There's No Cure Like Travel Lyrics — Anything Goes

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

1. Work: Anything Goes (Broadway opening: November 21, 1934).
2. Role in the show: A crew-and-passengers send-off that leads into "Bon Voyage" as the ship prepares to sail.
3. 1934 twist: The "travel" lyric was written for the original era but was not performed in full on opening-night Broadway programs.
4. Later life: Restored in major revival editions and preserved on cast and reconstruction recordings.

Anything Goes (1934) - stage musical - non-diegetic. In the score, this moment belongs to the ship itself: crew voices, boarding bustle, luggage thumps, a horizon line you can almost see from the orchestra seats. The charm is practical. Porter gives the company a singable slogan, the kind that sounds like it has been floating around the pier for years, and then he lets the band carry you into departure mode.

What makes the lyric memorable is its blunt confidence. No candlelit philosophy, no grand lecture. Just a jaunty insistence that changing your latitude can loosen your problems. It is comedy craft with a self-help grin, and it also suits the setting: a ship is a machine that turns restlessness into forward motion.

Creation History

The number is documented in official production song lists as part of the Anything Goes universe, but its onstage footprint shifted. The Broadway database notes "Bon Voyage" with the parenthetical "There's No Cure Like Travel" in its title line, while broader reference summaries describe how the "travel" portion was written for the 1934 period and later cut, then reinstated in later revivals. I like this kind of history because it shows how a musical score behaves like a suitcase: some items get left on the dock, then packed again when tastes change.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Anything Goes begins with romantic pursuit and social farce, then quickly locks everyone onto the SS American. The passengers and crew form a moving crowd scene, and this chorus helps flip the story from land-based chaos to shipboard momentum. It is less about one character's inner life and more about the whole production inhaling at once before the trip begins.

Song Meaning

The meaning is straight to the point: travel is framed as a cure for stress, anxiety, and the daily grind. Under the jokes, there is a real 1930s promise at work. If you cannot fix the world, you can at least outrun your mood for a while. In a show built on reinvention, the lyric also hints at identity play: new port, new you, fewer rules.

Annotations

"And there's no cure like travel to help you unravel the worries of living today."

This is the mission statement in one breath. It is not subtle, but it is smart: the word "unravel" turns worry into a knot you can physically loosen, which makes the cure feel believable even in a comedy.

The song is paired with "Bon Voyage" and often treated as one continuous sequence.

That pairing matters musically. The first part sells the idea, the second part sells the action. In performance, it can feel like a camera pan from the crowd to the gangway, then out toward open water.

Some reference guides note that the "travel" section was written for 1934 but later dropped and then restored in revivals.

This is why modern listeners sometimes think it was always there. Revival editions and recordings can backfill memory, making a restoration feel like the original truth.

Style and rhythm

The groove leans toward bright Broadway swing, with a marching confidence that fits sailors and crowd choreography. It is built for ensemble clarity: strong pulse, clean phrasing, and room for staged business to happen between lines.

Emotional arc

It starts as advice, turns into collective excitement, and ends as shared momentum. Nobody is baring their soul. The show is simply changing gears, and the chorus is the clutch.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

1. Song: There's No Cure Like Travel
2. Artist: Cole Porter
3. Featured: N/A
4. Composer: Cole Porter
5. Producer: Recording-dependent
6. Release Date: November 21, 1934 (Broadway premiere context for the musical)
7. Genre: Musical theatre; ensemble chorus; swing-era Broadway
8. Instruments: Ensemble voices; Broadway pit orchestra
9. Label: Recording-dependent
10. Mood: Brisk, optimistic, tongue-in-cheek
11. Length: Recording-dependent (commonly around 2-3 minutes when joined to "Bon Voyage")
12. Track #: Varies (often an early Act I track on cast albums)
13. Language: English
14. Album (if any): Cast and studio recordings of Anything Goes
15. Music style: Ensemble-driven chorus with dance-forward phrasing
16. Poetic meter: Accentual, conversational ensemble lyric pacing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it a standalone number or part of a medley?

In many modern editions it is presented as a continuous sequence with Bon Voyage, so it often feels like one long departure cue.

Was it in the original 1934 Broadway performances?

Reference summaries describe the "travel" portion as written for the 1934 era but not performed in full on the original run, with restorations appearing later.

Who sings it on stage?

It is an ensemble moment, commonly assigned to ship crew and passengers rather than a single lead character.

Why does it sound different across recordings?

Staging editions and orchestrations vary, and some recordings include restored material while others focus on the Bon Voyage segment.

Where can I hear a well-known modern recording?

The 2011 Broadway revival cast album includes a track titled "There's No Cure Like Travel / Bon Voyage" distributed online by its label.

Is there a reconstruction-style recording for collectors?

Yes. John McGlinn's studio work on Anything Goes includes appendix material connected to the song, aimed at documenting score history.

What is the lyric trying to say, in plain terms?

Pack a bag, change the scenery, and your worries loosen. It is theatrical advice delivered with a grin.

Does it matter to the story?

It matters as a transition. It turns a crowded comedy into an actual voyage and gives the ensemble something to do while the plot boards the ship.

Additional Info

The fun detail is how the song's reputation can outrun its original staging. If you discovered it through a revival cast album, you probably assume it was always sung that way. But the paper trail tells a more layered story: databases list the title in connection with the departure sequence, and reference guides point out the restoration path. As stated in a Broadway database listing, the departure cue is cataloged with the parenthetical title that keeps the "travel" hook attached to the ship's send-off, even when performance history gets messy.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: IBDB production song lists, Anything Goes reference summary of song variants, Ghostlight Records YouTube distribution listing, John McGlinn appendix recording listings, Script and vocal book PDF excerpt