People travel for countless reasons, but no matter the route, duration, or destination, our journeys often share a common result: they transform us. The traveler is a pilgrim, wittingly or unwittingly, and never comes home the same. Travel can be the bearer of extraordinary gifts which break through the crust of old experience and reawaken us to the joys, mysteries, and miracles of everyday life. Whether it be a new understanding of a foreign culture or an epiphany that opens new inner worlds, travel is a catalyst for living a richer life. We've selected some favorite stories from the books in our award-winning series, stories of transformation and insight about simple but profound gifts travelers have received from people, places, and experiences around the world—from an unforgettable language teacher in Bangkok to the tambourine men of Recife, from a tomato festival in Spain to a mutton feast in Tibet, from a Barcelona train station to a Baja desert. The Gift of Travel will light a match in the firebox of your wanderlust, with stories of world travel.