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In the new novel Things I Wish I Told My Mother, out April 10, a mother and daughter with very different approaches to travel (and life) set off on a trip to Paris. The pages—by legendary best-selling author James Patterson, together with his wife Susan and colleague Susan DiLallo—are packed with the kind of sensory and geographic details about Paris that only repeat visits might provide. “Yeah, here's my thing about research: If it's Paris, I'm going,” cracks Patterson from his home in Palm Beach, Florida. “Sue and I love Paris in particular. We've both traveled a lot, and we've seen a lot of the world, so now [when] it comes down to, where do we want to go again? I could go to Paris a lot.”
Ahead, Patterson chatted with Condé Nast Traveler about how he gears up for time on the road, his humble hotel needs, and why more American tourists should give Lithuania a try.
How he and his wife pack for book tours that crisscross climates:
Every day you're doing at least one [appearance], sometimes two, you're giving speeches, you're usually doing TV. You got to prepare for New York, Madison [Wisconsin], and Florida. You have to pack really, really smart. Sue's better at it than I am; I'm a little bit more devil-may-care. We'll both bring a carry-on because if flights get canceled, you're dead. We'll play the rule of color palettes—blacks and blues for me, then maybe some color pops from a tie or jacket. Sue will lay everything out on the bed, and then she'll edit. And she's smart about the actual packing, like rolling garments, because that takes less space. The big winter jacket, we'll carry that on.
I'll have a satchel, and I carry books, which is a big mistake. But I do, still! I have to have my writing material and pencils, and M&M's. I must have M&M's for the airplane no matter what.
His favorite stops while on tour in the U.S.:
New York, obviously. Well, not obviously for some people, but for us! Savannah I like a lot. You get a sense for the old city and for the new. The fact that there's an art college there is really useful, because it shows up in terms of the reimagining of certain buildings in certain areas. You really feel that art community there. And they have the Savannah Book [Festival], the Savannah Film Festival, and the music. There's always a lot going on there. And the food is great!
On the pleasures of flying private:
On our tours, it'll probably be a mix of commercial and private flights and some car [journeys]. We are spoiled brats. If you've flown a fair amount of private, it's tough not to do it, because you don't have to worry about being late. They're not going anywhere without you. And you pull up under the wing of the plane, which is really a treat. You get right on and they're really nice to you—they never yell at you or get mad or even frown!
How he spends plane time:
I work my butt off. I will carry whatever book I'm working on, plus an outline for another one, or maybe two outlines. I like to go back and forth, and if I get tired of one, I'll work on an outline instead of the book I was writing. Sue is similar to that. She's got another new book idea and she's working on an outline. And we both read a lot.
What he needs in a hotel room:
Amenities, we're not really big on that. I mean, it's useful if the hotel restaurant is a good one, because sometimes you don't want to bum around too much. We like windows; something to look at is really nice. A comfortable bed is useful. I like it if they have a little desk so I can write. I remember going to a hotel in Miami and it had been a long day and I wanted to work. I don't know what this meant, but the lights were red and it was like, "Hmm, I don't know who's supposed to be here, but it's not me."
What he looks for in a vacation destination:
At this point, I'm so visual. I love places where you go and it's just beautiful: Lake Como, Paris, Rome. When I travel, it's a little bit like, I'm good for the first day and the next half day, and then I start to feel—this is just me—like I'm in a documentary and it's a really, really long documentary. I don't want to see any more churches, I don't want to see any more pictures of Jesus with an arrow in his whatever, I don't need any more pottery. That's where the culture goes out the window a little bit. Paris is a beautiful city, so that's a big deal for me.
A European city that surprised him:
Vilnius, Lithuania, city of churches, [is] fabulous. I have some Lithuanian in me, and it was just one of the stops. Our son Jack loves to travel, would go anywhere. He was the kind of kid that said, "Great, let's go to a museum! Oh, let's go to churches!" I mean, he just eats it up. He got interested, one) because my grandmother was from there and we didn't know anybody, had no connections to the family, and two) it was supposed to be a beautiful city. It is interesting. Different!
On a rare and wonderful experience he had in Cuba:
Havana is wonderful. I've only been there twice, but I loved it both times. That is one city where I do find the culture fascinating, the way people live, how people deal with the financial situation. I felt a little spoiled, we got to see Hemingway's [house]; everybody else was outside, but they took us inside. I felt bad being in there, but I liked being in there, too! I was rationalizing it [as a fellow writer].
Where he wants to go next:
I haven't done much in Africa; [there was] Kenya, which I loved. That was probably my favorite trip. Kenya was fascinating. I'm not big on the words “bucket list,” but I'd like to go to South Africa. It's changed radically already, but I want to see it before it totally changes. It's a mix of two really different ways of viewing the world, which I find interesting.
How he maintains perspective on travel:
Anytime I'm at a loss, I just sit down and write, or read. One of the two. I don't like this hotel room? Too bad. On the last tour I did, there were two in particular where I thought: "Oh, these are really bad rooms in a bad neighborhood." Okay, that’s fine. I grew up in a tough little town, and I still look at the world through the eyes of somebody from Newburgh, New York. You go, "Hey, I'm on tour. Wow!" It’s not very good in a hotel—so what? It's okay!