By Jae-Ha Kim
Tribune Content Agency
August 26, 2014
When former San Francisco Giant J.T. Snow retired from baseball, he knew what he wanted to do in the next phase of his life. The six-time Golden Glove recipient and his sister, Stephanie Snow Gebel, started the Jack and J.T. Snow Scientific Research Foundation, which supports diabetes research. (Former wide receiver, Jack Snow, is J.T.’s father.) Snow, 46, lives 30 minutes outside of San Francisco in Emerald Hills.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
A. Anywhere there is golf, warm weather or a beach close by. I love Hawaii and Cabo (Mexico). I also love traveling to Scotland and Ireland for golf trips. The golf courses out there are incredible. If you’re going to Cabo, I highly recommend golfing there, taking a fishing trip on a charter boat and experiencing all the food there. The nightlife is also a lot of fun. If you travel to Scotland or Ireland, the golf is amazing. And (I enjoy) meeting the friendly people in the small towns.
Q. What untapped destination should people know about?
A. There are certain off-the-beaten paths in Scotland or Ireland. Being able to drive from one small village to the next is a pretty incredible experience, as well as seeing the sheep grazing along the way and eating some of the local food like fish and chips.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?
A. My first big trip as a child with my family was to Maui, Hawaii. I loved it. The surfing, the beaches and the laid-back lifestyle were perfect for me.
Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A. To be patient, enjoy the experience and to take time to meet the people and be a part of their culture.
Q. Have you traveled to a place that stood out so much that you felt compelled to incorporate it into your work?
A. I haven’t incorporated any travel destinations into my current work on my Jack and J.T. Snow Scientific Research Foundation, but I have been to places like Taiwan, Alaska, Cape Cod, Venezuela and most major American cities because of my baseball career.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. Carmel-by-the-Sea in California, as well as Pebble Beach and Lake Tahoe.
Q. Where are the most romantic destinations?
A. San Francisco and Hawaii.
Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. My favorite holiday trip of all time was going to Hawaii.
Q. What are your favorite hotels?
A. My favorite hotels are the Four Seasons Hualalai, on the big island of Hawaii, as well as any Ritz-Carlton. Tahoe has a great one.
Q. What are your five favorite cities?
A. New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dublin (Ireland) and Honolulu. If I pick a sixth, I’d also say I love visiting my sister and family in St. Louis, where my dad played on the Rams, and where our foundation is headquartered.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. Seattle most reminds me of San Francisco, because of the weather, people and landscape. It’s definitely greener there though because of the rain.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. I hope to be able to visit Italy, Spain or Australia one day.
Q. When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A. My golf clubs and swim trunks. Besides baseball, I love golf and swimming the most.
Q. What would be your dream trip?
A. My fantasy trip would be to go to Australia and golf at the best courses, hang on the beach and surf.
Q. What are your favorite restaurants?
A. Any great steakhouse, from a Ruth’s Chris to a popular local spot and Italian food.
Q. What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A. One of my guilty pleasures on the road is definitely eating too much. That’s why it’s always good to do a lot of outdoor activities while traveling.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I do a lot of reading about hotels and the local activities, as well as studying maps before I go on a trip, so I know all the good places to visit.
Q. What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A. My best memory was going to Hawaii as a kid with my family and learning to surf. As an adult, my favorite memory was playing golf in Scotland and Ireland, as well as learning to snow ski in Lake Tahoe. The best part is always spending time with people I’m traveling with. My worst travel memory was when the airline lost my golf clubs when I was coming back from Scotland.
© 2014 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
