By Dr. Laura Wilhelm
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 2/24/25 – For decades Jackie Lapin followed her heart to historic localities in more than 50 countries and amassed a database of 40,000 stunning photographic images. And when she wasn’t traveling, she was reading books that further informed her explorations and indulged her sense of escape.
Now, Lapin combines her love of history, travel, and books of historical relevance into an online community where others who share her wanderlust can immerse themselves in the storied histories of cities, regions and landmarks all over the world at www.TheHistoricTraveler.com
THT was pleased to interview Jackie Lapin about her intriguing new project. Her comments appear below.
How did you come up with the idea for The Historic Traveler blog?
I have loved history since taking a school trip to the California Missions in the third grade, and I went on to have an “unofficial minor” in college taking several courses from a leading California historian. That translated to a wider fascination with history in general and in my escapist fiction reading, which really informed my travel!
Once I began my professional life, I always made time for a trip to photograph historic locations, as photography became my form of artistic self-expression. I’ve long yearned to share my images, and this year, as my time freed up, a friend intuited a blog was in my future.
As she mentioned it, the vision of a blog marrying the best of my photos, my years of storytelling skills as a professional writer and author, and my love of historic books, mysteries, histories and biographies into one unique concept came to me. It just seemed inspired and as so many people love history, travel, and historic novels—I realized I was on to something!
But I added on one thing to this concept. I’ve been traveling this road of history lover a long time on my own. I thought how much better would it be if I had a community of fellow history lovers and readers with an active community chat and meetings, along with a book club and a directory of books by region or country?
That started my thinking for creating Historic Travelers International, the membership community, and I just kept adding resources that I would love to have had someone provide for me—a travel agent that doesn’t cost anything, travel discounts, a TV drama directory, a directory of historic hotels, inns and B&Bs around the world, etc. I’m on the hunt to connect like-minded people!
Would you consider extending your concept to film and television?
Sure, if the opportunity comes along!
What are some of your favorite historical locales and why?
I look for places that make you feel as if you step back in time. Bruges, Belgium has always been a favorite because it’s a mini-Amsterdam with canals lined with 17th century peaked houses. But you have to love Prague—every street reveals historic gems. Dubrovnik in Croatia is where many scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed. The walled old city on the sea may be crowded with tourists, but it’s still worth a good two days of exploration.
I also found a few towns in France that aren’t well known that just exude charm and have lots of history—Annecy, Albi and Rouen (where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake!) And for Italy, my favorites are Florence, Verona, and a lovely little cliffside village in Sicily called Taormina. Genoa, the birthplace of Columbus, is often overlooked and it is a history lover’s paradise—not to mention offering beautiful harbor views!
What advice would you offer to first-time world travelers?
Go with an accepting open heart. Not everyone will share your sense of immediacy, values and perceptions. Travel is about being curious, being willing to learn and seek knowledge. The people you meet today are a product of their history.
Be a discoverer—read before you go (fiction, nonfiction or guides,) ask a lot of questions, stay in historic hotels, eat at historic restaurants whenever possible. This will bring history to life and also connect you with people who will proudly tell you about their culture, history and lifestyle. Chat with locals—not just other tourists!
I always take either a short half-day bus tour to get familiar with the sites and locations when I get to the city — or a hop-on-hop off bus that lets me stop and explore wherever I want. And one of my best tips is if you are taking a bus or walking tour, stay close to the guide so you can ask questions and go deeper with your curiosity. I always get the most interesting information this way, things beyond what they volunteer in their talks.
How can historical knowledge enhance our understanding of others and improve our relationships with them?
First, I find that books –printed, ebooks or audios—provide a tremendous perspective. For me, I find fiction books that are well researched and may involve actual people who lived or places that I can now visit a great way to make history digestible—and connect the dots.
Most of the time, I’d rather read a factually based novel that tells me WHAT or WHY something happened in history than a dry history book. This gives me an idea why a people may have developed their mindset, habits, rituals, food, architecture, and more.
It makes me more sensitive to them, their views and their expectations—and by showing some prior knowledge or interest in their history, they open up much faster and are more trusting. If you show an interest in people and listen, you can speak from heart to heart—and relationships can build faster. I have lifelong friendships with people I’ve met when traveling to explore the history of their countries.