Walking the World: Memories and Adventures elevates the act of walking from something we do every day without thinking about it to a means for putting more fun and excitement into our lives. And we can become healthier, at the same time. Whoever said, “No pain, no gain,” was out to lunch.

In Part I, Alan Cook addresses the difficulty of learning and relearning (after an accident or illness) to walk, which makes us appreciate walking more. He has fond memories of walking with parents, walking in college, walking for love and his son walking to school. There is a chapter on walking safely, and light commentary on fashions he observed while walking on the beach, and on giving directions to motorists. Then a number of other walkers tell their reasons for walking.

Part II ranges the world in a quest for interesting places to walk. It starts with four great walking cities in the United States (Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C.), branches out to the rest of the U.S., and then crosses the border into Canada. Take a walk in ancient Greece or ramble in the British Isles. Peek behind the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain. Tour the rest of Europe and dip into North Africa at Morocco. Take off to New Zealand and French Polynesia. Then it’s on to Japan, China and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Part III tells about hiking adventures in California and Colorado. Rock climbing (think of it as vertical walking) is also addressed. The author has had interesting hikes on Mt. Whitney and Mt. San Jacinto, among other peaks in California, but his most traumatic experience was getting lost in the wilderness of Colorado.

Part IV addresses long-distance walking. First, Ethan Loewenthal tells what it’s like to walk the Appalachian Trail. Then the author tells about his three long walks: along the California coast, from Los Angeles to Denver, and the British End-to-End.