About the Author

Joe Hayward was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family of five lived in a one bedroom, railroad flat in a blue collar neighborhood where workers were paid little but little was enough to pay for food, shelter, and clothing. Upon graduating college Joe became a teacher to avoid the draft and Vietnam. He felt guilty, however, waived his deferrment, and asked the Army to draft him; done. He was offered three years as a lieutenant or two years as a private. It would be Pvt. Hayward, sir. He was lucky. Trained as a medic, he was sent to Europe for two years. During those two years, 1967-1969, Joe traveled at least once to every country in Western Europe and put 100,000 miles on his VW bug. Travel with all its adventure became a never ending journey. There was always something else around the next corner and the next. After two years in the Army (1967-1969) Joe was discharged and he intentionally returned to teaching, this time doing the right thing for the right reason. In 1976, after seven years of teaching, Joe was awarded a sabbatical, with pay. Between the awarding of the sabbatical (October 1976) and the start of the sabbatical (January 1977) Joe finished writing all the curriculum material he said he would write. What to do? A trip around the world was born. Joe figured that if he concentrated on Third World countries he could sustain himself for many months through Asia, Middle East, Africa, and South America. He was right. A trip was born and thirty-six years later a book was born. Upon returning from his trip, Joe married the woman who he wrote to nearly everyday, Carol. They reared three terrific boys, now all men: Michael (1980), Nicholas (1982), and Christopher (1985). In October 2012 they welcomed their first grandchild, Emma Elizabeth. Joe had one more big trip in him. In 2005 he flew to Seattle, bought a bicycle, and pedaled back to New York, over the Cascades and Rockies and through prairies, hill country, and farmland. Joe had a goal, to average 100 miles a day. He biked for 37 days and traveled 3,700 miles. After years as a teacher, director, and principal, Joe is now retired and living in Southampton, New York.