We Came, We Saw, We Left

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.  We Came, We Saw, We Left by Charles Wheelan is the story of Charles Wheelan, his wife Leah, their three children Katrina, Sophie, and CJ  and various other friends and relatives who pop in and out of the story, as they take nine months off to travel all over the world.  Traveling to six continents with just a single backpack each, they traveled on a modest budget which makes the story even more interesting.  At times it will make you laugh out loud, just imagine walking into a scuba dive office and seeing a monkey sitting in one of the chairs just hanging out while your son is reading a dive book in another chair.  At other times the book will have you wondering why they don't just call the whole trip off and go home, for example, when daughter Katrina comes down with a flesh eating disease that could be very serious and they let her fly off by herself to be treated in another foreign country and they continue their trip.  To be fair, she had already graduated high school and they did offer to go with her and she turned them down.    It is a fun, interesting look that will have you wanting to pack your own backpack (or maybe a suitcase) and take off on an adventure of your own with your family.  I highly recommend it.

A wonderful book full of insight and travel tips for those of us planning to take a gap year and travel the world.  And, a funny and inspiring book for those of us who are not.  "We Came, We Saw, We Left" dabbles into the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly of packing up your lives (with three kids and a few just along for the ride), and heading out into our great big world.  For fans of travel books, as well as those who love a funny and light-hearted memoir, you won't be disappointed.  The author's foray into climate change concerns, endangered animals, and teenagers being lost in a foreign country for hours on end, all add up to a highly recommended book that will leave you wanting to take your own similar adventure.

This was a very enchanting story of a trip around the world that I can only dream about. I love these sort of humorous travel stories, especially so far off the usual path of people from the western hemisphere. Find myself laughing quite a bit and could really feel like you could picture the family in all these scenarios. Really enjoyed this story!

Imagine travelling in close quarters with your 3 teenage children for 9 months. Many are not brave enough to try but this is exactly what Charles and Leah Wheelan do. Not only an intriguing travel book but also a book about family and the strengths and weaknesses that pull us through when we work together. Were there glitches along the way? Almost always. But there was beauty and excitement as well as they experienced the beauty of Matchu Pichu and the Great Barrier Reef to the cities of Calcutta and Capetown. In these times of covid all we can do is dream about such a trip but one day........

Loved this book.  Fun, witty, and insightful.  I've already recommended it to a few friends and will be promoting it at book talks in Spring 2021.   Greatly appreciated the honest accounts of traveling with family!   And grateful for the chance to explore the world while stuck at home in a pandemic.

This book highlighted a family's 9-month trip around the world (in 2016) through South America, Asia, Africa, and eastern-Europe. Told by the father, the book reflects on their travels while providing information about how they made this trip possible as they navigated finances, schooling, etc.  I loved the insight provided as he recounts the great experiences the family had traveling together while also sharing the experiences gone-wrong that required flexibility and sometimes led to complete family meltdowns! As a traveler, I found myself laughing quite a bit as I remembered my own travels that have been filled of both joyous, life-changing moments and frustrating, tear-filled disasters. Reading this makes me excited to explore more of the world after COVID!

We Came We Saw We Left by Charles Wheelan is a great book to read in a comfortable chair while you ask yourself: would I be able to travel with my three distinctly individual teenagers, and my wife, the budget keeper, to eight countries over nine months—and keep up with online learning? We Came We Saw We Left is an entertaining escape book that details the good and bad days of the trip. Readers who are considering such as adventure with a family of five or readers who want to learn about the experience will appreciate the Wheelan family through their adventures and meltdowns.