Why Travel Matters: A Guide to the Life-Changing Effects of Travel

149 Pages·2018·8.22 MB·English

by  Craig Storti

WHY TRAVEL MATTERS
A Guide to the Life-Changing Effects of Travel
CRAIG STORTI
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue: A Murder in Loughborough
Chapter 1: Why Travel Matters
Chapter 2: A New Place
Chapter 3: New People
Chapter 4: A New World
Chapter 5: How to Travel
Epilogue: Our Insane Restlessness
Appendix A: Rules for Travel
Appendix B: Not So Fast: The Travel Cranks
Appendix C: Recommended Reading
Bibliography
Permissions
Author Biography
Praise for
WHY TRAVEL MATTERS
“Why Travel Matters is an engaging, intelligent and entertaining exploration of
why we travel, how we do it, and what it does to us. I’ve not read anything like it
before. Like the act of travelling itself, it shifted my perspective on the world
and helped me see familiar terrain in unfamiliar ways.”
Nick Hunt, Author, 2017 FT and Spectator
Book of the Year, Where the Wild Winds Are
“Craig Storti has written a highly intelligent and deeply engaging book that
examines not only the beauty but also the importance of travel.”
Thomas Swick, Author, The Joys of Travel:
And Stories That Illuminate Them
“You may have visited the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China, but if you
haven’t read this book, you may not have traveled. From deep experience and
insight, Craig Storti, with clarity, humor, and a grand sense of history, shows
how travel does matter. In practical steps, he demonstrates ways we can go
beyond mere tourism to become enlightened participants in new places
everywhere. For all travelers—not to mention interculturalists—this book is a
must.”
Fanchon Silberstein, Former Director,
The Overseas Briefing Center, US Dept. of State.
“Craig Storti compellingly answers the question: ‘Why does travel matter?’ He
differentiates between travel and tourism, then makes the case that travel
guarantees that the person who set out is not the same one who returns. His
treasury of quotes vividly illuminates his points, adding rich context to this
captivating work. His point: travel is both an inner and outer journey.”
Sandra M. Fowler, President, Society of Intercultural
Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR)
Other Works by Craig Storti
Americans at Work: A Guide to the Can-Do People
The Art of Doing Business Across Cultures: 10 Countries,
50 Mistakes, and 5 Steps to Cultural Competence
The Art of Coming Home
The Art of Crossing Cultures
Incident at Bitter Creek: The Story of the Rock
Springs Chinese Massacre
Cross-Cultural Dialogues: 74 Brief Encounters
with Cultural Difference
Old World/New World: Bridging Cultural Differences:
Britain, France, Germany and the U.S.
Speaking of India: Bridging the Communication Gap
When Working with Indians
Understanding the World’s Cultures: 20th Anniversary edition of
the classic, Figuring Foreigners Out
To Charlotte
for all the places you
have taken me
Acknowledgments
This book has been over 35 years in the making. I date its inception to 1982, the
year I first picked up Paul Fussell’s brilliant book, Abroad: British Literary
Traveling between the Wars. My wife and I were living in England at the time
and it was easy to get my hands on all the wonderful writers that book
introduced me to. Those writers led me to others, inspiring 35-plus years of
reading all the great travel narratives, first the classics that Fussell wrote about
and then the more modern travel writers. Along the way I became involved in
the intercultural field, which only further fueled my interest in travel literature,
At Nicholas Brealey I would like to thank Alison Hankey, Melissa Carl, and
Michelle Morgan, who championed this book as soon as they heard about it.
They supported it at every turn, and on occasion even fought for it when
necessary. Later in the process, Giuliana Caranante poured her considerable
marketing expertise into the book, along with a great deal of personal
enthusiasm. Brett Halbleib did an excellent job of copyediting, pulling the book
back in several places from the brink of self-indulgence. Two travel writers,
Thomas Swick and Nick Hunt, offered great moral support.
Writers erupt in rants from time to time—it’s just how they’re made—and
anyone close to the eruptions can get badly burned. Alison and Michelle felt the
heat regularly, and to their credit they never once recoiled. Alas, it’s always
one’s spouse who suffers the worst burns in these cases. I suppose it’s all part of
the bargain one makes when one marries a writer: close proximity to the
occasional crisis of confidence in return for undying gratitude.
Craig Storti
Westminster, MD
Spring 2018
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.
St. Augustine