Travel expert Pauline Frommer on life & love lessons at the intersection of travel & longing

Episode 24 Travel expert and writer Pauline Frommer illustrates how travel experiences have made her a better seeker, the importance of appreciating the ephemeral moments in travel, why the holy grail of travel is finding one’s soulmate, and the future of the travel industry with AI. 

Pauline Frommer is Co-President of Frommer Media LLC with her father, travel legend Arthur Frommer. They publish the Frommer’s guidebooks, now in their 65th year, with over 75 million books sold so far. Pauline was also the original editor of Frommers.com, one of the first travel sites on the web. It, too, is part of Frommer Media and receives over 12 million page views per month. Pauline is the author of countless articles, and a number of award-winning guidebooks, including Frommer’s New York City Day by Day and the upcoming Frommer’s New York City 2024. In addition to writing, editing and publishing, Pauline was the host of a nationally syndicated radio show on travel for over 20 years. She currently hosts the Frommer’s Travel Show Podcast, named one of the 13 best for travel by the New York Times. Pauline is married to Columbia University professor Mahlon Stewart, and the mother of two very well-traveled daughters.

In this episode, (in order) we talked about…

*How longing relates to searching for the meaning of life

*How her childhood traveling made her more of a seeker 

*Why the holy grail of travel is finding soulmates 

*How travelers set themselves up for disappointment

*Her perspective on influencers and how they sell their soul

*How AI is stealing travel journalists’ work

*Her love advice for her daughters & how it relates to travel

*How both a person or a place can grow on you when you explore it more deeply

*Why guidebooks can’t be replaced by influencers or AI

*The trip she took she considers the most serendipitous

Quotes

“Longing is the exception not the rule. Longing brings us back to the fundamentals.”

“I have déjà vu wherever I go, but I can’t really know if I’ve been a place before.”

“I think when you’re younger you think that each experience leads to another. That you’re building something…But I’m also seeing, at this advanced age, that there are different moments in life. When you travel, everything is momentary.  Everything is transitory. Everything is a mirage. If you just embrace the temporariness of it, it can be profound.” 

“In order to get the free travel (influencers) are hired hands who have to gush about everything and they can’t necessarily tell the truth…By some estimates, one in every ten human beings on earth work in travel. So, there are massive corporations that are hiring these influencers and paying them a penance to replace the marketing departments they used to have. To me it seems really kind of devious on the part of these big businesses."

“I think it’s important not to come to a place blindly. You get more out of travel when you read books about a place…When you really dig into it, then you’re more surprised by the place."

“When you use your phone to research a place, about 50% of what you get is disguised marketing.”

“If you can get past status and how luxurious a place is…If you can look at the fundamental reasons for travel, rather than the superficial ones, I think you’ll have a more fulfilling trip.”