Grounded

An eye-opening and fascinating slow travel journey from an acclaimed writer who circled the globe without ever leaving the ground. . In this age of globalism and high-speed travel Seth Stevenson the witty thoughtful Slate columnist takes us back to a time when travel meant putting one foot in front of the other racing to make connections between trains and buses in remote transit stations and wading through the chaos that most long-haul travelers float 35000 feet above. Stevenson winds his way around the world by biking walking hiking riding in rickshaws freight ships cruise ships ancient ferries buses and the Trans-Siberian Railway-but never gets on an airplane. . He finds that from the ground one sees the world anew-with a deeper understanding of time distance and the vastness of the earth. In this sensational travelogue each step of the journey is an adventure full of unexpected revelations in every new port at every bend in the railroad tracks and around every street corner.