Lights to Guide Me Home
This beautiful debut memoir will make any parent adventurer think more deeply about how the concept of travel informs our sense of home, family, and who we are for our time on earth.
The third book in our Literary Heyterra series comes from a virtual pal we’ve long admired, Meghan J. Ward.
Meghan hails from Canada where she lives, works, and breathes the Rocky Mountain lifestyle. A fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, she and her partner Paul Zizka have put down deep roots in the outdoor mecca of Banff, but adventure travel has always ignited both their passions and their careers. We were especially excited to read Ward’s memoir, Lights to Guide Me Home: : A Journey Off the Beaten Track in Life, Love, Adventure, and Parenting, as it delves into some of the biggest topics we engage with here on our platform, namely travel, parenting, and how the two coexist. The honest, firsthand account of her experience navigating these issues does not disappoint.
All photos by Paul Zizka.
Lights to Guide Me Home fluctuates between moments of crisis and moments of quiet clarity. Oftentimes, the reader finds themselves dropped into the action, having to piece time and space back together as more information becomes available. Whether she’s situated us in New Zealand at the base of a mountain or up in the Arctic Circle at the mercy of the elements, the author works in both directions, filling in the journey thus far while simultaneously building toward the chapter’s geographical destination and ultimate resolution. This narrative tactic can be disorienting but it seems appropriate given that both travel and parenthood can often feel like getting lost.
In fact, Ward seems especially fascinated with this process of getting lost and found, both literally and figuratively. While the story begins long before she starts a family, it’s a map to parenthood that she seems to be after most in these pages. Readers with children of their own will commiserate with Ward’s recounting of the trials and tribulations of traveling with young children. Those who are not parents will get an authentic glimpse into the best- and worst-case scenarios of the undertaking. But the takeaways go beyond nitty gritty retellings of sleepless nights in far-off countries, eventually becoming a de facto field guide complete with common pitfalls to avoid and gentle reminders that changing plans in the middle of a trip is more than okay.
The memoir may not deal with the concept of sustainable travel head on, but Ward weaves an awareness of the earth and the importance – almost holiness – of the natural world into the story. On the road, she and her family often opt for apartment rentals, eco lodges, and camping over commercial hotel stays. They tend to frequent locally owned restaurants and cafes whenever possible. And they make a point to tap into local culture, history, and indigenous wisdom wherever they go, visiting UNESCO world heritage sites such as the moai of Rapa Nui and the city of Valletta on Malta.
Stay Connected with Meghan
// Subscribe to her fantastic Substack, Field Notes.
// Watch the film Wildflowers exploring the lives of two kindred mountain writers— Mary Schäffer Warren and Meghan— living a century apart.
// Pick up Lights to Guide Me Home for the parent adventurer in your life.
// Work with Meghan on developing your writing and photography.
At its core, this memoir asks the question of whether or not it’s worth traveling with small children, and ultimately gives one woman’s clear-eyed answer. The truth is never glamorized, sugarcoated, or sensationalized. But perhaps the greatest beauty of the book lies in Ward’s ability not only to recreate trips taken and lessons learned, but also to rise above her own story and place it within a larger context. While acknowledging her privilege and without any hint of entitlement, Ward sets down some guideposts to educate the reader while at the same time sparking curiosity for the world, its history, and how each individual might find their own way through it.
