Lonely Planet Tales from Nowhere

Unexpected stories from unexpected places – a collection of 30 real-life tales that celebrate the transformative power of travel.

Many places can feel like nowhere: a desert, an isolated village, even the middle of a bustling, impersonal city. And then something happens: an adventure, a revelation, an experience that changes the whole landscape. The discovery that every place is the centre of the world to somebody and has its own riches and wonders. The authors of these tales find passion, surprise and illumination in the middle of Borneo or Beijing, in a Mayan mountain village, along a timeworn trail in Tuscany, on an isolated South Pacific island, or under a desert moon in Mali.

These richly varied stories all celebrate and illuminate one simple truth: if we embark on each adventure with an open heart and an open mind, travel will take us places we never planned to go, and enrich and enlighten us in ways we never otherwise would have known. Featuring stories by Anthony Sattin, Danny Wallace, Jason Elliot, Pam Houston, Rolf Potts, Pico Iyer, Tim Cahill, and Simon Winchester.