I was alone on a wide swath of soft grass near Shelburne, Vermont. A weekend away, phone off, brain quiet. I thought I'd listen to the wind rustling the cedar trees, but what I heard instead was the entire world. The rumble of a plane at 30,000 feet, whisking honeymooners to Mykonos or accountants to Minneapolis. The gentle hooting of the Ethan Allen Express, schlepping rail passengers from Burlington to New York. The crunch of tires on gravel. The lapping waters of Lake Champlain push boaters through a system of canals and locks to the Hudson River.
This is the music of a connected world, a world where motion is the default and stillness the exception. Even when we pretend otherwise, the evidence of our interdependence insists on being heard. And it's beautiful.
This special summer double issue of Reason is dedicated to travel. We've got everything from a humble trip for the tulips of Holland, Michigan, to a full-fledged mission to the International Space Station. We'll take you to Adam Smith's stomping grounds in Edinburgh, the Canadian boomtown of Iqaluit, a libertarian university in Guatemala City, and dozens of other places where you can find freedom.
