Here at Wandering Educators, I am lucky enough to read MANY, many travel books. Each one can take me to a different place in this world, and I always enjoy it. However, few are full of both humor and humility, and able to teach me many things about both different cultures and the nature of humanity. One such book I've recently finished is The Plane to Lisbon: A Travel Memoir, by Nicholas Dan Richie.

When I left for a fourteen-month journey across Asia late in 2003, one of the books I carried in my pack was Paul Theroux’s Fresh Air Fiend: Travel Writings, an eclectic collection of essays he had penned in the 1980s and 90s.

"Here's a recipe for adventure:

    * 5 Mideast countries
    * 1 Seattle dotcommer
    * A one-way plane ticket
    * Several Lonely Planet guides
    * Pakistani rosary beads

Mix together with questions about identity and roots.