I didn’t travel outside of the United States until I was in college studying abroad. For a semester, I had a chance to explore all of the history and romanticism that Florence, Italy had to offer. Sure, maybe I wasn’t really prepared for all of the art and architecture I was seeing, but in some ways I was. All of the historical fiction novels I had read on the Medicis and the Renaissance had prepared me for the archways and cobblestone streets and lush gardens. In some ways, fiction allowed me to travel in ways I couldn’t physically, up to that point.

I will say, it wasn’t just historical cities across the world I had explored though. Through fiction, I had a chance examine locations that became home to me without even st­epping foot across their imaginary borders — especially fantasy worlds.

I was able to wander around haunted, misty, Yorkshire moors with star-crossed lovers.

I sat next to a little, brown girl who looked like my nana on a stoop on Mango Street.

I danced around the floral covered lanes of Avonlea with a group of tight-knit friends.

I crawled right behind the Pevensie children to a land of snow and talking creatures.

In all of the ways that mattered, these locations, these locales, became part of the very fabric of my being. They shaped who I was and made me a “world traveler” before I ever had the privilege of loading onto a plane.

This collection was compiled with the idea that, in many ways, location can be the most lasting experience to a reader in a piece of fiction. In the stories in this anthology, the setting is just as important as the characters or pacing or plot twists. My hope is that you will explore settings and locales very different from your own. That you will have a chance to see yourself or those you know in these extraordinary tales. That you will find yourself feeling like you need a nap — the one you take after a long day of exploring a new city.

Thank you to all of the contributors for trusting me with your words. Now, to all of you excited travelers, enjoy your trip through time and place. Take a few pictures and send a postcard back to yourself if you’d like.