From 1837 to 1841, he travelled extensively in North America and Europe, meeting a number of important intellectuals of the time, including Sir Walter Scott, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Georges Cuvier, the German philosopher Karl Krause, and the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.

[3] On November 29, 1831, de la Luz was visiting Venice, Italy, when he received a communication from Justo Yelez, director of the Seminario de San Carlos (San Carlos Seminary) in Havana, commissioning him to purchase the machines and devices required to study physics at the school.

De la Luz accepted the commission and performed a thorough investigation of the subject; when he had concluded his task, he recorded his observations in an extensive letter addressed to Yelez, and upon the latter's receipt of them they were included in the number 6 issue of the Revista Bimestre Cubana (Cuban Bimonthly Magazine).

"Neither in France, nor in England, nor in Germany," said de la Luz, "could have been found such a complete assortment of electro-magnetic devices, like that I acquired in Italy from the noble Italian gentleman from Modena.

Among his works are a translation of Volney's Travels in Egypt and Syria, with notes and additions (Paris, 1829); Siegling's Public Prisons and their Reforms, from the German (1837); and numerous memoirs and pamphlets on educational, scientific, and philosophical subjects.