See, the author wanted to visit every country on earth, without flying. That's hard to do. And one cannot easily do it alone, without supporters. But of course, if you succeed in doing it, then that is something. Well, for the author, it took him almost ten years to do so, battling a mountain's worth of bureaucracy, and of course, a pandemic. What was supposed to have been a trip that would only last 4 years (when planned in 2013) eventually took him almost 10 years, which included large bouts of being stranded in various different places, for various different reasons. And somehow, I find it hard to sympathise.
That's the thing perhaps that disturbs me the most. In numerous parts of the book, the author expressed disappointment that other people seem to not find value in his endeavour. I mean, he traveled to all countries without flying, that must be something, right? I mean, sure, it can be something, but I find it bizarre that the author seems to get his panties tied into a bunch when others don't find it as important as he did. But sorry, there's billions of people in this planet, with numerous different interests. There's competition for what people would find interesting. So if that Icelandic office person doesn't find the idea of a trip to visit all countries of the world without flying to be an amazing trip, that's fine too. I have listened to all of Scarlatti's more than 500 sonatas. I think that is something. But I am also not surprised and wouldn't mind if others do not find that noteworthy.
I think it is the fact that the author seems to need some sort of external validation. And this is what I do not get. The author finds it important to know how many followers he has in social media. I on the other hand don't even care if anyone reads this blog which I have been keeping up for more than 20 years. Is maintaining a 20-year-old blog something to talk about? Maybe, maybe not, but honestly, I don't care. I do it because I want to. And I do not need external validation for it.
I think the other thing I found baffling was the author's sheer determination to finish his trip. I mean, it took him 10 years. It made him miss a big chunk of his family's milestones, e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, and so on. I have to say, that it is to some extent admirable, when I see that the author always believes that there is a door that will open somehow, and that he will succeed. That's great. But I think the flip side of it is that it shows perhaps that the author also does not have the maturity to recognise when is it enough, and when it is time to stop. It is okay to fail. Failure is after all, also part of life. And it takes a very mature person to acknowledge failure. I think one cannot talk about determination and success without also talking about failure. And sure, it's noteworthy perhaps to mention that success can also come after 10 years. But look at all of the things that he has missed, due to the fact that he was aiming for completing this trip. I suppose I just do not have the same values as him, which is why I cannot see the point of putting my entire life on hold just to complete a ridiculous goal.
Oh well, I still enjoyed reading this book. I suppose this is why I read travel books: I try to read about other people's follies so that I do not need to experience it firsthand. Do I have a goal of visiting all countries without flying? Well, I do have a goal of visiting 100 countries before I die, but honestly, it is not the highest of my priorities. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
See my other book reviews here.
