Heather Greenwood Davis is a trailblazer. She is the first (and only) Black woman to have a travel column in both of Canada’s national newspapers, The Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail. For more than 20 years she’s told travel stories that encourage parents to raise global citizens without sacrificing their own travel dreams, and led by example. Her features appear in National Geographic (where she has been a Contributing Editor, Contributing Writer and Columnist), AFAR, Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler. Heather has appeared on and hosted, travel segments on television shows across North America including CTV’s The Social; CHCH Morning Live, Good Morning
America and CBS Sunday Morning. She hosted the award-winning podcast Tarmac Warriors, and is a guest columnist on CBC Books’ The Last Chapter. Among her many accolades, National Geographic’s 2012 Travelers of the Year honour, awarded to her family after their yearlong, non-stop, family trip around the world, remains her most treasured. She has also been honoured with awards from SATW, TMAC, ASJA and the FTA, where she was named 2020’s Person of the Year.
Heather lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband Ish and her sons Ethan and Cameron.
1. What’s the most challenging part of being a travel journalist?
I’m a one-person operation. It means that along with the wonderful travel experiences, there are the grinding parts of running a business that won’t be ignored. I find that the hardest.
2. What is the most rewarding aspect of travel journalism?
I still get notes from people who say that a trip I took inspired them to get out there and do the same. And I love that travel writing offers a lens through which we can talk about hard things. People are more open to discussing emotional topics when it’s wrapped in a travel story.
3. What is something you wish people knew about travel journalism?
It looks like a glamourous job, so people often forget it is actual work. I love what I do, but it’s increasingly undervalued. With two kids in university, I can’t afford for this to be a hobby.
4. How have your cross-cultural experiences shaped your point of view of the world?
They have defined my life. Every trip is an opportunity to learn something new about where I am but also about myself. My personality and world view are rooted in that. And I’m proud to say that my husband and I have raised our kids to feel the same.
5. What have you enjoyed most about being a NATJA member?
I’ve been lucky enough to be awarded NATJA prizes many times over the years. I love that the organization continues to give up and coming writers a place to be applauded for their work, and creates a community for them to find support in.