Travelling across our planet and, in recent decades, even beyond it is one of the foundational experiences underlying our species’ evolution. What we call travel has continuously changed throughout the ages: migrations, explorations, crossings – from humanity’s initial steps out of Africa to space tourism, from Herodotus to tour operators. This book’s author – a scholar and a long-time traveller – leads readers on a whirlwind tour featuring real and fantastic journeys, pilgrimage treks, mercantile enterprises, holidays, pedestrian tours, and exotic fads. From the North Pole to Cape Horn, from the Sahara to the Himalayas, the author tells the stories of men and women who, by setting out on a journey, changed their lives and sometimes the world’s destiny. This compelling read will put us in touch with our nature as travellers, encouraging us to thrust our imagination a little further, mingle with the world, and conquer new frontiers.

Franco Brevini teaches Italian Literature at the University of Bergamo and writes for the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera”.