Fifty years ago, Albert Podell embarked on a motor journey around the world as co-leader of the Trans World Record Expedition, which he detailed in a book - still in print - titled "Who Needs a Road?" After that adventure, he enjoyed a multitude of careers, including editor of three national outdoor magazines, advertising executive, attorney, good-government lobbyist and theatrical producer. He did some international travel in between his professional work, and in the 1980s, set a goal of visiting every country on earth. After 72 trips totaling more than a million miles, he met his goal, having visited 196 countries.
"Around the World in Fifty Years" is not for readers expecting stories about familiar tourist destinations - no Paris or London here. Instead, Podell focuses on countries unfamiliar to the average traveler like East Timor, Kiribati, Chad, North Korea and Brunei. Readers interested in the politics, history and customs of other countries will find surprising facts, photos and thoughtful commentary throughout. It's a book of both adventure and substance.
Podell is either your ideal travel buddy or your worst travel nightmare. He seemingly had little fear and was up for anything, no matter how dangerous or weird. He snorkeled near deadly tiger sharks in Tuvalu, encountered angry Cape buffaloes and curious hippos by his campsite in Botswana, rafted the Zambezi River gorge, and ate just about everything presented to him with the exception of mouse shish-kebab in Malawi and fruit-bat pie in Tonga (10 to 12 whole bats, served face up, in this "pie"). He got caught in war zones, sandstorms, riots and typhoons, but he also viewed landscapes of sublime beauty and marveled at World Heritage sites in remote locales.
His years of travel, interspersed with work, consisted of backpacking and tent camping, with an occasional stay in a fleabag, a rough hut or the back end of a van. He sneaked into a few countries when he couldn't obtain a visa, dealt often with officials who demanded bribes for any service provided, received protection from unexpected sources (armed Somali guards in Mogadishu), and participated in local festivities and ceremonies.
He does not shrink from describing the extreme poverty and deprivation faced by much of the world's population. The chapters on what we term "undeveloped," or third world, countries offer insight into what their citizens live with on a daily basis: civil war, genocide, corruption, oppression of women, starvation and disease. One takeaway from reading this book is an awareness of how fortunate we are compared to the suffering in other parts of the world. Where one is born truly makes all the difference in life possibilities.
Madeline Matson is reference and adult programming librarian at Missouri River Regional Library.