After starring at Ohio State University, running back Raymont Harris went on to have a six-year NFL career. He spent his first four seasons with the Chicago Bears, where he earned the nickname “ultraback” for his versatility. He also played for the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.

While I talked to Harris a few times during his time with the Bears, I never had the chance to have a full interview with him until now. In our recent Talking Travel interview, Harris discussed his career, travel and his new book.

Flying thousands of miles to play games in many cities ignited his interest in travel. A bit surprisingly, Harris picked Oakland as his favorite city as a visiting player. Ever the competitor, he respected their passion, even when it got nasty. It only fueled his intensity. He also spoke of adjusting to playing in Green Bay on the other side of the long, heated rivalry with the Bears. Of course, I had to discuss his football cards, too.

A fan of a wide variety of music, Harris never makes any trip without bringing music. Harris weighed in on the great debate of Chicago pizza, another of his favorites. Finally, he listed a few of his favorite places in Chicago.

Before we ended our chat, Harris discussed his book, Control the Controllables: Mindset, Pressure, and the Power of Control. I was especially interested by the concept because I always try to control the variables in any potentially difficult situation. I was happy to hear the book is a bit autobiographical, with a few travel stories, as well as instructional. Harris has an inspirational story which led him to develop his eight principles of controlling the controllable. This is much more than a typical autobiography.

© Raymont Harris

Harris is looking forward to even more travel as he embarks on a book tour. Of course, Chicago will be a stop on that tour, and I will definitely be there.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, podcaster