Heritage Q&A With Veteran Travel Journalist Paul Lasley

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people who have a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel. We asked veteran travel journalist Paul Lasley to share with us why he finds travel a life-enriching experience.

Paul has written and broadcast about travel since the time flying was fun. He is a columnist for Westways, the magazine of the Automobile Club of Southern California. He is also producer and host of “Traveling,” a daily podcast radio show with his co-host Elizabeth Harryman. Their radio broadcasts have won numerous awards, including two from the Lowell Thomas Foundation, as the best travel shows of the year in either radio or television. Paul and Elizabeth are married and consider where they are at the moment home. See — and hear — their work at ontravel.com.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life-enrichment during your travels?
Travel is, in and of itself, life-enriching. I never come back from a trip, no matter how short, without bringing back some experience or memory that adds to the quality of my life. Traveling with an open mind and being open to new experiences brings with it a state of mind where I can look at my everyday life when I return home with an increased sense of appreciation. I can also find ways to improve everything from work and technology to the quality of life. No question travel can be a learning experience.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
Elizabeth and I were invited to meet Prince Philip at a small reception for journalists from around the world. It was held in one of the state rooms in Buckingham Palace and, before we met the prince and chatted for a few moments, we were given a private tour of the State Rooms of the Palace with one of the expert curators of the Royal Collection. Now the rooms will be open later this year to the public, but being able to walk through without crowds and ask questions about the art was a rare privilege and a thrill.

We also had a chance to visit the newly refurbished Whitechapel Gallery in East London. This small gallery is famous for launching the careers of many modern artists from Picasso to Pollack. And just down the street is the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The [foundry has] been making bells continuously since 1570. They have made Big Ben, the bells of Westminster Abbey and even [the bells at] St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, South Carolina. To me that’s as exciting as any museum.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
It’s hard to find just one, but some things remain indelibly in my mind. Seeing Venice for the first time. Visiting the baroque churches with their amazing carvings in Germany. Hearing an organ that Bach played. Evensong at Kings College in Cambridge. Finding a mob of kangaroos watching us one morning on a country road outside Melbourne. Visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing before tourism and crowds in the early 80s. The Winged Victory in the Louvre. Having a soda in a century-old soda fountain in Columbus, Indiana. Sitting quietly in a redwood forest in the Sierra Foothills in California and listening to the sound of time. Watching the sun set on the Grand Canyon. Spending a day walking the Freedom Trail in Boston. I could go on.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
There is nothing quite like Washington, D.C. and the National Mall. It is unique in all the world. Imagine a huge collection of free Smithsonian museums. There is great art, rockets and priceless Indian artifacts all within walking distance. There is never enough time to see it all, but that’s a reason to return again and again. Then you have the incredible Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I like to feel a link with history whether old or even in the recent past. Somehow visiting a place where some event happened or that is associated with a period in time is very meaningful to me. It could be standing near the Agora and thinking about Socrates or viewing the Declaration of Independence and remembering the struggle and emotions of the Founding Fathers who crafted the document. Being there enhances the experience.

And while going overseas is part of travel, discovering the historical places in America is often overlooked. So much history has happened in this country and through the parks and organizations dedicated to preserving it we can learn so much. Gettysburg, the Alamo, Sutter’s Fort, Concord — the list is endless. Places where history really does come alive.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
Every time I visit some place that has an historical reference I feel a profound gratitude for those who have preserved and maintained it. Unfortunately, it seems that economic forces rage for development and newness yet preserving our past and our heritage is vital to showing us who we are as a people. Hopefully, we’ll come to a point where the true value of our history will be recognized and given more weight in the struggle to preserve it.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
I’ve mentioned some, but one thing I’d like to point out are the small towns and neighborhoods in America. So many are fading away but some are surviving and using tourism as a means to stay alive. The Gold Rush towns along Highway 49 in California are good examples. The rural tourism initiatives in Nevada are helping to save some interesting towns in that state. As I travel I see a renewed interest in finding destinations that provide experiences for the visitor. Historic hotels and inns are being renovated, old shops are being brought back to life and in general there seems to be a small but significant trend to preserving our heritage. I find that encouraging.

Heritage Q& A With Travel and Food Writer Beth D’Addono

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people who have a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel.

Travel and food writer Beth D’Addono loves to travel and is fascinated with the connections she’s found all over the world between culture and food. Beth’s work is published regularly in Grandparents.com, where she writes about multi-generational travel, and in a wide range of national and regional outlets, including AAA Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philadelphia Daily News. She has also written and co-authored several books, including “Must Sees New Orleans” (Michelin), “The City Tavern Cookbook” (Running Press), and “Access Philadelphia” and “Access New Orleans” (Harper Collins). The social media savvy journalist is active on Twitter and also writes an Examiner blog.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life-enrichment during your travels?
For me, connecting with people and their culture is what travel is all about. This is usually done in every day settings, at markets, in cafes, in public spaces and around public art, at musical performances, and more. Food is also a great equalizer, offering a way to learn so much about a place and its history and culture.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
I was recently in Boothbay, Maine, on an assignment to write about the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. I spent some time at the local fishing dock, where lobstermen were bringing in their traps and talking about the price of lobster (the price has really gone way down) and conditions in the water. I learned so much about something that is such a part of the local New England scene.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
I would probably have to say seeing Angkor Wat in Cambodia—a magical, gorgeous slice of the rich and vast Khmer culture.

But, I also loved going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is a festival full of so much history and tradition, a celebration that truly far outweighs just the partying.

I also had the opportunity to visit Besakih, the mother temple in the mountains of Bali, and I was there on one of the important Hindu holy days, when hundreds of locals where making offerings, all dressed in traditional clothing.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
Since I'm so food oriented, I always gravitate to local markets and farmers markets. I think it's an important way to connect with the locals and the local food culture.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I'm most interested in the history of a place, its rhythm, the diversity of its culture, and how that is expressed through some of my own passions—art, music and food.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
I think it is a kind of travel that is experiential, that draws the visitor into an inner circle, beyond typical tourist offerings. It’s a connection with people, neighborhoods and places that can be profound, but can also be whimsical and fun.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
New Orleans, for sure, and New York City. I also love Hanoi, Vietnam, for its bridge between the old and new cultures. I love Bali, and can't wait to go back. I already mentioned Angkor Wat. And closer to home, my adopted hometown of Philly has a diverse and rich cultural base.

Heritage Q&A With Nancy Parode, Senior Travel Expert for About.com

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people who have a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel.

Nancy Parode discovered her passion for world travel in third-grade reading class, long before she was able to travel anywhere on her own. She badgered her parents as a teen until they allowed her to spend an exchange semester in Ireland, and she's been on the go ever since. Her articles have been published in Northern Virginia, Military Spouse, IntoWine.com, The World & I Online, NotForTourists.com, budget travel Web sites, local newspapers and military family newsletters. These days, Nancy covers the topic of Senior Travel for About.com, writing and blogging about travel topics, destinations and issues of interest to Baby Boomers and mature travelers.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life-enrichment during your travels?
I love connecting with people from different times and places through travel. By walking in the footsteps of others, we can discover why things happened the way they did and see the influence of events and discoveries on art, music, even architecture. I particularly enjoy seeing how people—ordinary people like my own immigrant ancestors—lived and worked. As you might guess, I visit at least one living history museum on almost every trip.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
I just visited Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island for the first time. What a fantastic convergence of cultures! From the fortress and village at Louisbourg (French) to the Acadian town of Chéticamp to the Great Hall of the Clans at the Gaelic College, I was amazed to see so many different cultures and musical traditions in one area. We drove the Cabot Trail and wandered through the town of Baddeck, where Alexander Graham Bell flew his kites and tested his Silver Dart airplane and hydrofoil boat. I especially enjoyed the lunchtime ceilidh (music and dance demonstration) we experienced at the Celtic Music Centre in Judique and, of course, the day we spent exploring the meticulously restored Fortress of Louisbourg.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
You mean I have to pick just one? When I was a teen, I visited Boston, Lexington, Concord and Cambridge, Massachusetts, with my family. We walked the Freedom Trail and visited all those historic sites associated with the American Revolution—Paul Revere's house, the Bunker Hill Monument, etc. I never forgot that trip, not only because of my abiding interest in the colonists who wouldn't knuckle under to Parliament, but also because my father, who went to college in the area, took us to places and restaurants he’d frequented as a student.

A couple of years ago, I repeated the entire trip, not only with Mom and Dad but also with my own husband and children as well as my brother and sister-in-law. What fun to see my children discover Boston and the surrounding towns for themselves and to hear their grandfather’s college tales—we heard a few new ones, too! We visited several historic restaurants in Boston, including Durgin-Park. Dad used to eat there as a student, because the inch-thick pork chops were cheap and filling. The menu cover says, “Your grandfather probably ate here!” I have a great photo of my son, grinning from ear to ear and pointing at that menu. The combination of family history and American heritage made this second trip to Boston an adventure I’ll never forget.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
As I’ve said, I love learning about the American colonists and the Revolutionary War. If you're like me, Virginia's Historic Triangle (Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown) is a must-see destination. You can spend days and days learning about daily life in Virginia’s first permanent colony as well as in its colonial capital. Just up the road, you can see the very spot where Cornwallis faced down the colonials for the last time – and realized he couldn't beat them. Amazing.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I like to learn about the daily lives of people who lived a long time ago—or even a short while ago. American history is one of my passions, and I want to know what people throughout the history of the United States thought, how they lived, what they ate and what helped them get through the hard times, whether it was music, sports, writing or something as simple and profound as love of family.

I loved reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and the Betsy-Tacy series as a girl, because each book described everyday life as it really was. I think series like these sparked an interest in hands-on history that I'll pursue forever—last summer found me helping my daughter dip candles at Conner Prairie in Indiana, for example. Someday I’ll get to De Smet and Mankato to see the places my favorite authors brought to life in their books.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
To me, heritage travel connects the past, present and future in a very concrete and meaningful way. I love standing where Louisa May Alcott grew up, looking at views George Washington treasured, listening to music and watching dances from another time and place. No textbook or timeline can substitute for travel experiences like these.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
I recently visited the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage site intended to preserve the region’s fragile natural beauty as well as the Mayan ruins there. I took a Mayan-ruin tour of Sian Ka'an that completely altered my impressions of ancient Mayan culture. I can't wait to take my family there. In Europe, my favorite city is Rome – every single important era in western history is represented there. Here in the U.S., I truly enjoy showing people who visit me around the great cities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. There's so much history here. I never run out of things to do.

Heritage Q&A With Condé Nast Traveler's Consumer News Editor Wendy Perrin

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people who have a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel.

Wendy Perrin is Condé Nast Traveler's consumer news editor. She writes a practical advice column called "The Perrin Report" as well as features on a wide variety of travel topics. She and her team also write a daily deals blog on Concierge.com, the online home of Condé Nast Traveler, called “The Perrin Post.” Wendy is the author of Wendy Perrin's Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know (Fodor's, 1997). Considered an authority on consumer travel issues, she received the 2005 award for Travel Journalist of the Year, and her exposé about medical care on cruise ships won an investigative journalism award in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.

Wendy is often on TV and radio offering travel advice and discussing trends and issues. Her appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and various programs on CNN. She is a graduate of Harvard University and lives in the New York City area with her husband and two sons.

You can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Wendyperrin.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life enrichment during your travels?
I would probably choose somewhere I have been with the kids, two boys ages 5 and 7. When we travel together, I make a big effort to enrich them by showing them the historic sites and local culture. Boston and Washington, D.C., were both great learning experiences where the boys could see the heritage of our country. We also go to Sonoma County, California, every summer — that’s where my husband is from — and while it doesn't go back as far in history as Boston or D.C., many of the communities there have a strong hometown heritage. Every July they are alive with Fourth of July parades, local fairs they’ve held for many years, and a lot of Americana.

One of the most enriching experiences we have had outside of the U.S. (and maybe most enriching of all) was when we took the kids to Egypt and showed them the pyramids. They learned so much about the world’s most ancient civilization — about pharaohs and temples and mummies and hieroglyphics and how the people used to live — knowledge that they were then able to bring back and share with their classmates and friends.


2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
Well, just last Sunday we stopped in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, en route back from Washington, D.C. We were there for only a few hours, but there was a lot to see and do and the kids were riveted. First you watch a film at the visitors’ center that explains the battles that took place there and what they signified. Then you go inside this very cool Cyclorama—a 360-degree painting from the 19th century where you watch different parts of it light up to show where all of the different battles were fought. The museum had some interactive exhibits that the kids loved, as did the great gift shop. In the shop we bought flashcards that are photos of the national parks across the United States, and we tested each other during the drive home. "OK, who can guess which park this is? ... Hint: It’s mainly in Wyoming ... Another hint: It’s got geysers that shoot water out of the ground … Yes, you’re right, Yellowstone!" And so on.

The toughest part of that trip, actually, was trying to explain to the kids what a civil war is and all of the connected concepts of slavery and freedom and an economy based on cotton. But we tried to explain why the Gettysburg Address is important, and we stood in the spot in the soldiers’ cemetery where Lincoln stood and talked about what that speech meant to this country and our democracy, and they kind of got it. Kind of. Maybe.


3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
With the kids, I would have to say either Spain or Italy. We rented a house in southern Spain near Granada last year and really got to know the local community. We visited the school where the neighborhood children went. That part of Spain has an agrarian economy where they live off the land. It was interesting to show our kids how, for the people there, orange juice doesn’t come from Costco; it comes from picking oranges off the trees, putting them in an old-fashioned metal hand press, and squeezing. It was eye-opening (for all of us) to see how differently people live there, versus back home.

Without the kids, one of the most mind-changing places I’ve ever been was the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin came up with the theory of evolution. On the different islands, you are able to see where and how species evolved differently in the different environmental conditions. Not only can you see evolution in action, but you also start to realize how human beings are so similar to animals ... how we are animals. You can see the Waved Albatrosses doing their mating dance, which in the way they mirror each other is so similar to two human beings going out on a date. And you’re really struck by the differences between males and females, the male animals wanting to spread their DNA around as much as possible, the female animals wanting to mate for life. You see how human beings are really just highly evolved animals—only with society, convention and religion thrown in.


4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
Well, my interests change depending on what my story assignment is. But one thing I always love is beautiful landscapes, and my favorite place in the world is New Zealand. My husband lived there for three years—he was traveling there and loved it so much that he ended up staying. When we were trying to figure out where to go for our honeymoon, he said, "Let me take you to the very best country on earth," and he took me to New Zealand.

The country is just so gorgeous and friendly and filled with thrilling adrenaline-pumping activities to try. People live very differently there. They are so laid-back and fun-loving, it’s a very uncrowded country (there are a lot more sheep than people), so you can play it by ear, which is always nice if you like spontaneous travel experiences. And everything you eat there is so fresh and pure. You stop at a gas station to buy juice and potato chips, and the juice carton says, “Just Juice,” and it’s exactly like that: just juice, no preservatives or other crap. And the potato chips taste like … potatoes — and you realize that the potato chips you’ve always eaten back home taste like cardboard.


5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I like to learn how other people live differently, and that's why, when I travel with my kids, I like to show them how other people live differently. I want them to appreciate other cultures and hopefully grow up to become citizens of the world.

As an example, you see people living so differently in Syria. One of the highlights of my entire travel career was crisscrossing Syria in a rental car. It is one of the easiest places I have traveled in. There are all these world-class ancient sites — from Roman cities to Crusader castles — and no one is there so you have them all to yourself! There aren’t the lines and rules and tourist infrastructure that can get in your way in other places. The driving is easy, the road signage is great and the people could not be any friendlier or more generous or helpful. If your car were to get a flat tire in Syria, the next person driving along would stop on the road, fix your flat tire, invite you to his home, make you a delicious home-cooked dinner, and insist you stay for the night.


6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
What comes to mind is going to a place that has a history and truly deeply learning about that history.


7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
Well, in terms of being somewhere so exotic and authentic, Syria is one of my favorites. I love places that make you feel like you’ve traveled backward in time. In the Souks of Aleppo, it feels like you’ve gone back to the Middle Ages.

I get a similar feeling when walking around parts of Florence, Italy, as well. Inside the Vasari Corridor, for instance. The Vasari Corridor is a medieval passageway that is almost a secret. It was built by the Medici family that ruled Florence centuries ago and connects the Uffizi Museum (where the Medicis used to work) to the Pitti Palace (where they used to live). It’s an aboveground tunnel that starts inside the Uffizi, runs across the Arno River above the Ponte Vecchio — it sits right on top of those gold shops on the bridge — and continues through the Oltrarno District to the Pitti Palace. It’s how the Medicis used to get around Florence in secret and spy on their subjects. And when you walk through it, it’s like walking backward in time and getting to see the secret heritage of the city.

Heritage Q&A with Travelogged Founder Liz Borod Wright

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people with a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel.

Liz Borod Wright launched her travel blog, Travelogged, in which she not only writes about her own trips but about other people’s adventures, allowing her to cover a wider variety of destinations. She has held editorial staff positions at Zagat, ABCNews.com, Good Housekeeping and Fortune.com. She also is working on a novel.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life enrichment during your travels?
I have always loved going to museums. Sometimes just spending a few hours looking at art and artifacts can feel like a vacation in and of itself. Whenever I am traveling, I try to schedule in at least one museum visit. It’s great when I get lucky and they are having an interesting exhibit, but I also like seeing the permanent collection, especially if it includes local artists and/or depicts local scenery and history.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
My most recent trip was to Northern California. I went to Half Moon Bay, Carmel, Big Sur, Napa and San Francisco. It was my first time to this part of our country, and I was struck by the incredible natural beauty. As we drove from Half Moon Bay to Carmel, we stopped in the tiny historic town of Pescadero and had lunch at Duarte’s Tavern, which has been around since 1894. A few miles further down Highway 1, we stopped and admired Pigeon Point Lighthouse. I was thoroughly charmed by Carmel-by-Sea, which has enormous amount of art galleries for a small place. San Francisco was the obvious heavyweight of the group when it comes to culture, and I loved seeing the Victorian architecture (particularly around Alamo Square), the Embarcadero and Haight-Ashbury. I also made sure to visit the de Young Museum, which is in a stunning modern building.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
This is a tough question, because I’ve been lucky enough to take some fantastic trips. But I think I will choose the first sightseeing family trip that I can remember from my childhood, which was to Washington, D.C. I loved taking the hop-on hop-off tour bus and seeing all of the famous sights I had learned about in school. I also remember how much I loved the Air & Space Museum and the American History Museum — especially the First Ladies’ dresses. It wasn’t until I was older that I could appreciate the city’s beauty and how, as a planned city, it resembles Paris.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
As a lifelong New Yorker, I always tell people they have to visit New York City at least once in their lifetimes so they can experience its remarkable energy for themselves. I truly believe that the quality and diversity of cultural options available here are unparalleled. Visitors can’t expect to see and do it all but they have to at least attend a Broadway show, spend time at the Metropolitan Museum and have a delicious meal. You can get a feel for old New York by strolling down Park Avenue, ambling around Central Park, walking through the West Village or exploring the Financial District.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I always hope to pick up some knowledge of the local culture during my travels. I find that it’s hard to predict what you’re going to learn but that no matter what you walk away with it helps you understand the world at large.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
To me, heritage travel means learning as much as you can about a place before you visit it. Knowing the history helps you to appreciate the present, as well as what remains of the past.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
Since I live in the city, I like to visit heritage-rich destinations that allow me the chance to enjoy nature, too. I love how Newport, Rhode Island, not only offers incredible mansions to tour but also has some nice beaches. Key West may be celebrated for its nightlife and water sports, but I found its Old Town quite impressive and full of interesting history.

Heritage Q&A with Travel Writer Charyn Pfeuffer

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people with a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel. Charyn Pfeuffer has written about food and travel for more than a decade. She has contributed to more than 80 publications, including National Geographic Traveler, TravelChannel.com, The Seattle Times, Fodor's, DailyCandy.com, Portfolio.com, AmericanProfile.com and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Charyn would consider taming her wanderlust ways if she could settle down in the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, but first needs to perfect her Spanish. Thankfully, Rosetta Stone is helping brilliantly with those efforts. Check her out on the Web at www.charynpfeuffer.com.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life enrichment during your travels?
I find inspiration in all of my travels. There is no better forum for learning than through travel, curiosity and human interaction.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
I spent two weeks exploring Chile in March. The first half of the trip was spent on the M/V Mare Australis [passenger ship], starting in Punta Arenas, cruising through the Beagle Channel, and landing at Cape Horn, a UNESCO World Heritage site. I then flew to Calama and spent a week in San Pedro de Atacama, exploring the Atacama Desert. I visited Zapar, an archaeological site significant in pre-Columbian times; Pukará de Quitor, a fortress dating back to 1,000 A.D.; and the town of Tulor, one of the first and most important Atacama settlements that dates back to 800 B.C. The extreme contrasts in landscapes, climate and natural beauty were incredibly intense.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the Americas and a historic UNESCO World Heritage site in Curaçao, unexpectedly moved me. Curaçao’s Jewish community was established nearly 400 years ago as the Jews fled Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions. Similar to its Dutch sibling, Amsterdam, Curaçao provided a safe haven for political, religious and social freedoms. My guide, Eveline van Arkel, did a fantastic job conveying the spirit and history of the island during an incredible walking tour of Willemstad.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
Right now, I’m on a South America kick — completely obsessed with its culture and people. Machu Picchu blew me away. Also in Peru, Lake Titicaca and the Amazon are fascinating examples of ancestry and culture.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
It’s most important for me to interact with the locals when I travel. Unless you’re spending a considerable amount of time in a destination, it’s very difficult to immerse yourself in a new culture. I find by befriending the locals, even if it’s simply sharing a short conversation on a bus, you get a greater sense of a place, its culture and its people.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
It’s all about traveling to the places and visiting sites that best — meaning authentically and accurately — represent a culture and its people. Ideally, these people should proudly embrace their past.

7. What are your favorite heritage-and culture-rich destinations?
Anywhere in Peru, but specifically, Machu Picchu; Barcelona, Spain; the Colorado Rockies; and Copán, Honduras.

Heritage Q&A with Family Travel Expert Eileen Ogintz

Today’s post is next in the series of Q&As with people with a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel. Eileen Ogintz is the founder of “Taking the Kids,” a popular and long-running online family travel column and blog. The column appears on online news outlets such as msnbc.com, CNN.com, SmarterTravel.com and Frommers.com. “Taking the Kids” is also in many newspapers around the country, including the New York Daily News, Newsday, Miami Herald, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Dallas Morning News, among others.

Ogintz is considered a leading national expert on family travel and is often quoted in major publications such as USA Today, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and parenting and women’s magazines on family travel. She has appeared on such television programs as “48 Hours,” the “Today” show,” “Good Morning America” and “Oprah,” as well as dozens of local radio and TV news programs. Ogintz also is often asked to speak to corporate groups.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life enrichment during your travels?
I’ve had wonderful, memorable family times exploring new places together with my husband and three kids. As the kids have gotten older, they often lead the way — on sailing trips and hiking trails, for example, and even in museums. The most fun are the unexpected adventures — dining at a tiny restaurant where we were the only ones not speaking Italian in a Tuscan town, meeting the farmers at a San Francisco farmers market, waiting out a storm in a cabin in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, or watching cartoons in a ski condo because it was too cold to be outside!

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
I was traveling with some cousins and their two young kids to the Grand Canyon. We took the historic Grand Canyon Railway, and it was great to see the kids’ excitement about everything — the train, the canyon, the hiking trails, becoming Junior Rangers. They made me more excited by looking at everything through their eyes!

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
There are so many! I remember after my kids’ first “big” hike in Yosemite — they were 6 and 8, and we hiked to the top of a waterfall — we ate dinner at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel dining room. It was a very grand room, especially for young children, and they were on their best behavior. But what was so wonderful was everyone made such a fuss over them because they had completed a tough hike. They were so proud of themselves!

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interests should visit?
I think national parks are great for any family — a real outdoor natural theme park. I also love Colonial Williamsburg because it’s fun for all ages to time-travel and “meet” people who lived centuries ago — from slaves and shopkeepers to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. I think Plimoth Plantation and the Mayflower re-creation are good bets for the same reason.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I like to learn about the people who are native to that area — what do they like to do with their families, what do they like to eat, where do they shop? I have as much fun trolling neighborhoods as major sites!

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
It can mean tracing your own family roots or your country’s history, and learning about a foreign culture or simply another way of life. It is wonderful to get out of your comfort zone — and take your kids — and experience what other families believe is important.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
I love New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco. I also love major European cities but also small foreign towns where tradition and buildings date back centuries. I met one woman in Innsbruck [Austria] whose family had been in the same business for hundreds and hundreds of years! It was amazing. We stayed in a hotel where Mozart had stayed! It was mind-boggling! The thing is you need to be open to these experiences and be ready to venture off the tourist track.

Heritage Q&A with Social Media Guru and Adventurist Peter Shankman

Today’s post is next in a series of Q&As with people with a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel. Peter Shankman is recognized around the globe for his radically new ways of thinking about social media, creativity and customer service. An entrepreneur, author, speaker and worldwide connector, Shankman is perhaps best known for founding Help a Reporter Out (HARO), which in less than a year has become the de facto standard for thousands of journalists looking for sources on deadline. The free service offers more than 100,000 subject-matter experts from all over the world who are looking to be quoted in the media. Shankman travels the world as a frequent keynote speaker and workshop presenter at international conferences and trade shows.

Shankman is also an avid Twitter user and has mastered the art of getting his point across in 140 characters or less.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life enrichment during your travels?
Anywhere that's somewhere I wasn't before — anything new is inspirational.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
I was in Zion National Park the other week and driving back from Utah. Was gorgeous — made me realize how small we really are as people. Was quite humbling.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
Seeing a bit of the Berlin Wall the last time I was in Germany was quite cool.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interest(s) should visit?
Any museum. Specifically a space museum or similar [type of museum].

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
About the people. People are the most interesting aspects of any trip.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
Exploring.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
I'm a born-and-raised New Yorker. We've got tons of history. :)

Heritage Q&A With Kaleel Sakakeeny

Today’s post is next in our series of Q&As with people with a passion for heritage- and culture-related travel. Kaleel Sakakeeny, former family travel editor at Travel Weekly and a contributor to the award-winning Boston Parents Paper, e-Turbo News and Family Travel Forum.com, offers a unique perspective on the meaning of “heritage travel.” With an enviable travel pedigree, Kaleel’s insight is strengthened by his stints as the travel editor at Metro/Boston, as an on-air travel correspondent for Business Radio 1060, and as a travel expert for family viewers of “American Baby” at WCVB, Boston; WBZ-TV, Boston and WFX-TV, New England.

When Kaleel filed stories for National Public Radio, Christian Science Monitor or the Associated Press, he would often walk the streets of the Middle East, North Africa or Europe with an open microphone. He recorded the sounds of street life in those vibrant countries, and turned them into sound-rich Audio Postcards ® . They were broadcast internationally. Currently, he focuses his work on writing, and as the Director of Content: New Media Travel for Travel Video Postcard.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life-enrichment during your travels?
I would say it has less to do with the place, and more to do with interaction of people. Whether it was chatting with locals at a café or sipping wine beneath the trees in the former Yugoslavia or playing Backgammon in the Middle East, I have found that it is really more about the people than the destination.

2. Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
Recently I traveled to the northern neck of Virginia, and a week or so before that, to San Antonio. In San Antonio, we were able to take in the Alamo and the missions, and you can still see what is left from the days of the conquistadors. In Virginia, too, it is hard to avoid historic places; I’m not just talking about Colonial Williamsburg or Fredericksburg, but also the state’s role in the Civil War was just so powerful.

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
I think I was most moved by Red Rock Canyon near Sedona, Arizona – the canyon there is a handful of so-called vortexes. When you are standing in the canyon, you can look up and see where Native Americans made their homes in the caves of the red rock…that look into true American heritage was just incredible. Other places would be Palmyra in Syria, or maybe Petra where you can feel the ancient civilizations. Being there makes you feel saturated with culture, tradition and times.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone with your interest(s) should visit?
I don’t know for sure, but I think intuitively it should be Gettysburg…I remember the place only vaguely as I was just maybe 10, 12, maybe 13 years old. While I have vague images in my mind, every American should go there and stand on the hallowed ground. They should reflect on the greatness and complexity of the country. I know I should return as Gettysburg is the center of American history; it is an icon for all this country went through to become what it is today.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
I like to learn how people live their lives, what their aspirations are, what their dreams are, and how they deal with disappointments; what are the visions people in a particular place or culture have for themselves and their families. I always want to meet locals as this is what makes the traveling worthwhile.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
I guess I think heritage travel is unfortunately a cumbersome term. It carries with it a connotation of history and it does not feel to me like an active term…a little too heavy with history I think in some respects. I wish heritage travel could be described as roots travel, or interactive history travel, or what about American roots travel? A term with something more to hold on to; just a thought.

7. What are your favorite heritage-and culture-rich destinations?
I am reluctant to pick just one – each speaks to us differently and at different times of lives in different ways. Anything that is authentic. I don’t like costume things, and I want something that speaks to me more naturally. It is like asking which child you favor the most – each is valuable and gives something. But, if I were pressed, maybe Turkey or Morocco – genetically I am cultured towards those experiences so I’d likely lean towards them.


If you would like to be featured in an upcoming Heritage Q&A, or know someone who travels with a purpose and finds meaning in heritage- and culture-related travel experiences, please contact us.

Heritage Q&A With Kathryn O’Shea-Evans

With today’s post we begin a new series of Q&As with people dedicated to finding meaning in heritage- and culture-related travel. Writer and photographer Kathryn O’Shea-Evans is the first to share her thoughts and experiences for this new feature. Kathryn has written for Travel + Leisure, GOOD, and National Geographic Traveler magazines. She loves trying new foods, spending time in nature, and going to the same museums over and over again. Learn more about Kathryn's work on her Web site.

1. Where have you found inspiration and/or life-enrichment during your travels?
Museums are musts, but I always find the most inspiration through the people I meet—not just friends or tour outfitters, but everyday folks: the chatty kid sitting next to you on the train; the old woman who gives you a lift, tells you she’s won the lottery, and hands you and your friends a wad of cash (It’s happened to me! In Ireland, the most welcoming of countries).

2. Heritage Travel: Tell us about your most recent trip. What heritage or cultural sites did you visit?
My last big trip was on Thanksgiving weekend, when a friend and I headed to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. We made lots of jokes en route about wearing bonnets and ogling blacksmiths, but in truth the trip was totally fantastic—we ate our turkey dinner in an 18th-century tavern, explored a working farm that was organic centuries before the term "global warming" existed, went on a candlelit ghost tour, and learned a favorite new (ancient) buzzword: Huzzah!

3. What is your most memorable heritage or cultural travel experience?
Impossible to pick, thank you very much! I can tell you that I’ve loved sitting on William Faulkner’s front porch in Oxford, Mississippi; sneaking around an abandoned castle in Northern Ireland; and singing folk music in the stone-walled basement of a church in Harlem. I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of memorable experiences, but I know they’re less about the destination than how you approach what you’re doing.

4. Where is one heritage or cultural destination you think everyone who shares your interests should visit?
I’ve lived in New York City for a couple years now. It’s chockablock with heritage, and the stories of that heritage evolve further every day. Don’t miss the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, where you can experience what daily life was like for waves of immigrants who once packed into its perfectly-preserved 1863 building.

5. What sorts of things do you like to learn during your travels?
How people live (or lived) there, and what their daily lives are (were) like. Those are the things I really take with me, and often incorporate into my own life.

6. What does heritage travel mean to you?
Going to a new place with an open mind to learning about its past, present and future. To me, “heritage” shouldn’t just translate to “history”—our future will be our past soon enough.

7. What are your favorite heritage- and culture-rich destinations?
Honestly I can’t possibly pick favorites—the entire earth is heritage and culture-rich, wherever you roam. The important thing is to get going!

If you would like to be featured in an upcoming Heritage Q&A, or know someone who travels with a purpose and finds meaning in heritage- and culture-related travel experiences, please contact us.