By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – For Joanne Farewell King, traveling can be transforming. 

The luxury travel advisor who recently moved to Westport has written “The Red Bandana Traveling Book: The Medicine of Traveling” and is the founder of Travel Far & Well.

“Traveling isn’t a magical way to solve everything,” King said in a recent interview. “But it’s a new way of seeing everything. The healing nature of travel comes in a reflection of what we need in that moment of our lives.”

For King, that “aha” moment came when she was exploring in Turkey and felt an openness to explore both her surroundings and her own past. Her book, written in 2018, is part personal narrative and part journal. King moved back to Connecticut this summer and to Westport after spending some time in Massachusetts.

In Westport, King offers clients everything from help deciding on a destination to creating a full itinerary that works around complicated schedules. She also handles group travel. One of the most important things she feels that she does is to inspire folks to travel, even if the time doesn’t feel “perfect.”

“People tend to put obstacles in their way,” King said. “I try to remove those obstacles.”

If people come to her with a list of three places they might like to explore, King said she will ask them what their “first impulse” is when thinking about a trip.

“What is your heart’s desire?” King said. “It’s part of my business philosophy that we are called to places. If you are called, then you should go.”

Another bit of advice King has for every traveler is to “drop the phone.” One of her clients on safari in the Serengeti took her time to look around her while other travelers were all attempting to take pictures on their phone. She was the only one who spotted a leopard who was partially hidden in a tree.

King also handles the practical parts of travel. One of the things she advises clients is to “go to the dentist” and do their best to take care of health issues. If one of those issues does pop up while traveling, King is part of a network called Virtuoso, which provides experts all over the world to help her clients. “People can feel safe and secure if something happens – if they fall ill or something,” she said.

Becoming a travel agent was a bit of a journey for King, who started out as a lawyer, handling bankruptcy cases in Bridgeport. She later worked for a civil litigation firm until she made the switch to luxury travel advisor in about 2011.

King said she transferred skills she learned as a lawyer, such as discipline and attention to detail, into the world of travel advising. Some of the trips she helps set up require complex coordination, she said.

For client Julie Smith, King has planned an immersive journey to South Africa and even a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the globe. Currently, King is planning the details for a more relaxing venture to French Polynesia.

“Joanne doesn’t just master the ‘why’ behind a trip – her industry connections elevate the ‘how.’” Smith said. “Whether it was being greeted directly on the jet bridge in Qatar for a completely frictionless airport transfer, enjoying a Rolls Royce ride in Hong Kong, or a motorcycle side-car tour of Marrakesh, her VIP touch makes every moment feel special.”

In a world where people can plan trips with the help of artificial intelligence, King said she offers something that AI can’t provide. Recently, a client came to her with a full itinerary for exploring Greece that they got from using AI. But King said she spotted a few flaws that wouldn’t occur to anyone except an expert traveler.

Plus, she offers people the freedom to leave all the details to someone else.

“I help people coordinate everything,” King said. “A lot of people are busy and want someone else to manage it.”

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing ‘Cultivating with Kerri.’ Williams moved from Connecticut to upstate New York in 2021.}}