Travel writer, poet, memoirist and writing teacher, author Suzanne Roberts was once called, by National Geographic Traveler Magazine no less, “The Next Great Travel Writer”. That’s a big title to live up to, and in her latest book she seems to turn her back on the “great” parts of travel, instead looking within (and without) herself to the ugly, unflattering side of travel.
Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel (University of Nebraska Press) couldn’t have been published in a more fitting year, 2020. The year in which much travel has ground to a halt; in which many avid yet responsible and thoughtful travelers have been forced to reflect on travel’s less glamorous, more harmful side. In Bad Tourist, Suzanne reflects on her own “bad” behavior over the years, abroad but also at home. Travel has contributed to her personal growth, but at what cost, she seems to ask.
I just published a Q&A with Suzanne over at Pink Pangea, so check it out if you’re interested in the writing and publishing process for a travel memoir.
