We Came, We Saw, We Left

A Family Gap Year

By: Charles Wheelan

Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan

Charlie Wheelan and his family do what others dream of: They take a year off to travel the world. This is their story.

What would happen if you quit your life for a year? In a pre-COVID-19 world, the Wheelan family decided to find out; leaving behind work, school, and even the family dogs to travel the world on a modest budget. Equal parts "how-to" and "how-not-to" - and with an eye toward a world emerging from a pandemic - We Came, We Saw, We Left is the insightful and often hilarious account of one family's gap-year experiment.

Wheelan paints a picture of adventure and connectivity, juggling themes of local politics, global economics, and family dynamics while exploring answers to questions like: How do you sneak out of a Peruvian town that has been barricaded by the local army? And where can you get treatment for a flesh-eating bacteria your daughter picked up two continents ago? From Colombia to Cambodia, We Came, We Saw, We Left chronicles nine months across six continents with three teenagers. What could go wrong?

©2021 Charles Wheelan (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

An Honest Account of Traveling With the Family

This account of the Wheelan family gap year is a joy to read. So excited for them and their children. From the story of Alex in the set up chapters that was such a sweet tale that it brought tears to my eyes to the medical emergency of their oldest child, Katrina, that cringed my mommy heart. The stories are true, joyous and full of teenage angst. I felt for CJ to his reaction of the shark fins (something I didn’t know and wanted to cry with CJ) as well as the Darwin comment made about him while he hung out of a sunroof to take a selfie with the lion (this was laugh out loud worthy). The parents having to deal with extremely smart Sophie and homeschool deadlines was also a note on how teens don’t differ much. The Tanzanian story was also very touching. But, not only did I get the family tales, I also got brief history lessons of the places they were moving around. Excellent book with good emotions front and center.

Delightful story, wrong reader

Audible, please have someone else re-record this. This voice actor was NOT the right choice. Story was fun but hard to get past the voice.

Very entertaining story!

This would make an amazing movie! I disliked the narrator’s voice but the story is extremely compelling.

This Book is Terrific!

I enjoyed this audiobookso much that I bought the print version to enjoy again (then I bought another book by the same author). Funny. Sarcastic. Insightful. Clever. A delightful read, simply put. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys traveling or, even if you don't, you can live vicariously through "Team Wheelan" and their numerous misadventures!

Great read. Loved it.

I started this book after listening to Jessica Nabongo's, "The Catch Me If You Can, one woman's journey to every country in the world. I love these travel venture stories. I'm a traveler myself and have some of these places on my bucket list.