A local travel author offers advice on places to visit and what to see and do, from Mississippi to international destinations.
Interviewed by Emily Welly | Photographed by Erin Austen Abbott
Through her photography and writing, Erin Austen Abbott of Water Valley has turned her passion for travel into a career. Much of her work centers on traveling with family and exploring the nature, art, culture and food that make places unique. This month, she took time to offer advice to Invitation Magazines’ readers about where and how to plan travel this year.
Q: Based on your personal travel experience and expertise as a travel author, can you name a few practical destinations north Mississippi families should try to make a point of visiting in 2025?
A: We should all visit the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in the Delta. We must educate ourselves and our children about the injustice in our own state. It’s the only way to heal and unite. You could also visit the Grammy Museum in the area to celebrate the great music from Mississippi. For foodie families, the JXN Food and Wine Festival is a great way to experience many different areas of the state in two days. (It takes place March 14-15). While in Jackson, you don’t want to miss the Mississippi Museum of Art. It’s an incredible collection celebrating the arts in our state and beyond. (Read about its current quilting exhibit on page 34).
Q: How about a few places to put on dream vacation bucket lists?
A: My mind wanders quickly when I think of dream vacations, and I go into planning mode just at the thought. Some people have vision boards, and I have travel boards. I start looking at Pinterest and adding things to Google Maps for the one-day trip I hope to take with my husband and son. I have been dreaming a lot about visiting Japan recently. I’m not as drawn to the idea of the cities, but rather the quiet countryside towns. I want to experience the hot springs and a rainy-day train ride. I want to take cooking classes there and just slow down. I also would love to visit New Zealand. Again, I want to find the quiet and hike the beautiful terrain. I’ve been to much of Europe but never to the Scandinavian region. I’d love to explore the museums and take in all the design. Lastly, I’d love to visit Nova Scotia. Canada is one of the most remarkable countries I’ve visited, yet I haven’t been to the country’s northeast yet.
Q: Aside from locations, what makes a dream vacation for you?
A: My idea of a dream vacation is visiting lots of art museums, being somewhere walkable with amazing food. I could take a cooking class or have some experience, like visiting an oyster farm. It’s not rushed, and we can take it all in. We also find a bunch of cute local shops. There’s also a lot of surrounding nature to take hikes and just be outside. And it’s not too hot or cold, so we could visit in the spring or fall.
Q: Can you offer some advice on creating an itinerary when traveling to a new place? How do you prioritize what to experience?
A: Yes, I’m a big planner, so I have a nice list of places I’d love to visit in a new place. I start on Pinterest to find things in a place that interest my family and me. Then, I create a special Google Map just for that trip to see all the selections in one place. After that, I base what we can fit into a day on places grouped by location. That way, we can move our way through a place without doing a lot of backtracking, making the most of our time. I can also remember where we went this way. I prioritize what to experience based on what we can’t see or do at home. For example, in Maine, we will focus on fresh seafood; in New York, I will focus on seeing as much art as possible. I like to take in what’s unique to that area first.
Q: What are some easy and organic ways for families to capture memories while traveling?
A: Well, photos, for sure. I’ve given my son a disposable camera on trips since he was about 2. He has worked his way up to my old digital camera that he now packs for trips. I also love to have my son journal when we travel, giving him prompts to write about and asking him to recognize the senses to write about. I want him to recall the sounds, smells, etc. I also collect all sorts of ephemera when we travel. I love gathering matchbooks and menus of special places. These are things that can also be used in travel journals.
Q: You published “Small Town Living” in 2024. Can you share anything about your upcoming projects with us?
A: I’m working on my next book, “Small Town Water Living,” which will be out in 2026. It’s a look at small towns near rivers, lakes, oceans and islands. I’m nearly done with it, and my son and I will set out to take all the images for it this spring.
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