The globetrotter

In the mid-19th century, as new routes opened up, a new generation of travelers embarked on excursions to India, China and Japan. Globetrotters-leisure tourists with a keen interest in experiencing authentic culture-flocked to the East, casting aside preconceptions and gravitating towards what they hoped to be the unchanged landscapes and traditions of Eastern cultures. The relics of their travels-the food they consumed and the souvenirs they brought back-allowed globetrotters to distinguish themselves from common tourists. They proudly returned with accounts that presented a global East, challenging public assumptions about the cultures they had visited and charting a journey of self-transformation. Voted one of the Best Travel Books 2019 by National Geographic Magazine .