Interview with Susan Farewell

Editor-in-Chief
Farewell Travels: Select Escapes

Susan Farewell is the editor-in-chief of Farewell Travels: Select Escapes, an online multimedia travel magazine that uses animated films and cinematic-quality videos to showcase travel destinations, experiences and products. It is a monthly “publication.”

A former travel editor and staff writer at The Condé Nast Publications in New York City, Susan is a widely know digital, print and broadcast travel journalist. Her work has appeared in numerous publications (and sibling websites) including Condé Nast Traveler, Vogue, Gourmet, Cooking Light, Travel and Leisure, Outside, Metropolitan Home, McCall’s, Child and Bride’s. She also writes for newspapers such as The New York Times and The New York Post, newsletters (BottomLine Personal) and numerous in-flight and regional magazines as well as various websites.

She is the author of several books including How to Make a Living as a Travel Writer, Hidden New England and Quick Escapes from New York City (the latter two have had multiple editions). She has also co-authored many books.

How did you become a travel writer?
I grew up traveling a lot with my family and always imagined having a career that would allow me to travel as an adult. As a child, I loved sending postcards from wherever we went and prided myself on writing clever things in the very small space on the back of the card. It nurtured the skills I would need most as a professional travel writer: the ability to observe my surroundings and effectively describe them in a very small number of words. When I graduated from college, I became a travel editorial assistant and eventually a travel editor at The Condé Nast Publications in New York City.

Did you study journalism in college?
No. I actually was a Greek Classics major which I found to be tremendous preparation for the profession. In fact, I have always considered Homer's Odyssey to be one of the best travel logs of all time. Much of the writing I do today draws heavily on the history of the places I visit. Wherever I go, I find myself looking back into the past.

Were you influenced by any travel writers?
I have a postcard that I received from Lawrence Durrell back in 1985. His card was a response to a letter I had written to him telling him how his book, Spirit of Place, single-handedly inspired me to become a travel writer. Since then, I have become fond of numerous travel writers, but it is his writing style that most affected me.

What do you like most about travel?
The education. As a traveler, you are a perpetual student. Wherever you go, you learn new things not only about the places you go, but about yourself.

How do you choose which places to travel to and write about?
A travel writer is forever monitoring the trends of travel, just like a fashion editor might predict what people will be wearing the next season. I study the popular culture. What movies are going to be coming out? If they're set in a major destination, chances are it will inspire people to visit that place. I think of The Talented Mr. Ripley which showcased Italy, especially Venice, in such a romantic light. I look at events that are scheduled. The obvious ones are the Olympics. Right now, I'm thinking ahead to 2010, when the winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia and 2012, where the summer games will take place in London. Many publications, websites and broadcast media outlets will need content on these destinations in the years leading up to the games and during them.

And of course, I look at the economy. For instance, these days, when the US dollar is up versus the British pound, people might want to find out more about Great Britain.

Do you see any strong trends in travel now?
The overused word "green" actually is having a huge impact on travel but in some surprising ways. In fact, it has given a whole new reason to travel to certain countries. Where in the past, you might have traveled to Europe to see the history, the art and the architecture, you might go there now additionally to see the innovations in energy. Go to Spain and you'll see solar panels everywhere. Travel to Denmark and Sweden and you'll see wind farms. In these latter two countries and in Holland, you'll also see thousands of bike riders in the cities. It's the socially most conscious way to get around.

Do you worry that people won't be reading print anymore?
Not at all. I use my skills as a travel writer in all media. It's just a matter of being flexible and embracing change. If you think back, the first travel writers might have been the cavemen who would come back from their day's hunt and draw pictures of their experience on the cave walls. Then there was papyrus and all the ancient writings in Classical Greece and Rome. Eventually, papyrus was replaced by newspapers, magazines and books and now we are shifting to the World Wide Web. The core skill of a travel writer is an appetite for learning about places away from home. Whether a cave wall, papyrus, magazines or books, it is just a different delivery system.

What do you always take with you when you travel?
I like to stay connected, so always a BlackBerry and often a laptop. Also, I always pack a fresh new notebook and some pens for note taking.

What was the most interesting place you ever visited?
Greenland. We flew over from Denmark, traveling hours by plane over ice floes. We landed on a dirt runway, hiked across a glacier and explored a bit by dog-sled (not a ride, but a means of transportation). I also took a houseboat trip on the Amazon River in Brazil. I was completely floored by the massive river and its tributaries, the river towns and birdlife.

Is there a travel experience you recommend everyone should have?
I think everyone should go back to the country (or countries) their ancestors are from and piece together clues from the past as much as possible. I remember going to a very small town in Sweden, searching through a church graveyard to find the names of my relatives. I was successful in finding them and it gave me a wonderful sense of belonging in a country I do not hold a passport in.

What are your favorite destinations in the world?
I am passionate about Greece and Egypt, mainly because of the layers of history. But I also like the Scandinavian countries which are so modern and future-focused.

Is there a place you would like to visit?
Vietnam, Dubai, South Africa, Chile…there are plenty of places I haven't been to. But I'd also like to revisit some places. For example, I went to Egypt many years ago and it moved me to such a degree that I want to go back and see if was Egypt, or just where I was in my own life at that time.

I also have some very specific places (hotels) that I want to visit. In my research, I discovered one ski resort in the Swiss Alps that I really want to go to. The name of it is Whitepod. Apparently, it gives "staying on the mountain" a whole new meaning. You stay in igloo-like canvas geodesic domes that are heated by woodstoves and lit with petrol lamps and set on wood platforms right there on the mountain. There's private skiing and other outdoor activities, but spa treatments as well, and great fondue dinners. I like the combination of that – roughing it, but in luxury.

Do you have any favorite websites or other sources that you rely on for trip planning?
Every destination is different, and for each one, I find I have to educate myself as to the best way to learn about it. Some have really smart websites where I can easily get all of my questions answered. Others, I've had to dig deeper – searching for decent websites. Unfortunately, there are many that are annoying to use because they have too much information. They can be overwhelming. This is my profession though, and research is a huge part of my job.

When planning driving routes in the United States, I like www.randmcnally.com. While there are newer mapping sites (Google Maps and MapQuest for example), I have great faith in Rand McNally, which has been around since the late 1800s. I like to support that part of history.