5 Minutes With Jan Schroder of The Travel 100

For McCool Travel’s 176th travel interview, I am pleased to present Jan Schroder. I had the tremendous fortune to meet Jan at a travel journalist conference a couple of months ago. Quite by accident (or my lack of paying attention), I recently published an interview with her son Chris Butsch and she was gracious enough to also provide some time for this interview. Jan Schroder’s bio:

When Jan was a newspaper editor years ago, she got invited on a trip to Turks & Caicos (Via a letter. Remember those?), and that trip launched her travel writing career. Fast forward many passport stamps, plane rides and hotel rooms later, and she is now editor-in-chief of The Travel 100Her travel writing also appears in Fodor’s Travel, Orbitz, Global Traveler, WestJet, and regional magazines. She is a native of Atlanta and a graduate of the University of Virginia. Jan is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

Jan Schroder in India
Jan Schroder in India

Jan Schroder from The Travel 100

HOMETOWN …
Atlanta, Georgia
ALWAYS IN MY LUGGAGE …
#1 is my iPad, which I use purely for entertainment—books, magazines and airplane-appropriate downloaded movies and TV shows. It’s really embarrassing when you’re watching a TV show and a graphic sex scene comes on. I also take a pashmina to ward off the artic chill of airplanes.
3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES …
Anywhere on one of the beaches on 30A in Florida, the most beautiful in the world. (Really, anyplace with a water view makes my list.) Houston because it’s quirky and diverse, but mostly because my daughter and son-in-law live there. Charlottesville, Virginia, because I went to school there and because it’s a beautiful city near the mountains and several wineries.
A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY …
My father used to rent a house for the family every year in a different place. He kept saying we’d go to a villa in Italy one year and we sort of half believed him. But he came through and one year we stayed in a hilltop villa in Umbria with a pool and incredible view. One night the adults and children over 12 had a magical dinner in a castle, still one of my favorite memories.
3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS …
Skechers for shoes, Tilley for hats, and Bose for their magical noise-cancelling headphones.
3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE …

  1. finding an affordable wine store for pre-dinner drinks
  2. sharing entrees at dinner
  3. searching online for discounts for attractions.

3 WAYS THAT I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING …

  1. I am willing to go out of my comfort zone, but not too far. I’ll try just about anything once, but I draw the line at skydiving or jumping off a bridge.
  2. I once took a trapeze lesson and consider hanging off the trapeze by my knees a great accomplishment as was my recent rappelling down a rock cliff.
  3. On road trips, we take time to make stops if we see or hear about something intriguing. Do you really want to pass up the world’s largest peanut statue?
Jan Schroder on trapeze
Jan Schroder on trapeze

8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA …
“Travel doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.”
FAVORITE NON-TRAVEL WEBSITE …
If I’m being honest, it’s Facebook. I’m in a lot of groups and have found the tips I get so useful to me professionally. I also use it to keep up with people I’ve met while traveling. And then there’s the time wasted looking at strangers’ dogs’ birthday parties.
MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR …
I bought three necklaces on the beach in Punta Mita, Mexico, spending all the cash I had. That was in 2006 and I still wear those necklaces all the time.
I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET …
I had lunch with Samantha Brown and she was a hoot.

Jan Schroder in Greece
Jan Schroder in Greece

Thank you so much, Jan, for sharing your travel advice and inspiration.
Follow Jan Schroder on Instagram, Twitter, and The Travel 100.


McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Check out McCool Travel’s previous travel interviews. Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Ryan Biddulph.


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