Book excerpt: A remarkable collection of essays that is proof positive that travel can transform, that inquisitiveness and an openness to unplanned experience is just as important as a passport. Very few travel writers seek out wildly exotic experiences such as burial practices on an obscure Micronesian island or the work habits of good witches in Guatamala's mountains, and even fewer have the wisdom and wherewithal to uncover profound life lessons along the way. but then, Judith Fein is anything but your average travel writer. A ten-year columnist for Spirituality & Health magazine and a contributor to nearly 100 other publications over her storied writing career, Fein's interest in travel has always been a fascination for what lies beneath the surface.