‘Don’t over-prepare. You miss everything if you over-prepare.’

Favorite vacation destination? It’s either Edinburgh or Kyoto. I love the temples in Kyoto; they are so peaceful. And in Edinburgh I love — what else? — the Fringe Festival.
Peter Bufano joined the circus at 17. After attending Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, he toured with the circus for four years, then took a break to study film scoring at Berklee College of Music. The 54-year-old Boston resident — who now teaches film scoring at his alma mater — returned to the circus after college to perform as a keyboardist with the Ringling Bros. band. The composer, music director, and multi-instrumentalist has since written and performed scores for TV, film, and, yes, the circus. He is the composer of a new circus/comedy show, “Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium,” being staged in a boutique big top on the grounds of Boston’s Harpoon Brewery from Oct. 12-Nov. 6. “The show is a lot of fun and it’s set in an intimate setting so you’re right up close in the midst of the show,” Bufano said. “And that’s a lot different than seeing a Cirque du Soleil show or a Ringling Bros. [circus].” We caught up with the Shelton, Conn., native, who lives with his partner, Camilla Finlay (who produces educational videos for Harvard University and is a dancer), to talk about all things travel.
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Favorite food or drink while vacationing? Cappuccino. There’s no bad cappuccino. In Kyoto, I spent a lot of time in coffee shops because they’re quiet, peaceful, and clean. You look out the window and see beautiful streets.
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Where would you like to travel to but haven’t? Berlin. I had booked a trip, but the pandemic happened. There are many music technology companies there, it turns out. I mean, there’s always the allure of artists. Berlin is famous for artists who come from all over the world and stay. There’s always that.
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One item you can’t leave home without when traveling? My Moleskine [notebook]. It’s a journal, it’s for information, for thoughts and feelings … it’s a place where I’ll write a story if I think I need to tell that story. Or if I get an idea about a piece of music …
Aisle or window? Aisle. I travel with an accordion, and under FAA regulations, accordions go in the window seat so you don’t have to climb over it in an emergency. The accordion I have now is the biggest one I’ve ever owned. It’s 25 pounds, Italian made, and it sounds unbelievable. It’s so good, but traveling with it is hard. Your arms hurt from hauling it around.
Favorite childhood travel memory? Summer days, swimming in the Housatonic River where I grew up in Shelton, Conn. My mother would drive [me, along with] my brothers and sister down to the river, unpack us, and that’s where we’d be all day.
Guilty pleasure when traveling? Wasting an entire day in a coffee shop reading a newspaper.
Best travel tip? Don’t over-prepare. You miss everything if you over-prepare.
JULIET PENNINGTON