Whispers at the Garden Gate™ Presents
Around the World in 4380 Days…
A Literary Journey Through the Pages & Places Where Stories are Born
Welcome Aboard…
Beloved classics. Stunning literary destinations. One of a Kind Journey Around the World.
Join us on an unprecedented decade-long literary journey across the world’s most iconic literary landscapes. Over the next 12 years, we’ll explore over 160 classic works, 25-plus countries, and over 60 authors as we follow their paths across continents and listen for the whispered stories left behind.
From the pastoral meadows of the Dales to the sun-drenched coasts of the Aegean, each year, will celebrate beloved classic authors, the gardens and landscapes that inspired their works, the people who keep their legacy alive, and the enduring beauty of their literary works. Enjoy the themed seasonal year-round podcast with virtual literary conversations, book boxes, and immersive tours, as we step into the landscapes that brought the world’s greatest stories to life.
Opening the Gates to the Pages & Places where Stories are Born
Why We Listen to the Whispers
When I first started writing, I aimed to change the world one book, one reader at a time. A worthy, albeit slightly naive goal. Over my many years in the publishing industry, I have written quite a few books, received quite a few rejections, and celebrated the wins that came along the way. And while I haven’t changed the world myself, what I realized I always knew is that literature and powerful literary voices can and do, in fact, make a difference. Like most things, though, the names of once-celebrated authors start fading away with time. Their narrative voices carried away by the wind, with little left behind but a whisper.
Everybody knows Pinocchio, but how many talk about Carlo Collodi these days? This is why I found Whispers at the Garden Gate and why I launched Around the World in 4380 Days. To amplify voices like Collodi’s, so that even 200 years from now people will still read their works and know their stories. Because maybe few will remember me, but plenty should remember them.
With that in mind, Whispers at the Garden Gate launched a 12-year immersive literary journey around the world, inviting members to explore the landscapes, streets, gardens, and towns that inspired the greatest stories ever told. Every year the program unfolds in four distinct seasonal chapters, each with a unique thematic focus within the overarching annual theme highlighting favorite classic works and authors.
Inspired by one of my favorite classics growing up, Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days, we embark on this literary adventure across nations and continents. From sunlit Mediterranean coasts and misty northern moors, to enchanted forests and legendary castles, this journey celebrates the timeless stories and enduring literary voices that still speak to us today. Throughout the years, seasonal literary reads and conversations will guide participants through the pages, while themed tours & retreats will offer the chance to walk in the footsteps of authors who have captured imaginations for generations.
This is literature you can step into — even if you never turn the page.
How the Journey Unfolds
Around the World in 4380 Days is designed as an open, evolving literary journey.
You’re welcome to join whenever inspiration strikes.
Listen to a conversation, rediscover a favorite classic, enjoy a themed book box, or travel to the places where stories were born.
Our basic membership is free and offers access to all seasonal literary discussions, audio podcast, video library of past conversations, community, downloadables, giveaways, and at-home retreats. Premium members receive additional benefits, including seasonal book box subscription and exclusive live events. Themed book boxes, retreats, and tours are always available à la carte, so you can experience the journey whenever and in whatever way suits your season of life.
Whether you join us for a single author, one journey, or the entire decade-long adventure, you’re part of the story.
Step through the gate
How It Works
1. Climb Aboard
Sign up for the newsletter, join our community spaces, and follow along on social media to receive seasonal announcements, author features, travel inspiration, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the journey as it unfolds.
2. Experience the Stories
Tune in to the literary discussions with industry experts available as both a video library and an audio podcast. Check out the supplemental posts and download end of season pamphlets.
3. Create Your Own Bookish Retreat at Home
Download seasonal retreat guides to recreate the atmosphere wherever you are. Take it a step further by enjoying themed book boxes-available both as a subscription and on demand.
4. Explore Literary Sites & Destinations
Join our immersive literary journeys & retreats to the landscapes, homes, and archives connected to the authors we explore. Can’t join the group tours or design a bespoke experience inspired by the books that call to you.
5. Celebrate Together
Each year culminates in our virtual holiday literary tea — a gathering to reflect on the journey, hear from a special guest, enjoy giveaways, and preview the next year’s themes, authors, and adventures.
Books are always good company if you have the right Louisa May Alcott
“We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.” A. A. Milne
The Pages…
What authors will we talk about
That’s a surprise, but you are bound to find your favorite. There will be hints throughout the website, subtle clues about what to expect. Since the experience is inspired in part by Around the World in Eighty Days, chances are our journey may, in some ways, mirror Phileas Fogg’s — full of unexpected turns, discoveries, and delightful literary detours.
Along with curated book boxes, seasonal events, and immersive literary experiences, The Pages invite you to not simply read the stories, but to live alongside them exploring the landscapes that shaped them, rediscovering beloved classics, and perhaps meeting a few new lifelong favorites along the way.
The Places
What to expect
Launching an experience of this length and magnitude has been an exciting challenge, but after years of research and planning, I am delighted with the result and can’t wait to share it with you. Of course, the countries and places we visit will compliment the seasonal themes and classic works we discuss. Those are not exclusive, however, as all tours are a combination of literary and cultural immersion. That means that each group tour will only take place during the year, or shortly after we’ve covered that theme. That’s great for those joining us from the get-go, but what about those who find us next year or in five years? Or those unable to make it on the group tour, or prefer to travel solo or with a significant other?
Since the goal was to design an experience, you can join anytime and enjoy all it has to offer, I am delighted to share that tour itineraries complimenting prior seasonal themes will be available on demand as bespoke and FIT options through us or our trusted partners in the travel and literary industry. They are familiar with the plan and are ready to offer a one of a kind experience, closely mirroring the original itineraries.
Since all tours are a combination of literary and cultural immersion, there are spots on the schedule that may not necessarily come out of a classic novel, but are worth a visit for lovers of literature, history, and art. After all, we are listening for the whispered stories left behind, and boy, do we have stories to share with you. I was looking for, as Anne Shirley would say, scope for the imagination. Places that inspire, empower, uplift, and bring joy.
Because, to quote Anne again, the heroine with whom we’ve launched this unprecedented literary odyssey: “When you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worthwhile. It’s delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?”
See the current tour offerings…
Year One: 2026 | United States & Canada
North America’s Enduring Voices: Timeless Tales of Home and Heart
Jan-Mar
L.M. Montgomery
A Season of Kindred Spirits, Canadian Voices, and the Enduring World of L.M.Montgomery
Apr-Jun
Wilder, White, Baum
Frontiers of Wonder: Where Hope Grows, Imagination Blooms, and Dreams Take Flight
Jul-Sep
Edith Warthon
Echoes of the Gilded Age: Literature, Leisure, and the Stories Beneath the Splendor
Oct-Dec
Alcott, Hawthorne
Hearth & Heritage: Fireside Tales, Lingering Shadows, and the Stories That Built a Nation
Themed Literary Journeys
Spring 2027
Lenox, Newport
Echoes of the Gilded Age: Literature, Leisure, and the Stories Beneath the Splendor
“Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”
Anne of Green Gables,
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Season One: Prologue
A Season of Austen
watch the discussions
Literary Video Gallery
check out
The Specials
Find Featured Titles in
Our Bookshop
Don’t miss
The Garden Tales’s Facebook Group
Keep up to date on current reads, discussions, and news when you join the community on our Facebook group.
Books are uniquely portable magic. – Steven King
Favorite Bookish Quotes
Hello! My name is Ivanka and I’ll be your host during this journey around the world. Welcome aboard!
When I first started Whispers at the Garden Gate™ Club & Literary Experience, I chose a tagline that reflected my goal behind this program. I said that we’d be “opening the gates to the pages and places where stories are born.” I meant it mostly metaphorically, of course, describing the journey most readers take when they immerse themselves in a beloved story.
Today this is no longer just an idea, but the culmination of a lifelong love for classic literature, decades of travel & living abroad, an unapologetic passion for history and research, and the joy of sharing the magic of literary travel with like-minded community. One might argue that being a travel writer I chose travel, but in truth, it chose me. There is something about climbing aboard a railway express for a four days’ journey across Eastern Europe, and celebrating your first birthday on that train, somewhere between Bucharest and Kiev, that stays with you. It leaves a mark and a thirst for adventure, exploration, and wanderlust.
I have sat on Homer’s rock, climbed the Duomo di Milano, and walked among the ancient ruins of the Library of Celsius, but this new journey–this decade long literary Odyssey around the world, is an adventure I never dared to imagine would be possible. Sharing it with you is an honor and a privilege.
