It’s been almost four years now since Vagabonding was first published, and I continue to be encouraged by readers who’ve found travel inspiration in its pages.

Here are five outtakes from recent reader letters that underscore the practical and inspirational strengths of Vagabonding:

As travel inspiration:

“Hey man, I just finished Vagabonding and of all the books I have ever read in my life, yours was the most inspirational — I have started referring to it as my new bible, and have recommended it to everyone I talk to. I read it while I was on a three-week jaunt through the Pacific Northwest. …As a firm subscriber to the belief that traveling is about the journey, not the destination, your book really got me fired up, and totally made me re-evaluate the way I want to live my life as a traveler.”

To fuel and focus your travel dreams:

“A friend who is absolutely enamored with the idea of vagabonding recommended your book to me and I ate it up as well, and I’m eager for my first travel experience. Such a nice book you wrote — you’ve given me a dream that should soon become reality.”

To more fully embrace life:

“I have read your book Vagabonding and absolutely loved it. It really started making me think about what’s out there and what’s possible. I have decided to do this myself, to actually live, and I’m very excited.”

For practical and philosophical travel information:

“I had been planning to travel for years (tied down with the college thing) and I stumbled upon your book when trying to find a Latin word to describe the type of traveling I would be doing. Your book rocked my world. I found more than a word, I found a guide, a philosophy, resources and the mistakes I made on previous trips. There is already a waiting line for my friends that want to borrow the book. Your book probably saved me countless hours of head-pounding failed Internet searches and many mistakes I would have made on the road.”

As a guide for living deliberately:

“Your book was a great inspiration to me. Not only do I think that it is a brilliant guide that shows us how and why to travel, I think that your book outlines the underlying principles of how we should be our best selves.”

For more information about Vagabonding, check out the book’s website here