John Shors Travel was conceptualized and launched as a result of outreach from the readers of John Shors’ bestselling books — which includes his 2004 debut, BENEATH A MARBLE SKY — and their desire to visit the settings of his novels. Since 2013, this one-of-a-kind travel company has taken more than a thousand guests on small-group, high-end tours to six continents.
In this interview, John talks about the first literary tour he organized; his partnership with fellow bestselling authors, who travel with their readers to the locations of their books; and the exciting plans ahead for John Shors Travel. Click here to see photos from a few of their excursions.
Question: What gave you the idea to plan and coordinate literary travel?
John Shors: My debut novel, BENEATH A MARBLE SKY, was published in 2004 and went on to become an international bestseller. It is a work of historical fiction and is based on the remarkable love story behind the creation of the Taj Mahal. After my novel became a bestseller, I received hundreds of emails from readers saying that my story had inspired them to travel to India, but that they weren’t comfortable with the thought of traveling there alone. After years of receiving these emails, I decided that I should simply start my own tour company, which would allow me to take readers to the settings of my novels, which were all set in Asia. In 2013, I ran my first literary tour. The destination was Cambodia — the setting for my novel, TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND FACES. That initial tour was such a success that I started running more and more tours, and since then I have taken about a thousand guests on trips to six continents.
Q: Who are some of the authors with whom you have organized travel?
JS: After leading hundreds of my own readers on literary tours to the settings of my novels, I decided to expand my business and to partner with other bestselling novelists to take their readers on literary tours to the locations of their novels. My first author partner was Loung Ung, who wrote a powerful memoir called FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER, which was set in Cambodia. I then ran tours alongside wonderful writers such as Jamie Ford and Kate Quinn. These trips were enormously successful and extraordinary experiences for my author partners, as well as their readers. Since these early trips, my company has grown quite a bit. In the near future, we’re offering tours with writers such as Jane Green, Martha Hall Kelly, Lisa Genova, Paula McLain, Christina Baker Kline, Madeline Martin, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and more.
Q: How involved is the author with the itinerary? Are they there for just some events, or the entire trip?
JS: Our author partners typically are present for the entire trip, though everyone understands if they need to skip a certain dinner or excursion to do some writing or editing. But for the most part, the authors travel with the group, having the same experiences as the rest of the guests. Some authors like to do formal talks, which might occur in a local coffee shop or a hotel’s event room. Other authors prefer to take a more free-flowing approach and simply answer questions during bus rides or excursions. We encourage authors to have a lot of input with regard to our itineraries, as it’s important to us that they feel at ease during the trip. But ultimately, authors spend quite a bit of time with their readers, fostering meaningful and memorable interactions that would be nearly impossible to replicate elsewhere. On our trips, authors and readers begin the tours as strangers, and they end up as friends.
Q: Can you share a few standout experiences that have happened on one of these tours?
JS: These are all high-end, small-group tours to very special places in the world. The interactions between a group of 16 or so guests with their favorite novelist, while traveling, inherently creates once-in-a-lifetime experiences for everyone. One of my most poignant memories with an author involved Loung Ung, who took us to her childhood home in Cambodia. She spoke of her fond memories of growing up there, and then the horror that befell her when the Khmer Rouge came to her home and imprisoned her family. It was a uniquely powerful and profound experience. I don’t think that anyone who was on the tour will ever forget it.
Q: As the coordinator of these special experiences, what do you do in advance to ensure that things run smoothly? Do you do an initial site visit to each location?
JS: I’ve been blessed to travel to about 70 countries on six continents. I’ve been traveling overseas, nearly nonstop, for the last 30 years. So I understand how to put together an amazing, all-inclusive itinerary for a trip to Cuba, China, Morocco, Paris or Japan. I know the best restaurants, hotels, guides and excursions because I’ve traveled to all of these destinations many times. My colleagues and I work hard to create really unique itineraries, which also allow guests to choose from a variety of daily, optional experiences. We don’t treat our guests the same, but rather as unique individuals who likely will proceed at slightly different paces. And because we have an extremely high guide-to-guest ratio, we’re often able to split the group up into two or even three smaller groups, ensuring that everyone, including our author partners, gets to spend the day doing whatever they want.
Q: What have travelers said about the experience of having an author join them? What do they most appreciate about your tours?
JS: Guests love spending quality time with their favorite authors. We recently ran a trip to France with Kate Quinn, and as soon as that trip ended, all of the guests were wondering when we would run another such trip with her. The same thing happened on our tour with Jamie Ford, and our guests were clamoring for us to run a tour with him to China, which we’re doing next year. Both of these authors eagerly signed up for another tour, and I think they were both touched by their interactions with readers.
Q: Are there any other authors you would like to feature as part of a literary trip?
JS: We’re in discussions with many bestselling novelists about running overseas literary tours based on their novels. It seems like we’re announcing another such tour every week or two. It’s an exciting time for us, as clearly there is an immense demand from readers for such experiences. Fortunately, we have the knowledge and contacts to transform such brainstorming sessions into once-in-a-lifetime tours. By now, many authors have heard of our program and are reaching out to us with regard to potential partnerships.
Q: What new location(s) would you love to travel to?
JS: I’m always excited to explore new places, and then to create trips to those places for our guests. This year alone, I’ll do extensive scouting trips to countries such as Laos, Slovenia and Taiwan. I’m always looking to make new discoveries, which I can later share with my guests. I feel extremely privileged to take such trips, to get to know extraordinary people from around the world. I’ve partnered with many of the same guides and hotel managers for a decade, and we couldn’t do what we do without them. I’m also blessed to work with some really talented and wonderful people who comprise our company, who bring skills to the table that I don’t possess. I truly believe that what we’re doing is very special, and I’m just grateful to be a part of it all.
