The Best American Travel Writing 2021 (The Best American Series ®)

I am such a fan of travel writing, that I completely forgot what travel meant in the year of the pandemic. This may be the first collection of travel writing by those who stayed in place, and also those who continued to seek out adventures during the epidemic crisis. With that caveat, these essays are well worth reading especially because travel has been so proscribed.

This particular year leads to dark reflections on the state of the world such as Elizabeth Miller’s The Losing Coast. In this essay, she reflects that in the near future, 2250 square miles of land will disappear due to rising seas. Some 2000 miles of wetlands have disappeared from Louisiana over the last century. Equally enlightening is Sarah Moss’ A Change in Perspective. In this essay, we are encouraged to stay local and study small areas nearby. As a substitute for wider travel, she suggests to look more closely at one’s own backyard. The writer Paul Theroux reminds us that many travelers never venture out of the comfort of their hotels. He suggests that risky travel remains a most rewarding experience even within the boundaries and limits one must face.