Presents an anthology of the best travel writing published in the previous year, selected from magazines, newspapers, and web sites.

The points of view and perspectives in The Best Travel Writing 2009 are global, and the themes encompass high adventure, spiritual growth, romance, hilarity, misadventure, service to humanity, and encounters with exotic cuisine. Reading these stories is like sitting in a cafe filled with fellow travelers swapping tales about past adventures and ideas on where to head next. This edition takes the reader on a harrowing raft ride off the coast of Panama, on a whirlwind tour from Florence to Santorini, into the wilds of Patagonia, and to a colorful village in Ghana.

This is the fifth volume in the series launched in 2004 to celebrate the world's best travel writing, much of it never before published, from Novel Prize winners to up-and-coming new writers. The stories provide a perspective and depth of understanding that can only come from people who have actually been there.

The year's best travel writing, as chosen by series editor Jason Wilson and guest editor Robert Macfarlane. Writing, reading, and dreaming about travel have surged, writes Robert MacFarlane in his introduction to the Best American Travel Writing 2020. From an existential reckoning in avalanche school, to an act of kindness at the Mexican-American border, to a moral dilemma at a Kenyan orphanage, the journeys showcased in this collection are as spiritual as they are physical. These stories provide not just remarkable entertainment, but also, as MacFarlane says, deep comfort, "carrying hope, creating connections, transporting readers to other-worlds, and imagining alternative presents and alternative futures." The Best American Travel 2020 includes HEIDI JULAVITS - YIYUN LI - PAUL SALOPEK - LACY JOHNSON - EMMANUEL IDUMA - JON MOOALLEM - EMILY RABOTEAU and others

Women have been writing about their travels for generations, putting a uniquely feminine slant on life on the road and the people and places they encounter along the way. The third entry in Travelers’ Tales acclaimed annual series, The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008 presents exciting, uplifting, and unforgettable adventures from women who have traveled to the ends of the earth to discover new people, places, and facets of themselves. Combining lively storytelling and compelling narrative with a woman's perspective, the stories — most published here for the first time — make the reader laugh, cry, wish she were there, or be glad she wasn’t. Eclectic themes including solo journeys, family travel, romance, spiritual growth, strange foods, and even stranger people, inspire women to plan their next great journeys.

Since 1993, readers have looked to Travelers' Tales for award-winning stories about the world, adventure, spirituality, and the transformative experiences that accompany life on the road. The Best Travel Writing 2008 is the fifth volume in the series launched in 2004 to celebrate the world's best travel writing — much of it never before published — from Nobel Prize winners to up-and-coming new writers. The stories provide a perspective and depth of understanding that can only come from people who have actually been there, and encompass everything from high adventure to misadventure, spiritual growth to romance, service to humanity to encounters with exotic cuisines. Reading the book is like sitting in a café filled with fellow travelers, swapping tales about destinations near and far — readers emerge changed, eager for more, and ready to plan their next trips.

Lavishly illustrated.