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Around the World in 50 Years by Albert Podell Review: A Raconteur's Relentless Global Quest
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.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Armchair travelers and adventure-nonfiction readers who want an opinionated, episode-driven account of reaching every country on Earth — including geopolitically fraught and rarely visited destinations most travelers never see.
Worth it if
The sheer geographic ambition appeals and you're happy with a strong, unfiltered Western voice delivering humor, danger, and unexpected emotional depth across dozens of countries.
Skip if
You prefer anthropologically sensitive or culturally nuanced travel writing — Podell's self-described "canny American" perspective and his pointed judgments about Haiti and parts of Africa will be a persistent friction point.
What readers & critics say
Publishers Weekly found Podell "a worthy raconteur" delivering "an informative and sobering look at the world's many cultures and the importance of travel." Kirkus Reviews confirmed the globe-trotting adventures are "unquestionably entertaining" but noted the running country tally "gets tiresome" at points and that Podell "occasionally shows his pampered Western roots," with cultural judgments some readers will find reductive.
“Podell proves himself a worthy raconteur — an informative and sobering look at the world's many cultures.”
— Publishers Weekly“The globe-trotting adventures are unquestionably entertaining — there is never a dull moment.”
— Kirkus Reviews4.3from 301 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- The Mission and the Man Behind It
- Scope, Stakes, and Structure
- What the Critics Said
- Where the Book Stumbles
- Who This Book Is For
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Publishers Weekly calls Podell a 'worthy raconteur,' and the book's episode-by-episode structure delivers genuinely varied adventure across dozens of countries and regions
- Kirkus Reviews confirms the adventures are 'unquestionably entertaining,' with standout moments that blend humor, danger, and unexpected emotional resonance
- Covers geopolitically fraught and rarely visited destinations — from Tuvalu to dictatorial hot spots — giving the book unusual geographic range
- Includes 31 black-and-white photographs and practical traveler advice, including country-specific guidance, grounding the narrative in concrete detail
- Carries a serious environmental dimension, treating climate change as an observed reality and weaving broader cultural commentary throughout
What Doesn't
- Kirkus Reviews notes that the running country tally — the 'do-do list' — grows tiresome at points, interrupting the narrative's momentum
- Podell's cultural judgments, particularly his criticisms of Haiti and parts of Africa, drew scrutiny from Kirkus for a tone some readers will find reductive
- The unapologetically Western, occasionally self-congratulatory perspective that runs through the book will frustrate readers seeking more culturally nuanced travel writing
- Kirkus flags occasional salacious details, which may not align with all readers' expectations for the travelogue genre
A sprawling, entertaining, and at times sobering nonfiction travelogue, Around the World in 50 Years is the work of a man who refused to let geography — or danger — tell him no.
The Mission and the Man Behind It
Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell front cover
Albert Podell's story begins in 1964, when he quit his job at Argosy magazine and walked away from a comfortable bachelor life in New York City to attempt the longest land journey ever made around the world. That expedition — the 581-day Trans-World Record Expedition undertaken with Harold Stephens from 1965 to 1966, later chronicled in the co-authored book Who Needs a Road? — planted a seed. By 2000, Podell, now juggling a New York law practice, had been to roughly 110 countries and renewed a more ambitious vow: to reach every country on Earth before he died. The result of that commitment is this travelogue, which covers South and Central America, West Africa, Central Asia, the Middle East, and far beyond — a journey punctuated by misunderstandings, detours, accidents, robberies, and wars. Podell had to determine, practically speaking, what even constituted a country, since U.N. Membership was not always a reliable benchmark; Taiwan, Vatican City, and Kosovo all complicated that calculus.
“an informative and sobering look at the world's many cultures and the importance of travel.”
Scope, Stakes, and Structure
The book's appeal lies not just in the sheer scale of Podell's project but in the texture of the individual episodes. He nearly drowns in Costa Rica, dives with penguins in the Galápagos, pans for gold in Senegal, eats ice cream in the Sahara Desert, and visits Tuvalu — a Pacific island that served as a major arsenal during World War II and is, as Podell quotes a local source, set to be "the first country to disappear under the waves of the rising ocean." He falls into a manhole full of raw sewage in Africa, navigates corrupt officials and soldiers across multiple continents, and consumes an eye-watering array of local dishes, including still-pulsating monkey brain. Rounded out with 31 black-and-white photographs and frank practical advice for fellow travelers, the book also carries a serious undertow: Podell treats climate change as a documented reality and weaves broader observations about global culture and work ethic into his dispatch-style chapters.
What the Critics Said
Both major trade reviewers responded positively. Publishers Weekly found Podell to be "a worthy raconteur" whose book is "an informative and sobering look at the world's many cultures and the importance of travel." Kirkus Reviews confirmed that the "globe-trotting adventures" are "unquestionably entertaining," singling out moments such as Podell's trek up Mount Vaea in Samoa to visit the grave of his idol Robert Louis Stevenson as evidence of genuine emotional depth beneath the adventure-story surface. The Kirkus review also praised his ability to "talk his way out of numerous dangerous scrapes," a quality that lends the narrative its propulsive energy across what is, by any measure, an enormous geographic and chronological canvas.
Where the Book Stumbles
Neither outlet was uncritical. Kirkus observed that Podell's so-called "do-do list" — the running tally of countries visited — "gets tiresome" at points, suggesting that the book's structural reliance on cataloguing destinations can interrupt the storytelling rhythm. More pointedly, Kirkus noted that Podell "occasionally shows his pampered Western roots," most visibly in the Podell Potty Paper Rating (PPPR), his country-by-country toilet-paper comfort index — a conceit that reads as both genuinely funny and as a marker of the perspective from which the entire journey is filtered. His sharp criticisms of Haiti and parts of Africa, framed around what he characterizes as an education gap, drew scrutiny from Kirkus for their tone, suggesting that some readers will find his cultural judgments reductive. The book's occasional salacious details, also flagged by Kirkus, may further divide audiences depending on their expectations for the travelogue genre.
Who This Book Is For
Around the World in 50 Years is best suited to readers who enjoy adventure-driven narrative nonfiction with a strong, opinionated central voice. Armchair travelers drawn to extreme geography and political flashpoints — the kind of places most travelers never reach — will find the itinerary alone worth the price of admission. Readers who prefer more measured, anthropologically sensitive travel writing may find Podell's self-described "canny American" stance a recurring friction point. For those curious about the logistical and psychological reality of visiting every nation on Earth, the book delivers both a vivid chronicle and, through its practical appendices and country-specific advice, something approaching a field guide for the truly determined traveler.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell worth reading
If you're drawn to adventure-driven narrative nonfiction with a strong, opinionated voice, it absolutely delivers. Publishers Weekly called Podell a "worthy raconteur" and described it as "an informative and sobering look at the world's many cultures," while Kirkus Reviews confirmed the globe-trotting adventures are "unquestionably entertaining" — though readers who prefer anthropologically sensitive travel writing may chafe at Podell's self-described "canny American" stance.
what is Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell actually about
It's the true story of Albert Podell, a Brooklyn-born former magazine editor, who spent decades on a mission to visit every country on Earth — starting with the 581-day Trans-World Record Expedition with Harold Stephens from 1965 to 1966, then resuming in 2000 while juggling a New York law practice. Along the way he nearly drowns in Costa Rica, navigates corrupt officials across multiple continents, eats still-pulsating monkey brain, and grapples with thorny questions like whether Taiwan, Vatican City, and Kosovo even count as countries.
does Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell have any problematic or offensive parts
Kirkus Reviews flagged a few friction points: Podell's sharp criticisms of Haiti and parts of Africa — framed around what he characterizes as an education gap — were noted for their reductive tone, and Kirkus observed that he "occasionally shows his pampered Western roots." His Podell Potty Paper Rating (PPPR), a country-by-country toilet-paper comfort index, is described as both genuinely funny and as a clear marker of the privileged perspective filtering the entire journey.
does Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell get boring or slow in places
Kirkus noted that Podell's so-called "do-do list" — his running tally of countries visited — "gets tiresome" at points, suggesting the book's structural reliance on cataloguing destinations can interrupt the storytelling rhythm. That said, the individual episodes keep things lively, from diving with penguins in the Galápagos to visiting Tuvalu, a Pacific island Podell describes as set to be "the first country to disappear under the waves of the rising ocean."
is Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell good for people who want to travel to every country
It's arguably ideal for that audience — the book doubles as something approaching a field guide, with practical appendices and country-specific advice for the truly determined traveler. Podell also wrestles firsthand with the logistical puzzle of what even constitutes a country, making it genuinely useful background reading for anyone obsessing over a complete-the-world itinerary.
what are the best moments in Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell
Kirkus singled out Podell's trek up Mount Vaea in Samoa to visit the grave of his idol Robert Louis Stevenson as evidence of genuine emotional depth beneath the adventure-story surface. Other standout episodes include panning for gold in Senegal, eating ice cream in the Sahara Desert, falling into a manhole full of raw sewage in Africa, and his extended reflections on Tuvalu's fate as a casualty of climate change.
is Around the World in 50 Years: My Adventure to Every Country on Earth by Albert Podell similar to other extreme travel books
It shares DNA with classic adventure travelogues — Podell even co-authored an earlier account of the 1965–1966 expedition called Who Needs a Road? with Harold Stephens. What sets this book apart is its sheer chronological and geographic scope, its frank practical advice, and a serious undertow that treats climate change as documented reality, which gives it more weight than a pure adventure romp.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
kirkusreviews.com
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Further reading
- 5
Albert Podell, Wikipedia
- 6
- 7
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- 9
us.macmillan.com
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