Matt Davis

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Matt Davis attended graduate schools in Virginia and southern California before moving to San Francisco where he lived for 30 years. As a psychology professor and researcher at Dominican University of California, his areas of expertise included diverse topics such as natural disasters, cross-cultural norms and customs, media influences, and the psychology of travel.

Matt conducted the first research studies of how residents living in close proximity to Italy’s two famous volcanoes, Vesuvius and Etna, perceive their risk from potential eruptions. He was an invited speaker at dozens of conferences and workshops across the U.S. and internationally and was a featured expert in two television documentaries: Could It Happen Here? (2006) and Alien Invasion: Are We Ready? (2011).

An avid traveler, he has visited 35 countries, crossed the U.S. by car on over 50 road trips, and cumulatively, has spent over two years of his life in Italy and Hawaii. He shared his passion for travel with his students by leading several study-abroad trips to Italy, Ireland, Greece, France, Berlin, and Prague.

In 2020 he retired from his faculty position and threw away the red pens he once used to grade his students' papers. He left California and recently moved back to his hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts. When not traveling, Matt can usually be found at the beach, searching for the best pancakes or the ultimate lobster roll, watching vintage TV shows, spending time with lifelong friends, and of course, planning his next trip.

You can follow Matt at his website, www.mattathomeintheworld.com where he showcases more of his travel writing and photography.