George W. Stone, editor at large at National Geographic Traveler magazine (Photograph by Christopher Farmer)

Meet the Team: George W. Stone

November 14, 2013
2 min read

We chatted with Traveler Editor at Large George W. Stone–the man behind Travelers of the Year and other special features in the magazine–about his favorite spots around the world and the future of travel.

Here’s what he had to say:

Current Base: Singapore. It’s the world on a plate: jumbled neighborhoods, mixed-up languages, pioneering urban planning, boundless cultures, friendly people. Living outside the U.S. has reoriented my outlook. Here, China is the superpower, Asia is the travel region, and the Eastern Hemisphere drives the current.

Happy Place: Munich’s Englischer Garten in midsummer: drinking Augustiner Weissbier, picnicking on the Schönfeld meadow, and cooling off with a frigid dunk in the stream.

Power Place: Skeleton Coast, Namibia. The quietest quiet. The darkest skies. The brightest stars. The strangest insects. Ruby-flecked beaches, humming sand dunes, fairy circles.

Futurama: I envision clairvoyant travel planners, teleportation, antimatter luggage, and language pills—all of which would probably ruin the travel experience, but I can’t help wishing for them nonetheless.

Up in the Air: I recently floated above Florida in the Goodyear blimp (and wrote about it on Intelligent Travel). I’d welcome a zeppelin tomorrow.

Crystal Ball: Millennials will venture farther off the map on journeys motivated by volunteer work and cultural engagement. The world they inhabit will define our future bucket lists.

What’s your “happy place” in the world? Share your story with the Intelligent Travel community in the comments section:

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