Vocalist Marie Fredriksson was more involved in the production of the album than she had been on its predecessor, 2011's Charm School, which songwriter Per Gessle credited to the band's extensive touring schedule.

The album was a critical success upon release, with several reviewers commending the quality of Gessle's songwriting and describing it as a better record than its predecessor.

The duo's main songwriter Per Gessle explained: "It's the same idea as we used on Tourism back in 1992, which was to record an album on the road—to capture the positive energy [of a live band.

"[1] Unlike Tourism, which consisted of songs recorded in numerous studios, stadiums, arenas, nightclubs and hotels all over the world during the "Join the Joyride!

[3] The album contains three live recordings: a version of "Stars" performed during a soundcheck at the Dubai World Trade Centre on 20 May 2011, "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)" recorded live at Citibank Hall in Rio de Janeiro on 16 April 2011, and an orchestral performance of "It Must Have Been Love" from their Night of the Proms set at the Rotterdam Ahoy in November 2009.

[3] The song was first demoed in September 1997 during sessions for their 1999 album Have a Nice Day,[4] while "The Weight of the World" had previously appeared as a b-side to "A Thing About You" in 2002.

[5] Travelling also contains a new version of "Perfect Excuse", a track from Gessle's 2008 solo album Party Crasher which initially featured vocals from Helena Josefsson.

Gessle said: "It was actually our record company which didn't like the idea, because they said people are gonna get confused and they'll mix it up with Tourism number one.

[5] The album received generally positive reviews, with several publications praising the quality of Gessle's songwriting, such as Svenska Dagbladet which said that his "love for pop history shines through".

Nick Mason of FasterLouder called the album "immensely enjoyable",[25] and a writer for The AU Review complimented Gessle for "still [writing] some damn fine, extremely catchy pop music".

"[26] A writer for The Hindu expressed a similar sentiment: "What sets Roxette apart from their counterparts is their writing, which is as passionate as their splendid pop hooks."

"[27] Monsters and Critics praised the diversity of material found on the record: "In the new songs, Beatles fan [Per Gessle] lets his love for '60s pop and '70s classic rock run wild: 'Me & You & Terry & Julie' captivates with a Motown soul-organ pop refrain and a Kinks reference, while 'Lover, Lover, Lover' is reminiscent of Albert Hammond's evergreen 'It Never Rains in Southern California'.

"[28] In a brief review, Barry Walters of Spin said: "Now that their Scandinavian students call the pop shots, these '80s throwbacks finally sound contemporary.

Dagens Nyheter praised Fredriksson's vocals, particularly on "Perfect Excuse", but said: "It may be symptomatic that a novelty orchestral version of 'It Must Have Been Love' appears to be one of the album's strongest tracks.

There are strings and swing-in-axes, straddled power pop with ringing Tom Petty guitars, and big radio ballads.

Prior to its release, Gessle criticised Capitol Records for the lack of promotion the album was receiving in certain territories, saying: "Yeah, I don't know, sometimes you're hot, sometimes you're not. ...

[31] It ended 2012 as the 76th best-selling album of the year in that country,[32] and was certified gold by the Swedish Recording Industry Association for shipments in excess of 20,000 units.