G. K. CHESTERTON ONCE distinguished between travelers, who “see what they see,” and tourists, “who see what they have come to see.” For this special issue of Bookforum, we asked writers to choose traveling over tourism—to meditate on a place and, most important, to look. The contributors raise provocative questions: Can you still get lost? Is travel writing more about the travelers than about the world they explore, or vice versa? What happens to travel stories when the author has no destination, only a desire to remain on the move? These essays and dispatches unfold with a restlessness, curiosity, and passion for discovery—qualities that evoke the essence of good writing and reading. So jump on board. You don’t have to pack anything to come along.
