I’m just wrapping up my most exciting USA lecture tour ever: 30 talks in 23 cities over 35 days. It was a thrill to talk with thousands and thousands of travelers — and I was able to support my partners in guidebook publishing and public television, move the ball forward on drug policy reform, and even spend a couple of wonderful days with my daughter, Jackie.
Now that I look back on it, it was an amazing trip. My schedule was so packed, varied, challenging, and fun — I just have to share it with you. (You can see why I’m glad I packed light and never had to check a bag.)
Feb 9: Fly Seattle to Chicago. Snowstorm cancels lecture at Elmhurst College (rescheduled in three weeks).
Feb 10-11: Three talks at Chicago Travel Show. Fly to Baltimore.
Feb 12-16: Lobbying and giving talks about drug policy reform in Washington DC and Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Vermont.
Feb 17-18: Three talks at the Bay Area Travel Show in Santa Clara. Saturday evening talk at the Bay Area Commonwealth Club.
Feb 19: VIP dinner and talk, followed by taping of pledge breaks at St. Louis Public Television.
Feb 20-22: Cambridge Speakers Series talks in St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Newark each evening. Visits with students at local universities each afternoon. VIP dinners before each talk.
Feb 23: Fly Newark to Los Angeles.
Feb 24-25: Three talks at the Los Angeles Travel Show. Fly to Philadelphia on Sunday evening.
Feb 26-28: Cambridge Speakers Series (part two) with talks in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston each evening. Visits with students at local universities each afternoon. VIP dinners before each talk.
March 1: Fly Boston to Chicago. Travel Skills talk at WTTW, followed by four-hour live pledge event on TV.
March 2: Give talk at Elmhurst College that was snowed out on Feb 9. Late flight to San Francisco.
March 3: Produce new European Festivals pledge special at KQED (to be aired nationally on public television next season).
March 4: Travel Skills talk for supporters of Twin Cities Public Television in Minneapolis, followed by evening of live pledge on TV.
March 5: Fly Minneapolis to New York City. Spend the evening hanging out with Bill Moyers and his lovely wife, Judith.
March 6: Publicity tour in NYC for the new edition of Travel as a Political Act, meetings with my publisher, and an evening talk at the Upper West Side Barnes & Noble.
March 7: More publicity tour and a busy afternoon and evening at Hachette Book Group’s annual meeting.
March 8: A free day!
March 9: Fly NYC to Burbank.
March 10: All day having fun in LA with daughter Jackie and her boyfriend, Damian.
March 11-14: Talks each evening for the Worldwide Speakers Group in Beverly Hills, Thousand Oaks, Redondo Beach, and Pasadena.
March 15: Fly home to Seattle.
Everything went perfectly smoothly — thanks to my publicist, Ashley Sytsma, who manages my schedule when I’m on the road — and I even had time to focus on several important writing projects.
I normally wouldn’t be away from home so much at this time of year, but my schedule just filled up. The biggest factor was traveling to ten cities as a part of a big-time (for me) lecture series. It was exciting to be part of a lineup that included speakers like President Bill Clinton, David Cameron, Ted Koppel, and Cokie Roberts — and sharing my Travel as a Political Act talk with 2,000 people a night in huge theaters (like the Boston Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Pops) was a thrill.
Each evening followed the same general pattern. Before the lecture, I would usually host a meet-and-greet for VIP series subscribers. Then, we’d all sit down for dinner at a single huge table. I had a mic next to my wine glass, and I’d spend the entire meal answering questions. After dinner was done, I would have to go to the theater to get ready for the talk, and I’d excuse myself with a little joke by saying, “It was nice not eating with you.”
Event organizers usually ask speakers about their personal preferences for the greenroom. I just say that I need solitude — no theater or TV station crew hanging out and chatting — and that I prefer juice to soda pop. Here I am with a pile of apple juice bottles:
Stay tuned: I’ll be sharing more photos and stories from the trip over the next few days.
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