“How did I ever devolve from the cubicle-dwelling rocket scientist living the good life in Silicon Valley with my wife and two children, to this person who is drying his underwear in the ladies restroom of the Tapei International Airport?”
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AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE of planning, John Higham and his wife September bid their high-tech jobs and suburban lives good-bye, packed up their home and set out with two children, ages eight and eleven, to travel around the world. In the course of the next 52 weeks they crossed 24 time zones, visited 28 countries and experienced a lifetime of adventures.
Making their way across the world, the Highams discovered more than just different foods and cultures; they also learned such diverse things as a Chillean mall isn’t the best place to get your ears pierced, and that elephants appreciate flowers just as much as the next person. But most importantly, they learned about each other, and just how much a family can weather if they do it together.
360 Degrees Longitude employs Google’s wildly popular Google Earth as a compliment to the narrative. Using your computer, you can spin the digital globe to join the adventure cycling through Europe, feeling the cold stare of a pride of lions in Africa, and breaking down in the Andes.
Packed with photos, video and test the online Google Earth companion adds a dimension not possible with mere paper and ink. Fly over the terrain of the Inca Trail, or drill down to see the majesty of the Swiss Alps –without leaving the comfort of your chair.
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Praise for 360 Degrees Longitude
“John Higham’s fascinating trip around the world with his wife and young children inspired not just this beautifully written travelogue, diving and dancing and dizzying with adventure – from nipple-nibbling fish in Thailand to getting stranded in Tanzania – it also launched an insightful journey into how travel can transform us, heal us, soothe us, and deeply bless us with JOY of the richest kind: Joy that opens our eyes and our souls; joy that teaches us to hold hands across the horizons.”
Laura Manske, author of Family Travel: The Farther You Go, the Closer You Get
“John Higham’s book about his year around the world with his wife September and their two kids, Katrina and Jordan, is funny, surprising, honest, and inspiring. Their spunk and humor as they cope with everything from a broken leg in Switzerland to a broken-down truck in the middle of the Bolivian salt flats are amazing to behold. But what I really love about the Higham family is how normal they are. They prove that average people can have outsize adventures if they dream big, plan carefully, and have faith that even if nothing goes according to plan, everything will (eventually) turn out OK. These are great lessons for traveling and for life.”
Nina Martin, San Francisco Magazine
“360 Degrees Longitude redefines family travel. It’s also a fantastic read, whether you’re considering an around-the-world trip-with or without kids-or not. Higham uses humor and insight to weave together stories that entertain as well as educate. Part travelogue, part how-to guide, the book is an inspiration-for what is possible on the road, and in one’s life.”
Donna Airoldi, TravelMuse
“GENIUS! All in all a FANTASTIC read for anyone, but especially those of us wanting to travel with our kids.”
Lisa Jemus, Book Blab
“I received this book as a gift from the Highams when we visited their home in California. Even before that, I had heard of it as a ‘must read’ for family travelers.
I began reading and was soon enthralled by the stories of adventure and experience. I consider myself to be adventurous (we’re driving from Alaska to Argentina), but I was still amazed by the culture, ‘hazards’ and escapades the Highams encountered. What an amazing family!”
Rachel Denning, blogger DiscoverShareInspire.com
“Although it took me 3 months to trek my way through this book, it proved one of the best and most inspiring works I have ever read. I must admit, I was more than one time made supremely jealous of this amazing experience, vested on the kids particularly by their loving and incredibly future-minded parents. Instead of buying the children Wiis and movies, they bought them invaluable experiences on a scale only rarely achieved. I spent 5 months living abroad and have been wanting to return ever since, but this story turned that want into a raging desire. I don’t have the tech job, so it will take me longer to save, but I will travel again, now with some good tips both about specific places and about unspecific occurrences. The book does an effective job of getting across the lessons about people and cultures without trivializing or patronizing them. It’s not an “Oh, how quaint and cute” tourist trip, but rather a deeply immersive and overwhelmingly packed glimpse into little seen parts of the world, many of which I very well may never get to see. The trip covers geographic wonders and historical horrors, vastly different cultures and places very similar to home, and activities and trips both successful and wildly disastrous. Until I can save up to do the same, I will use my small photographer’s income to tour across our own country when I travel for work, using the Higham’s story as a guide for investing in the local culture and spending both time and money wisely. This book is a must read for anyone interested in travel or other cultures, although you should probably be careful if you have a penchant for spontaneous traveling, as it will make you want to walk immediate out of your front door, regardless of the fact that you are still in your monkey pajamas.”
Jamie from Goodreads.com
"How did I ever devolve from the cubicle-dwelling rocket scientist living the good life in Silicon Valley with my wife and two kids, to this person caught drying his underwear in the ladies restroom?"