For McCool Travel’s 198th travel interview, I am pleased to present Carl Wishneusky. We met Carl on our recent Pearl Seas Cruises sailing around the Great Lakes. Carl was the onboard musician and he is a fabulous entertainer. He works for several cruise lines and has made an incredible life of combining his passions of music and travel.
But I was also really impressed with his travel experiences and asked him for this interview. He joined us for our first lunch on the ship and we learned that he sometimes brings a fold-up bicycle. Then he joined us for another lunch and he revealed that he once traveled around the South Pacific with a portable kayak.
He is called Carl W. on cruises because of that challenging surname and hope you have heard him perform or will soon. Enjoy this candid account of travel tips and fun from a non-travel professional.
Carl Wishneusky’s bio:
A world-traveling musician, Carl has worked cruise ships and riverboats for the last 15 years. Born and raised outside of Boston, he still calls New England home—despite not liking the cold weather very much. He studied music at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire and will build his home nearby, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. His passion for travel is eclipsed only by his musical vocation—although he wishes to be known as a classical pianist, much of his work has been performing pop and jazz in piano bars and cruise ship theaters. His goal is to transition from ships and back to his dream of composing classical music. Carl plans to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 2024 from Georgia to Maine, to mark his 40th birthday.
Travel Interview With Carl Wishneusky
HOMETOWN …
Burlington, MA
ON EVERY TRIP I MUST BRING …
Small recorder to jot down musical ideas (although my phone sometimes replaces this, I still insist on having a proper recorder with good mics)
3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES …
- Sicily, without a doubt… specifically Sciacca
- White Mountains of New Hampshire, but it’s soon going to become home!
- Koblenz, German—where the Moselle and the Rhine meet
A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY …
A midnight hike up Mt. Wellington in Tasmania with friends… reached the summit at 4:30am just before any traces of morning light.
3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS …
- Banana Republic—they’re not really a travel brand, but I find their clothes are comfortable for travel
- Anker—again, not really a travel brand, but this is a sign of the times, their devices keep my devices charged when it would otherwise be tricky!
- Lark—I don’t know if they exist anymore but, my old Lark suitcase has been with me since the 1990s and has literally been all over the world, several times over. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore!
3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE …
- Walk / public transport whenever possible
- Stay in apartments or homes instead of hotels
- Eat where the locals eat… usually better food, cheaper, and more satisfying anyways
3 WAYS THAT I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING …
- Getting LOST – and finding my way back again
- Eating and drinking local foods
- Finding the natural world and escaping the cities
8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA …
“Have NO expectations.”
FAVORITE NON-TRAVEL WEBSITE …
MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR …
… nothing comes to mind. I’m not a souvenir guy. I do collect paper currency from around the world, however.
FAVORITE CHEAP EATS …
Pane e Panelle in Sicily—fried chickpea fritter sandwich. YUM
I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET …
Bill Bryson!
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET …
Bill Bryson again! OK, I’d love to meet John Cleese.
Thank you so much Carl for sharing your travel advice and inspiration.
Follow Carl Wishneusky at Carl’s Piano, Where the Hell is Carl?, Facebook, and YouTube,
McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons.
Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Shari Leid