How long does it take to travel around the world?
The journey used to take years. But by the 1800s, technology let people travel faster across the globe. Jules Verne wrote a book about that. In his story, Phileas Fogg sets off from London, England. Riding steamboats and trains, Fogg returns 80 days later. The book is Around the World in Eighty Days.
Verne began writing parts of the story in a newspaper in 1872. The French author then published the on January 30, 1873. Written in French, the title was Le tour du monde en 80 jours. People soon translated the text into English, Spanish, Italian, and many other languages. Over the years, they’ve turned it into plays, films, TV shows, and games.
Born in 1828, Verne had written adventure books before. He published Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864 and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in 1870. Yet Around the World in Eighty Days became his most popular work. It still stands as one of the most famous books ever. And it is now 150 years old.
In Verne’s tale, Fogg figures that a traveler could cross the planet in just 80 days. Another character, Andrew Stuart, doesn’t believe that. “I’d like to see you do it in 80 days,” he tells Fogg. Fogg feels certain it can be done. The British offers a wager:
“I will bet £20,000 against anyone who wishes that I will make the tour of the world in 80 days or less,” he offers. “Do you accept?” (The bet would be worth about $3 million today.) With the deal done, Fogg leaves at once. And he begins one of the greatest adventures in literature.
Fogg hires a French servant named Passepartout. Together, they take a train through Europe. From Italy they set sail on a steamboat to Egypt. The Suez Canal had just opened in 1869. That let ships pass from Europe to Asia without having to sail around Africa. From there, Fogg and Passepartout ride a steamboat into the Indian Ocean.
The travelers hop aboard a new train in India. But they run into a problem. “The railway isn’t finished,” states the conductor. Fogg buys an elephant, climbs on top, and marches through the forest. Soon they sail another steamboat to Hong Kong. A six-day ride brings them to Japan — where they take off across the Pacific Ocean.
Workers finished the railroad in 1869. That let people ride a train across the United States. Fogg and Passepartout take advantage of that. They travel from San Francisco to New York in a week. From there, they sail back to Europe — and home to England.
Readers loved Verne’s adventure. Though Phileas Fogg was fiction, he inspired some real-life journeys. In 1889, Nellie Bly set off on her own ’round-the-world trip. The reporter completed it in 72 days. (Bly even visited Jules Verne in France!)
Even 150 years later, Around the World in Eighty Days continues to inspire adventure. Just ask Victor Vescovo. He has traveled to the North Pole, the South Pole, the tallest mountains, and the bottom of every ocean. “Verne didn’t use fantasy or magic,” said Vescovo. “He showed us something realistic but not yet done,” he told News-O-Matic. The explorer called that “his greatest gift.”
Updated January 27, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
