Storti - Why travel matters: a guide to the life-changing effects of travel

WHY TRAVEL MATTERS

A Guide to the Life-Changing Effects of Travel

CRAIG STORTI

First published in 2018 by Nicholas Brealey Publishing
An imprint of John Murray Press

An Hachette UK company

23 22 21 20 19 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Copyright Craig Storti 2018

The right of Craig Storti to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017961465

ISBN 978-1-47367-028-0

U.S. eBook ISBN 978-1-47367-030-3

U.K. eBook ISBN 978-1-47367-029-7

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

John Murray Press policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable, and recyclable products and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

John Murray Press Ltd

Carmelite House

50 Victoria Embankment

London EC4Y 0DZ

Tel: 020 3122 6000

Nicholas Brealey Publishing

Hachette Book Group

53 State Street

Boston, MA 02109, USA

Tel: (617) 263 1834

www.nicholasbrealey.com

To Charlotte
for all the places you
have taken me

This book has been over 35 years in the making. I date its inception to 1982, the year I first picked up Paul Fussells 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 timeits just how theyre madeand 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, its always ones spouse who suffers the worst burns in these cases. I suppose its 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

Why Travel Matters is an engaging, intelligent and entertaining exploration of why we travel, how we do it, and what it does to us. Ive 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 havent 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 travelersnot to mention interculturaliststhis 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 Worlds Cultures: 20th Anniversary edition of
the classic, Figuring Foreigners Out

Of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares and the slavery of Home, man feels once more happy. The blood flows with the fast circulation of childhood. Afresh dawns the morn of life.

Richard Burton
The Devil Drives

W hen you travel, you have a choice: You can be a tourist and have a nice time, or you can be a traveler and change your life. This book is for those who want to change their lives.

For centuries the travel giantsfamous travelers and great travel writershave celebrated the life-altering effects of travel, with its unparalleled opportunities for self-improvement and personal growth.

I have a notion that by travel I can add to my personality and so change myself, W. Somerset Maugham wrote. I do not bring back from a journey quite the same self that I took (17).

Alexander Pope wrote that by travel, generous souls enlarge the mind (Fussell 1987, 174).