Gail Marlow Taylor's Childhood and Inspiration

Gail Marlow Taylor's childhood in Tehran and Geneva inspired her with a lifelong passion for travel.

About "Time to Unpack"

"Time to Unpack is a memoir about growing up as a restless traveler, who always felt most at home when on the move. It all started in the 1950's, when Gail's father was asked to establish a school of public administration at the University of Tehran. Like thousands of Americans, her family moved to a faraway land during the Cold War as part of a foreign aid project.

This is a story about a little girl growing up in Iran and Switzerland, a teenager adjusting to life in America, newlyweds rejected by the Peace Corps, a woman balancing family and career, and a retiree going for a Ph.D. It tells of travel to places like Morocco and Tunisia and living in Japan and Germany. But more than a tale of faraway places, this is a journey through time, from the 1950s to the Pandemic of 2020.