The Lonely Planet Travel Anthology – True stories from the world’s best writers Edited by Don George 271 pages | Lonely Planet

Can you think of a particular travel experience that changed your life in some way? Probably yes, and that’s the basis of this collection of 34 travel pieces.

Editor Don George asked hundreds of established writers, including journalists and travel writers like himself, to write about an actual travel experience that had “exerted a particularly profound and lasting influence” on their lives. He struck gold, and the tales presented here show how, at its best, travel opens our eyes, minds and hearts to the wonders of the world.

“May your mind be widened, your spirit enlivened, and your own path illuminated by these worldly word-journeys,” is the editor’s wish.

A number of these poignant pieces are about youthful adventures that taught lifelong lessons. “Long Distance” by Torre De Roche is a coming-of-age account of how a school trip from the suburbs to the Australian Outback literally broadened her perspective on the world.

Others recount the making of unexpected connections. In “The Whispering Lights of Lofauten”, for example, Candace Rose Barden makes a seemingly random journey to a hostelry in the Arctic Circle – in “the haiku days” of mid-winter – that confirms her vocation. In “Channelling Eudora”, Natalie Baszile visits a poor family in Louisiana, rejecting bigotry and reaffirming her humanity.

If you like short stories, or enjoy reading about travel – and particularly if you’re moved by authentic human experience – you’ll love this book as much as I did.