Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.
Ambivalent—that’s how I feel about travel, especially when the likelihood is high of it being strenuous. I have the heart of a world traveler but the body of a day-tripper. A yearning for travel is in my very bones, yet the effort involved in leaving home can freeze me in my tracks.
My husband, on the other hand, is a determined traveler. With his encouragement and support, we have set out on a multitude of adventures: cross country from New England to the American west, south to Florida and Tennessee, north to Canada, and overseas to Ireland. Many local day trips and weekend outings add to the list of places we have enjoyed together.
Travel is hard work
The more I learn about my great-great grandmother, actress E.J. Phillips, and her travels, the more connected to her I feel. The thin sheets of paper on which she wrote letters to friends and family offer a window into the world of an independent woman making her way alone in the world. Widowed in 1864 and left with two small children, she earned a living performing on the stage. She had been active in professional theater since the 1852 and met her husband because of her work on the stage. The world of acting was what she knew and she supported herself and her offspring in that work after her husband died.
When it comes to travel by air, train, boat, car, bicycle, or on foot, fatigue is part and parcel of the process. Missed meals, physical discomfort, and the unexpected can create stress that risks being overwhelming.
I am always ultimately thrilled at the amazing places we have visited and the walks and bike rides we have taken along the way. My deepest pleasure, however, is often derived from recounting, verbally and in writing, where we have been. Here’s an example. Reflective writing, which includes researching more about the places we have visited, is much easier on my body and better suited to my stamina than the effort expended in getting there.
My great-great grandmother made the best of exhausting trips cross-country from New York or Philadelphia to the west coast. Her letters to her grown children include descriptions of truly terrifying experiences. During her thousands of miles of travel by rail she witnessed derailments, recent train wrecks, and had narrow escapes when traveling by train. She was a passenger on at least one train that had several carriages that went off the tracks.
Despite these misadventures, she set out on her travels with a troupe of actors/entertainers. Being in the company of a train car filled with entertainers offered the potential for spontaneous amusement along the way. EJ’s colleague, J.H. Stoddart, described his experience traveling with the same theater company as EJ herself. He noted in his memoir, Recollections of a Player, that:
[When] touring with the Union Square Company [ the theater troupe EJ was engaged with] we always had our own private car, and the humblest person employed was treated, as far as the comforts of travel were concerned, in the same manner as were the principals. The journey across the continent thus became a thing to be desired rather than an experience to be avoided. During the journey we would pass the time in telling stories, in singing songs, playing cards etc.”
For the Union Square Company of performers, train travel was part of the job. Other theater groups had similar demands placed on them in order for them to stay employed as performers. Trains at that time, of course, had no air-conditioning, so crossing vast portions of the U.S. in summer months was decidedly uncomfortable.
Hotel Ramona
Los Angeles, Cal
Septr 7th 1896
My dear dear Son,
Your letter with Birthday wishes to me rec’d this Morning. I thank you and assure you it gave me great pleasure to receive your prayers for my welfare and safety on this, my 66th anniversary. I am indeed grateful that I have been spared thus long to receive the love and Kisses sent to me by my dear children, and received today, even if it is from 3000 miles away.
Our [train] ride to Sacramento will be a hot and long one. I thought a little physical preparation would be wise. We shall be in Portland, Ore 14th, 15th and 16th The ride to Salt Lake City from Seattle will be a long hot one, two nights on the road. Also from Salt Lake to Kansas will be hard, but it will be getting cooler by that time.
Modes of transportation
EJ rode on trains powered by coal-fired steam locomotives, sailed on steam-driven boats, (very noisy so she could not sleep!) sleighs in winter, and carriages in warmer weather. Her ascent to the top of Pike’s Peak was by horseback, which she insisted nearly killed her. Yet once back down from the horseback ride she confessed that she would welcome the chance to do it again. (It appears that she never did get the chance to repeat the climb.)
Nearly one-hundred-fifty years later, I have traveled by car, truck, plane, train, subway, on foot, and on bicycles. I have reached destinations far and near using these various modes of transportation.
Travel was a mixed blessing for EJ. She enjoyed the company of many old friends on these trips, and she earned her living by performing. Leaving her home in New York City (or when living with her daughter Hattie in Philadelphia) meant that she was leaving children, and later grandchildren, behind while she went off to earn her living. A devoted mother, her letters reflect her ambivalence, wishing to be in two places at once. And yet, when she was not employed, she fretted about the lack of funds to pay her bills.
475 4th Ave. New York Feby 23rd /86
My dear Son,
Yes, I think I shall be happier even travelling to S[an]. F[rancisco]. than I should be in having a four months vacation, although there will be very little money in it, after hotel bills are paid. Still it will be better than idleness.
I too have mixed feelings about travel. When I am away, I long for the comfort of my own bed. Routines easily maintained at home are disrupted. Paying constant attention to my footing so as to avoid trip hazards is exhausting. After each trip (and often during), I grow weary. And yet… after some time back home I begin talking about places we have not seen. Or places we’d love to return to, like Yellowstone National Park.
As we prepare to leave I often question the wisdom of what we have committed to. The rigors of being on the road reveal that I can have a very short temper. Inconsistent meal times and frequent stops prompt me to dig in my heels and refuse to go any farther. Despite all this, my hunger for travel returns.
On many of these trips we have brought our adaptive tandem bicycle and ridden through former train tunnels, crossed bridges over the Hudson River, piloted our bicycle alongside Narragansett Bay, pedaled seventeen miles to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania and explored the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy.
We take these trips for pleasure, although as a travel writer, I transform many of our trips into travelogues that educate readers about what they might find if they decide to visit the same places I write about. My health challenges (heat intolerance, partial leg paralysis, risk of seizures, and overall limited stamina) provide me with insights that other travel writers may overlook. Unstable railings, paths with lots of roots and rocks, steep inclines, little shade—these are all details that may not offer barriers to most travelers. For those of us with health concerns, learning about the potential challenges I describe can make the difference between enjoying travel or possibly taking a trip to the Emergency Room. I take the responsibility seriously of creating travel writing that is both entertaining and informative. The readers I keep in mind as I write have health challenges that make travel even more difficult than for those with typical stamina and mobility.
Solitude (or the lack thereof)
Making solitude a priority while traveling can be challenging. We are often surrounded by crowds of people in a hurry to reach destinations we had planned to visit. My husband and I strive to visit places off-season, or at times when visitors are likely to be pursuing other activities (like at mealtime). We carve out space for each of us to find ways to shut down and decompress after having spent hours together in our truck or camper.
We find little evidence in EJ’s letters of a hunger for alone time. Her frequent descriptions of social interactions with fellow actors, many of whom were close friends, give the impression that she was a true extrovert. She made a priority of staying in touch with and making time to visit with friends during her travels.
THE BALDWIN HOTEL
San Francisco, Cal.
July 12th [1890]
My dear Son,
Just a line before going to Matinee. I had a delightful drive to the seashore yesterday morning with Mrs. E.J Baldwin and Maud [Harrison]. The team would have delighted you — one of the horses being brother to the celebrated racer –Volante. And all that troubled Volante’s brother yesterday was that the coachman would not let him go as fast as he wanted to. I drove the team for a little while in the Park but the horses pulled too hard for me to hold the reins very long.
Mrs. Baldwin is going to take us again someday during next week. How nice it would be to own such horses and have enough money to buy oats for them. Mrs. Baldwin has nine of them in her private stable. I suppose her husband has hundreds of them on his different ranches. He owns one ranch near Los Angeles of 66,000 acres (sixty-six thousand), I put it in writing for fear you might think my figures were at fault. Mr. Baldwin is now visiting some of his ranches, having just arrived from the East where they return in four weeks. They have a house in California and do not live in this hotel, but he keeps a suite of apartments here.
It seems that EJ enjoyed describing her travel adventures as much. Her travelogues in hundreds of her letters offer details about what was involved in these trips. Included was information about weather, delays, uncertainties, shifting from one train to another because of train schedule demands and more.
OCCIDENTAL HOTEL Seattle, Wash Septr 22nd 1896
My dear Son,
We arrived here yesterday about 11 AM. Had a foggy trip through Georgian Bay and Puget Sound. All the beautiful views of the scenery were lost. We have had fog ever since we reached Portland. We leave here at 4 AM for Portland, remain there for seven hours and then start for Salt Lake. Two nights or rather three, counting tonight on the train. I do not think the trains are as tiresome as the boat. We had to take three [boats] to get here from Vancouver, B.C. and all were propellers. And the pumping noise of the machinery was too tiresome for comfort.
Pensacola and other destinations nearby
Our family has strong ties to Pensacola, Florida. Although EJ took the stage in that city, she never lived there herself. Her son, grandson, and additional generations have lived, married, raised families, and died in Pensacola, a community at the far western boundary of the Florida panhandle. More recent generations of our family have vacationed on Pensacola Beach, started and run businesses, and have partaken in the civic life of the city. In the course of research for this book it was a sweet surprise to confirm that EJ had visited the area.
Friends have mistakenly assumed that I grew up in Pensacola. It is where I have felt most at home during my growing up years, probably because of the multiple family connections that endure in that city. EJ’s only grandson, Edward Phillips Nickinson, by her son, Albert, married Pensacola native Em Turner Merritt (my grandmother). In doing so he acquired extensive family ties with the Merritts and the Turners, both prominent families in the community.
At the time of this next letter EJ did not have the connections to Pensacola that her descendants later developed. Rather than being able to look into the future, EJ’s mind was surely taken up by the 20 performances in southern cities where she appeared between February 15 and March 6, 1897.
Hotel Aragon “Open all year” Cable address “Aragon Atlanta” Atlanta, Ga. Friday Feby 1897
Played last night to a good house. Play this afternoon and tonight – and leave very early in the morning for Pensacola Florida. Play there tomorrow night and Sunday push on to New Orleans where we are to open on Sunday night.
This has been a most trying two weeks I have ever gone through in travelling, and I do not think I could stand another two like them. I look for pretty hard work and discomfort in New Orleans next week. The crowds will be annoying and the accommodations very scarce and expensive, but I hope to pull through.
They are sending some of the Co home to New York by boat – a five days ride, but Mr. Zack has said he will try and send me by rail – and I hope he will be successful. I do not care for boating in March on the Atlantic Coast. I hope to reach Phila by Wednesday 10th of March. And Love and Kisses to my dear children Albert, Neppie & Teddie darling from their loving Mother
EJ’s stay in New Orleans coincided with Mardi Gras, a tumultuous yearly event. Note the worries of where they might stay the night. If lack of sleep was a frequent occurrence on her travels, the absence of peace and quiet during Mardi Gras in New Orleans would have been a given. It appears she was aware of the challenges from previous visits to this southern city.
Boats
I have always been quite fond of boats from my youngest days at my grandmother’s beach house on Pensacola Beach, facing Santa Rosa Sound. Canoes, sailboats and motor boats were among the watercraft we enjoyed. I discovered recreational kayaks about twenty years ago and fell in love all over again with small boats I could paddle. In later years, because of my serious health concerns, I worried that heading out for a whale watch would put me at risk of being seasick. To my delight I discovered that, for the most part, the ocean waves had little effect upon me. The joy of being out on the ocean waves outweighed any slight discomfort when the swells became more pronounced.
In contrast, EJ had little enthusiasm for boat travel. In one of her letters she expressed hope of being able to return home by train rather than by boat. For anyone who has ever been seasick, they will understand her trepidation of being on a boat for the five days it would take traveling from New Orleans to New York by boat. (See letter above).
THE TACOMA June 25th 1890
I do not like going by boat. I am afraid of being seasick.
Cleveland 1893 Nov 17 The Lake was very rough, but I did not get seasick.
Accommodations
We have stayed in hotels overlooking the Pacific. We have parked our camper next to the Bay of Fundy, and lodged in cabins in the mountains of Tennessee. A rental house on Galway Bay offered us remarkable views of local seabirds and tourist buses roaring by. We have stopped at countless motels, including one shaken by the roar of spring runoff next to the Yellowstone River in Montana.
EJ (and her fellow actors) was responsible for finding and paying for her own accommodations and meals taken while traveling and performing in each city where they were booked.
Each performer purchased their costumes from their own earnings. Throughout the course of her letters, money was a constant worry, although it appears that their theater troupe manager paid for their train travel.
Once she arrived at the west coast, EJ wrote of her experiences reaching destinations by train and boat.
THE PORTLAND Portland, Oregon H.C. Bowers, Manager Sept 15th 1896
My dear Son,
I felt pretty tired out on reaching this hotel yesterday 8:30 AM having been two nights on the train, but I pulled through last night all right, and had a refreshing night’s rest. We had a splendid house last night. First night in ten weeks that the theatre has been open. The Public was hungry for a show I guess. I hope this and tomorrow night’s will be as well attended. Wish we were booked here for a week, Hotel and Theatre both comfortable, and only across the street from each other. We leave 9AM on Thursday for Tacoma, about 4 hours ride by rail. From there by boat to Victoria on Friday. On Saturday by boat to Vancouver, back by boat to Seattle for Monday and Tuesday next – and from there to Salt Lake another two nights on train.
From there to Kansas City. which will take two, if not three on train. But then the hardest part of the travel will be over, but by that time it will have been pretty severe. And I imagine rather exhaustive to the treasury.
In our travels we have faced difficulties finding places to stay with beds that did not increase back pain. Each stop felt like a spin of the wheel. How soft was this bed going to be? Would our neighbors stay up to all hours making noise? Would the room be too hot? Too cold?
Once we got a small camper, our own uncertain bedding arrangements were resolved. We have a small refrigerator, bathroom, shower, even running water in warmer months—the height of luxury. And yet, the camper is so small we must take turns getting dressed. Repairs are a possibility at every turn. Even with the elimination of some uncertainties, the need for vigilance and preparation to respond to equipment failure is a constant.
On the road for days or even weeks, EJ and her fellow travelers had to catch sleep when and where they could. Sleeper cars on cross-country train trips allowed for rest. Cities where they stayed had hotels of questionable comfort. Sometimes they were lucky. Other times not so much.
My own family’s early travels by plane or car took us to destinations that required overnight accommodations. Driving along the California coast in the dark on a twisting highway next to the Pacific Ocean was alarming. Driving in the dark, we (I) feared that each curve in the road might send us sailing off into the abyss. Hotels where we stopped were full.
I have an active imagination (which I practice using every day). I imagined us stranded on this narrow highway for the night, which seemed within the realm of possibility. Thankfully, we found a room. The road ahead on that lonely highway held little promise of habitation.
Multiple letters EJ wrote make reference to arriving in the middle of the night at her destinations, or departing in darkness in early morning hours. Delays, layovers and train lines that were not operable were routine.
WYOMING VALLEY HOTEL H.J. Dennin, Prop’r Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Decr 30th 1892
My dear Son, Daughter and Grandson,
I wish you a merry glad New Years with health, prosperity & all good things to enjoy it. We arrived here at 5 PM yesterday, a ride of 12 hours, having left Johnstown [PA] at 5AM . We had a long wait at Harrisburg and took dinner there. Altogether this has been the roughest, most disagreeable week we have encountered. Theatre cold & dirty. Hotels not much better but this one is comfortable. We leave here for Scranton at 2:25 PM. Said to be only a 50 minutes ride. Love and Kisses to each and all from your loving Mother
Entertaining diversions
Despite the rigors of travel, when visiting a new place the potential for experiencing novel sights and sounds provides motivation to endure. I often notice differences of accents, variety of housing, and signs that display a sense of humor that is particular to a specific location. Road signs vary considerably from place to place. Food in unusual (to me) combinations with unrecognizable names pique my curiosity.
While EJ’s work paid the bills, she also enjoyed the scenery and took advantage of opportunities for diversion. Unlike many modern business travelers who see little of the cities they visit other than the airport and their convention center and hotel, she was eager to discover what each destination offered, and was disappointed when weather, health, or schedule made this difficult.
The Windsor, Montreal Jany 23rd l894
My dear daughter Neppie, [her son, Albert’s, wife]
Opened last night to a bad house – and I am afraid business for the week will not be good – sleighing and moonlight for the week is too good for people to go to theatre.
I have not been out – and have not felt cold in the house – but – this is such a beautiful house! Such thick walls! and double windows keeps cold out.
Our trip was tiresome. We left Rochester at 10:30 AM Sunday, got to Albany at 5 PM, waited there, in hotel, and sleeper, until 11 PM when we were started for this place. We suffered more from heat than cold – the sleeper was kept up to Summer heat all night – and was not at all refreshing but here we are.
I refused a sleigh ride to-day on account of my cold – was sorry to do so. The snow is not so deep here as I expected it to be – but – still there is good sleighing, and no vehicles but sleighs to be seen. These are of all shapes and sizes – and some look very funny bobbing along.
If business increases I think we shall spend a pleasant week – but I am afraid we are not going to do well, and it is miserable to play to bad houses.
The telling (and writing) of our travel experiences sometimes offer me more pleasure than the actual travel itself. Once we are back to the comfort of home it feels easier to laugh at the travails that inevitably occur.
When staring at the Rockies, listening to thundering waterfalls, or simply enjoying the sounds of a burbling brook tracing its way next to a streamside trail, a sense of wonder fills my cup. We enjoy discovering birds on our walks, spotting sea ducks bobbing in impossibly cold waters just off shore and otters cavorting in the shallows. The incoming and outgoing tides stop me in my tracks and demand that I set a spell to ponder this daily miracle.
Sunsets (oddly enough) occur with amazing regularity. Witnessing one more setting of the sun becomes a priority when we are traveling. Spending time at ocean-side campgrounds has offered us the chance to stop what we are doing and simply observe that bright orange orb sink below the horizon, painting the sky with a constantly changing display of light.
While EJ remarked on the vast expanses of this country that she saw from train windows, she spent most of her time in cities. Baseball was relatively new at the time, and cities were where games were played. EJ attended a number of “baseballing” events, but this one letter conveys not only her sense of fun and sociability, but also her self-effacing humor.
Philadelphia, August 29, 1887
On Saturday [son-in-law] John Dolman took us and Mrs. Dolman & Walter [Dolman] to see a game of baseball by the “Philadelphias” & Detroits. Mrs. Dolman & I got pretty excited over the game. I standing up at a home run and Mrs. Dolman crying out “Stop, stop” to one of the men who was running from 3rd base. We quite disgraced ourselves.
When reflecting on travel experiences, despite hardships, fatigue, uncertainty, and discomfort, the most important question to answer is, did you have fun? If your response is, “Not at all,” then perhaps travel may not be for you. A lack of planning can make the discomforts outweigh the pleasures. Uncontrollable events (weather, natural disasters, illness, equipment breakdowns or other such) may color remembrances of the experience. It may also just be that staying near home is what works best for you.
We humans hunger for change, even as we thrive on routine. Discovering what brings you joy and then taking steps that will provide both comfort and interest may be your best course. It’s different for each of us. Regardless of whether your travel remain local or epic, I wish you Happy Trails.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, Easy Walks South of Boston and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
A comprehensive collection of letters and information related to EJ Phillips, here.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 