Archive for February, 2013

Have you ever been in a foreign country and stopped someone to ask for directions? If you have, there’s a good chance you were greeted with kindness and helpful tips to get you where you needed to go. This simple way of engaging with others is one of the easiest ways to interact with people, which Andrew McCarthy uses as one of his tactics when traveling abroad to break the ice with locals, even if he knows exactly where he is.

This is just one of many parts of Andrew’s travel philosophy, who is the editor-at-large for National Geographic Traveler; an actor in such films as “Pretty in Pink,” “Weekend at Bernie’s,” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”; and a director. When we heard he was going to be at The Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show to promote his first memoir, “The Longest Way Home,” we knew we wanted to hear more from Andrew on how travel has changed his life.

Andrew generously gave us a few minutes of his time after he spoke at the travel show to explain how going outside of your comfort zone can obliterate fear, the transformative power of travel, and how acting and directing has affected his writing. He also talked about how, contrary to first thought, travel actually makes him feel at home. Hit play below to listen to all the details.

Many thanks to Andrew for sharing a few minutes of his time to chat with us! Be sure to follow Andrew on his website and Twitter for the latest information on his travel adventures.