James Carville has never been one to shy away from his convictions when it comes to politics. But he is also pretty adamant about do’s and don’ts when it comes to travel — including his insistence on leaving from the United States for Europe as late at night as possible and nixing the very notion of jet lag. The Democratic political strategist, public speaker, and author will be at the Shubert Theatre on Nov. 2 with journalist Al Hunt for a live taping of the duo’s podcast “Politics War Room.” Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will be a guest. “Hopefully there will be a lot of laughing and maybe an election prediction or two,” he said. And while Carville, 80, said he wasn’t prepared to make his own prediction, he did share that he would “rather be Harris than Trump right now.” Carville, who was born on a military base in Georgia and raised in Carville, La. (named after his grandfather, a postmaster), is a former lawyer and junior high school science teacher who says he’s a big fan of Boston. “I like it because it’s unpredictable. The streets make no sense and it’s easy to get lost … but every time you turn around, there’s something significant,” he said. Carville lives in New Orleans with his wife, former Republican political consultant and White House strategist Mary Matalin, with whom he has two adult daughters. They have two rescue dogs, Harry and Chino, and “cats that come in and out of here all the time,” he said. “For some reason, cats really like me.” We caught up with Carville to talk about all things travel.
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
It would be somewhere that I haven’t been … a place I’ve really wanted to go, like Beijing or Prague or Cape Town. And I’d include Milan, too.
Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own?
Usually on my own because I fly so much and I save my miles for international travel.
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation?
I don’t know if I’d really want to do that. What I like to do is take urban walks — mostly in major cities — by myself and I don’t even pay attention where I am. … My attention [span] is not conducive to like, sitting in museums for four hours. I’m too antsy for that.
What has been your worst vacation experience?
Honestly, maybe flying back from Hawaii when my youngest was 2 or 3 years old. The flights coming back are overnight, and I think we went from Maui to Chicago and she screamed the whole time. I was stunned that a child could scream that loud and for that long. I’ve traveled a lot and for the most part, I would give the travel industry high marks. I think airlines have gotten a little better … but having said that, airlines oversell their club space, and in the new terminals you walk forever because they are all turning into shopping malls. Air travel in the United States has become more escalators and more long walks.
What is your favorite childhood travel memory?
When we were kids — I was the oldest of eight — the biggest thing we ever did was go to Biloxi, Miss. That was our vacation. We’d pile into our old Dodge station wagon — no seat belts or anything — and go to amusement parks, eat fried shrimp … and I saw sand for the first time. I didn’t know it wasn’t Bora Bora. I thought it was paradise.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?
I’d say more to relax and to learn. I know the biggest thing in travel now is adventure journeys, but I don’t have much interest in a five-star safari. I like traveling with Mary or by myself or maybe with a couple of friends and finding stuff on my own.
What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation?
Probably Kurt Andersen’s “Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History.” I’m fascinated at how Americans always fall for something and Kurt is probably the most insightful when it comes to that. I also love John Grisham. If it’s a long flight and he has a new [book] out, I will get it.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?
It would have been the famous Omar Sharif — the best celebrity I ever met. It was at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. My mother, she just loved Omar Sharif because he was a bridge player — in addition to being this really suave, Egyptian [actor] — and I said, “Oh God, my mother loved you” and he said, “James, that’s my problem: Everybody’s mother loves me, but no one’s daughter does.” Then we downed a fifth of Johnny Walker Black. We knocked the whole bottle, and I’m not even much of a scotch drinker, but if that’s what Omar Sharif wanted to drink, that’s what I was going to drink. I hadn’t played in a long time and I was giving him bridge hypotheticals and of course he was giving [the answers] to me off the top of his head. I just remember my time with him really fondly. He was a very nice guy. I’m a man who places a high value on a great raconteur. I love to be entertained in the bar. It’s a skill that I have great admiration for, like these Irish storytellers and people who can keep you captivated just by themselves.
What is the best gift to give a traveler?
If you’re flying internationally … a sleep aid, like a pillow or anything like that. I do not get jet lag. I’ve worked in 22 different countries, everywhere around the world, and I just have this attitude: James Carville does not get jet-lagged. It’s worked 100 percent of the time. If you just tell yourself, “I don’t get jet-lagged,” you won’t get it. … I’ve probably had jet lag, but I just will not acknowledge it.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?
Peanuts, almonds, mixed nuts … lightly salted. The simpler the better.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation?
In Yucatan I got this coral sailfish made by a local artisan that I thought was pretty neat. My wife and I also like to buy rosaries. I also like to buy Delft Blue pottery when I am in Amsterdam. … I enjoy buying things that evoke memories — and I like to bring people gifts.
What is your favorite app/website for travel?
Probably FlightAware, where you can pull the schedule up and see if the flight’s delayed or not [and] see what kind of airplane I’m traveling on.
What has travel taught you?
Every time I do it, I want to do it again. We took our children to a lot of different places, and I think at the time, they were like, “Do we have to go to another church, another museum? … Can we go back to the room and watch cartoons?” But I think now they realize that [it was worthwhile].
What is your best travel tip?
Figure out how to get to the airport early enough, but not too early. There’s a certain science to it. Any airport I’m at, I always figure traffic, time of day, [and] how much time I want to give myself. The other big travel tip I will give to anybody is that when you go to Europe, leave as late as you possibly can: 10:30 [p.m.] is better than 6:30 [p.m.]. If you get into London or Paris at 7:30 [a.m.], you’re done because of all the traffic. You want to get to the airport at like 11 o’clock [at night] … you get in at 12:30 [p.m.] and by the time you get to your hotel, it’s probably 3 o’clock and your hotel room is ready. Also, if you leave at 6:30 [p.m.], you face more traffic getting to the airport.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at [email protected].
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