Who knows why some words ignite the hearts of some readers while others are like wet matches that won't light.

In each of us dwells a pilgrim. It is the part of us that longs to have direct contact with the sacred.

Inspiration comes and goes, creativity is the result of practice.

Reading old travel books or novels set in faraway places, spinning globes, unfolding maps, playing world music, eating in ethnic restaurants, meeting friends in cafes . . . all these things are part of never-ending travel practice, not unlike doing scales on a piano, shooting free-throws, or meditating.

There is an unknown room in the soul that is constantly turning the stuff of daydreams into myths for us, helping us to get at meaning we can't get to through the front door.

Our task in life is to find our deep soul work and throw ourselves headlong into it.

Mapping out dozens of deeply focused trips around the world has convinced me that preparation no more spoils the chance for spontaneity and serendipity than discipline ruins the opportunity for genuine self-expression in sports, acting, or the tea ceremony.