Travel writer and television host Steves (you can catch him on PBS and also on radio) departs from the usual where-to-go and what-to-see of travel books and here concentrates on why people, especially Americans, should travel. Drawing on his years of experience as traveler and tour guide, Steves provides many examples of how travel can broaden one's mind, whether challenging or confirming preset ideas. For example, visiting Morocco and Turkey can show how a Muslim country can be vibrant and hospitable. Even in familiar Europe, American travelers can learn that issues such as sex and drugs are treated much more pragmatically than they are Stateside. In Central America, the traveler can see firsthand the results of the Monroe Doctrine and globalization. VERDICT As a nation, Americans don't much travel abroad, and Steves challenges them, arguing for the importance of seeing things for oneself. The corollary is that citizens of other countries (such as Iran) then get to meet face-to-face with Americans, a counterbalance to the rhetoric of our leaders. The author only mildly injects his own opinions into the larger argument, and then more as an example than a prescription. Excellent for those who read deeply in travel or are considering an international trip.—Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ., Bowling Green

This edition of a previously published work by veteran travel enthusiast and guidebook author Rick Steves has been updated to reflect current events weighing heavily upon the global political landscape. Steves’s pleasant, down-to-earth delivery will be familiar to listeners who have watched his travel shows on PBS. He argues for travel’s importance in building relationships with people in places that are demonized or misrepresented by our media, and overcoming fears fostered by these media messages. Steves says that getting off the beaten track and talking to people in widely varying locales can inform how we conduct our own lives and politics at home. While certainly skewing toward Steves’s own political beliefs, the message remains valuable and timely in today’s contentious political climate. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine