Valley author pens ‘locals first’ travel guide to Phoenix

Travis Swann Taylor says his latest book is a travel guide with locals in mind, focusing on unique aspects of the places and attractions you already know about.

PHOENIX — Travis Swann Taylor moved a lot as a kid, leading him to stay connected with friends from each place by writing letters. Now, the local Valley author has turned his love for letter writing and travel into a new pursuit: writing travel guides.

Taylor lived in Atlanta, where he wrote his first book, “111 Places in Atlanta That You Must Not Miss.” The guide is part of a series that features books for cities across the globe.

“When I moved back to Atlanta, the city had changed so much that I decided to start writing a blog,” Taylor said. “I was gonna do it for a year just to re-familiarize myself with the city.”

But what started as a year turned into seven and then, a book.

“When I knew that I was moving to Phoenix three years ago, I called my editors, ‘do we have a book for Phoenix?'” Taylor said.

His latest, “111 Places In Phoenix That You Must Not Miss,” is first and foremost a guide for locals, Taylor explained.

“It’s places that even locals might not know about, or there’s sometimes places that they do know about, but through the lens of something or a story that they might not know about,” Taylor said.

The Desert Botanical Gardens is a great example, Taylor said. While many Phoenicians know about the gardens, they may not know about the crested saguaro cactus: A rare and beautiful deformity in the iconic Sonoran desert plant and featured in the gardens.

“What I love about this book is that it encourages people to get out and explore their own backyard,” Taylor said. “There’s so much to see and do right here.”

And there are far more than 111 places to see — on each “place” page of the book, Taylor includes a nearby attraction or place as well, giving readers over 200 places to explore.

While there are many to choose from, and Taylor said his answer to which one is his favorite often changes by the day, but as a veteran of the Navy, he is drawn to the Arizona Capitol Museum.

The museum has a display of full silver from USS Arizona, the ship that sank in Pearl Harbor. Miraculously, the silver had been taken off the ship prior to its sinking and stored away.

“The original collection was 68 pieces and they’re magnificent,” Taylor said.

In the age of the internet, a physical travel guide may not be top of mind for tourists or locals, but Taylor said having a physical travel guide in hand becomes part of the experience of adventuring.

“I don’t have a tagline, but if I did, and I’ve shared it with some people, I would say explore with curiosity, experience with heart, and it’s… a lot easier to do with a book in hand,” Taylor said.

Taylor also took most of the photos readers will see in the book, something he is excited to speak to at his event at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

“I love Changing Hands,” Taylor said. “Even though it’s a bookstore, you do not feel like you’re in a library. The place is alive.”

To learn more about Taylor’s book, head to the 111 Places website. For more information on his event and many others hosted at Changing Hands, head to the Changing Hands website.

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