Travel is not about personal growth or bragging rights. Travel is transformative not because it changes us, but because it makes connections that can change the world. People who see the complexity of the world—at home and abroad—see better. We reject the cynicism that can hang over tourism because we believe that deeper connections are possible, that meaningful experiences can happen anywhere at any time, and that the world is big enough that it still holds lots of surprises. This is what inspires us at Atlas Obscura, and this is…