In an era when most people never ventured beyond their hometowns, James Holman circled the globe... blind. Born in Exeter, England in 1786, Holman was a naval officer whose promising career was cut short by illness. By the time he was in his mid-20s, he was completely blind.

But instead of retreating from the world, he set out to explore it.

Holman traveled more than 250,000 miles during his lifetime, visiting every inhabited continent and publishing popular travelogues that captured the curiosity of 19th-century readers. His journeys took him across Europe, Africa, Russia, the Americas, and deep into the South Pacific.

All of this without sight, relying instead on sharp hearing, memory, touch, conversation, and a finely honed awareness of his surroundings.

He traveled by foot, horse, carriage, and ship... often alone, and often in places where few Europeans had ever gone.

In Russia, he was arrested and accused of being a spy because authorities couldn’t believe a blind man would be traveling that far without a secret agenda. In Africa, he explored the Cape Colony. In Australia, he recorded one of the earliest outsider accounts of daily life.

Holman’s sensory observations were incredibly vivid.

He described volcanic eruptions, bustling cities, and mountain landscapes using the clues he collected through conversation, touch, smell, and sound. When he climbed Mount Vesuvius, he described the rumble of the earth beneath his feet and the warmth of rising steam.

Despite his fame during his lifetime, Holman’s legacy faded after his death in 1857. His accomplishments were often seen as curiosities rather than serious exploration.

But modern historians and travel writers have begun to recognize the extraordinary depth of his work.

By October 1846, Holman had become the first blind person to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. His achievements were not just about the miles he covered, but how deeply he engaged with the world around him.

He published several volumes, including "A Voyage Round the World" and a four-part series titled "Travels of James Holman."

Holman’s life reminds us that exploration isn’t only about what you see. It’s about how you listen, how you move through a place, and the questions you ask along the way.

Until next time,

Emails From Afar Team

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