For McCool Travel’s 67th travel interview, I am pleased to present Patricia Schultz, the matriarch of the 1,000 Places franchise. Surely you have seen her book 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Patricia and I talked travel (gloriously, at length, she was so kind with her time and information) before her presentation at the recent Travel and Adventure Show in Washington, D.C. I am thrilled to share her travel wisdom.
Patricia Schultz’ bio:
“Patricia Schultz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers 1,000 Places to See Before You Die and 1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die. A veteran travel journalist with 25 years of experience, she has written for guides such as Frommer’s and Berlitz and periodicals including The Wall Street Journal and Travel Weekly. She also executive-produced a Travel Channel television show based on 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. Her home base is New York City.”
Patricia Schultz
HOMETOWN…
Beacon, NY, a small once-scrappy river town that is now pretty trendy—they call it Brooklyn on the Hudson. I now live in New York City.
ALWAYS IN MY LUGGAGE…
Ziploc bags, disinfectant wipes, sundries. I am trying to be smart about packing, especially carryon versus checked baggage. When my bags were lost for 24 hours on a recent trip to Athens, I learned a valuable lesson—keep the things I need with me.
3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES…
Italy, as I used to live in Florence. It is familiar, yet exciting. Otherwise, I look forward to future places. I have a couple of million places on my personal bucket list.
A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY IS…
I was on safari and on a small bush plane; zebras and gazelles were below, filling my view. There were no human signs anywhere outside the plane. It was a perfect scene. The bush pilot looked 12 years old and blasted classical music. My apprehensions completely melted and were left behind. I thought to myself that this gift of flying is incredible.
3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS…
No travel brand has distinguished itself, to me, as being better than any other. I really do not have any favorites.
3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE ARE…
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use the internet to research lodging and then call the property for better rates and human touch
- avoid hotel breakfast and enjoy a local eatery in the surrounding area
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buy and use multiday passes when staying somewhere for more than 24 hours
3 WAYS I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING ARE…
- all travel is fun, thrilling, exhilarating, and refreshing
- when I leave home I switch into my travel mode. My mindset changes to “nothing is daunting.”
8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA…
Choose your travel company well.
FAVORITE NON-TAVEL WEBSITE (besides your own)…
MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR…
I once collected rugs but they became too big and problematic (and expensive!) to ship and display once I got them home. Now, everywhere I visit, I buy ornaments that I place on my Christmas tree. The decorations are not necessarily Christmas themed but remind me of places I have been and the experience of buying them. For instance, I have some hand painted, ornate goose eggs from Budapest.
FAVORITE CHEAP EAT…
Pizza! As good as Ethiopian food is, for instance, after 5 days of it I am ready for a pizza break—it’s familiar and hard to ruin.
RECENT DISCOVERY…
Sri Lanka. It was one of the 20% in 1,000 Places I had not visited and it is spectacular. It offers all of the best of India, especially ginger ice cream.
I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET…
My husband. After retiring early from an intense restaurant career, he has taken to the travel life like a fish to water.
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET…
Pico Iyer
Thank you very much, Patricia.
Follow Patricia Schultz on Facebook, Twitter, and 1000Places.com.
McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Previous 5 Minutes post: Dan Miller of Points With a Crew.