A celebration of independent travel, Matt Gross' The Turk Who Loved Apples collects never-before-published essays spanning his many journeys. Throughout, Gross invites readers into the wild adventures and somber realities of a life in motion, taking us from Third World countries to rich European ports. Along the way, we encounter an array of memorable characters-a Cambodian prostitute whom Gross befriends in Phnom Phen; a barefoot French millionaire taking a ferry from Dover to Calais. 

A paean to unplanned moments that "happened so naturally and beautifully they overshadowed the quotidian parts of the trip," The Turk Who Loved Apples delineates the difference between a tourist and a traveler, and reminds us that an open mind to new people and strange places is the best means of breaking free from the constraints of modern travel and, perhaps, modern life.

Matt Gross has written nearly 200 articles for the New York Times Travel section, including his columns "Frugal Traveler" and "Getting Lost." The editor of BonAppetit.com, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter. Photo credit: Tracy Sham.