal that began with a record-breaking 581-day Trans-World Record Expedition in 1965–1966 and concluded, country by stubborn country, over a decade of sporadic travel starting in 2000. Publishers Weekly calls Podell a "worthy raconteur," and Kirkus Reviews confirms there is "never a dull moment" — though both outlets also note the book's occasional cultural blind spots and some stretches of list-driven content that slow the momentum.

Reviewed May 8, 2026