• Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days

  • By: Michael Palin
  • Narrated by: Michael Palin
  • Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (215 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days  By  cover art

Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days

By: Michael Palin
Narrated by: Michael Palin
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.44

Buy for $17.44

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

Having mostly retired from comedy, former Monty Python member Michael Palin sets out with a BBC film crew from the Reform Club in London, planning to follow in the footsteps of Jules Verne’s fictional Phileas Fogg to travel Around the World in 80 Days. Palin is allowed only to use modes of transport that to which Fogg would have access during Victorian times, a feat in itself. Visiting Venice and Hong Kong, Giza and many other exotic locations, Michael travels around the globe, bringing back entertaining anecdotes and an epic adventure filled with humour and excitement. Narrated by Michael Palin himself, this marvellous audiobook can be downloaded from Audible.

Publisher's summary

In the autumn of 1988, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club with an ambitious plan: to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by Jules Verne's fictional hero Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. The rules were simple. He had to make the journey in 80 days using only forms of transport that would have been available to Fogg. And so, complete with visas, running shoes, an inflatable globe and sound advice from Alan Whicker, Michael Palin began his incredible journey.

Crossing 17 borders and meeting innumerable challenges, he saw Venice from the back of a rubbish barge, rode around the Pyramids on a camel called Michael, and was attacked by a cockatoo in Hong Kong - amongst many other adventures. Phileas Fogg may have brought a Princess back from his travels, but Michael Palin brought back a fascinating and frequently humorous account of the journey of a lifetime.

©1989 Michael Palin (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    160
  • 4 Stars
    38
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    163
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    145
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • LJ
  • 05-18-19

music incredibly distracting and annoying

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Michael Palin recount his progress around the world. He has a lovely way of describing what he sees. I wish I could've given the Overall rating 5 stars but there is no Audible category for rating the production quality. (And there should be!) WHY did someone find it necessary to include music over such LONG PORTIONS of Michael's reading???? If you must use music, fine, but do it BETWEEN chapters when the author is NOT speaking. But it went on for MINUTES and MINUTES while he was reading. It was incredibly distracting and made it difficult to focus on Palin's words. It nearly ruined it for me and the only thing it was good for was waking me up if I drifted off. And at various times, the music was completely at-odds with what was being said. Cheerful upbeat music when things are going sadly downhill??? If you're going to do music, be sensible about it!

The ONLY time I appreciated the music was at the very end when the tune FINALLY shifted to something more suitable for the location--it took on a humorously French vibe and got mercifully quieter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story; Distracting Music

Michael Palin is Michael Palin; I have nothing negative to say toward him. The music, though, that the producers chose to include... ugh. Poor music selection, poor mixing... very distracting and totally unnecessary. I'll still listen to more of Palin's books; I just hope they don't have musical accompaniment.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nicely done!

Palin does a great job with his descriptions and tells a fascinating story of his unusual trip around the world. My only complaint is a small one - the audiobook includes many small moments of background music that initially add to the feel of the story, but eventually become repetitive and a little tiring. But the rest of the storytelling more than makes up for it. I’m jealous of Palin that he was able to take a journey like this one. It reminded me of a friend who through-hiked a big part of the Appalachian trail. Having heard this audiobook, I plan to purchase the audiobook for Jules Verne’s original classic. Looking forward to it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Michael Palin is a great storyteller

I’ve read about six of Michael Palin’s books. He is such a wonderful storyteller his humor and insight on his travel books and adventures is really quite extraordinary. I really enjoyed this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Palin Classic but

Michael Palin is a brilliant, talented author whose world travels, interesting and amusing perspectives are always greatly interesting and entertaining however I was disappointed in the audio version of this book, unlike his later audio books which are carefully and deliberately narrated he seems to be in a great hurry to finish the audio on this one, I think his later narrations improved as he got older !

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

I really loved this series on television, but this book is a great disappointment. Michael Palin's narration is wooden and most of the fun and funny bits from the TV series is left out. I tried to return this but because I returned 2 books last month, Audible won't allow it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I wish I was Passepartout

A highly enjoyable re-visit to Michael's 80 day journey around the world, beautifully narrated by the man himself. Unfortunately, the incidental music and especially the ticking clock become increasingly annoying, so a star off for that. Check out his web site so you can follow along with some photographs, too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not for me

Just rambling on and on. I really wanted to like this narration. I've really enjoyed Palin's books before. But my lord I just could not get into this one. I gave up about 45 minutes in when it seemed all he was doing was narrating his very simple and mundane trip with really nothing happening at all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Superb Michael Palin travelogue from 1988

Despite its date this audiobook is well worth hearing due to the excellent writing and narration skills of the author. His wit is ever-present and it is instructive to learn how much the world has changed since it first appeared! Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everything I hoped for

Wonderful narration of a superb story. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to know, good, bad, happy and sad.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!