Emily Rooney dreams of traveling to — and learning about — Uganda and Rwanda, but when she wants to relax, there’s no place like her family home on Lake George in upstate New York. The journalist, TV talk show host (“Beat the Press’’ on WGBH-TV), and former news producer and director, grew up in Rowayton, Conn., and lives in the Back Bay. She has a daughter, Alexis, who lives in Los Angeles. We caught up with Rooney, 66, to talk about all things travel.
Favorite vacation destination? Our family home on Lake George in the Adirondacks. It’s the “Queen of American Lakes’’ – pure, deep, and drinkable. Once there, no need to get back in a car [since] shopping, tennis, and hiking destinations [are] all available by water transportation. Some of the most beautiful antique wooden boats in the world are housed on the lake.
Favorite food or drink while vacationing? My favorite food or drink is anything my twin sister, Martha, makes. Her succotash is to die for.
Where would you like to travel to but haven’t? Ever since the tribal civil war in 1994, I’ve wanted to go to Uganda and Rwanda; not on safari, but to understand and see that part of the world. This genocide was largely a population issue, and I’m curious to know if it could happen again, as other tribal conflicts have resurfaced over the decades.
One item you can’t leave home without when traveling? Hey, I’m not embarrassed to admit I can’t leave home without both my cellphone and my iPad. I’m not one of those people who can just “put it down’’ or turn off the TV for a few weeks at a stretch.
Aisle or window? Always a window. I like to look out and, unless it’s overseas, I don’t get up during flights.
Favorite childhood travel memory? One of my favorite childhood travel memories was my dad [the late journalist and longtime “60 Minutes’’ commentator Andy Rooney] taking the four of us kids to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter when I was about 8 years old. The house was closed so we built an igloo on the front patio, lit some candles, hauled out our non-waterproof sleeping bags, and tried to get some rest. It didn’t work. So we busted into the house, he flipped a few breakers, and we got the oven going. We baked some potatoes and slept on the kitchen floor.
Guilty pleasure when traveling? I buy something of local consequence when I travel. I also like classic cars, so I watch shows like “Chasing Classic Cars,’’ “Top Gear,’’ and “Dallas Car Sharks.’’
Best travel tip? If you don’t have it already, get Global Entry. Also, if you’re driving . . . drive with your back to the sun. I get sleepy when the sun’s in my face.
JULIET PENNINGTON
