The Places Between

My favorite place in the world is not a place at all, but the places in between other people’s favorite places. Twenty years ago, I was invited to dinner with the executives of a large outdoor and travel company as the guest of honor; a representative of this new sort of thing called travel blogging. Up until then, I had never had to answer questions about my travelogue hobby, my photography or my underlying travel philosophy in person, but I prepared myself for any questions they might throw at me. Would they ask me about why I think improvising itineraries is important? Would they ask me about my advocacy for mangroves, or how I pack my truck before driving in the Baja peninsula? But they had only one question: what is your favorite place in the world? I was deflated. I stuttered. I had no answer for them! I had never even thought about it. Twenty years later, I know how to answer this perennial question: My favorite places are the ones in between. Generally, in travel, a favorite…