One thing I miss about Europe is driving along roads less traveled —where distances are measured in cultural encounters rather than miles. On a road trip a few years back, I crossed Slavic borders on twisty mountain roads, heading inland from the Adriatic coast — and racked up lots of learning along the way.

Even though we’re not visiting Europe right now, I believe a daily dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. I recently published a collection of my favorite stories from a lifetime of E...