Finding travel writing in unexpected places

Sometimes the best travel writing isn’t called “travel writing,” and chances are you won’t find it in the travel section of your local bookstore.

Autobiographical works such as Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies and Maya Angelou’s All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes – aside from being personal favorites – are beautifully written stories of journeys, both physical and metaphysical. Although these works aren’t likely to be found under the heading of “Travel Narratives,” they’re compelling travel stories nonetheless.

Luckily for readers, editors Lucy McCauley, Amy G. Carlson, and Jennifer Leo have included excerpts from these works, as well as many other unexpected gems, in their anthology, A Woman’s Path: Women’s Best Spiritual Travel Writing (Traveler’s Tales, 2003).