Tim Cahill writes in his introduction to The Best American Travel Writing 2006, "'Story' is the essence of the travel essay. Stories are the way we organize the chaos in our lives, orchestrate voluminous factual material, and — if we are very good — shed some light on the human condition." Here are twenty-six pieces that showcase the best travel writing from 2005, filled with "keen observations that transform ordinary journeys into extraordinary ones" (Library Journal).

Mark Jenkins journeys into a forgotten valley in Afghanistan, Kevin Fedarko takes a wild ride through the rapids of the Grand Canyon, and Christopher Solomon reports on the newest fad to hit South Korea: downhill skiing. For David Sedaris, a seemingly routine domestic flight is cause for a witty rumination on modern airline travel. Alain de Botton describes the discreet charms of Zurich, and Ian Frazier recalls leaving the small Midwestern town he called home. Michael Paterniti gives a touching portrait of the world's tallest man — eight and a half feet and growing, while P.J. O'Rourke visits an airplane manufacturer to see firsthand how the French make the world's biggest passenger plane. George Saunders is dazzled by a trip to the "Vegas of the Middle East," Rolf Potts takes on tantric yoga for dilettantes, and Sean Flynn documents a seedier side of travel — the newest hotspot in the international sex trade.

Culled from a wide variety of publications, these stories, as Cahill writes, all "touched me in one way or another, changed an attitude, made me laugh aloud, or provided fuel for my dreams. I wish the reader similar joys."

"Declares Cahill (Jaguars Ripped My Flesh) in his introduction to the seventh edition of Houghton's annual collection, 'Story is the essence of the travel essay.' So perhaps it's no surprise to see several contributions from writers with literary reputations. Gary Shteyngart revisits his native St. Petersburg for the holidays; George Saunders takes a surreal journey through Dubai; and Alain de Botton explains why he loves 'boring and bourgeois' Zurich so much. But more traditional travel writers make their presence felt as well. Outside columnist Mark Jenkins hikes across the steppes from Afghanistan into China; in another article from that magazine, Michael Behar finds himself getting shot at by natives in the rain forests of West Papua. Airplanes come in for a lot of ribbing: P.J. O'Rourke jokes his way through a sneak peek at the jumbo-sized Airbus A380, while David Sedaris bears the resentment of his seatmate on a crowded flight after refusing to switch places with her husband. In a charming touch, the anthology begins and ends with stories about food: Chitrita Banerji's reflections about a Calcutta wedding feast are book-ended by Calvin Trillin's marvelous New Yorker piece about spending a week in Ecuador indulging his love for 'thick and hearty' fanesca soup, a perfect mix of exotic locale and elegant prose." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

'The set, boxed in a lavish silver metallic, features The Best

American Travel Writing 2006, edited by Tim Cahill; The Best American

Spiritual Writing 2006, introduced by Peter J. Gomes; and, like the first

set, The Best American Short Stories 2006, edited by Ann Patchett.'

A celebration of adventure and curiosity, this compilation transports readersfrom Patagonia to the Ivory Coast to small-town Vermont.

'Jason Wilson has written for the Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel + Leisure, and Salon.Tim Cahill is the author of eight books, including Road Fever, Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, and A Wolverine Is Eating My Leg. He is a founding editor of Outside magazine and writes frequently for National Geographic Adventure.'

Foreword by Jason Wilson ix Introduction by Tim Cahill xiv

Chitrita Banerji. A Shared Plate 1 from Gourmet

Michael Behar. The Selling of the Last Savage 6 from Outside

Paul Bennett. How to Sail Across the Atlantic 24 from National Geographic Adventure

Tom Bissell and Morgan Meis. After the Fall 44 from The Virginia Quarterly Review

Alain de Botton. The Discreet Charm of the Zurich Bourgeoisie 71 from FarFlungMagazine.com

Kevin Fedarko. Ain’t It Just Grand? 77 from Outside

Caitlin Flanagan. The Price of Paradise 93 from The New Yorker

Sean Flynn. Where They Love Americans . for a Living 105 from GQ

Ian Frazier. Out of Ohio 122 from The New Yorker

Tad Friend. The Parachute Artist 135 from The New Yorker

Pico Iyer. Our Lady of Lawson 153 from the New York Times Magazine

Mark Jenkins. A Short Walk in the Wakhan Corridor 156 from Outside

Heidi Julavits. Naked Ambition 175 from T: Travel, New York Times Style Magazine

Viyun Li. Passing Through 179 from the New York Times Magazine

P. J O’Rourke. The Mother Load 182 from The Atlantic Monthly

Michael Paterniti. XXXXL 193 from GQ

Tony Perrottet. The Joy of Steam 211 from WorldHum.com

Rolf Potts. Tantric Sex for Dilettantes 218 from PerceptiveTravel.com

Kira Salak. Rediscovering Libya 224 from National Geographic Adventure

George Saunders. The New Mecca 239 from GQ

David Sedaris. Turbulence 264 from The New Yorker

Sally Shivnan. Airborne 271 from The Georgia Review

Gary Shteyngart. A St. Petersburg Christmas 282 from Travel Leisure

Christopher Solomon. Let’s Ski Korea 291 from Ski

Patrick Symmes. A Peaceful Angle 300 from Outside

Calvin Trillin. Speaking of Soup 311 from The New Yorker

Contributors’ Notes 319 Notable Travel Writing of 2005 324