There's so much travel writing out there - how do you find the good stuff? You can ask your friends, do your research, or find sites that recommend books (like us!). Let me tell you about one new book that exemplifies the Best of travel writing. The Expeditioner’s Guide to the World: Intrepid Tales of Awesomeness from the Open Road IS pure awesomeness!

I opened it late at night, and have to admit that I read until 4am. Yes, it is ONE OF THOSE BOOKS. The kind where you can't stop reading, where you recommend it to everyone you know (like I am doing right now), and where in the morning, you re-read the bits that made you laugh late at night and they STILL make you laugh. Yes.

This collection of great travel writing includes pieces by David Farley (whom we love), and Amanda Pressner (look for our review of her book The Lost Girls soon), as well as a plethora of other writers that you will want more from. We can only hope that there will be a sequel to this excellent book. It's funny, wry, honest, and truly a pleasure to read.

We talked with Matthew Stabile, founder of TheExpeditioner.com (the travel magazine for the young and avid traveler) and Editor of The Expeditioner’s Guide to the World: Intrepid Tales of Awesomeness from the Open Road, about the book, his inspiration, authors, and more. Here's what he had to say...

WE: Please tell us about your book, The Expeditioner’s Guide to the World: Intrepid Tales of Awesomeness from the Open Road.

MS: The Expeditioner's Guide to the World is a globe-trotting collection of 39 stories, essays and poems compiled and co-edited by TheExpeditioner.com founder Matt Stabile and co-editors Luke Maguire Armstrong and Jon Wick. Together, we have created an edgy, creative collection that takes the reader through the entire traveling experience. Release earlier this year, the book is available in paperpack and in Kindle form on Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1456389521/ref=cm_sw_su_dp).

WE: What inspired you to publish this book?

MS: We were inspired to put together this book in an effort to give a voice to some of the best established and up-and-coming travel writers in the world right now, and to allow many of them their first opportunity to see their writing on paper. It's one thing to be able to publish online, but it's quite another to see your writing in a book. This was our effort to share those voices and to share our love of travel with others who do as well.

WE:  Who are your authors? How did you select them?

MS: We opened the contribution process up to everyone, from established published authors, to first-timers (along with a few friends and family members). We had both dedicated readers to the site contribute, as well as those who heard about the book through the grapevine. In the end, our picks were chosen based solely on their quality and that fit the style of our book the best.

WE: Your book covers so much of travel, from writing to roadblocks. What can readers expect from this book?

MS: The book is an amalgamation of all that is travel. The pieces take place all over the world, and cover trips, study abroad, volunteer missions, round-the-world trips -- pretty much everything. What makes our book unique from the run-of-the-mill travel anthology is that we strove to include all types of pieces. Not only are there long-form pieces, but also poems, top-10 lists and even a haiku or two. If a reader can expect anything, I would guess that by the end, they will want to put it down and rush to their computer to book their own trip so they can rack up an experience or two for themselves.

WE: How does this reflect your travel site, The Expeditioner?

MS: That's a really good question. I can't say that we intended the book to actually reflect the site, but, in the end, it's those of us that run and contribute to the site that put together the book, so I suppose that in the end it is quite reflective of The Expeditioner. It's high-quality (hopefully), it's irreverent, it's funny sometimes, and most of all, our goal was to celebrate travel and to inspire others to do so as well, and I think both the book and the site do that quite well.

WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

MS: Our goal all along was not to make a bundle of money, but rather to do something a little different in the genre of travel writing, and to give voice to some great writers, most whom most people have never heard of. I think we've accomplished this, and I would encourage everyone who is inspired by travel and excited about supporting some great travel writers, to pick up a copy of the book, and to help spread the word about our project.

WE: Thanks so much, Matt! We highly recommend this excellent book to our Wandering Educators.

All photos courtesy and copyright Matthew Stabile, TheExpeditioner.com