From all over the map come stories with an attitude that oscillates between introspective reflection and a survival-of-the-fittest approach. You’ll blink twice when you recall you didn’t actually experience Reesa Grushka’s brush with the mystical in Jerusalem or Kevin Fedarko’s recount of the Djiboutian drug derby yourself. Matthew Power’s vivid imagery of his trek to a Filipino garbage heap and Gary Shteyngart’s side-note about the bundas in Brazil bring you to the inner circle of travel connoisseurs with tidbits of local knowledge, interspersed with acute commentary.

The late Edward Hoagland revisits the harsh environment of British Columbia in his journal entries, one-eighth of which appear together in the collection, divesting any facade of contrived writing from his experience with nature. A skilled style adds to the strength of Jonathan Stern’s parody of a guidebook profile on an especially exotic location: his apartment. It gives a sharp twist to the phrase, “It’s a jungle in there.”

As this year’s editor, Susan Orlean writes poignantly in her introduction, “In a way, these [stories] are the exact opposite of the travel you might do on Google Maps – these stories are the world not as it can be plotted by satellite but as it is observed and meditated in a very subjective and personal manner.”

Although written with an adventurous flair, not all of the short stories are distinctly positive. A nostalgic look at a group of Vietnam War correspondents, a flashback to a horrific airplane crash in the Andes mountains and a fleeting visit to an isolated outpost in the coldest place on Earth spun my mind to contemplate the essence of humanity. From the cozy perspective of her Los Angeles hotel room, Ann Patchett observes that losing yourself in thought and getting lost in a foreign place categorize under the same umbrella term of travel.

Take a trip to a familiar or seldom-explored place with the fresh perspective of a companion who whips together witty panache, relevancy, and the wisdom of a dog-eared passport. The $14 cost to vicariously experience the world through this series is worth it if you’re anxious to make a getaway excursion while in an airport, bus or train terminal en route to your own adventure. As page-turning short-stories, these pieces are easy to read quickly while waiting, and yet still provide a satisfying depth.

The Best American Travel Writing, published annually by Houghton Mifflin, binds together contemporary master travel writers under the covers of one anthology. The current 2007 series offers the voices of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of
Eat, Pray, Love, and Peter Hessler, author of River Town. Other pieces by acclaimed freelancers appear from various publications, including GQ, The New Yorker, Time, National Geographic and National Geographic Adventure.