Around the World in 30 Years

About the Book

“This book was written as: (1) the perfect short read while waiting in airports; (2) the ideal bedside companion; and (3) a delightful gift book.  Why?  (1) The pithy tales are short, humorous, and insightful; (2) each chapter is all-inclusive - you can start and stop anywhere; and (3) there is nothing nasty, embarrassing, or sexy in it.”  Thus, Dr. Rawson, a psychology professor extraordinaire,  introduces us to this charming collection of travel tales.

Covering a time span of 35 years, the author takes us on a fascinating view of some of the world’s most exotic locations: the wilds of the Amazonian jungles, the clove plantations of  Zanzibar, the pandemic of AIDS in western Africa, the old slave “factories” of Goree Island off the coast of Senegal, crossing the Andes by train, chewing “qat” in Yemen, and chatting with “haratines” in the world’s most secluded country, Mauritania.  But more mundane travel experiences are not neglected.  Taking your kids to California by car, traveling on Amtrak, living in the Deep South, and even an account of the author’s first “real” trip, a hilarious venture with his parents to California in a 55 Plymouth, are all included.  

Arranged chronologically, the book takes us step-by-step to ever more venturesome trips.  Starting with the first venture outside the United States, the author covers his initial trip to England where he ends up being unable to understand the language, subsisting on Cadbury chocolate bars, and touring Scotland with a busload of Englishmen. From this humble beginning, the reader is transported to the Holy Land, where his brother declares war on the Baptists in his travel group, to the delightful account of surviving taking his two teenager sons to California on a one-month car trip, and later, taking those same teenagers to Morocco to “knock the provincialism out of them.”  

Usually traveling with his sardonic but delightful wife, his  beguiling, but intolerant,  brother, his curious sons, or with groups of bumbling college professors, the author consistently manages to capture not only the unique character of the country visited, but the charm and wisdom of its people.   Most importantly, the author consistently makes clear that traveling is a lot of fun and humor is a worldwide commodity easily exchanged.  Whether it’s a green-eyed half-breed Greenlander complaining about the weather, an Inca descendent racing a tired old school bus in Peru, a Japanese bride planning her wedding in Prince Edward Island, or a black football player struggling through Mississippi State, Dr. Rawson finds humor, caring, and compassion among all. You’ll love this witty, insightful, and certainly upbeat book!

About the Author

Dr. Harve E. Rawson, a scientific researcher, a college professor, a psychologist, a dean of faculty, an author, a radio broadcaster, and intrepid world traveler shares this rollicking, humorous, and insightful series of travel tales. Everywhere from the Amazons to Zanzibar is covered with an emphasis on the inherent charm of traveling to different places, the wisdom others have to offer, and the fun one can have when your environment is turned topsy-turvy. Often traveling with his educator wife, his professor brother, or his curious sons, Dr. Rawson takes you from Goree Island off the coast of Africa, to handling the Japanese problem in Prince Edward Island, to the parents of teenagers trying to get to California and back without a death in the family, to visiting Greenland for no reason whatsoever. But wherever you go, you learn about others, enjoy yourself, and pick up a few pointers about living.