The Thousands

You don’t need to be lost in Shinjuku or barreling towards London on a mothership to find relevance in The Travel Almanac. As Brook Chapman neatly sums up in the opening essay, “Travelling is simply created through difference; it happens with a rupture in the terms that define our norm.” That rupture might be hiking up Mt Massive or scrolling through the internets or (heaven forbid) ordering a different type of coffee. Whatever. You’re journeying, and the collection of interviews and features in issue 01 calls on the wisdom and examines the habits of people who travel in different ways.

David Lynch is a man who has been on a lot of planes, but trips like a shaman when he shuts his eyes. I suspect that Terence Koh has never really been in a hotel but he sure has a lot of entertaining things to say about them. Rinko Kawauchi loves to travel within her own county – and her photo essay showcases its versatile beauty.

Even though physical travel gets a good airing via a feature on Japanese guesthouses and a listing of international hotels, Lynch keeps it all on a level playing field. Q: “What important or interesting differences do you see between physically going somewhere, i.e. from Los Angeles to India, or internal experiences?” A: “Both can be great, and both can be not-so-great.” And that’s the final word on trips.