A very entertaining and funny travelogue detailing a yearlong round-the-world trip taken by David Elliot Cohen, his wife Devi and their three small children. At the age of 40, Cohen and his wife decided to sell everything and traipse across the globe from Costa Rica to Laos and everywhere in between. The stories he tells are both amusing and reflective and his descriptions of the places they visited are really out of this world. Overall, a very inspiring book ... it's hard to read this and not want to follow in the Cohens' footsteps. ( )

When I was courting my wife one of her ideas fascinated me and played a role in my growing appreciation of her. I won't share it here though as I am hoping we may turn this idea to reality one day. When I encountered David Elliot Cohen's travelogue of his year traveling with his family around the world I immediately thought my wife would enjoy this book as her ideas was also in this range. She never got to the book, but I read it.

Written as a series of emails “One Year Off: Leaving It All Behind for a Round-the-World Journey with Our Children” recounts the adventures and the bores of the trip the five plus one person family took. The five included not just Cohen's wife , seven and 8 year old child, but also a two year old. The plus one was the nanny, who they took with themselves for part of the trip. It would have been an entertaining book in itself if Cohen had told the horrifying, funny, or crazy stories that happened along the road. His style is funny enough to make such mundane activities as taking a cab sound like an adventure. There were two additional aspects though that made the book more than a light read. He used quite a lot of sophisticated words, that I had to look up in the dictionary. I wasn't expecting an educational experience, but I got one. I was wondering though whether he really spoke that way, or used the word processor's Thesaurus function to switch simple words to longer one. Nevertheless I enjoyed the learning.

The main reason I liked the book was the quality of his reflections. He was not afraid to look into the inner processes of what was happening in his mind while preparing and undertaking this journey. The truths he found out about himself, his relationship to his wife and children, the stages of childhood development, the assumptions he operated were worthwhile to follow. The process could serve as a model, even if I doesn't sell every belonging I have, cut all my ties to my surrounding and take my family to lands far away. Introspection is a great tool, no matter what the circumstances are, but I admire those who can do it while white water rafting or running fro hippos, or being lost on the back roads I a country of a distant continent. For this I nominate this book to be read not just those who dream of this kind of travel for those who like to stay at home.

David Cohen has a lovely suburban life-a good job, nice house, wonderful with and three great kids. Yet he still feels like something is missing. He develops a crazy plan to travel the world with his family for a year...and his wife agrees! So they sell the house and hit the road. This books chronicles their adventures in the unique format of emails to their friends. From being chased by an angry hippo in Africa, to rushing a child to the ER in Thailand, the Cohen family forms enough memories together to last many lifetimes. Excellent read for armchair-travelers and wanderlusters. ( )

What a great book. As a single person who has never traveled, I just want to scream - Take me with you! A well written memoir that hints at the family dynamics but doesn't over empower. The sites and reactions take center stage in this book. ( )

If you have ever felt like leaving it all behind and running off with the kids, this books shows you how one family did it. This family was not only courageous but trusting of what and who they would encounter on this around the world trip.

It enjoyed reading about their trip (both mishaps and triumphs). I was especially impressed that they embarked on the trip with the youngest child so young.

This family did not always get along during the trip but it was refreshing that they stuck together as a family and did what a lot of other people just dream about doing. ( )