Travel Writing World: Recent Episodes
Jeremy Bassetti
With an emphasis on non-fiction travel books, books on place, nature writing, and travel literature, host Jeremy Bassetti talks with the world’s most celebrated writers about their work and about the business and craft of travel writing in this award-winning podcast. Past guests include travel writers like Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer, and Rolf Potts. The show also covers topics related to travel journalism and travel photography.
Ryan Murdock joins me in today’s episode. We talk about his new book A Sunny Place for Shady People: How Malta Became One of the Most Curious and Corrupt Places in the World. The interview was actually an online event with Ryan’s publisher, Trinity University Press, that was recorded fairly late in the evening for Ryan. You can watch the event on their Facebook page and I assume they'll post it on their YouTube channel in due course. Ryan is the host of the Personal Landscapes podcast, which you should definitely check out if you haven't already.Towards the end of the interview, I mention a discount code for Ryan’s book through Trinity University Press. Seek out that discount code if you’re interested in purchasing a copy. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Michael Kerr joins me on the podcast to chat about the transformation of travel media from storytelling to a more utilitarian approach driven by the internet and market forces, the current trends in travel books — particularly the rise of narratives addressing social and environmental issues and how they have revitalized the genre —, and Stanford's Travel Book of the Year awards.Michael is the creator of Deskbound Traveller, a website and blog dedicated to exploring the literary side of travel, nature, and place. Michael brings with him a rich background as a former deputy travel editor at The Daily Telegraph.More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Doreen Cunningham joins me on the podcast to talk about her book Soundings: Journeying to Alaska in the Company of Whales (Scribner 2022).Purchase Soundings by Doreen CunninghamSupport your local bookstore, or purchase her book Soundings: Journeying to Alaska in the Company of Whales from Amazon. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Thomas Bird joins me on the podcast to talk about his book Harmony Express: Travels by Train Through China (Earnshaw Books 2023).We talk about Thomas's new book and his creative journey, the development and history of China's rail network, freelance writing in China in the early 2000s, China's diversity, his advice for "writing for the ages," and more.Purchase Harmony Express by Thomas BirdSupport your local bookstore, or purchase his book Harmony Express: Travels by Train Through China from Amazon. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Thomas Swick joins me on the podcast to talk about his book Falling Into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer (Rowman & Littlefield 2023).Thomas and I chat about Tom’s creative journey, his time in Poland, the evolution of the travel writer as an occupation, the importance of having life experiences for writers, and a lot more. Purchase Falling into Place by Thomas SwickSupport your local bookstore, or purchase his book Falling Into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer from Amazon. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Toady I’m bringing you a conversation I had with Ryan Murdock for his Personal Landscapes Podcast. He was kind enough to not only chat with me about my book The Hill of the Skull on his podcast, but let me re-broadcast a the conversation here on Travel Writing World. We talk about sacred mountains, anthropology, Bolivia, globalization, pilgrimage, and other topics.If you aren’t subscribed to Ryan’s podcast, I recommend that you do so. Just search for Personal Landscapes in your favorite podcatcher or visit personallandscapespodcast.com.In personal news:The crowdfunding campaign for The Hill of the Skull is entering its last two weeks. We’ve raised about 1/3 of the funds needed to publish the special edition book. If you are in a position to support the campaign, please consider doing so by visiting: travelwritingworld.com/skull, which will redirect you to the Kickstarter campaign page where you will find several ways to support the book.So, without further ado, here is my conversation with Ryan Murdock on the Personal Landscapes podcast.Purchase The Hill of the Skull by Jeremy BassettiTo support the crowdfunding campaign, visit The Hill of the Skull on Kickstarter. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
A quick update to announce my new photobook memoir The Hill of the Skull launches today on Kickstarter. The campaign runs from September 25 until October 26, 2023.The book features a 7,000-word memoir, around 50 photographs, an afterword by celebrated author Pico Iyer, and a behind-the-scenes dialogue I had with the award-winning British photographer Alys Tomlinson. The book will be available in multiple formats, but the star of the show will be the premium, limited-edition hardcover book.Please support my new book The Hill of the Skull on Kickstarter.Purchase The Hill of the Skull by Jeremy BassettiTo support the crowdfunding campaign, visit The Hill of the Skull on Kickstarter. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Tom Parfitt joins me on the podcast to talk about his book High Caucasus (Headline 2023).
Tom and I have a sober conversation about the 2004 Beslan School Massacre, his reporting in Russia, and his 1,000-mile walk across the Caucasus in southern Russia. I also ask Tom about Ukraine, and his commonly held assumptions or ideas about the people of the Caucasus.
Purchase In Sardinia by Jeff Biggers
Support your local bookstore, or purchase High Caucasus: A Mountain Quest in Russia's Haunted Hinterland from Amazon.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Jeff Biggers joins me on the podcast today, and we’re talking about his new book In Sardinia: An Unexpected Journey in Italy, which is as much a cultural history of the island as it is a travel book.
In this wide-reaching conversation, we talk about D. H. Lawrence and the travel literature about the island, Sardinia’s ancient history, a few environmental protection laws as they relate to tourism on the island, travel as a literary framework in writing non-fiction, and much more.
Learn more about Jeff Biggers on his website.
Purchase In Sardinia by Jeff Biggers
Support your local bookstore, or purchase In Sardinia: An Unexpected Journey in Italy from Amazon.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Tim Hannigan is back on the Travel Writing World podcast, this time to talk about his new book The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey, which is a literary and literal journey through Cornwall. In addition to Cornwall’s culture and geography, Tim and I also chat about re-centering maps, identity, walking, slow travel, the Tamar River, the Tim Hannigan method of outlining or structuring books, and other topics. Purchase The Granite Kingdom by Tim HanniganSupport your local bookstore, or purchase The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey from Amazon. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Leon McCarron joins me today, and we’re talking about his new book Wounded Tigris: A River Journey through the Cradle of Civilisation (available in the UK on 6 April 2023 and in the USA from 7 November 2023).Leon is an author of several travel books, including The Land Beyond: A Thousand Miles on Foot through the Heart of the Middle East and The Road Headed West. In addition to talking about Leon's new book, we also talk about the the Marsh Arabs, Wilfred Thesiger, the importance of the Tigris River for Iraq, the region, and the globe, and slowing down to make connections in travel books.Connect with Leon McCarron on Instagram and Twitter. Learn more about Leon McCarron on his homepage. Learn more about his book on his book's website. And learn more about the Zagros Mountain Trail initiative.Purchase Wounded Tigris by Leon McCarronSupport your local bookstore, or purchase Wounded Tigris: A River Journey through the Cradle of Civilisation from Amazon. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Hello, everyone. This is episode 101 of the Travel Writing World podcast, and it will be a short one. In the introduction to episode 99, my recent interview with Pico Iyer, I mentioned that I am taking a break from my normal, fortnightly schedule of interviews in 2023 to focus on a few projects. Well, today I want to announce one of those projects — it is a book called The Hill of the Skull. The Hill of the Skull is part photobook, part travel book. It will include photos and a narrative focusing on my visit to a sacred hill called the Hill of the Skull, which is a pilgrimage site in a town in the foothills of the Bolivian Andes. And when I say “foothills,” I also mean an altitude of over 8,500 feet (or about 2,500 meters). The hill gets slammed with visitors during a celebration call the Festival of the Virgin of Urkupiña, which happens every August and centers around the hill. Last August, I visited Bolivia primarily to do research on the festival and the hill… but let me just say here that I got more than I bargained for. And I’m excited to show you what I’ve been working on.If you’re interested in supporting the project, which I’ll crowdfund on Kickstarter this May, please sign up to get notified when the project launches either through Kickstarter or through my email list. If you visit travelwritingworld.com/skull, you will be able to sign-up to whichever notification method your prefer, either Kickstarter’s or my email list. If you’ve even remotely interested in the project, you’ll want to sign up to get notified when it launches because there will be special, time-sensitive discounts and rewards for those who support the project early in the campaign. The idea here is that I want to do something special for listeners of the Travel Writing World podcast and for supporters of my work.If the campaign is successful, the book will be a beautiful object made with premium materials and using the same printers and suppliers some of the major photobook publishers use.Get notified when The Hill of the Skull launchesPlease sign-up to get notified when the campaign launches at travelwritingworld.com/skull. And join me on Instagram to take a sneak peek at some of the work.More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
J.F. Penn joins me today, and we’re talking about her new book Pilgrimage.Joanna is an author of many fiction and non-fiction books, and the host of several podcasts including The Creative Penn Podcast for writers and the Books and Travel podcast. In addition to talking about her new book Pilgrimage, we also talk about voice in writing and creative work, pilgrimage from a secular perspective, the restorative properties of walking and pilgrimage, independently publishing a travel book using crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, and much more. Purchase Pilgrimage by J.F. PennIf you want to check out and support her book's Kickstarter, visit https://jfpenn.com/pilgrimage. The campaign runs for until early February 2023.More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
Pico Iyer joins me on the podcast again. And this time we’re discussing his new book The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise. As the subtitle reveals, The Half Known Life is a book about the idea of paradise. But it is also a book about living in the real world and embracing the unknown, topics that Pico and I chat about in today's podcast.We also talk briefly about Reading, Writing, Buddhism, Peter Matthiessen, Cal Flyn, and more. Purchase The Half Known Life by Pico IyerIf you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free. More episodes, newsletters, & supportPlease consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free. You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram. Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive monthly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.Thanks for your support!Intro musicPeach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)Disclaimer*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.Thank you!
As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
Today’s episode is Bill’s last interview, this one with Sara Wheeler. Now, most of you will be familiar with Sara for her books like Terra Incognita and The Magnetic North. And she wrote a biography of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the author of the now-classic book, The Worst Journey in the World. Sara came on the podcast back in episode 83 to speak about Apsley Cherry-Garrard and his book.
Purchase Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
Today’s episode is Bill’s last interview, this one with Sara Wheeler. Now, most of you will be familiar with Sara for her books like Terra Incognita and The Magnetic North. And she wrote a biography of Apsley Cherry-Garrard, the author of the now-classic book, The Worst Journey in the World. Sara came on the podcast back in episode 83 to speak about Apsley Cherry-Garrard and his book.
Purchase Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
This is his third interview, this one with Michelle Jana Chan. Michelle is an award-winning journalist and Travel Editor of Vanity Fair. She is the author of Song, a novel about a boy who leaves his impoverished family in rural China to seek his fortune.
Purchase Song by Michelle Jana Chan
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
This is his third interview, this one with Michelle Jana Chan. Michelle is an award-winning journalist and Travel Editor of Vanity Fair. She is the author of Song, a novel about a boy who leaves his impoverished family in rural China to seek his fortune.
Purchase Song by Michelle Jana Chan
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
This is his second interview, this one with the late Alexander Frater, the celebrated journalist and author who brought us works like Chasing the Monsoon: a Modern Pilgrimage Through India.
Purchase Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
This is his second interview, this one with the late Alexander Frater, the celebrated journalist and author who brought us works like Chasing the Monsoon: a Modern Pilgrimage Through India.
Purchase Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
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Thank you!
As discussed in the previous episode, we’re publishing a few of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World.
Today is the first interview out of four, this one with Tony Wheeler who, along with his wife Maureen, founded Lonely Planet.
Purchase Scraps of Wool by Bill Colegrave
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Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
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Thank you!
Bill Colegrave joins me today to talk about his book Scraps of Wool: A Journey Through the Golden Age of Travel Literature, which is a collection of passages from some of the world’s best-known works of travel literature.
As you’ll hear in the interview, Bill recorded interviews with Tony Wheeler, the late Alexander Frater, Sara Wheeler, and Michelle Jana Chan a few years back. And Bill has kindly agreed to broadcast these interviews on Travel Writing World. So, for the next four episodes, we’ll publish Bill’s interviews.
Purchase Scraps of Wool by Bill Colegrave
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
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Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Jennifer Barclay joins me on today's episode and we’re talking about her book The Taverna by the Sea: One Greek Island Summer (Bradt 2022).
In this episode, we talk about Jennifer’s fascination with living on the Greek islands and her experience working in Greece.
We also talk about her experiences as a literary agent and the process of selling travel books, including a bit about what publishers like to see.
Purchase The Taverna by the Sea by Jennifer Barclay
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
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Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Mary Novakovich. And we’re talking about her book My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia's Hinterland (Bradt 2022).
In this episode, we talk about a rustic region in Croatia called Lika, where her family is from, and its appeal. We also talk a bit about travel literature about Croatia and her experiences finding a publisher.
Purchase My Family and Other Enemies by Mary Novakovich
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
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Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Hello, everyone. No interview today. But I do have some news.
During the month of August, I’ll be traveling through the Andes mountains—from Santa Cruz, Bolivia overland to Cusco, Peru.
Every day, from August 2 until August 31, 2022, I will send an email documenting my experiences to subscribers of a “pop-up” newsletter I’m calling 30 DAYS IN THE ANDES.
Each email will have several photographs and maybe a note.
While I'm away, the podcast will go on. I have interviews scheduled through August.
Sign up for 30 DAYS IN THE ANDES. It’s free.
And if you know someone who may enjoy this type of thing, please share the link with them.
Thank you.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Robert Kaplan. And we’re talking about his newest book Adriatic: A Concert of Civilizations at the End of the Modern Age.
As you know, Robert is the author of many books, including The Ends of the Earth, An Empire Wilderness, and the controversial Balkan Ghosts.
In this episode, we talk about why the Adriatic is so interesting historically and culturally, how the Adriatic might see another renaissance, the idea of travel writing as a "vehicle," and more.
Purchase Adriatic by Robert Kaplan
If you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use our links on this page. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission from Amazon at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Benedict Allen is my guest today. He is the author of several books, including most recently Explorer: The Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown.
I ask him about his urge to explore, and about what I poorly articulate as his “old school” mode of traveling the world. We chat about about making bonds while traveling, about homecomings, and about family.
Purchase Explorer by Benedict Allen
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
David Eimer is my guest today. He is the author of two books, The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China and A Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma, the latter of which we talk about today.
We start off this episode talking about Burma, its politics, and its peoples. But about halfway, we shift gears and chat about travel literature. Specifically, I ask David about travelogues, the role of history and context in the types of travel books he likes, and the future of the genre.
I’ll say here that the audio quality isn’t the best in this episode, which we recorded back in February, but I hope you’ll ignore it as David really has his finger on the pulse of Burma, as you’ll no doubt hear.
Purchase A Savage Dreamland by David Eimer
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Shafik Meghji, and we’re talking about his new book Crossed Off The Map: Travels in Bolivia (Latin America Bureau 2022), which, as the name implies, treats the author’s many years of travels to and work in Bolivia, a country that is off the tourist radar.
We talk about the indigenous languages spoken in the country, the history of exploitation of the country’s peoples and natural resources, and the tourist appeal of this overlooked country.
Purchase Crossed Off the Map by Shafik Meghji
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me again today is Nicholas Jubber and we’re talking about his newest book The Fairy Tellers, which follows several fairy tales—their origins and evolutions—and explores the people who originally told them. As you’ll hear, fairy tales (like all stories) are rooted deeply in place.
Of course we talk about some fairy tales themselves, but we also chat about how his experiences traveling, and using the notebooks of travels past, helped him write this book.
Purchase The Fairy Tellers by Nicholas Jubber
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Marcia DeSanctis. And we’re talking about A Hard Place to Leave, a collection of stories that covers the last decade of her travel writing career.
In addition to her book, we also talk about finding one’s writing voice, stories vs essays in the travel context, and the difficult task of putting together and pitching a collection of stories.
Purchase A Hard Place to Leave by Marcia DeSanctis
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Rebecca Lowe and we’re talking about The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East, her debut book. The book documents her 11,000-kilometer bicycle journey through Europe to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, and finally to Iran.
Don’t let the “Slow” in its title fool you. It is a fast-paced book, one that is also full of humor and insight.
In addition to her book, we also talk about western media representations of the Middle East, her thoughts on solo female travel, and the slow road to her book's publication.
Purchase Slow Road to Tehran by Rebecca Lowe
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Today I’m speaking with Sara Wheeler and Jonathan Chatwin about Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s The Worst Journey in the World, a book that is often cited as one of the most important travel books of the 20th century. This year marks the centenary of the book’s publication.
My first guest today, Sara Wheeler, knows a thing or two about Antarctica and Apsley Cherry-Garrard. She spent some time on the continent, which she recounts in her 1996 book Terra Incognita, and she wrote a biography of Aspley Cherry-Garrard, simply called Cherry.
You’ll no doubt recognize the voice of my second guest, Jonathan Chatwin, whom I spoke with before on several occasions, notably when we discussed his book Long Peace Street and again about the life and work of Bruce Chatwin.
Purchase The Worst Journey in the World
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Colleen Kinder. She’s the editor of the online literary journal Off Assignment and she has a new book out. The book is called Letter To A Stranger: Essays To The Ones Who Haunt Us (Algonquin 2022). It is a volume of essays from her journal’s flagship column “Letter to a Stranger.” It's a wonderful anthology packed with 65 essays, 65 letters from writers to strangers.
We talk about the importance of voice in writing, writing prompts, travel media, the book form, and her online journal and how Pico Iyer inspired its creation.
Purchase Letter to a Stranger edited by Colleen Kinder
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Jessica Vincent who, along with Monisha Rajesh, Simon Willmore, and Levison Wood, edited a volume of essays called The Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century (Summersdale 2022).
I ask Jess what makes the “best” travel writing, anyway? And we talk about how the pandemic reshaped our approach to travel and how it helped rekindle an interest in travel writing, despite our worst fears.
Purchase The Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century edited by Jessica Vincent
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Dave Seminara. His newest book, Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth, tells the story of William Baekeland, an alleged con artist who offered to help extreme travelers reach some of the world’s most remote frontiers. Now this book is much more than an exposé on William; it offers insight into wanderlust and asks why some of us are so compelled to travel.
We also talk about writing "footsteps" pieces and how Dave revised and self-published essays he previously wrote for other outlets, as a way to breathe new life into older work.
Purchase Mad Travelers by Dave Seminara
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
This is just a quick announcement to say that in celebration of the 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, I’ll be in Stanfords’ London bookstore on March 2 speaking with Colin Thubron and Tharik Hussain about their award-nominated books and about genre of travel writing. We will be also be joined by special guest Monisha Rajesh. After the conversation, there will be an audience Q&A.
Because of space limitations, the event is ticketed. Like all of Stanfords’ events, a ticket costs £5, which, from what I understand, will be returned to you in the form of store credit for one of the authors’ books and in the liquid currency of a soft drink or a glass of wine.
To register for the event, or to learn more about it, visit travelwritingworld.com/london2022 (you will be redirected to Stanfords’ event page).
If you’re in London on March 2, please stop by Stanfords in Covent Garden and say hello. The event starts at 6:30 pm.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Nori Jemil. Her book, The Travel Photographer’s Way (Bradt 2021), was nominated for the 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Photography Book of the Year. In this conversation, we do talk about her book. But, as you’ll hear, the conversation quickly becomes a deluge of helpful advice about photography. And we only scratch the surface here when it comes to what she covers in the book. We talk about gear, planning and organization, knowing your camera well, pitching, and a lot more.
Purchase The Travel Photographer's Way by Nori Jemil
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Ursula Pike. In the mid 1990s, Ursula boarded a plane to Bolivia and began her term of service in the Peace Corps. A member of the Karuk Tribe, Pike expected to make meaningful connections with other Indigenous people around the world. But her experiences forced her to question her assumptions about the world.
Ursula wrote about her time in Bolivia in her new book, An Indian Among Los Indígenas: A Native Travel Memoir (Heyday 2021).
So, we talk about identity, the Peace Corps, and neoliberalism in the context of her experiences. We also talk about revisiting old travel journals, truth in writing memoir, and more.
Purchase An Indian Among Los Indigenas by Ursula Pike
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today are Gary Fisher and David Robinson, two historians who recently edited a new volume of essays called Travel Writing in the Age of Global Quarantine (purchase here).
Gary and David are historians and this episode touches on some of the academic debates about the genre of travel writing. If this conversation interests you, I recommend that you also go back and listen to episode 57, which is a conversation I had about these topics with Tim Hannigan.
Today’s conversation is a critical one about subjectivity’s fundamental role in travel literature and in academic and scientific discourse, the importance of reading older travel narratives, why personal context enriches literature, and why reading and writing travel writing is important, even in an age of global pandemic, environmental crisis, and geopolitical turmoil.
Anyway, there is a lot here so I hope you enjoy it.
Purchase Travel Writing in the Age of Global Quarantine by Gary Fisher and David Robinson
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Cal Flyn. Photo by Rebecca Marr.
Cal Flyn joins me today to talk about her newest book, Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape (Viking 2021), which is one of my top books of the year.
In addition to talking about her book, Cal and I chat about genre, form, and the first person in nature and travel writing.
Connect with Cal Flyn on her website or on Twitter and Instagram.
Purchase Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links as. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Graydon Hazenberg (right) and his cycling companions.
Joining me today is Graydon Hazenberg. In 1998, Graydon, his twin sisters, and a friend rode bicycles for nearly four months from Islamabad to Mount Kailash in Tibet. He wrote about his adventure in his new travelogue, Pedalling to Kailash: Cycling Adventures and Misadventures Across the Roof of the World (2021).
Now, Graydon’s book is special not just because of the challenging nature of his adventure, but because he — as you’ll hear him mention — embarked on different type of challenge in self-publishing the book after nearly 25 years.
We also talk about what traveling to Tibet was like in the late 1990s, how plotting waypoints on maps helped him reconstruct the journey and write, and his path to to self-publishing.
Connect with Graydon Hazenberg on his website or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Purchase Pedalling to Kailash by Graydon Hazenberg
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Pamela Petro. We’re talking about her new memoir, The Long Field, which was published by Little Toller Books this year.
We talk about her experiences in Wales and the Welsh word hiraeth, one of the book’s central ideas. We also dig into the rocky terrain of homesickness, longing, and memoir. On the topic of memoir, we talk about the pains associated with writing one, tone, and deriving universal truths from subjective experiences.
Connect with Pamela Petro on her website or on Twitter.
Purchase The Long Field by Pamela Petro
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Jordan Salama. We’re talking about his debut book, Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena, which was published November 16, 2021.
We talk about the Magdalena River, of course, but we also talk about people who live along it and storytelling. We also talk about the future of travel writing, de-centering the self, and about the critical importance of community in any writing project.
Connect with Jordan Salama on his website, or on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Purchase Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena by Jordan Salama
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
In this bonus episode, I’m speaking with J.R. Patterson. James is a freelance writer, and he also reviews books for Travel Writing World.
In this episode, we talk about his approach to reviewing travel books and his article on Hidden Compass, where he recounts his experiences and failures traveling down the São Francisco River in Brazil. Check out his article and consider donating to his campaign.
We also talk about leaning on the travel literature of the past, the role of the self in travel literature, and the art of book reviewing.
Connect with J.R. Patterson on his website or on Twitter.
Purchase Travel Books
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Tharik Hussain. We’re talking about his debut book, Minarets in the Mountains: A Journey into Muslim Europe, which was published in June 2021 by Bradt and nominated for the Baille Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.
In addition to chatting about his new book, we talk about dominant historical narratives, colonial cruft in travel literature, and decolonizing travel writing. Tharik also shares his experiences on his path to getting his book published and some candid insight into developing an area of expertise.
Connect with Tharik Hussain on his website, or on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Purchase Minarets in the Mountains: A Journey into Muslim Europe by Tharik Hussain
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Peter Fiennes. Peter and I spoke last year about his book Footnotes, which was shortlisted for the Stanford Doleman Travel Book of the Year. Now he’s back with a new book called A Thing of Beauty: Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece (Oneworld 2021).
In addition to introducing us to his new book, we talk about Lord Byron, ideas of hope in Greek mythology, and working on a travel book amid the pandemic. As you’ll hear, he was able to slip into Greece for a brief period when lockdowns were lifted.
Track Peter down on Twitter and on his website.
Purchase A Thing of Beauty: Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece by Peter Fiennes
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Today I’m speaking with Amanda Kendle, who is the host of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast.
While The Thoughtful Travel Podcast and this podcast mostly run on parallel tracks (her podcast dealing with ethical issues related to travel), they are running in the same direction and, sometimes, converge. At one of these intersections is a travel book club Amanda hosts. As you’ll hear, she and a group of readers jump on a video call to talk about a travel book once every month or two. She also happens to be working on a travel book of her own.
Anyway, I thought that having a conversation with Amanda about our love for travel literature will help introduce us to each other’s listeners. You can find her podcast by searching for The Thoughtful Travel Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.
More episodes, newsletters, & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Also, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Alternatively, you can join the Genius Loci Newsletter to get monthly roundups of travel writing news.
Thanks for your support!
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Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me again is Jason Wilson. As you know, Jason has been the series editor of the yearly The Best American Travel Writing anthology for the last 2 decades. Though, as you’ll hear us discuss today, this year’s volume (2021) is the last.
Of course, we discuss and speculate on the reasons this is the last volume. And we also talk about what American travel writing looked like during the pandemic, about the power of email lists, newsletters, and platforms for travel writers, and much more.
Follow Jason's work at Everyday Drinking.
Purchase The Best American Travel Writing 2021 by Jason Wilson
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Robert Martineau. We’re talking about his new book Waypoints: A Journey on Foot, which was published in April 2021 by Jonathan Cape.
In his book, as you’ll hear us mention, Rob goes on a 1,000-mile walk through Ghana, Togo, and Benin. So we chat about his walk, escaping from a life of routine in a big city, the liberating and transformative potential of walking, about note-taking, and a lot more.
If anyone has been feeling stagnant lately, in work and life — haven’t we all during the pandemic — then Rob’s story might inspire you to stop waiting around for life to happen and to take charge.
Purchase Waypoints by Robert Martineau
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me again today is Colin Thubron. We’re talking about his most recent book The Amur River: Between Russia and China, which will be published on 21 September 2021.
We talk about the Amur River, of course, and its role in Sino-Russian relations, Colin’s 1,100-mile journey along the the river’s various incarnations across Mongolia, Russia, and China, and we also talk about aging, a major theme of the book, and its impact on his approach to travel and writing. Lots of inspiration here, especially for those who equate travel writing with youthful adventure.
Purchase The Amur River by Colin Thubron
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Joining me today is Charles Bergman a writer and photographer who sought to document all 18 species of penguin in his most recent book, Every Penguin in the World. His new book is more than just a photo-book - it has a narrative component about his photographic mission.
Now, photography and animals are not topics we’ve covered too much on the show, but they are legitimate features of the travel and writing landscapes. In addition to our conversation about conservation and penguins, we also talk about the process of developing larger book-length projects from smaller essays and stories, and we talk about how travel and literature and photography can open up new lines of inquiry and help spread awareness about important issues.
Learn more about Charles and his work at his website.
Purchase Every Penguin in the World by Charles Bergman
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
CJ Schuler
Joining me today is CJ Schuler, whose most recent book, Along the Amber Route, was nominated for the Stanford Doleman Travel Book of the Year in 2021.
Like last episode, we recorded this one back in early 2021 before the award announcement. We talk about the amber trade routes in Europe and some touch points in the history of amber in Europe. We also talk about editing a travelogue and the difficulties in finding publishers for travel narratives.
CJ's website.
Purchase Along the Amber Route by CJ Schuler
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
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Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Sophy Roberts and Siberia by Michael Turek
Joining me today is Sophy Roberts, whose most recent book The Lost Pianos of Siberia was nominated for the Stanford Doleman Travel Book of the Year 2021.
We recorded this episode back in March, before the award announcement (sorry for the massive delay, Sophy!), but the conversation is still fresh. We talk about “success narratives” in travel literature, chronology in travel books, and much more.
Sophy's website. The Lost Pianos of Siberia online. Sophy's Instagram.
Purchase The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Laurie Lee
Few conversations about Patrick Leigh Fermor’s book A Time of Gifts happen without mentioning As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee. Lee’s book, also an account of a European walk, was published before Paddy’s book. They’re similar, but quite different.
In today’s episode, Jessica Vincent joins me to talk about Laurie Lee and his book. We also talk about gender representations in the book and the book’s enduring appeal.
All this is coming up in the interview, but I want to hear from you — Have you read Laurie Lee’s book? What are your thoughts? Have you read it alongside A Time of Gifts? Which do you prefer? Please leave a comment below.
Purchase Laurie Lee's book As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Patrick Leigh Fermor - Δημήτρης Παπαδήμος, CC BY-SA 3.0
June marked the 10-year anniversary of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s passing, and next month John Murray Press is re-publishing his best-known book A Time of Gifts under a new imprint called “Journeys.”
Joining me today is Artemis Cooper, who speaks about about Patrick Leigh Fermor and his work. Artemis wrote a monumental biography about Paddy called Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure, which is worth a read. I also speak with Nick Hunt again, who also is the series editor of John Murray’s new imprint "Journeys," about A Time of Gifts and the other books they’re re-publishing this month. And Colin Thubron drops in to say a few words about Paddy.
All that is coming up in the interview, but I also want to hear from you — Have you read Patrick Leigh Fermor’s work? What do you find so appealing about it? Please leave a comment below.
Purchase Patrick Leigh Fermor's book A Time of Gifts
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Charles Nicholl, Courtesy of the Author
In 1986, Charles Nicholl traveled through Thailand to learn about the spiritual traditions of forest Buddhism. But things are not always so straightforward in Thailand. When Charles meets Harry, an old French Indochina hand, on the night train north with his tales of gem smuggling and opium smoking, it leads to a journey along the banks of the Mekong, into the Golden Triangle, and into Burma.
Charles joins me today to talk about his adventures, story structure in travel writing, and about his book Borderlines: A Journey in Thailand and Burma (Eland 2021).
Purchase Charles Nicholl's book Borderlines
Support independent publishers and purchase Borderlines directly from Eland.
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Nick Hunt, Courtesy of the Author
Nick Hunt takes us across landscapes that should not be there, wildernesses found in Europe yet seemingly belonging to far-off continents: a patch of Arctic tundra in Scotland; the continent's largest surviving remnant of ancient forest in Poland and Belarus; Europe's only true desert in Spain; and the fathomless grassland steppes of Hungary. From snow-capped mountain range to dense green forest, desert ravines to threadbare, yellow open grassland, these oddities transport us to faraway regions of the world.
Nick joins me today to talk about these spaces, which he document in his new book Outlandish (John Murray Press 2021). We also talk about travel writing’s relationship with nature writing and address a critique of the genres as being too egocentric.
Connect with Nick Hunt on Twitter and his homepage.
Purchase Nick Hunt's book Outlandish
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Tim Hannigan
Where can travel writing go in the twenty-first century? Author and lifelong travel writing aficionado Tim Hannigan sets out in search of this most venerable of genres, hunting down its legendary practitioners and confronting its greatest controversies. Is it ever okay for travel writers to make things up, and just where does the frontier between fact and fiction lie? What actually is travel writing, and is it just a genre dominated by posh white men? And what about travel writing’s queasy colonial connections?
Tim Hannigan joins me on the podcast again to talk about these questions and his new book The Travel Writing Tribe (Hurst 2021). He also gives a coupon code for 25% off the cover price at the end of the episode if the book is purchased directly from the publisher here.
Connect with Tim Hannigan on Twitter and his homepage.
Purchase Tim Hannigan's book The Travel Writing Tribe
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Stephen Fabes in Kazakhstan
When Stephen Fabes left his job as an emergency-room doctor and set out to cycle around the world, frontline medicine quickly faded from his mind. But leaving medicine behind was not as easy as it seemed.
As Stephen crossed continents—on a journey that would take six years and cover more than 53,000 miles—he finds people whose health has suffered and others whose lives have been saved through kindness and community.
Stephen joins me today to talk about his new book Signs of Life (Pegasus 2020) and also about narrative pacing and travel blogging as a way to sharping writing skills.
Connect with Stephen Fabes on Instagram, Twitter, or his homepage.
Purchase Stephen Fabes's book Signs of Life
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
Patti Shales Lefkos at the Summit of Nya-la
At the age of 67 and with her injured husband at home, Patti Shales Lefkos sets off to Nepal on what would her first solo trip. She documents her experiences, which included volunteering at a high altitude school and taking off on a month-long trek in the Himalayas, in her book Nepal One Day at a Time.
Patti joins me on the podcast today to talk about high-altitude senior trekking, volunteering, and also about the complications of self-publishing and marketing a book during the pandemic.
Connect with Patti on Facebook or her homepage.
Purchase Patti Shales Lefkos' book Nepal One Day at a Time
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More episodes & support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
A product of the California suburbs, Pam Mandel was overlooked and unexceptional. When her father ships her off on a youth group tour of Israel, he inadvertently catapults his seventeen-year-old daughter into a world of European backpackers, seize-the-day Israelis, and the fallout of cold war-era politics. Border violence hadn't been on the birthright tour agenda. But then neither had domestic violence, going broke, getting wasted, or getting lost.
Pam Mandel joins me on the podcast to talk about her new book The Same River Twice (Skyhorse 2020) and the realities of writing proposals for travel memoirs. We also talk about solo female travel and memory in memoir.
Connect with Pam on Twitter, Instagram, and on her blog Nerd's Eye View. Also, check out her newsletter The Statesider.
Purchase Pam Mandel's Book The Same River Twice
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
When Indian journalist Taran Khan arrived in Kabul in 2006, she imagined it as a homecoming—a return to the land from where her Pashtun ancestors originated. Falling in with poets, doctors and other journalists, she began exploring the city on foot and discovered a Kabul quite different from the one she had encountered in the world’s media.
Taran Khan joins me to talk about her new book Shadow City (Chatto & Windus 2019), which just won the 2021 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year award. We recorded this interview several weeks before the announcement. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Taran Khan about her book Shadow City.
Connect with Taran on Instagram and follow her work on her Porterfolio site.
Purchase Taran Khan's Book Shadow City
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!
For more than 8 years, Bill Arnott travelled throughout the northern hemisphere, discovering sites Scandinavian explorers had raided, traded, and settled—finding Viking history in a wider swath of the planet than most anthropologists and historians ever imagined.
Bill joins me on the podcast today to talk about his adventures following the Viking trail around the world, which he documented in his new book Gone Viking: A Travel Saga (RMB 2020).
We also talk about the present tense in travel writing and narrative structure.
I hope you enjoy this conversation with Bill Arnott about his book Gone Viking.
Connect with Bill on his homepage, his Twitter, and his Instagram.
Purchase Bill Arnott's Book Gone Viking
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Thank you!!
March 2021 marks the 10-year publication anniversary of Colin Thubron’s To A Mountain in Tibet, a book that chronicle’s the author’s high-altitude pilgrimage around Mount Kailash, a mountain that is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, and Bonpos. Colin joins me to talk about his book, what makes good travel writing, and the recent loss of his friend Jan Morris.
This interview was originally recorded in December 2020.
I hope you enjoy this conversation with Colin Thubron about his book To A Mountain in Tibet and travel writing.
Purchase Colin Thubron's Book To A Mountain in Tibet
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Each year, 200 million people embark on a pilgrimage of some kind. We have been making ritual journeys for millennia, and while most of us have seen our mobility curtailed in recent months because of the pandemic, the impulse to travel somewhere sacred to us remains. In her new book “We Are Pilgrims,” Victoria Preston seeks to understand the reasons why we set forth in search of solace, liberation, faith, and enlightenment.
I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Victoria Preston about pilgrims and pilgrimages.
Learn more about Victoria Preston and her work on her website and her Instagram.
Purchase Victoria Preston's Book We Are Pilgrims
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
For two years in the early 1980s, Monica Connell lived with a family in Talphi, a high-altitude village in Western Nepal that was so remote that it was a ten-day walk from the nearest road. From rooftop rituals and wild boar hunts to mangey village dogs and bridge-building, Connell—a social anthropology student—documented village life. She wrote about her experiences in her book, Against a Peacock Sky: Two Years in the Life of a Nepalese Village (Viking 1991), which Eland republished in 2014. We recorded this conversation in December 2020.
Learn more about Monica Connell and her work on her website.
Purchase Monica Connell's book Against a Peacock Sky
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. Whether you use Bookshop or you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In 2018, David Reynolds rented a Chevy Cruze and hit Route 50, driving as slowly as he could across the United States from Ocean City, Maryland to San Francisco, California. He snaked through the Blue Ridge Mountains, passed through the American heartland, and bounded over the continental divide, driving from sea to shining sea. David comes on the podcast to talk about his experiences, which he documented in his new book Slow Road to San Francisco (Muswell 2020). We recorded this conversation in November 2020.
Learn more about David Reynolds and his work on his website.
Purchase David Reynolds' Book Slow Road to San Francisco
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. But, if you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
2021 couldn’t have come quickly enough.
Most of us didn’t see the dumpster fire that was 2020 coming. Enough has already been said about the pandemic that saying anything more now borders on being redundant if not cliché. So, suffice it to say that here we are. We made it. Hopefully, that thing we see on the horizon is more of a finish line than a tripwire.
This episode will mostly be insider baseball—I’ll reflect on 2020 from the perspective of the podcast and website, I’ll discuss some of the goals we have for 2021, and finally, I’ll make some exciting announcements for 2021.
2020 Reflections
Name Change
It seems like such a long time ago, but we changed the name of the podcast and website back in February… ages ago… to something more representative of what the show is all about. We were originally called “All Over the Place,” which I thought was clever, but it turns out 20 other podcasts think the same thing. So, we changed it. The name change might have set us back in terms of visibility and momentum—but it was ultimately the right move to make.
Stats and Growth
The podcast continues to exceed my expectations. In terms of growth, it had a good year. We saw a little dip at the beginning of the pandemic, but it ramped up as 2020 moved on. We’ve grown 150% in terms of episode listens within the first week of publication. In terms of total numbers, we saw a 350% increase in downloads/listens when compared to 2019.
In terms of webpage visits unrelated to podcast download statistics, we’ve increased some 275%, with the last two months of 2020 exceeding the amount of visits during the previous year in total.
And, while I don’t have delusions that this podcast will ever make it on those “Top 10 Best Podcasts” lists—this subject is far too narrow and niche—, I am happy that so many people tune into the podcast from around the world: we’ve had people in over 120 countries visit our site and listen to the podcast.
So, it is hard not be happy about that.
And hopefully, whenever we’re able to travel freely again, even more eyes and interest will be on travel writing and we’ll continue to grow and spread the travel writing gospel.
Diversity
This time last year, I committed to covering more diverse perspectives in travel writing. I wanted to speak to more underrepresented voices in the travel writing space. This was before the BLM and social justice protests took off. While we still have a long way to go in terms of satisfying that commitment, I hope we are heading in the right direction. And I’ll continue to invite underrepresented voices of all kinds onto the podcast.
Financial Self-Sufficiency
This time last year, we also stated that we hoped 2020 would help us achieve financial self-sufficiency. The primary strategy was a patron-funded model using platforms like Patreon and PayPal. We had the goal of getting 2 new patrons a month. We didn’t reach that goal. That said, we did receive a few and we are very grateful. Special thanks to Renee, Monica, and Geoffrey for your continued support. For 2021, we hope to increase our patronage with the same goal as we had last year—2 new patrons a month in 2021.
I know it is strange to ask for patrons during a time of increased unemployment and economic instability, but if you can support the podcast with only a few dollars a month and keep the interviews and articles free for everyone else, we’d be grateful.
Other wins this year:
J. R. Patterson has been writing wonderful, in-depth reviews of travel books for the site. Go check them out if you haven’t already.
We’ve also started publishing “Author Profiles,” which are written, behind-the-scenes interviews with authors of travel books discussing their careers, influences, and approaches. These are published once a month and we’re looking to schedule more, so if you’re an author of travel books and want to participate, please get in touch.
Goals for 2021
In her journey through Central Asia, Caroline Eden uses food as a platform from which to explore the history and culture of this under-reported region, a land on the old Silk Road and at the crossroads of East and West. Caroline Eden stops by the podcast to talk about the ‘Stans, their food, and her new book Red Sands: Reportage and Recipes Through Central Asia from Hinterland to Heartland (Quadrille 2020), now available in a beautiful hardback stuffed with reportage, photographs, and recipes. In addition to discussing Red Sands and the cultural influence of Russian and China in the region, Caroline Eden reads an excerpt of her book.
Follow Caroline Eden on Twitter, Instagram, and her website.
Purchase Caroline Eden's Book Red Sands
If you live in the United States or the United Kingdom, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. But, if you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
JoAnna Haugen is the founder of Rooted Storytelling, an organization interested in ethical journalism and tourism. She has created a new, online course for travel writers and content creators called “Responsible Travel Writing” which helps writers think about their work in a way that impacts local communities, the environment, and the travel industry in better, more sustainable ways.
JoAnna stops by the podcast today to chat about what it means to be a responsible travel writer, and how her course can help teach the skills to become one.
You can reach out to JoAnna Haugen through Rooted Storytelling, her personal website, Twitter, or Instagram.
Responsible Travel Writing Course Discount
JoAnna is offering a 10% discount for listeners of Travel Writing World through December 31, 2020. To get the discount, enter the code RTWTWW at check-out using the following link: Responsible Travel Writing at Rooted Storytelling.
Purchase Travel Books
If you live in the United States, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores. But, if you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
For the past 40 years, Steve McCurry has been traveling the world and photographing its beauty. He is known for creating some of the most iconic images of our time, like the photograph of Sharbat Gula—the "Afghan Girl" who appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. Now, Steve McCurry has published a new collection of photographs called In Search of Elsewhere, which contains some new and previously unpublished photographs from his archives.
In this episode, we talk about his new book, his life in lockdown, and what he thinks about photographic criticism like the colonial gaze. We also talk about risk-taking and being a witness to history.
Learn more about Steve McCurry and his work on his website and his Instagram.
This interview was prepared alongside a review of In Search of Elsewhere by J.R. Patterson.
Purchase Steve McCurry's Books
If you live in the United States, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores.
But, if you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links.
If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
When Ben Aitken learned that his father had taken a four-night vacation marketed to seniors that included three-course meals, plenty of beer, and daily excursions, all for about 100 pounds, he signed himself up. Six times.
Ben Aitken joins us today to talk about his book The Gran Tour, which documents his experiences traveling with elders. We also talk about the genre of travel writing, the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris, and the importance of spending time with our elders.
Ben is also the author of the travel books Dear Bill Bryson (2015) and A Chip Shop in Poznan (2019).
Learn more about Ben and his work on his website.
Purchase Ben Aitken's Books
If you live in the United States, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores.
But, if you decide to purchase your travel books from Amazon, please use our links.
If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Every year, Jason Wilson compiles the best examples of travel writing published in the previous year and publishes them in The Best American Travel Writing anthology.
Jason last joined us to talk about the coronavirus pandemic and the future of travel writing back in April. Now he's back to talk about The Best American Travel Writing 2020 (Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2020).
But Jason also gives us a glimpse into the process of editing the anthology, some updated thoughts on the state and future of travel writing during the pandemic, and some reflections on the genre of travel writing.
Jason Wilson is the author of several other books like Cider Revival: Dispatches from the Orchard (2019), Godforsaken Grapes (2018), and Boozehound (2010).
Learn more about Jason and his work on his website.
Purchase Jason Wilson's Book
If you live in the United States, we urge you to purchase your travel books from Bookshop, an online store that supports independent bookstores.
You can also purchase your travel books from Amazon.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
About every few years, Traveler’s Tales publishes The Best Women’s Travel Writing anthology.
Joining me today to talk about The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 12 (Traveler's Tales 2020) is Lavinia Spalding, the series editor since 2011.
We talk about the importance and value of reading travel accounts written by women, the art of editing an anthology, getting lost in travel and in writing, and how to submit to the next Best Women’s Travel Writing anthology.
And just a correction: the book’s publishing date has been pushed back a few weeks.
Lavinia Spalding is also the author of Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler.
In this episode, we talk about The Best American Travel Writers anthology and a recent webinar by Meera Dattani, Noo Saro-Wiwa, and the British Guide of Travel Writers.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Writer’s Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Gavin Francis examines our collective fascination with islands in his new book Island Dreams: Mapping an Obsession (Canongate 2020). In it, he blends stories of his own travels with psychology, philosophy, and literature, while discussing the importance of islands and isolation in our collective consciousness.
At a time when more than half of the earth’s population has been forced into isolation, Gavin examines not only the importance of community and connection, but also how valuable isolation can be for rest, recalibration, and contemplation.
Gavin joins me today to talk about these ideas as they relate to life during the pandemic, social media, and of course his experiences traveling.
You can connect with Gavin Francis on Twitter, Instagram, or his website.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
After the Italian Armistice of 1943, Eric Newby escaped from the prison camp in which he'd been held for a year. A local woman named Wanda, her family, and other anti-fascist sympathizers helped him evade the German army by hiding, feeding, and supporting him in the caves and forests of the Apennine mountains. Newby wrote about his experiences as a prisoner of war and meeting his future wife Wanda in his book Love and War in the Apennines, originally published in 1971.
Joining me to talk about Newby’s Love and War is James March, a freelance writer from Birmingham who has written for publications like Condé Nast Traveler, The Washington Post, and The Telegraph.
This episode is part of Classic Conversations, a series in which I speak with travel writers about their favorite travel books or travel books they've been meaning to read.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Photo: Jay Williams
In an old wooden sloop, Philip Marsden set sail along the exposed western coasts of Ireland and Scotland for the Summer Isles, a remote archipelago that holds for him a deep and personal significance. He wrote about his adventures in his new book The Summer Isles (Granta 2019).
Philip Marsden joins us today to talk about his voyage through the seas and through the imagination, the power of myths, and how he wrote his book while also tending to the mental and physical demands of sailing.
The Summer Isles is out now in paperback (Granta 2020).
Photo courtesy of Philip Marsden
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In the early 1980s, Ronald Wright traveled throughout Peru, exploring its peoples, politics, and histories, a journey that he documented in his 1984 book Cut Stones and Crossroads. Ronald stops by the podcast to talk about his travels, his insights, and his book, now republished in the United Kingdom by Eland Publishing after nearly 35 years. It is a wide-ranging conversation that covers Peruvian history, Ronald's career as a travel writer, and his travels within Latin America.
Eland Books is also republishing Ronald Wright's other travel books, Time Among the Maya and On Fiji Islands. Eland now offers annual subscriptions of its paperback publications, seldom fewer than 8 books a year, to readers outside of the United Kingdom. It is a good deal for American and Australian readers in particular, and one that directly supports independent publishers and the authors of travel books.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
Listen to the episode on YouTube on the Travel Writing World channel. Remember to subscribe to the channel.
Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Aatish Taseer left New York City behind and traveled to Varanasi to learn Sanskrit and to connect with the ancient learned tradition of India. Taseer joins us today to talk about his experiences in Varanasi, which he wrote about in his book The Twice Born: Live and Death on the Ganges (FSG 2019) out now in paperback.
In The Twice Born, Taseer uses explores the tensions between tradition and modernity through the lens of Brahmanical culture.
In the podcast episode, we also talk a great deal about Modi, Hindu Nationalism, their parallels with Donald Trump, and authenticity and fraudulence in travel writing.
You can connect with Aatish Taseer on Twitter and Instagram.
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In 1956, Eric Newby quit his job in the British fashion industry to explore Nuristan, a remote region in the northeast of Afghanistan. Newby wrote about his journey in his now-classic book A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, originally published in 1958 to wide acclaim.
Joining me to talk about Newby’s A Short Walk is Aaron Millar, an adventurer and travel writer who has written for publications like National Geographic Traveller. He is the host of the excellent Armchair Explorer podcast.
This episode was prepared alongside a review of Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.
This episode is part of Classic Conversations, a series in which I speak with travel writers about their favorite travel books or travel books they've been meaning to read.
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You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Robin Hemley explores questions of national identity, patriotism, and cosmopolitanism in his latest collection of travel essays, Borderline Citizen: Dispatches from the Outskirts of Nationhood (University of Nebraska Press 2020).
Robin stops by to talk about his new book, as well as the different approaches to creative nonfiction, writing about the self in travel writing, journalism, and memoir, and putting together an essay collection. We also talk about remembering the past and Black Lives Matter in this wide-ranging conversation.
This episode was prepared alongside a review of Borderline Citizen.
You can connect with Robin Hemley on Twitter, see what he's been up to on his website, and look into his writing retreats and services at Authors at Large.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Wilfred Thesiger was an explorer and writer who sought to travel through the Rub’ al Khali, the so-called “Empty Quarter” of desert in the Arabian Peninsula in the late 1940s. Thesiger wrote about his journey in his now-classic travel book Arabian Sands, which was originally published in 1959 brought him distinction as an explorer and writer. Thesiger passed in 2003.
Joining me today to talk about Arabian Sands is the author and scholar Tim Hannigan. We discuss Thesiger’s book in light of his life and his complications as a travel writer with privileged, colonial roots. Archives now keep his photographs, but many are freely visible online (including photos of his companions like bin Kabina). He published some of his photographs in his books, including his wonderful photography book A Vanished World.
This episode was prepared alongside a review of Arabian Sands.
This episode is also the first in a new series in which I speak with authors and journalists about their favorite travel books or travel books they've been meaning to read.
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You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Have you ever had a profound, mystical encounter with the natural world? Speaking with us from the U.K. is Jini Reddy, whose new book Wanderland: A Search for Magic in the Landscape (Bloomsbury 2020) explores and celebrates her connection with the magic of the British landscape. We also talk about cultural identity, the ways in which we can connect with nature, and the difficulties in discussing transcendent experiences.
Jini is a British journalist and author whom National Geographic recently profiled in their Women of Impact series. Wanderland was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for U.K. Nature Writing, 2020.
If you're still curious about Wanderland, please read the questions Jini answered about her book.
You can reach out to Jini Reddy on her homepage, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Stories of migration, nationhood, religious conflict, sex, and violence have preoccupied Europe for millennia. Nicholas Jubber joins us from Dorset, U.K. to talk about the power of storytelling in the European epic tradition, the subject of his most recent book Epic Continent: Adventures in the Great Stories of Europe (John Murray 2019) in which he travels throughout Europe following some of history’s most epic stories like The Odyssey and Beowulf.
Epic Continent was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2020. His previous books are also well regarded. The Timbuktu School for Nomads was featured in the New York Times Best Travel Book of the Year in 2016 and The Prester Quest won the Edward Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award in 2006.
You can reach out to Nicholas Jubber on his homepage, on Twitter, and on Instagram.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's episode, we remember Bruce Chatwin on what would have been his 80th birthday. Jonathan Chatwin joins us again, this time to talk about the life and work of Bruce Chatwin. Jonathan wrote a book on Bruce's work called Anywhere Out of the World: The Work of Bruce Chatwin (Manchester UP 2017).
We also have reflections and testimonials from Nicholas Shakespeare, who wrote the biography Bruce Chatwin: A Biography (The Harvill Press 1999), Susannah Clapp, who worked with Bruce as his reader and editor at Jonathan Cape and wrote the biographic memoir With Chatwin: Portrait of a Writer (Jonathan Cape 1997), Colin Thubron, Bruce's friend and the celebrated travel writer of many books like Shadow of the Silk Road (Harper 2007), Sara Wheeler, author of many wonderful travel books like Magnetic North (Jonathan Cape 2009), and Michael Meyer, the award-winning American travel writer and author of The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed (Walker & Company 2009).
Join us in celebrating and remembering Bruce Chatwin. And, if you have any memories or thoughts about the life and work of Bruce Chatwin, please leave them in the comments section below.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Today’s episode brings us to Mumbai, where Rajat Ubhaykar speaks with us about his travels hitchhiking through India with truckers. His adventures were published in his new book, Truck de India!: A Hitchhiker's Guide to Hindustan (Simon & Schuster 2019). Part travelogue, part immersive journalism, Truck de India! is a fascinating glimpse into an industry and an experience that is largely off-limits to westerners. We also speak briefly about the cultural and linguistic diversity of India and travel writing about the country.
You can read more about Rajat's book and adventure in a series of questions he answered here.
You can get reach out to Rajat Ubhaykar on Twitter.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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Today’s episode brings us to Edinburgh, where Iain Campbell speaks with us about his travels through Pakistan, the holy mountains of Asia, and sketching instead of taking photographs while traveling. We also talk about his new book, From The Lion’s Mouth: A Journey Along the Indus, which was shortlisted for the Stanford Travel Writing Award’s Steppes Travel Adventure Book of the Year. Iain explored Asia's holy mountains in his first book, With Unblest Feet.
You can get reach out to Iain on Twitter.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
The novel coronavirus has brought the travel industry to its knees, its crash bringing the world of travel media along with it; and it would, as travel media is mostly an appendage of the travel industry itself. Case in point, the near-global paralysis of the travel industry has already resulted in the folding of some in-flight publications and the drying up of travel assignments and freelance opportunities. Travel writers across the globe are in a state of anxious uncertainty about how they will make ends meet, not just today when the need is the most urgent, but tomorrow when the dust settles. Travel bloggers, who generate income through traffic, ad revenue, and affiliate marketing, are also scrambling to protect themselves from the fallout.
Yet, with at least a third of the world on coronavirus lockdown, bookstores are reporting a surge in online sales. And my inbox is alerting me daily to new articles and blog posts recommending "the best travel books" for the vicarious or armchair traveler. Even Travel Writing World couldn't resist the urge. Surely travel book authors are seeing spikes in their sales, but with the global economy each day coming closer and closer to a standstill, one can't help but wonder how long it will last.
What will the post-coronavirus world look like for the travel industry and for travel writing, broadly speaking, when we unlatch our bunker doors and survey the landscape?
This was the question I asked a variety of writers in the travel writing space including well-published journalists like Jason Wilson and Amar Grover, renowned travel bloggers like Tim Leffel and Nomadic Matt, and travel book authors like Tim Hannigan, Jonathan Chatwin, Rolf Potts, Monisha Rajesh, and Paul Theroux.
Listen to the episode to hear what they have to say in this round-up episode of Travel Writing World—an unusual format for unusual times.
Paul Theroux was the only guest to submit a response via email, which I read at the very end of the episode and post below.
Paul Theroux
Paul Theroux, the well-known author of the recently-published On the Plain of Snakes, responded to my questions via email from Hawaii.
Travel Writing World: Commercial travel writing is in large dependent upon the travel industry. But with travel literature, if we could make such a distinction, the relationship is less direct. Do you have any insights into how commercial travel writing and travel literature might change as a result of the corona-crisis, if at all?
Paul Theroux: The "commercial travel writing" you mention is market-driven - intending to sell vacations, hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and it is nearly always up-beat. I don't disparage it, because it informs vacationers who have limited time to travel and services the travel industry. But "travel literature" - or let's say, "the literature of wandering" is quite different, low budget, somewhat open-ended, random and glorying in having a bad time full of life lessons. Your question is whether either of the two will change, and the simple answer is no - probably no change at all, because "travel writing" as a designation is maddening, and encompasses autobiography, mythomania, memoir, and topographical observation as well as adventures, exotic romances and ordeals. Of all of these I prefer to read about The Ordeal. By the way, Hawaii usually gets ten million visitors a year - and yesterday 120 visitors arrived. I have never seen Hawaii so empty.
TWW: What would you tell the aspiring travel writer whose plans are suddenly, if temporarily, grounded?
PT: Aspiring travel writers - aspiring writers of all kinds - need to be passionate readers - not of the new trend-spotting stuff but of the great novels and travel books. Ideally, this aspiring writer reads a biography of (say) Joseph Conrad or Jack London or Rebecca West - all three of whom were travelers - and then reads eight or ten books by Conrad or London or West. It so happens I have done this,
Today’s episode brings us to Bath, where Dan Richards speaks with us about isolation, mass tourism, and creativity. We also talk about his new book Outpost: A Journey to the Wild Ends of the Earth. We also talk about Jack Kerouac's On the Road and Dharma Bums, the Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida, and David Foster Wallace's Consider the Lobster.
Dan Richards is the co-author of Holloway (with Robert Macfarlane) and the author of The Beechwood Airship Interviews and Climbing Days. He has written for the Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, Caught by the River, Monocle, and the Quietus. He is an RLF Fellow at Bristol University.
Outpost was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.
You can get in touch with Dan on Twitter and Instagram.
Outpost photos courtesy of Dan Richards
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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Today’s episode brings us to London, where Peter Fiennes speaks with us about getting to know one’s own country, climate concerns and travel, and Brexit. We also talk about his new book “Footnotes: A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers.”
Peter was the publisher at Time Out for many years, where he produced hundreds of books and magazines. His new book Footnotes was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards. You can contact Peter or learn more about him on Twitter or his website.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Today's episode brings us to Oxford, U.K., where Anna Sherman speaks with us about trespassing into foreign cultures, finding a voice in a new language, and thinking about time in Japan. We also talk about her debut book, The Bells of Old Tokyo: Meditations on Time and a City.
In the interview, Anna and I bring up The Book of Tea, The Daibo Coffee Manual, Daibo Dreamed of Coffee, and Pico Iyer, whom I recently interviewed for this podcast. You can read the excerpt of The Bells of Old Tokyo that deals with love hotels and language on LitHub. You can also read the text-based interview with Anna Sherman on our website.
Connect with Anna Sherman
Connect with Anna Sherman on her homepage or on Twitter.
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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Today's episode brings us to Birmingham, U.K., where Jonathan Chatwin speaks with us about modern Beijing and urban design, his travel writing influences, and his new book Long Peace Street: A Walk in Modern China (Manchester 2019). Jonathan holds a PhD in English literature and writes regularly on Chinese history and culture. His essays have been published by the British Film Institute, the South China Morning Post, and the Asian Review of Books to name a few. His first book is Anywhere Out of the World, a biography on the travel writer Bruce Chatwin.
Connect with Jonathan Chatwin
Connect with Jonathan Chatwin on his homepage or on Twitter.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Today's episode brings us to Orlando, where I'm recording a solo show! I give reflections following a year of podcasting, my goals for 2020, and some personal updates.
I wanted to do a one-year reflection on the show closer to the New Year's Day, but I couldn't because of wanting to honor my episode release schedule. This might seem odd as it is in the middle of January already and people are tired of these end-of-year reviews, but here I am.
2019 Reflection
The podcast is a year old and it has exceeded my expectations. Within the first few months of 2019, the podcast found its footing, so to speak, and has sharpened its focus. First, the show was about "the intersection between travel and creativity," but I found that to be a bit too broad. If you recall, I had chummy interviews with friends who live abroad. And those episodes were, as the name implied, a bit all over the place.
But sometime in the first half of 2019, the podcast came into focus and I was able to identify not just what I was really interested in talking about, but a hole in the market, so to speak. So, since we found our footing, I've interviewed established voices in the travel writing space like Paul Theroux and Pico Iyer. And I've interviewed young, energized, and emerging writers like Monisha Rajesh.
I am reaffirming my commitment to interviewing travel writers for the next year, with hopes to cover more diverse perspectives in the travel writing space. Stay tuned for more.
Listening Stats
I won't get into statistics too much here, as last year was the first year and we don't have a basis for comparison in terms of growth. And, to be honest, I'm not someone who stresses over the numbers. Though, I do look at them from time to time, and I'm humbled to report that last year we had some 1,300 unique listeners. So, if you're one of the 1,300, thank you! And I hope you keep listening in 2020.
Goals for 2020
Goal #1) I'd like to have more listeners. One way I plan on doing this is by opening up the website to guest articles that deal with the business and craft of travel writing. So, if you want to write a guest post, please send me an email or tweet with your idea.
Another tactic is that I am interested in publishing more written interviews. So, if you have written a travel book and want to be interviewed, please drop me a line.
You can, of course help me achieve my goal by sharing the show with your friends on social media, and by reviewing the show in your favorite podcast app. This really does help the podcast gain more exposure.
Goal #2) Work towards having the podcast become financially self-sufficient. The podcast and website does have some costs like hosting and domain expenses. The show demands considerable time for research, editing, and regular management. As I don't want to run ads on the show, I've opened up a Patreon page to help offset some of these fees. I don't have any patrons yet, but my 2020 goal is to get at least 2 new patrons a month. You can visit my support page to support the show with only a few dollars a month. A little goes a long way.
I do have some other goals, projects, and aspirations for the podcast in 2020, but I'm not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag. I’ll reveal those in due course.
Personal Update
I'll be finishing up an old project in 2020 that has been hanging over my head. The project is a book designed to help students make the most of their study abroad experiences. The book does have a narrative quality to it, but it is really more a guide or a manual for students to cultivate more meaningful experiences as they study abroad. As many of you know, I'm an educator by day and this book is for that side of my life .
And I've started working on a new travel writing project that's quite big and will take some time, but I'll reveal more information about that when it is more mature. The project has me going to some interesting places in 2020,
Today’s episode brings us to Kansas, where Rolf Potts speaks with us about writing travel memoir, the differences between memoir and autobiography, and his Paris travel writing summer workshops.
Rolf is an American travel writer, perhaps best known for his 2003 book Vagabonding. His essays and articles have been published in Nat Geo Traveler, Outside, The Guardian, and in the Best American Travel Writing 2000 edited by Bill Bryson.
In the episode, we briefly mention Paul Theroux's books The Happy Isles of Oceania and On the Plain of Snakes, and the writing of Maggie Downs, Lavina Spalding, and Tommy Pico.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Today’s episode brings us to a highway in the Midwest, USA, where Alexandra Fuller speaks with us about challenging dominant narratives and about her experience as Guest Editor for the Best American Travel Writing 2019.
Alexandra Fuller is an award-winning writer whose books include Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (2001), Cocktail Hour Under The Tree of Forgetfulness (2011), Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier (2014), and Travel Light, Move Fast (2019). She’s written for publications like The New Yorker, National Geographic, and Granta to name a few.
In the interview, we also discuss the Des Moines Arts Center's exhibit on Monument Valley and Bertolt Brecht's A War Primer.
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
Today’s episode brings us to Colorado, where Craig Childs speaks with us about the desert and dry places, and the importance of familiarity, meaning, and intimacy in writing about place.
Craig is an adventurer and writer who focuses on natural sciences, archaeology, and journeys into the global wilderness. He is a commentator for NPR’s Morning Edition, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Men's Journal, Outside, The Sun, and Orion to name a few.
You can follow Craig Childs on his personal website or on The Last Word on Nothing, an online journal he keeps with a small group of writers. In the episode, Craig and I spoke about Ellen Meloy's book The Anthropology of Turquoise: Mediations on Landscape, Art, and Spirit, Mary Oliver, Barry Lopez, Gretel Ehrlich, and Joy Harjo.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's episode, I speak with Martin Gayford about the importance of seeing art while traveling, the experience of art in the age of Instagram, and his new book, The Pursuit of Art: Travels, Encounters and Revelations. We geek out talking about art and other topics like Walter Benjamin's notion of the "aura," his encounters with artists and photographers like Marina Abramović and Henri Cartier Bresson, and his approach interviewing artists.
Martin Gayford is an art critic, art historian, and author who has written articles for a variety of publications like The Spectator and The Telegraph to name a few. He has written many books, including A History of Pictures: From the Cave to the Computer Screen co-written with David Hockney, Michelangelo: His Epic Life, and The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Provence to name a few. If you're interested in art, travel, and art history, his books are worth checking out.
You can find more about Martin's work on his website.
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's episode, I speak with Boyd Varty about tracking big game in South Africa, creating a purposeful life through self discovery, and his new book A Lion Tracker's Guide to Life (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019).
"Boyd Varty is a certified Master Life Coach, author, and TED speaker. He runs retreats that merge tracking, coaching, and storytelling into experiential learning events at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, the sanctuary where he was born and raised." - HMH Press Release
Reminiscent of Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Boyd's new book uses the story of tracking lions with two friends in the South African bushveld to communicate lessons on how to find one's path in life. We talk about some of those lessons in this episode.
He previously published another book called Cathedral of the Wild. To learn about it and his other work, track down Boyd Varty on Twitter or on his personal website.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's episode, I speak with Sarah Samuel about mindful travel and her new book Mindful Traveling: Journeying the World, Discovering yourself (Leaping Hare Press 2019). On top of speaking about mindful travel, we also talk about making mistakes, journaling, getting out of our comfort zones, and redefining the self during travel.
Sarah's book is a quick but delightful meditation on why having an open mind when visiting the world is a worthwhile endeavor for both cultivating an enriching inner world and fully enjoying the place one visits. It has practical guidelines, tips, and meditations that anyone can employ to have more rewarding travel experiences.
Books we talked about Mindful Traveling by Sarah Samuel Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
Sarah Samuel online Sarah Samuel's Website Sarah Samuel on Twitter
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's episode, I speak with Tim Leffel about the state of travel writing today, how travel writing has changed over the last few decades, and traveling to the world's cheapest travel destinations. In fact, Tim has recently published a new edition of his book, the World's Cheapest Destinations: 26 Countries Where Your Travel Money is Worth a Fortune (Al Centro Media, 2019). The new edition includes updated costs of the world's most popular and inexpensive travel destinations.
Over the last two decades, Tim has written for major travel publications like MSNBC.com, Budget Travel, and International Living to name a few. He also manages several popular blogs (linked below). He has published several other travel books, including Travel Writing 2.0, one of the most- popular guides about the craft and business of travel writing.
In the first half of the conversation, Tim and I speak about his career and how he got started in travel writing. We also talk about the state of travel writing today, blogging, and a bit about ethical travel.
I hope you enjoy the conversation with Tim. Please send me an email, leave a comment, or reach out on social media and let me know what you think.
Tim's books we talked about
World's Cheapest Destinations
Travel Writing 2.0
Tim Leffel on the web
Tim Leffel's Website
Cheapest Destinations Blog
Perceptive Travel
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's episode, I speak with Paul Theroux about and his new book On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2019). We also speak about a variety of topics including road trips, death, immigration, NAFTA, and how Donald Trump inspired him to write his new book.
In On the Plain of Snakes, Theroux documents his drive along the US-Mexican frontier, down into the heart of Mexico City, and throughout Oaxaca where he encounters migrants, corrupt cops, and mezcal.
There is a reason why Paul Theroux is considered one of the greatest living travel writers. His observations on the road are nuanced, informed, and timely. And his personal narrative doesn't overpower or drown out the voices of the locals he meets and ultimately befriends while on the road.
Paul's books we talked about
The Great Railway Bazaar
The Old Patagonian Express
The Mosquito Coast
Riding the Iron Rooster
Happy Isles of Oceania
Deep South
Paul Theroux on the web
Paul's Website
Some of his NY Times essays
Paul's 2019 Book Tour Schedule
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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Intro Music
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Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In today's short episode, I speak with Matt Kepnes about his writing career, the various difficulties of life on the road, and about his experiences traveling around the world for the last ten years. We also talk about blogging and his new book, Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler's Journey Home (St. Martin's Press 2019).
Matt is the influential blogger behind NomadicMatt.com, and the New York Times Bestselling author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. His new book, Ten Years a Nomad, was published on July 16, 2019.
I spoke with Matt while he was in Los Angeles, California during a speaking tour to promote his new book. If you're interested in travel memoirs and topics related to world exploration and digital nomadism, check out the book. His book outlines his path from unsatisfied 9-to-5 administrator to world traveler, blogger, and writer. It also covers topics like on-the-road romances and travel burnout.
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
Listen to the Episode on YouTube
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In this episode, I speak with Monisha Rajesh about slow travel, trains, and her experiences as a woman of color on the road. We also talk about travel writing and her new book, Around the World in 80 Trains (Bloomsbury 2019).
Monisha is a British journalist and travel writer. She has written for publications like The Guardian, The Times, The New York Times, and TIME. In 2010, she traveled around India on trains during a 4-month span, which she reflected on in her first book Around India in 80 Trains.
If you're interested in train travel and travel as an independent woman, check out the episode and her book, which chronicles her trip from London and throughout the world.
Links from the show and more
Monisha Rajesh's Around the World in 80 TrainsMonisha Rajesh's Around India in 80 TrainsPaul Theroux's Great Railway BazaarJules Verne's Around the World in 80 DaysMonocle's "The Stack" Podcast Episode
Get in touch with Monisha Rajesh
Monisha Rajesh's Book WebsiteMonisha Rajesh on TwitterMonisha Rajesh on Instagram
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In this episode, I speak with Professor Lynn Meskell about the history, politics, and future of the UNESCO World Heritage Program. We also talk about her new book, A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace (Oxford 2018).
Dr. Meskell is Professor Archaeology at Stanford University. She has a long list of accolades and research experience in the field of archaeology. He has received honorary doctorates and is widely published.
Her book, while written for an academic audience, is insightful and should be read by any self-proclaimed enthusiast of UNESCO World Heritage sites and history lovers alike. It is based on deep archival research and uses examples of actual UNESCO campaigns as anecdotes to illustrate her arguments.
Links from the show The Book, A Future in Ruins: UNESCO, World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace: https://amzn.to/2K8vXWAUNESCO World Heritage Statistics: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat/A Lecture by Professor Meskell on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b6T_r80KK0&t=90s
More about Dr. Lynn Meskell Lynn Meskell's Homepage at Stanford: https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/lynn-meskellStanford University Interview of Dr. Meskell: https://news.stanford.edu/2018/11/19/stanford-scholar-examines-unescos-world-heritage-program/
Transcript (Click to Expand) Jeremy Bassetti This is Jeremy Bassetti. And you're listening to All Over The Place, a podcast on travel, culture, and the creative life. Today's episode brings us to Stanford, California, where I speak with Professor Lynn Meskell about the history, politics and feature of the UNESCO World Heritage program. Dr. Meskell is Professor of Archaeology at Stanford University, and has a long list of accolades, including being the recipient of an honorary doctorate at the American University in Rome.
Jeremy Bassetti But first, a little bit of housekeeping.
Jeremy Bassetti Okay, so I'm back and rested after having taken 20, twenty-year-olds to Italy for a few weeks. Needless to say, I'm excited to get back in the studio recording more conversations. So keep your eyes open for new episodes that will be arriving in your podcasting app. The podcast has reached a milestone of sorts. Our 10 episodes so far have been downloaded and listened to by hundreds of listeners from around the world. Thank you very much. But if you find the show interesting, you can help spread the word by leaving a positive review on iTunes and your Apple Podcasting app or in whatever podcasting app you use. Reviews are really helpful in getting more ears and eyes on the program. As a way to say thanks, I have a handful of All Over The Place Podcast stickers that I would like to send you completely free of charge, including shipping, to wherever you are in the world. I don't have very many to send though, so, first come first serve. Visit travelwritingworld.com/stickers to sign up. And speaking of which, the All Over the Place Podcast website has undergone slight redesign. If this type of thing interests you. Feel free to go check that out. And while you're there, feel free to leave a comment on one of your favorite conversations.
Jeremy Bassetti Well, that's about it this week. So now here is Professor Lynn Meskell.
Jeremy Bassetti Today I'm talking with Professor Lynn Meskell about her new book, "A Future in Ruins, UNESCO World Heritage, and the Dream of Peace." So great account of the history and workings of UNESCO. And although it's an academic book published by Oxford, those interested in this subject, I think will find it accessible and definitely interesting. So Professor Meskell, welcome to the show.
Lynn Meskell Thank you, Jeremy. I really appreciate it.
Jeremy Bassetti If you don't mind, I think what I'd like to do is talk a little bit about your background. And then we can talk about the book and the discussion of the development of UNESCO, and its history, and the complications.
In this episode, I speak with Pico Iyer about travel, narrative structures, living in Japan, and of course his new book Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells.
Alongside those like Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer is one of the greatest living travel writers. He is the celebrated author of many books including Video Nights in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk, The Art of Stillness, and many, many others. This year (2019), Pico Iyer is publishing several books, one of which is the subject of this podcast. The second one authored principally by Mr. Iyer, A Beginner's Guide to Japan, will be released in September 2019.
Pico Iyer was embarking on a book tour to promote Autumn Light when I caught him in his hotel room in Miami. As you can tell from the conversation, Pico is incredibly eloquent and insightful. I hope you enjoy listening to the conversation as much as I had participating in it.
This episode was awarded the Bronze Award in the 28th Annual North American Travel Journalists Association Awards Competition.
Links from the show
Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells (on Amazon)
Video Nights in Kathmandu (on Amazon)
The Lady and the Monk (on Amazon)
The Art of Stillness (on Amazon)
Pico Iyer online
Pico Iyer's Personal Website
Pico Iyer's Twitter
Pico Iyer's Ted Talks
A Beginner's Guide to Japan
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In this episode, I speak with Dianne Hales about her new book La Passione: How Italy Seduced the World. She is the author of La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language, a New York Times best-seller, and Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered, an Amazon best book of the year and translated into six languages.
From her website: Following publication of the New York Times-bestselling La Bella Lingua, the President of Italy awarded Dianne the highest recognition the government can bestow on a foreigner: honorary knighthood, with the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity), for her contributions to promoting the Italian language.
As a widely published freelance journalist, Dianne served as a contributing editor for Parade, Ladies Home Journal, Working Mother and American Health and has written for many national publications, including The New York Times, Psychology Today and The Washington Post. She has received writing awards from the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, an “EMMA” (Exceptional Media Merit Award) for health reporting from the National Women’s Political Caucus and Radcliffe College, three “EDI” (Equality, Dignity, Independence) awards for print journalism from the National Easter Seal Society, Arthritis Foundation, California Psychiatric Society, CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity), Council for the Advancement of Scientific Education, and the New York City Public Library.
Connect with Dianne Hales
Dianne's Website: https://diannehales.com/
La Passione: How Italy Seduced the World on Amazon
Dianne on Twitter
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Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In this episode, I speak with Susan Lewis Solomont about her new book, Lost and Found in Spain: Tales of an Ambassador’s Wife. Susan has more than 30 years of experience providing strategic philanthropic counsel to private foundations. From 2010 to 2013, she served alongside her husband, Alan Solomont, in Madrid, Spain, where he was appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra under President Barack Obama. Her new book was published on March 26.
From her website:
She was named International Woman of the Year by FEDEPE, the leading organization for Spanish women executives and directors. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in education from Tufts University. She has two daughters, Becca and Stephanie, and a cockapoo named Stella Blu, who is the subject of her forthcoming children’s book: Stella the Ambassadog. Lost and Found in Spain: Tales of an Ambassador’s Wife is her first book.
Connect with Susan Solomont
Personal Website: https://www.susansolomont.com/
Lost and Found in Spain on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2U4Oljj
Susan on Instagram
Susan on Facebook
Spotify Playlist
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Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
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Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In this episode, I speak with Caroline Van Hemert about her new book The Sun is a Compass: a 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds.
From her website:
Caroline's journeys, both personal and professional, have taken her from the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean to the swamps of the Okavango Delta. Along the way, she has been outsmarted by Cheeto-eating crows, stalked by predatory bears, charged by elephants, and humbled by 10-gram chickadees that shiver through winter nights at 40 degrees below zero.
Caroline holds a Ph.D. in wildlife biology and an M.A. in creative writing and currently works as a research biologist for the USGS Alaska Science Center. She regularly publishes and speaks about her scientific research, which has been featured in the New York Times, National Geographic, Birding, and Scientific American. With her husband and two young sons, she divides her time between a cozy home in downtown Anchorage and a remote, off-the-grid cabin near Haines, Alaska.
Connect with Caroline Van Hemert
Personal Website: https://www.carolinevanhemert.com/The Sun is a Compass on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WDutpeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunisacompass/Wordsworth's Tables Turned: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45557/the-tables-turned
More Episodes & Support
Please consider supporting the show with a few dollars a month, less than a cup of coffee, to help keep our show alive and advertisement-free.
You can also support the show by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or in your favorite podcasting app, subscribing to the show, and following us on Twitter & Instagram.
Lastly, consider using our affiliate links to purchase your books. If you use our links to make a purchase, we will receive a few cents commission at no additional cost to you. These funds help keep the podcast alive and ad-free.
Finally, join the Travel Writing World newsletter to receive your free copy of The Travel Book Guidebook. You will also receive quarterly dispatches & reports with podcast interviews, travel writing resources, & book recommendations. Thanks for your support!
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*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
In this episode, I speak with Seth Kugel about his new book Rediscovering Travel: A Guide for the Globally Curious.
Seth is the former "Frugal Traveler" columnist for the NY Times and the host of the popular YouTube channel Amigo Gringo.
Connect with Seth Kugel
Seth's Personal WebsiteSeth's Book, Rediscovering TravelSeth's InstagramSeth's YouTube Channel
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Intro Music
Peach by Daantai (Daantai’s Instagram)
Disclaimer
*Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, this website will earn a very small commission if a purchase is made using these links. Also, "as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases" using the Amazon links on this site.
I speak with Katherine Parker-Magyar about travel writing and her philosophy on travel.
In this episode of All Over the Place, I speak with Schirm about his experiences traveling and creating.
Have you ever wondered how to teach English abroad? In this episode of All Over the Place, I speak with Cat Gaa about the virtues and pitfalls living as an expat...