Going traveling is one of the few things we undertake in a direct attempt to make ourselves happy-and frequently, in fascinating ways, we fail. We get bored, cross, anxious, or lonely. It isn't surprising: our societies act as if going traveling were simple, just a case of handing over the right sum of money. But a satisfying journey isn't something we can simply buy, and sadly something that should fill us with excitement can often end up being a source of angst and stress. This is the guide: not to any one destination but to travel in general. It talks to us, among other things, about how we should choose a place to go, what we might do when we get there, how we should make good moments stick in our minds and why hotel rooms can be such liberating places. . . In a succession of genial essays, we become students of an unexpected but vital topic: how to understand and more fully relax and enjoy (what should be) some of the finest experiences of our lives.
