'1,000 Places to See Before You Die' is probably the Traveller's Bible. You can see where you've been and where you need to head next.

'The Kindness of Strangers (Armchair Reading)' is a recent book, compiled and edited by Don George, but it contains the oldest kind of traveller's tales. These are the stuff that is shared by traveller's in the hostel's common room. Feel as if you are with the writers on their trip.

'Kite Strings of the Southern Cross: A Woman's Travel Odyssey (Footsteps (San Francisco, Calif.).)' shows you how a place can capture your heart and refuse to let go. It's said that every traveller leaves a piece of him or herself in each place visited, and each place leaves as piece of itself in the traveller's heart, and both aspects are clearly shown in this well-written book.

'Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World' shows you how the travel bug often starts. You're taking just 'one short trip' when travelling and the love of the unknown takes over and leads you in all sorts of directions.

'A Journey of One's Own: Uncommon Advice for the Independent Woman Traveler' More and more women are starting to travel alone, to realise it's safe and a great experience. Let Ms. Zapatos encourage your inner wanderer. 'A Woman's World' and 'A Woman's Path: Women's Best Spiritual Travel Writing (Travelers' Tales Guides)' further explore this idea, through a look at how travel effects the inside as well as the outside. It's not only a physical sunburn that you get after a day on the beach.

Women don't have a monopoly on travel fun, and Mr. Bryson's tales, such as those set forth in 'Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe' remind us that there are always different ways to look at a situation. What you see at first is not always what is really there. Further in that vein is 'Take Me With You: A Round-the-World Journey to Invite a Stranger Home', where you mear great characters as Tony and Mohamed and visit enchanting locations such as Lamu, CapeTown and the Ganja.

Let these books serve as your guide. Let the authors show you how to see with your heart and not just your eyes. And when you're ready, you can use 'Travel Writing' to help you share your heart's stories.