One man's quest for happiness
around the world on a bicycle.

Now a rare best-selling independent book. Loved by more than 10,000 readers in over 31 countries.

I've traveled the world by bicycle to discover the "secrets" of life, and I've spent many more years to digest what I learned, exemplify the lessons learned and create a book that I guarantee is entertaining, and which I hope you find enlightening. Thanks in advance to my readers for being part of the journey. ~ Scott

Scott Stoll lives a life the rest of us only dream of. With a keen eye and an open heart, he expresses the joys and aggravations of traveling the world on two wheels. ~ Michael Berry, Bay Area book critic

Falling Uphill is essentially a metaphor for the inner journey, but if you like cycling here is what one person had to say -- Best Cycle Touring Account On The Market! Stoll masterfully relates his experiences as he cycles around the world. The reader is pulled immediately into the action, the tasteful dialogue, beautiful imagery and a healthy sense of humor. And if that's all Stoll did, it would be a fantastic book. But he takes it much deeper as he springboards from his experience into contemplations on the meaning of love, life, God, integrity, and his own existence. This book has all the adventure of Barbara Savage's "Miles From Nowhere", all the fun of Joe Kurmaskie's "Metal Cowboy", the touching lonely romance of Dave Stamboulis' "Odysseus' Last Stand" PLUS a universality of thought that all three of those cycle touring classics lack. I can't recommend this book highly enough!!... I couldn't believe that this book had escaped my searches until now. ~ Christina T. Amazon reviewer.

Read the synopsis of Falling Uphill.
Read the 10 Ten reasons to read Falling Uphill.

Scott's story has been featured in
dozens of high-profile news sources, including:

See the complete list of Scott's favorite media appearances.

Re-imagine the adventure of a lifetime
for the price of a few cups of coffee.

The illustrators of Falling Uphill at Poplar Creek Elementary School. Photo by Scott.

If you could do anything,
what would you do?

Falling Uphill: 25,742 miles, 1461 days, 50 countries, 6 continents & 4 moments of enlightenment on a bicycle.

Second Edition. New preface. Easier to read font size.

In one week, Scott Stoll lost his job, his best friend, his girlfriend and his confidence. Disillusioned with society, full of angst, a lost and wandering soul with nothing left to lose, Stoll asked himself a question: “If I only have one life, one chance, if I could do anything, what would I do?”

His answer resulted in a 4 year and 25,742 mile odyssey around the world by bicycle, seeking answers to the great mysteries of life, vowing to find happiness or die trying. The quest wasn’t easy. He was imprisoned, held hostage, mugged, run over, suspected of terrorism, accused of espionage, trampled, diseased, heartbroken—he nearly died a dozen times. But more importantly, he also discovered the wonders of the world, kindness among strangers, the meaning of life, peace, love and—Yes!—happiness, in the most unlikely places.

Re-live and re-imagine a journey around the world on a bicycle as a man stumbles through moments of pure survival and moments of pure enlightenment.

Buy Falling Uphill here and get
a personalized copy.

The Top Ten Reasons to Read Falling Uphill.

1. The #1 reason to read this book: It actually happened. The adventures are real, not fantasy; the lessons learned and moments of enlightenment are real-life experiences, not theory or rumors or cut-and-paste from another book; therefore, if I can live my dream, so can you.
2. It's not about the bike. This isn't a boring day-by-day travelogue. I didn't realize it while on my journey, but the theme is the classical hero’s journey towards self-actualization that we all must travel, as exemplified by Joseph Campbell in his book "The hero with a thousand faces"; therefore, Falling Uphill is a metaphor for your own journey, and as you re-imagine my discoveries, adding your own life experiences on top of mine, you’ll discover even more secrets to actualizing your own dreams.
3. This collection of easy-to-read short stories is written in the rare first-person, present-tense narrative so that you feel as if you’re riding the bike in quest of the great mysteries of life; and, the stories slowly build towards the grand finale which changed the way the author saw himself and the world forever.
4. Re-live the harrowing adventures: imprisoned in Zimbabwe; head-on collision with a motorcycle in northern Vietnam; nearly trampled by an elephant twice; almost dying of dehydration in the 125° Baja desert; mugged and beaten by armed robbers in Guatemala; held hostage in the Tomb of the Engineer in Giza, Cairo; Climbing to Mt. Everest Base Camp on a bicycle; interrogated as a suspected terrorist in Israel; threatened by poachers and a witch doctor with a magic crocodile in Zambia; and, visit the Wonders of the World: Machu Picchu, Victoria Falls, Pyramids of Egypt, the Parthenon, Uluru, and more.
5. Re-live the heart-warming adventures and moments of enlightenment: "Fall Uphill" on the backroads of a mexican mountain. Re-discover how to find peace and use your emotions like a sail to travel to faraway lands. Re-define what it means to love while facing extreme loneliness. Re-create the key to happiness living with the poorest of poor people all over the world. Tame the lions of your mind on a bicycle safari in Africa. Sit at the feet of an enlightened guru in the foothill of the Himalayas discussing the secrets of life. Meet a great buddha in the most unlikely place and learn to literally create the meaning to your life.
6. Re-live the extreme culture shock of returning home, and discover how we’re all programmed by our culture to be fearful and reactive.
7. Witness how the author realized the journey never ends, and learned how to find or create an adventure in every moment and to see the world with eyes of wonder.
8. It's a busy world, and people have less and less time, and more and more distractions. So, I've spent years to write a book that I feel is both entertaining and educational, which I believe offers some secrets how to soar like the eagle rather than be the rat in the maze. And, if you're really busy try the audio book or e-book.
9. Get a book personalized by the author and free colorful bookmark.
10. Support your local community. It can't be understated that if we want to live in a great community full of independent businesses, authors, artists, sidewalk cafes, clean air to breathe, etc., we have to spend our dollars in those places, rather than the Walmarts of the world.

Re-live the adventure and re-imagine life today.

Falling Uphill (Young adult edition)
Dreams for the young adventurer & the young at heart

If you read the first book, you'll love this one. It's a brand new re-imagined book suitable for all ages, featuring:

• An easy-to-read format. Every page is a mini-adventure, so you can skip around and read as much or as little as you want.
• Over 236 photographs and illustrations.
• Over 225 frequently asked questions that highlight the "secrets" of life that it took me many years and many thousands of miles to discover.
• A new humorous story: What's the grossest thing you've ever eaten? And other brand new super short stories.
• And much much more.

More info and samples of the book.

Falling Uphill (Children's edition)
The Secret of Life

I'm proud to announce Falling Uphill: The Secret of Life has been illustrated by Poplar Creek Elementary School. This project has involved over 1500 people. BEST OF ALL! -- This short and sweet edition is my favorite one! — It took all my years of wisdom to learn to write this simply. More info and samples of the book.

NEW. The Spanish Children's edition

Cayendo Hacia Arriba
El Secreto De La Vida

It has been the honor of a lifetime to be invited by the US Embassy and the schools of Argentina to collaborate on this special Spanish edition featuring all-new illustrations from the point of view of the Argentina culture and several new pages just for the Spanish edition. Once again the kids have been so creative that the book truly turned out better than I could have imagined, and now with a whole new level of meaning. More info and samples of the book.

Top 100 most common words in Falling Uphill