Around the World in Eighty Days

Around the World in Eighty Days

Phileas Fogg lived in London with such perfect regularity that he seemed to have a clock ticking inside him. He arrived at his club at the same hour every day, ate dinner on time, and was almost never in a hurry.

One day, the conversation at the club turned to new railways and steamship routes. A newspaper claimed that it was now possible to travel around the world in eighty days.

“Theoretically,” objected one of the club members. “But there are always delays on the way.”

Fogg calmly replied:

“That is precisely why delays must be allowed for.”

The argument ended in a wager. Fogg staked a large part of his fortune on returning to London within eighty days.

That same evening, he summoned his new servant, a Frenchman named Passepartout.

“We are going around the world.”

Passepartout thought he must have misheard.

“When?”

“Now.”

Within a few hours, they were aboard a train.

The route ran through Europe to Suez, then by steamer to Bombay, then through India to Calcutta, by sea to Hong Kong and Yokohama, across the Pacific to San Francisco, then across America to New York and from there back to England.

Fogg wrote down the time of arrival and departure in a small notebook. Passepartout, meanwhile, was amazed at each new country, language, food and station.

Another traveler was following them: Detective Fix. A large sum of money had been stolen in London, and Fix thought Fogg’s sudden departure looked suspicious. He had no evidence, so he simply followed Fogg and waited for official news.

Fogg did not even suspect this.

In India, they discovered that the railway was not yet complete. Where the map showed an unbroken line, there were actually dozens of kilometers with no rails at all.

Passepartout clutched his head.

Fogg only glanced at his watch.

“Then we shall find another way.”

They bought an elephant and hired a guide. Traveling through the jungle cost them time, but brought an unexpected encounter.

They met a young woman named Aouda who needed help escaping from a dangerous place. Fogg decided that he could not simply pass her by.

“We have a few hours to spare,” he said. “Let us put them to good use.”

Together with Passepartout and the guide, they helped Aouda reach safety. After that, she continued her journey with them.

The Journey Continues

In Hong Kong, Passepartout became separated from his friends for a time, but they were reunited in Yokohama. From there, they sailed together across the Pacific to San Francisco.

A train carried them across America. Mountains, plains, towns, and snowy expanses passed outside the windows. The journey brought one surprise after another, and their spare time steadily dwindled. Once, Fogg even gave up a chance to make up time because he realized that staying with his companion mattered more.

Aouda saw that the man who had set out to win a wager was increasingly making choices for the sake of others rather than money.

They reached New York too late: the steamship they needed had already sailed. Fogg found another vessel and continued across the Atlantic. The weather was unpredictable and fuel ran short, but the travelers pressed eastward.

At last, they reached England. There, Fix’s mistaken suspicions cost Fogg several more hours. By the time the misunderstanding was cleared up, all seemed lost.

Fogg returned to London, convinced that he was five minutes late and had lost the bet.

The next day, Aouda told him that she wanted to remain by his side. They decided to marry. Passepartout hurried off to arrange the ceremony, then came racing back as though time itself were chasing him.

“Sir! Today is Saturday!”

“No, today is Sunday,” Fogg replied.

And then everything became clear.

By traveling continually eastward, they had been gaining a little time on the sun each day. In circling the Earth, Fogg had gained a whole day without realizing it.

He was not late after all. There were still a few minutes left.

Fogg and Passepartout rushed to the club. The door opened as its members counted down the final seconds.

Phileas Fogg entered and said calmly:

“Gentlemen, I have returned.”

He had won the bet.

Yet once the expenses were added up, it became clear that the journey had brought him almost no financial gain. Instead, Fogg had returned with things he had never planned to find: Passepartout’s friendship, Aouda’s trust, thousands of memories, and the discovery that the world cannot be contained in any timetable.

Those eighty days had taught him that punctuality helps a traveler, but a journey’s true value cannot be measured by a clock.

It lies in the choices you make when time is running short.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨