I’ve been in love with travel my whole life and having visited more than 65 countries, it was natural for me to become a travel writer. My articles and essays have appeared in many publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Traveler’s Tales, Insight Guides, Salon.com, World Nomads and Moxy (UK).
If you have a few minutes you can listen to my podcasts on NPR.
Places in Time
Revised Edition soon available!
Legacy Book Press 2023
Best Travel Book of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association
Best Travel Book of the Year by the Western Region of the Society of American Travel Writers
Years ago, I set out to see the world. With high spirits and little money, I traveled not only far geographically, but emotionally, toward the hearts of others. I faced the violent grief of a Mexican sheriff, celebrated a wild elopement in Turkey and was initiated into a mysterious daily ritual with an Iranian forest ranger. Looking back, I’ve tempered my youthful encounters with mid-life wisdom. My goal was to capture the spirit of all those I met and evoke for my readers these cherished places in time.
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Email me: maxineschur@yahoo.com
What the Critics Say…
The author’s obsession with not merely observing but slipping into the fold of other cultures distinguishes the collection of essays based on her 18-month around-the-world honeymoon. She could have told a rollicking good story had she written about it immediately after returning home, but by steeping in real life for years, the tales take on a transformative power. She writes with so much humor, suspense and wisdom. This is what travel memoirs should be, and so seldom are.— San Francisco Chronicle
Schur’s determination not merely to observe, but to accept, even integrate with other cultures distinguishes this essay collection from most travel memoirs. A thrilling read…her amazing story speaks for itself.— Foreword Magazine
These essays are memorable in their reach: more than just recounting events in the life of the writer, they capture the atmosphere; they also distill the character of the local people and recount their stories. Schur’s fascinating account of her young life as a trusting, adventurous traveler will make the reader long for the seemingly carefree travel of the days before 9/11.—Library Journal
This book is a powerful story of overcoming cultural differences to fully engage with new people and new environments. The author states, “It is the delicate thread of sympathy that stitches humanity together,” and the accounts in this book remind readers about the interconnectedness shared by all of humanity. Moreover, the author’s open, honest accounts nudge readers to cherish the experience by lessening and avoiding the modern distractions which frequently interfere with or disrupt once-in-a-lifetime moments. For seasoned readers of travel writing, this book will be a worthy addition to their collections. For those looking for a new way to travel from home, this book brings the world to their fingertips.-— U.S. Review of Books
Punch your ticket and enjoy the trip with Schur in the heartfelt and funny essays collected here, which tell the story of her journeys—both literal and figurative—through adulthood and around the world in an era of historical turmoil. An arresting memoir of a globe-crossing honeymoon in the early 1970s, these sharp-eyed but often poignant essays (originally appearing in newspapers, magazines, and anthologies) find Maxine and her husband kicking off married life with a globe-crossing honeymoon, visiting 32 countries. They encounter all the breathtaking sights you would hope for (“I see a camel caravan and get the eerie sense that it was deliberately placed there to mark the horizon lest we forget the separateness of Heaven and Earth”) but also many amusing and sometimes frightening situations.
Throughout, Schur captures each new milieu in striking detail, compelling scene painting and quick vivid portraiture. Readers will marvel at the couple’s resourcefulness—whether securing passage on a ship or recruiting new friends to construct a home in their van—and ability to connect with key figures in every region of the globe. The travelers exhibit a welcome authenticity as they make friends, face dangers and continually make discoveries, with courage, luck, and an infectious zest for life.—Publishers Weekly-BookLife
A look at the beauty and good of the world. Places in Time: Reflections on a Journey is a travel memoir written in retrospect and done right. This is a travel memoir to be read on a sunny day in a nook with a favorite beverage nearby. If you like travel stories or memoirs, “Places in Time” is one not to be missed.—Rabid Reader
To whet your wanderlust, here is a sampling of my travel writing
Look for my essays in these travel anthologies:
- Paris – Traveler’s Tales
- The Best Women’s Travel Writing Volume 11 – Traveler’s Tales
- Wanderlust: Real Life Tales of Adventure and Romance-Random House
- Paris in Mind – Random House
- The Kindness of Strangers – Lonely Planet
- A Woman’s Europe –Traveler’s Tales
- Nepal – Traveler’s Tales
maxineroseschur.com 