Travel Writer Thomas Swick on the Seven Joys of Travel

It’s no surprise that author Thomas Swick, who has traveled to more than 60 countries and edited the travel section of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel for almost 20 years, loves to travel. His latest book, The Joys of Travel (Skyhorse Publishing), takes readers through the seven fundamental joys of travel—anticipation, movement, break from routine, novelty, discovery, emotional connection and a heightened appreciation of home—and makes a compelling case for the importance of traveling off the beaten path.

Read on for more about Swick’s life as a travel writer, his favorite places to visit and tips for amateur travelers.

What do you love about travel?

When I tell people what I do for a living, the response is almost always enthusiastic. And I started wondering, why are they so envious? And that’s kind of how the book developed. Everybody wants to see the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Canyon and all that. But I think the real pleasures of travel go deeper than the sights, and that’s what I wanted to explore in this book. It’s these things like anticipation and even movement, there’s pleasure in movement. So you know, those seven joys are really what I love about travel.

Do you have a favorite of the seven joys?

Yes, and that’s emotional connection. That’s the only one that’s not a given. Every trip you feel anticipation, you get movement, you get a break from routine, you get novelty. Emotional connection is actually very rare, and I mention in the book there are just a handful of countries or places where I’ve felt an emotional connection. And when that happens, the trip moves to a higher level. I divide places into two types, the places that make me feel like a tourist—and that’s most of the places I go—and other places that somehow make me feel like a guest. You know, there’s a warmth and there’s a hospitality and even sometimes a curiosity about me that just warms me, and that place becomes very special.

Do you tend to travel to the same places more than once?

I go back to Poland fairly frequently because my wife’s from there and we have family and friends there, and that’s kind of become my second homeland. I’ve been to Portugal three times, and Portugal’s one of those countries where I always feel like a guest. I love the people and the culture. It’s funny, I went to Vietnam in 1994 and it was one of my best trips, I just loved everything about it, and I haven’t been back. And part of me is a little reluctant because I’ve heard it’s changed so much and I’m afraid I won’t have as good an experience if I go back, but I should.

As a travel writer, does travel feel like work to you?

It is work! I always have to tell people it’s not a vacation. When I travel, I get up earlier and stay up later than I ever do at home. And I’m really on the whole time, because I have so little time in each place and I want to experience everything. So it is work, but it’s very enjoyable work. The thing I love about it, one of the joys, is discovery, learning so much when you travel. Part of it is just in the first couple days, just through observation. Then again, if you meet people, you learn so much by talking to them. So I definitely think it’s work because I’m taking notes and I’m in search of a story—and any travel writer will tell you this—it’s not enough just to go to a place and hang around and then write your impressions.

Why is travel something everyone should do?

We’re a democracy, which means every one of us has the right and, I think, the obligation to vote. And the better informed you are about the world, the better equipped you are to make good decisions when electing leaders. I think learning about the world and also learning about your own country is invaluable, and that’s what travel does. But also personally, it just gets you out of your own rut. The longer you stay in one place, you start to think that this is the way life is, this is the norm. And then you go somewhere else and you see they do things very differently. It’s broadening in so many ways.

Any tips for people who are traveling alone and want to get to know the culture and people in a new place?

In some ways, traveling alone is more conducive to meeting people, because you’re desperate. You really want to meet somebody. There are a couple strategies I have. First, before I leave, I tell everyone I meet where I’m going. You’d be surprised how often somebody says, “Oh, I have a cousin there.” So you get this list of contacts before you go. And then, when you get to the place, the key is to get off the tourist trail. Tourists live in their own world, and that world rarely intersects with the world of locals. I always recommend going to a barbershop or beauty salon. People really talk there; something about that atmosphere gets people to open up. I recommend going to sporting events, art exhibitions, book readings, bars, any place where you’re going to find the locals. And even restaurants, but try not to go to the ones that have the menus translated into English. Be brave.