Troy Peden - Author Interview

You say you are not a writer but your articles seem to be everywhere.  If you were a “writer’ who would you want to write like?

I have done my share of interviews over the years and an occasional original article but I am not a writer. I didn’t really pay attention in high school English, sorry Mr. Bruning. If I was a writer I would like to write like Cormac McCarthy, Hemingway, or Steinbeck. McCarthy in particular can write some powerful pieces without a lot of adjectives you never hear in a real conversation.

In addition to being a serial traveler you seem to be a serial student. What university degrees do you have that are the most important to you?

I worked in universities for most of my adult life and I enrolled in classes almost every semester, I also began university studies early and kept studying. I love taking classes, although occasionally younger students ask me why in the world I would take classes at my age. Social sciences, History and Political Science classes provide me with some amazing reading lists.

Have you traveled everywhere in the world?  Why not?

I still have plenty of places to go and I am afraid I may never make it everywhere but I won’t stop trying. The truth is I have been to a few places many times. Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Russia have brought me back many times while I still haven’t been to New Zealand or Egypt . . . soon.

People ask you in your interviews what your favorite place to travel is, you don’t seem to want to answer that question, why not?

I don’t like that question because I have different favorites for different reasons. I like countries where I can easily connect with people and see how they live. Developing countries are often better for that type of immersion. Still Spain, Ireland, the UK and other traditional destinations are my favorite for history and culture. If I had to choose one favorite I would choose Cambodia, El Salvador, South Africa, Austria . . .

You were quoted in an interview saying that “travel is moments not places” can you explain that?

I think of my travel experiences as a collection of people and times not necessarily monuments.  To me Nepal is sitting with some Buddhist monks by candlelight singing Simsime Panima, Germany is New Years at the Heidelberg Castle with friends, and the Yukon is camping under the Northern Lights. I can remember who I was with, the music, maybe the food, sounds, and smells. 

You were born in South Dakota and grew up in a farm town in rural Illinois, how did you become a travel guru?

My grandparents had a foreign exchange student when I was a child which may have been my first introduction to the world beyond the midwestern cornfields. I read the encyclopedia when I was a kid and always gravitated towards the maps and country pages and imagined going to those places. I think people from small towns make great travelers because they understand how a community works and often they crave different places. Having said that, I have a few childhood friends who have no desire to even leave their county.

What would you say to other young people in middle America who think travel is out of reach?

It’s cliche but I think you have to believe anything is possible. If finances are an obstacle like they were with me, you volunteer or even work abroad or you get financial aid. One of the bigger challenges might be persuading your family and friends. 

You write about volunteering abroad often is that the most meaningful type of travel? 

Volunteering is my personal passion so it is more important to me. I think that any type of travel can incorporate volunteering. The traveler has to ask themselves are they contributing to the local community or just taking from it? Partying across Europe is in the second category, volunteering is in the first.

Have you ever wrote about a place you have never been to?

Not yet, but I think you can write about ideas like traveling in a tropical climate even if you haven’t been to every Caribbean Island. The great thing about the GoAbroad writers is many are writing from their destination in the midst of their travel experience.

You have met a lot of interesting people in your travels. Can you name a few of the memorable ones?

Too many to list. It’s the locals that I love to meet and hear their stories. I have been fortunate enough to meet some great travelers and a few historical figures of varied reputation as well. A few interesting people include Tony Wheeler (Lonely Planet Fame), Paul Simon (the senator not the singer), Richard Gere (The Free Tibet Activist), Imelda Marcos (Shoe Collector), Horace Grant (Basketball Ambassador), and so many more.

How many times have you been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, did you ever read WSJ, what other unlikely media has interviewed you?

I have had my name in the WSJ quite a few times for someone with no business background who can’t balance his checkbook. For that matter, I have been in Men’s Health despite my unhealthy lifestyle, Seventeen Magazine despite any demographic connection, and others that seem unlikely. GoAbroad is contacted often by the press.  

Will you continue to write for GoAbroad and other sites? What stories do you still want to tell?

I like the idea of influencing or convincing others from a similar background that travel is possible, that study abroad and volunteering abroad are not a rich person’s hobby. So if I can accomplish that, that is pretty cool. Still, I would prefer reading an author who knows what the past preterite is and that’s not me.