Hesse’s essay „Über das Reisen“ was published in the Viennese journal Die Zeit on 30 April 1904. In it he portrays the “ideal” traveler as one who readily makes the foreign “freundlich vertraut” and who keeps an eye out for what is genuine and valuable. Such people, Hesse says, are those who have “im Leben überhaupt einen Sinn erkannt” and know how to follow their guiding star In his view they carry a deep homesickness for the sources of life (“starkes Heimweh nach den Quellen des Lebens”) and a yearning to unite with all that is living, creative and growing. This longing, he writes, becomes “ihr Schlüssel zu den Geheimnissen der Welt,” which they pursue not only on journeys to distant lands but also in the rhythms of everyday life. In this essay, sometimes translated "On Travel" or "On Traveling", Hesse critiques the superficiality of modern tourism, lamenting its commodification and the disconnect between travelers and the essence of their destinations. He contrasts the hollow pursuit of trends—exemplified by tourists flocking to fashionable locales like Berchtesgaden or Sankt Blasien without genuine curiosity—with the transformative potential of immersive travel. Hesse advocates for a deeper engagement with foreign cultures, urging travelers to learn local languages, stay in non-international accommodations, and seek emotional and intellectual connections to landscapes and communities. He argues that true travel demands humility and openness, transforming fleeting encounters—like conversations with villagers or solitary moments in nature—into enduring "seelischen Besitz" (spiritual possession). The essay critiques modernity’s alienation from authenticity, framing travel not as escapism but as a means to enrich one’s understanding of humanity and the interconnectedness of the world. Hesse goes on to argue that the true Poesie des Reisens lies in the way travel naturally integrates new experiences. Travel, he claims, “organisch angliedert” our newly acquired impressions and deepens our understanding of unity within diversity (“Verständnis für die Einheit im Vielfältigen”). In other words, journeys help us weave together the great web of earth and humanity and rediscover old truths in completely new settings. Travel thus becomes a poetic, unifying process of learning and connection – a theme very much in line with Hesse’s broader humanistic and romantic outlook in this period.