Traveling with the Jones

Traveler Interview:  John Q. Harrington    

During his 20-plus years in advertising, John Q. Harrington (better known as “Q”) has been a writer and creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather and affiliate agencies of Young & Rubicam and DDB.    

Q has won hundreds of awards including Best of Show at the National ADDY’s for his work on Kodak, DuPont, Remington, Champion Sportswear, Pillsbury, McCormick Spices, French’s Mustard, Bryant Foods, Sprint, Bausch & Lomb Sports Optics, the Southern Company energy group and the Atlanta Olympic Committee.    

John Q is the president & founder of Blackbox Advertising  headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.  Besides creating his next award-winning campaign, “Q” likes to travel. Whether attending a Spanish immersion school in Mexico or exploring the Boundary Waters on the North Shore of Lake Superior, Q thinks travel is essential to nurturing the creative spirit.     

We wanted to learn more about Q’s creativity-enhancing travels.         

The Jones: What inspires you to travel?     

John Q: I love seeing all the different, quirky ways that people go about living their everyday lives.    

I think the homogenization of America and the World is a real tragedy. When I travel, I don’t want to see a shopping center that’s exactly like the one I go to.    

It’s the differences in how people approach things that really inspire me and sometimes make me rethink how I do things myself.    

Have you always enjoyed travel? What contributed to your love of travel?     

John Q: I first got the travel bug when I was five years old and my family drove to Florida to see my oldest brother get married. I saw the ocean for the first time and fell in love immediately!    

People who never travel are the same people who are most convinced that their lifestyle and their part of the world is the ONLY way to go.  The more I travel, the more I marvel at all the wonderful people and places that are waiting to be experienced.    

What is your favorite destination?  Why?      

John Q: Overall, my favorite place I’ve been is Italy.  The people there truly know how to live well.    

They may not always have the most money, but they live each day to the fullest.    

I’d like to be more like them!  That plus the scenery is breath taking and the food is    

Mindbendingly GREAT!    

On a repeat basis though, I really love Isla Mujeres which is  a little island offshore from Cancun.    

You can see Cancun from there, but it’s a million miles away in terms of its vibe and attitude.    

I love it!    

What destination has surprised you the most, either good or bad?     

John Q:  Probably La Paz Mexico.  I lived there for a couple of weeks doing an immersion Spanish class.    

It’s really not very Americanized but it IS a tourist town.  It was interesting to see what kinds of things Mexican tourists liked to do. LOTS of dance clubs and bars on the Malecon/waterfront.    

That, plus I learned that in La Paz, Stop Signs are merely a mild suggestion of behavior and not    

Something you actually have to obey.  THAT made for some exciting driving experiences!    

Why do you think that travel is important?      

John Q:  People really do need a broader perspective of the world.  If you see that other people live in entirely different ways from you , but it works, then maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to    

Condemn people who are different from you.  And sometimes seeing how much of the rest of the world is, makes you truly appreciate all the things that we have here.    

What “tip” have you learned from your travels that you’d share with others?       

John Q: I’ve always enjoyed my trips the most when I didn’t try to live to a tight itinerary.    

Things go wrong.  The unexpected happens.  You can get upset or go with the flow.    

The times I’ve gone with the flow, I’ve always ended up getting something really wonderful    

From even something that seemed like a bad thing at first.     

From your travels, do you have a practice or insight that makes your travel experiences more enjoyable?       

John Q: Before I travel somewhere new, I always try to read about the history of the country or place before I go there.  Then I have a better appreciation for why things are the way they are once I’m there.    

I also try to learn at least a few basic phrases if I’m going to a country where I don’t speak the language.  Of course, you’ll be horrible at the language, but you’ll look like you’re trying and give the locals a good laugh.    

Thanks, Q.  You can follow John Q on     

Read More Traveler Interviews:          

• “I never knew I could enjoy life so much without electricity “;” A Travel Chat with a southeastern Missouri Attorney 
• “Be flexible. Un-planned events are our favorites.” A Travel Chat with the Johnsons, former European Ex-pats.

What fuels your travel passion? Please share in comments.        

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/travelinjones
or interact with us on Facebook facebook.com/TravelingWithTheJones

 

 

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/travelinjones
or interact with us on Facebook facebook.com/TravelingWithTheJones

We're not Gen Y but we are going to have a fabulous time exploring Sonoma County wineries

Terrific Travel Tips from the Gen Y Travel Blog Carnival

Several months ago, Emily Gerson from Maiden Voyage decided to create a Travel Blog Carnival  that gives  bloggers a chance to showcase their favorite travel posts. Readers get a one-stop-blog-post  re-capping the prior month’s best travel posts.

Jeff and I (Traveling With the Jones)  were thrilled have our post 6 Favorite Wine Bars included in the recently published 3^rd Edition of  The Gen Y Travel Blog Carnival edited and posted by Backpackingmatt.

If you’ve seen our photo or know us, you are likely aware that we are not a part of Generation Y.  We may be well past our 20’s (thank goodness) but we love exploring the world and sharing our travel discoveries.  Other traveler’s blogs inspire and inform us,  regardless of the age of the traveler sharing them.

The  Gen Y Travel Blog Carnival 3^rd edition provides some interesting travel tidbits, like the informative Guide to South American Steaks and Meat from Q Tripper (with terrific photos, pronunciation guide & illustration of cow parts) along with Road Trippin’ in Northwest Argentina   from  Never Ending Voyage.  Both are helpful for our upcoming November trip to Buenos Aires.

The earlier editions of the Gen Y Travel Blog Carnival also provide some insightful travel discoveries.

Check out the 1^st Edition Travel Blog Carnival here   

And the 2^nd Edition here.  

So don’t let Gen Y have all of the travel fun.  Get going on planning your next adventure.

Do you use blogs to help plan your travels?  What are your favorite travel blogs?  Please share in comments.

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Portage Glacier, Alaska,  Home to Rescued Wildlife

Seeing bears and other wildlife is a top draw for visitors to Alaska.  Watching bears in their natural habitat captivates both local Alaskans and visitors. Of course, everyone wants a close up view of bears, but doesn’t want to become a bear’s “snack”.

Located an hour south of Anchorage, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center  offers close-up view of bears and other wild animals in a natural setting.

The not-for-profit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center educates visitors about Alaska’s wildlife and provides refuge for injured, orphaned and sick animals that cannot survive on their own in the wild.

More than 3 million people have visited the wildlife center since its inception.

Five Bears: Brown, Black & Grizzly  

Five bears live at The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, including two brown bears, a grizzly bear and two black bears.  The bears roam in spacious outdoor enclosure.

“Hugo” is a female grizzly bear rescued from Hugo Mountain near Kotzebue, Alaska.   “Joe Boxer” and “Patron” are male and female brown bears that were rescued as cubs when their mother was killed

Cute,  not cuddly.

Watching the bears enchanted us.  As they floated in their pond and engaged in a little roughhousing, the adorable bears with their long noses and little ears looked like giant teddy bears.

Cute, yes.  But the bears are not cuddly if you are between then and a leg of moose meat.  At feeding time, we got a glimpse of their true ferociousness.

Getting to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Located an hour drive south of Anchorage, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is an ideal stop on the drive between Anchorage and Seward, Whittier or Homer.

From Anchorage, follow  the Seward Highway (#1 of Alaska’s 9 highways) south for 47 miles, past Girdwood.  The center is just before the turnoff road to Portage Glacier.

We enjoy discovering new places and wildlife, as long as it is not chasing us. What’s your favorite destination discovery? Please share in comments.

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