Perhaps the experience is universal: traveling to a different country or place not only brings the newfound pleasure of things never seen before, but it also refreshes the way familiar things back home feel. Such is the great benefit of travel—save the endless delays and security precautions!

In the hope of striking a similar chord, Nature Immunology is pleased to announce a series of commentaries on immunology in various places in the world, places that may not usually or often be heard from but that no doubt have interesting things to teach about the world of immunology and about how, as a community, we work and live together to promote the advancement of both experimental and applied immunology.

Beginning with a piece by Agustin Lage on immunology, public health and biotechnology in Cuba in our February issue (http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v9/n2/full/ni0208-109.html), this series aims in part to provide information on such topics as funding and infrastructure for immunology, special projects or endeavors, and the people, places and events—present and historical—relevant to the immunological community. Another aim is to provide an opportunity for our readers to compare and contrast the familiar scene on the immunological 'home front' with that of other places. Commentaries now scheduled or under consideration include immunology in India, the Middle East, Argentina, Russia and South Africa, and in this issue Xuetao Cao discusses immunology in China (p. 339).

In developing this series of commentaries, we do not aim to cover immunology in all its guises and incarnations. Instead, we hope to present a few well chosen places—and well chosen authors—to provide insight into new projects, ideas and concerns of fellow immunologists. We hope that these commentaries, which will appear periodically over the next year or so, will enrich understanding of the familiar and the not-so-familiar in the world of immunology.