Cinnamons share their travel adventures in new memoir
- Rita Rose
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 20 minutes ago
What happens when two popular radio personalities retire to a second career? They become travel agents!
Then they write a book about their travels.
Starting in 1985, John Cinnamon appeared on various radio stations in Central Indiana, including WENS-FM, WSHW-FM and WYJZ-FM in Indianapolis. At WYJZ he met his wife, Ann Craig-Cinnamon. After beginning her radio career at WIFE-AM in Indianapolis, Ann moved to WNAP-FM, becoming the first woman to be a major part of a radio morning show in Indianapolis in the late ‘70s. She also was the host of morning shows on WZPL-FM, WENS-FM, WYJZ-FM and WHHH-FM. In 2019 she was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame.
Now Ann and John are travel agents based in Indianapolis, Indiana. After more than 30 years of traveling the world, they have written an engaging new memoir about their experiences, Travel is No Vacation: A Love story.
“Our travels are very extensive,” says John. “We have now visited all 50 states, more than 120 countries and all seven continents. Not only have we taken the typical trips to Europe and elsewhere, we have also made it our goal to see places that are more off the beaten path.
“Ann and I have countless memories after 30 plus years of traveling together, and what you read in this book barely scratches the surface.”
But, as the title suggests, it wasn’t always a smooth ride. During their travels, John was interrogated by security in the Moscow Airport. A hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro ended when Ann became sick. They tumbled down Namche Hill while hiking the Himalayas. They were almost kicked out of Pamplona, Spain, because they didn’t have international driver’s licenses. (They did manage to see the running of the bulls.) Their trip to the Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz, was sad for all of the obvious reasons, but Ann was also impacted by a recent death in her extended family.
The good travel memories far outweigh the bad, though. They write about exploring Easter Island on a scooter, having gelato at a sidewalk café across from the Vatican, doing the
Beatles landmarks tour in Liverpool, adventures on Route 66 during Covid, and their favorite trip of all, a Mediterranean cruise with kids and grandkids that also included a tour of Rome.
Want to know about the food they ate in various cities around the world? There’s a whole chapter about that.
While the book is jam-packed with information, it’s an enjoyable read in a format that allows
Ann and John to offer their individual perspectives on each trip. The conversational and often humorous narrative switches back and forth between their voices and feels like the easy chat you get with friends in your own living room.
“I love to travel,” Ann writes. “I always say that it is an education like none other. It brings history alive, makes geography personal, and is a cultural bridge. . . . It’s good for the soul. Done correctly, it makes you smarter, wiser and more tolerant.”
This isn’t the Cinnamons’ first foray into publishing. Ann once lived in Tehran, Iran, and wrote a book called Walking Naked in Tehran. She and John also shot, wrote and produced a documentary of their trip on the Trans Siberian Railway, chronicling their 16-day odyssey through Russia, Mongolia and China. It has been aired nationally on more than 250 PBS stations.
They also have acquired a large collection of travel photographs that feature the beautiful places and animals and they encountered on their travels. And they’re available for purchase! Click here for info: https://www.greatdaytv.com/post/travel-leaders-also-take-great-photos-that-you-can-own
Order the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Travel-No-Vacation-Love-Story/dp/B0GHQXY6S1
Planning a trip? Contact John here: (317) 709-4609 or email jcinnamon@travlead.com
