The Best American Travel Writing 2018 Paperback – October 2, 2018

If only Cheryl Strayed could edit every Best American series. I have already taught from the book after reading it cover-to-cover in one sitting. These essays actually INSPIRE the students.This is by far the most engaging, diverse, and refreshing group of travel writing essays I've seen in one collection.It feels like the beginning of a changing of the guard from the smothering, dominant perspective of white, male, privileged travellers. Halle-freaking-lujah and Amen, Cheryl Strayed. Well chosen!Thank you for putting this together. I will be teaching from it, and recommending it to others, for years to come.

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Don’t buy this if you’re look for a “where to go/where to stay/what to do” book. It’s not that. It’s far better. It’s about the impact of travel of various types on individual writers. Their insights, feelings, experiences and changes from traveling to places very near and very far. And don’t worry about the date on the book (2018). None of the stories is time limited.

You've seen the other reviews about the amount of politics in the stories, and the first couple of stories were heavy on politics (but were still worthy of the anthology), and then the next few stories felt like the type of stories we love in the Best American anthologies. And then there was Ian Frazier's story about St. Petersburg. I am a huge fan of Ian Frazier, but this story kept going on...and on...and on. I think about all of the pulp that went into printing that one story and how it could have been replaced by three or four (or five) other stories instead that would have provided a boatload more of entertainment. The book picked up the pace after that. I'm a loyal fan of the Best American series and will continue to read them in future years and hope for the best.

I love the essay format! I got to learn about so many different places to check out.

Mostly enjoyable collection of travel-related short pieces. However, there was a bit more politics than I would have preferred in the travel writing I read. The book contained a wide-range of material, from the uncomfortable-ness of an American on a French vacation, the black experience on the Appalachian trail, to the exploration of AI and technology in Korea, and the food scene in Moscow. I enjoyed the diverse selection and learned quite a bit more about the world.

Love this series. Great writers in interesting places.

Selections are better suited for something other than a travel anthology. The history of the Russian Revolution is not travel writing. Because you write about a subject in another place does not make it travel writing. I have read these for many years and recommend skipping 2018. I guess the editor did not understand what travel writing is.