This week’s Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010 contributor lives within walking distance of six 
synagogues in Brookline, Massachusetts: Deborah Milstein. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University and is currently writing a memoir about Jewish identity.
When did you first hit the road? How did it go?
My family drove through my entire childhood. We lived in Denver and were constantly driving around the Southwest to check out landmarks: Mesa Verde, the Alamo, the Grand Canyon. I’m the youngest of three and was really whiny most of the time because I had to sit in the back middle seat. Our dog sat in the front seat, turned around, and drooled on my knees. When we moved to Boston when I was seven, we drove all the way from Denver, by way of Toronto. Oy.
My first solo travel? Um, not so good. I dropped out of college one semester and decided to take an eight month journey from Mexico all the way down to Costa Rica, by myself, with about two weeks’ (non)planning. When I was on a five-hour bus trip watching a French movie with Spanish subtitles I had to fully admit that (1) I’m a terrible Spanish speaker–and I don’t know French except the names of some of the veggies, and (2) I had zero idea what I was doing there and wasn’t at all suited at that point to traveling alone. I lasted 13 days in Mexico before changing my return flight and heading home, but I loved Mexico City, especially the subway. (I still use that travel backpack, though–a good investment!) Read the rest of this entry »
