The Soul of a Great Traveler

Book excerpt: For ten years the editors of Travelers' Tales have run a writing competition to find the best travel story of the year: The Solas Awards. Over those years, thousands of stories have come across their desks, from writers famous and unknown, covering all corners of the globe with stories of adventure and discovery, love and loss, humor and absurdity, grief and joy. In this collection appear all of the top prize winners of the last ten years, stories that bring readers along for journeys that are inspiring, uplifting, and, very often, transformative. These tales are powerful, moving testaments to the richness of our world, its cultures, people, and places. In this book, readers will: Deposit a loved one's ashes in a Bolivian River Find the Celtic soul you never knew you had in rural Ireland Grope through the maze of sorcery and madness in Cameroon Rediscover your sense of self on a return to Russia after many years away Follow the spirit of John Wesley Powell down the Grand Canyon in Arizona Engage loss and the specter of death in Mexico Face your deepest fears alone in an Alaskan winter Encounter the realities of prostitution in Thailand Absorb the rhythms and soul of Flamenco in Spain Fall in love with a home in rural France and make it your own... and much more