The Size of the World: Once Around Without Leaving the Ground

By Jeff Greenwald

Book Overview

Described as "a travel book like no other" by Publishers' Weekly (starred review), The Size of the World is an extraordinary snapshot of Planet Earth at a time of global transition.

By the time travel writer Jeff Greenwald reached his late 30s, he had covered more ground than Magellan, Marco Polo and Columbus combined. But he'd also come to a sobering conclusion: Airplanes had reduced his exotic explorations to a series of long commutes. So he set out to rediscover the size of the world. His mission: to make a land and sea pilgrimage around the Earth, by whatever means necessary, without leaving its surface. And while doing so-at the dawn of the Internet Age-Greenwald succeeded in creating the very first travel "blogs" on the World Wide Web.

This 30th Anniversary edition of Greenwald's best-selling odyssey features a new Introduction, a Foreword by Don George, and some surprises. Join Greenwald as he scales an active volcano in Guatemala, rides a rat-infested ferry across the Persian Gulf, visits Paul Bowles in Tangier, saves a baby snow leopard in Tibet and spends his 40th birthday marooned in the Sahara. A pilgrimage both hilarious and harrowing, insightful and wise, The Size of the World takes you on an adventure you will never forget.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FFBDG221
• ISBN13: 9798218993566
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Naga Press
• Length: 442 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great book !!

There is a great quote from this book: "Strange travel suggestions are like dancing lessons from God." Take the quote to heart and you will find that, like Jeff Greenwald, your travels will be full of wonderfully uprising twists and once in a lifetime experiences! I can't say enough good thins about the book. It enthralled me from cover to cover. I have loaned out my copy so many times that It has come back tattered, full of margin notes, and dog-eared. If travel literature is your thing, this is bound to be a favorite.

A great travelogue!

This is perhaps one of the best travelogues ever written. Contrary to previous reviews, Mr. Greenwald's grasp of Buddhism is quite solid, not resembling a "flirtation" whatsoever. As a fellow buddhist and world traveler myself, I found his trip hilarious and awe inspiring. Travelogues too often times fail in their attempts at being effective personal essays, but Mr. Greenwald hits the nail squarely on the head with this one (as he does with most of his books). Read this and buy his other works too. You won't be disappointed.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

I think it's interesting that the reviews of Size of the World presented here are either 5 stars or 2 stars, indicating that people respond very strongly to this book, in either a very positive or negative way. Personally, I loved it. It was great taking a journey with a travel writer who seemed so much more like a real person than the usual omniscient guides in more traditional books. Jeff Greenwald the author has flaws, true, but don't we all. He's not presenting himself to be an all-knowing master guide to the Universe. He acknowledges the discomfort and loneliness as well as the joy and wonder of his travel experiences and communicates them without that holier-than-thou attitude so many travel writers seem to wallow in.As a result, I think people who respond to real, sincere, honest writing will love this book. If you're looking for someone cool and hip that will help make you feel cool and hip, go read someone else. I think this book has probably touched many lives in a deep and spirtual way. It's also hilariously funny and as I stated in my one line review, thoroughly entertaining. Please don't let some of the negative reviews expressed here prevent you from checking this book out. Patty S.

Read this book.

First, I'm not real generous when it comes to giving a full "five stars" and have read easily over 100 travel essays. This book is the most enjoyable and enlightening I've read. I first read it over 2 years ago and have given copies out to several friends. Each one loved it.I just picked it up again (a real rarity for me). It's every bit as good as I recalled. Insightful with respect to both the places he visits as well as the author's introspection. Wonderful imagery- articulate, adjective-filled.Read this book.

Stirs the wanderlust in us!

Jeff Greenwald brings the enormousness of the world to our minds and imagination. His personal perspective and his tribulations and dilemmas are very well shared without him sounding too self-centered and absorbed with his own opinions. The best part of the book was his unannounced visit to the American expatriate-writer Paul Bowles in Tangier, Morocco. His visit (not his first) to Nepal and Tibet was a little overstated, but given his personal convictions, this is understandable. We may not all have the same degree of time, resource, and ardor that Jeff has for traveling, but this book is a beautiful reminder of the mystery, intrigue, and wonder the world out there has in store for us who are willing to appreciate it. And all this talk about global village, cyberspace, communication by email, internet, fax, cell phone, and quick transportation by airplanes have not diminished the lure of travel and the delicious danger that may lie ahead!