Los Angeles: And it was only by having access to travel that she was able to realize this.
TJW: Absolutely.
Los Angeles: Earlier, you mentioned, I think it’s almost like the burden of, as a traveler, feeling compelled to change people’s perceptions of what an American traveler is and how they move around the world. What can listeners learn from the way you travel and how you’ve evolved as a traveler as you gain more and more experience doing so and asking difficult questions?
TJW: We try at The Wandering Scholar to be as intentional as possible. We don’t want to discourage people from traveling, but we do want to encourage them to travel with their politics and ask themselves questions about the impact it will have on the places they go, and also educate themselves about how these types of places are trying manage tourism sustainably. So Venice, for example, is just a place where people tend to go to have specific moments on bridges, but the city of Venice has asked people not to stand on bridges, but you wouldn’t know that by looking at Instagram, because you have so many people who are on the bridges trying to take that perfect photo, and it’s such a beautiful city. How could you not? But that’s something the city doesn’t want people to do. So how do you balance these two things?
Los Angeles: Alright, in closing, you’re speaking to me from New York City, where I am also. We talk a lot about traveling and using travel as a way to find a sense of home. I know you haven’t necessarily encountered it in your travels. A lot of the people we were talking about at the beginning ended up moving back to New York or have roots in New York. Does New York feel like home to you in any way?
TJW: That’s a great question and a tough question. I think so. And I think there’s a reason so many of these people come back to New York, right? Because there are so few places like this. That’s not to say there’s no place like it, but it’s a place that, at least for now, still nurtures, embraces and celebrates a certain kind of creativity, originality and possibility. It allows you to dream in a certain way. It is also a very diverse city, and that is no small feat. What New York represents is just this place where people have always come from all over the world throughout its history. It is a story made by newcomers and continually remade by newcomers. And so I really love that about New York. It always makes me feel like anything is possible. So for now, at least, he’s home.
Los Angeles: Tamara, thank you very much. This has been a fascinating journey through parts of the world, and I’ve also loved hearing you talk about yourself as a traveler and walk us through how to do it right, or at least try. So thank you very much. If people want to follow your work and travels, is there somewhere on the internet they can find you?
TJW: Well, one place where I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the types of things we’ve been talking about is Substack for my nonprofit. It’s called TWS Postcards. Postcards from The Wandering Scholar. And that’s where we publish monthly content that truly embodies our vision of a globally competent and engaged citizenry. I’m not a social media person beyond that, but it’s been a really compelling place to think and imagine and just to recognize that we’re all works in progress and that there’s no one way to move through the world. And that’s something we’re talking about and thinking about together.
Los Angeles: My name is Lale Arikoglu and you can find me on Instagram @lalehannah. Our engineers are Jake Lummus and James Yost. The show is mixed by Amar Lal.
This episode was produced by Michele O’Brien. We have production support from Pran Bandi and Vince Fairchild. Chris Bannon is head of global audio at Condé Nast. See you next week.
