I learned of this podcast when listening to a recent Planet Money podcast episode. I was immediately intrigued by this modern day adventure story of two brothers traveling from London to Mongolia in the Mongol Rally in 2016. First Daughter is studying the Middle East, Central Asia, and India this year in her geography course (Level 5, tenth grade), and I thought this might be a good option for one of the two supplemental books on the region. Not knowing what to expect, I listened to all of season one before assigning it.
Scott Gurian and his brother, Drew, along with two other friends, drove their ridiculously tiny cars through tunnels, over mountains, and through rivers. They travelled 11,000 miles and visited almost twenty countries, including some, like Iran, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, which are infrequently visited by Americans.
The podcast does include some strong language and slightly mature references, but nothing that I find concerning for my high schooler. Overall, it's a great introduction to lots of countries and modern travel. Russia's invasion of Ukraine stymied the Mongol Rally in 2022 (replaced with a new offer of adventure from the organizers), but we can experience the 2016 Rally vicariously through this podcast. (Let's be honest: I would never attempt the Mongol Rally. But I love listening to adventures like this.)
I intend to continue listening to the podcast, but have currently only finished season one, which is the only season I will assign. I imagine you can find Far From Home wherever you listen to podcasts. (I just use Google's app on my phone.)
You can find the Mater Amabilis high school Geography plans here. I would recommend assigning these lectures once a week after finishing the earth studies book in the first term (The Seashell on the Mountaintop). A student wouldn't quite have time to finish them at that speed, so you could either skip some episodes or extend them past the end of the year. I intend to double them up for First Daughter, but she loves to listen to books and lectures on her phone while outside running around so an additional episode a week won't be a problem for her. On her own time, I will probably also ask her to read I am Malala (Young Reader's Edition) and Everything Sad Is Untrue, but those are both relatively quick reads for her. She will narrate the Far From Home episodes, but not the other two books.
List of Episodes
01: Getting Started (29 min) and (optional) 01a: Bonus Episode (10 min)
02: What Kind of Car Do You Drive to Mongolia? (30 min)
03: What Will We Eat? (22 min)
04: Final Preparations Before the Big Day (31 min) and (optional) 04a: For a Good Cause (12 min)
05: Hitting the Road (28 min)
06: Mad Dash Across Europe (28 min)
07: The Real Rally Begins (30 min)
08: Not What We Expected (25 min)
09: An Eye-Opening Experience (28 min)
10: Culture Clash (35 min)
11: Just Plain Weird (37 min) and (optional) 11a: Bonus Episode - Voices from the Door to Hell (6 min)
12: Breaking Down (24 min)
13: Should We Stay or Should We Go? (32 min)
14: From Bad to Worse (25 min)
15: Whatever It Takes (34 min)
16: The Roads Get Rougher (30 min)
17: Stranded (31 min)
18: Wrong Way (26 min)
19: One Surprise After Another (32 min)
20: The Going Gets Tough (32 min)
21: A Costly Mistake (30 min)
22: The Longest Day Ever (26 min)
23: The Finish Line (37 min)
24: Looking Back (39 min)
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. The podcast is free. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.
