The Travel & Adventure Show series made Chicago its third stop of the year. In its 20th year, with more than 100 previous events, it filled Donald E. Stephens Convention Center with travel brands, authors and speakers. Actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy was the highlight for me.

Perhaps better known for his 40 years of acting and directing, McCarthy is making his mark in the travel field. An editor-at-large for 12 years with National Geographic Traveler magazine, he also has written travel pieces for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and several other publications. His two travel memoirs, The Longest Way Home and Walking with Sam, might be his greatest accomplishment. For me at least, those thought-provoking and life-changing books impacted my views of travel and life.

At The Travel & Adventure Show in 2022, my chat with him spurred an interview which became the first Talking Travel interview. Realizing McCarthy had such passion for travel, I wanted to learn how travel impacted others in various fields.

McCarthy’s session was so full of wisdom, I couldn’t possibly share it all here. I wish it was available in its entirety on YouTube.

One of my biggest takeaways was a quote at the start of his session. “Travel obliterates fear and fosters connection.” McCarthy cites fear as the main reason people don’t travel enough. This led to the next big quote, “Love to!” McCarthy told of learning to go with the flow. Approached about golf as a time-filler in Ireland, McCarthy eventually accepted the offer with a hesitant “Love to.” Because of those two words, McCarthy met his future wife, joined the golf club, bought a home and lives half of his life in Ireland.

The session was similar to his from 2022, but it was just as poignant and powerful. McCarthy could certainly afford a luxury hotel and a grand vacation, but one of his most cherished memories is walking a 500-mile path in Spain with his son, which became his second travel book.

After the session, I approached McCarthy; he remembered me from the previous time and another book discussion event I attended. Because he has so many fascinating travel thoughts, I asked for a second interview. We are working on scheduling it, but I know how busy he is. Until that interview happens, here is the first interview again.

— John Wroblewski, online writer