Nine Hotels

Greetings from Santiago de Chile. It’s been quite an adventure since I last wrote, and if I’m honest, I’m ready to be home.

Some of you might remember The Accidental Tourist – a book and later a film about a man who hates travel but makes a living writing guidebooks, finding the little comforts that make strange places feel familiar. I’m not exactly like that. I do enjoy exploring new places. But I also really, really love being home.

Since September 2, I’ve slept in nine different hotels, taken eight flights, been in three countries on two continents, and even picked up and gutted through what I’m pretty sure was the flu. My suitcase was somewhat new-ish when I left – It no longer is.

Alberta was the first stop (Red Deer up through Edmonton) where I caught up with good friends and even played some music. Then back home briefly before heading to Detroit, where I was struck by how much the city has changed. Downtown is alive with new investment, and while I know not every neighborhood is feeling it equally, it still felt like the start of something hopeful.

From there, I flew through Miami and down to Santiago and Valparaíso. This leg was more about my other work, but it was also a chance to reconnect with colleagues, wrestle with the big challenges we’re all facing, and even work on a little German and (Sesame Street–level) Spanish.

It’s been a long slog. Travel like this takes a toll, and there were a few mornings where the best I could do was remember that old Norwegian phrase Jen and I like to use: “up and not crying.” That felt about right.

But here’s the thing: the hardest times for me are when I don’t know what to do next. Right now, even after all this travel, I feel like I do have some ideas, in both my work and my music. That makes me more optimistic than I’ve felt in a while.

All these cities, conversations, and hotel rooms start to blur together after a while. But when I sit with any one of my guitars, it all finds a rhythm again.

So yes, I’m very ready to be home; not just to rest, but to put new energy into my latest collection of songs, to start shaping them into a true album. Travel takes a lot out of you, but it also gives something back – perspective. And I’m looking forward to bringing that home. 

-Chris