Seth Stevenson’s Grounded, around the world without leaving the ground

Fflying is without a doubt the fastest and easiest way to get abroad. Flying even has its own mystic, as films like Up In The Air celebrate, but flying is not without its downsides — you miss out on the scenery, the people and all the experiences of traveling by land or sea.

Flying is, as Seth Stevenson writes, like “pressing the fast-forward button on your journey.”

So begins Grounded, the story of Stevenson and his girlfriend Rebecca’s journey around the world sans airplanes. Stevenson’s plans his trip with only two goals: circumnavigate the globe, crossing every degree of longitudinal, and never set foot in an airport.

The couple starts on a container ship, departing the U.S. out of Philadelphia. From there they progress around the world by trains, ferries, cars, rickshaws and even bicycles before returning back to the U.S. by cruise ship.

Stevenson, who is a travel columnist for Slate by day, manages to craft an engaging story that’s more than just another story of a trip around the world. The book ends up being equal parts entertainment — plenty of eccentric characters and travel misadventure — and an education in what you’re missing if you take to the air every time the overland route gets a bit tough.

For me the most interesting parts of the book were the train journeys, especially the Trans-Siberian Railway, which, for some reason, no matter how many accounts I read of it, just never gets old.

Though Grounded is an entertaining read, Stevenson quite clearly looks down on flying and makes no secret of the fact that he believes flying is not really traveling. There’s certainly something to be said for that idea, but least for me, flying has its own, though very different, appeal.

While the book is not intended to be a guidebook at all, if you’ve ever thought about attempting an all-land journey around the world there is plenty of insight to be had (also check out Marie Javins’ website, Marie’s World Tour. The trip is over, but the website remains a useful resource for anyone wanting to avoid planes).

Grounded was released today and is available from Amazon and other bookstores.