“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”― Mark Twain  

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen discuss what’s on Lori’s mind right now.

Always having her finger on the pulse of what’s happening at Great Escape Publishing, Lori’s constantly looking for new things to teach members. And, she’s eager to discover what they’re interested in.

Lori shares what that’s like…

“I’m constantly trying to figure out what challenges we need to face. How can we best help people? People are out there doing great things and we want to continue to help them.”

Lori followed a recent Facebook conversation in one of Great Escape’s closed groups. People were wishing they could do one of our expeditions but couldn’t afford it. Lori came up with the idea of creating a Great Escape Meetup in an interesting destination.

Listen in as she shares this interesting new concept.

If this new idea and experience interests you, visit the www.greatescapepublishing.com events page for more information.

“Take off on a quest or a personal search until you find yourself. You either find yourself or decide to go home.”--Bel Woodhouse

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen introduce us to Bel Woodhouse.

“Bel is quite the spitfire,” says Lori. “She’s an ex-Navy kick butt woman!”

Bel makes an indelible impression on everyone she meets. With her combination of British and Australian slang, she inspired the attendees at last September’s Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas where she was on the success panel.

Formerly in the Royal Australian Navy, she now lives in Mexico.

“I left the Navy, sold everything, went on a walkabout, and ended up in Guatemala teaching English for a couple of years.”

Bel attended her first Travel Workshop in Washington DC and decided she was going to write full time.

Today she’s living in Cozumel and loving the life she’s created. She’s added photography and creating travel videos to her skills too.  Listen in as she shares her entertaining and inspiring story.

You can get started in Bel’s footsteps when you join us at The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop this year. Live seats are SOLD OUT. But there’s a way to attend from the comfort of your home—and get access to every insider tip and secret—at a fraction of the price. Details here.

“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”—Diane Arbus

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings Elizabeth Coughlin back to the show.

Elizabeth refers to herself as a geriatric nomad. For 14 years, she and her husband taught in international schools around the world—with their daughters in tow.

When her husband retired, she needed something to do. She discovered Great Escape Publishing and decided to attend a photography workshop.

As a result, she has become a successful stock photographer.

Elizabeth shares a story about visiting her daughter in Abu Dhabi  at the time the Louvre was inaugurated in November 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I took photos of the outside of the Louvre the day after the big gala for the opening.”

At the urging of her son-in-law, Elizabeth uploaded the photos to the stock agencies right away and to her amazement, the photos began selling immediately.

It was all about being first.

Listen in as Elizabeth offers advice on how to find new and noteworthy events and how those events can help with your stock photography sales.

If you’re inspired to explore travel photography visit www.greatescapepublishing.com and sign up for The Right Way to Travel newsletter which offers information on travel writing, photography and more.

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”—Saint Augustine

 Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings travel writer, Terri Marshall back to the show.

Jody catches up with Terri while she is in Delray Beach, Florida attending the AWAI Copywriting Bootcamp where she’s learning new writing skills and more about running her business as a writer.

Terri’s background is in law and accounting. She spent decades working as an accountant specializing in trusts and estates for law firms. In short, she’s educated.

But the education she has learned from her travels is never-ending.

As she explains…

“When I travel—whether it’s internationally or just to a different region of the country—I’m continually learning.”

From watching science unfold before her eyes in Antarctica…to the fascinating reality of what life was like behind the “Iron Curtain” in Eastern Europe, Terri’s travels have exposed her to the world on a much deeper level.

Listen in as she shares some of her experiences and what travel writing has taught her about the world. She also shares some tips for seeking out those educational experiences no matter where you’re traveling.

Visit www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting to learn more about travel writing and the opportunities it provides.

“Once you start writing about travel, you will never travel the same way again and your travels will  become much richer.”—Jen Stevens

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings Jen Stevens back to the show.

Jen is the Executive Editor for International Living magazine as well as the architect of the Ultimate Travel Writing Program for Great Escape Publishing.

Jen shares her thoughts on travel writing…

“Travel writing is arguably the best job on the planet. You’re getting paid to travel!”

That aspect of the travel writer’s life attracts people from really diverse backgrounds which is evident at the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop.

“The workshop attracts people who have an interest in writing but don’t necessarily know how to pursue that as a career. Almost no one that comes to the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop with a solid background in journalism.”

At the workshop, Jen pulls back the curtain on travel writing by teaching attendees actionable steps to becoming a travel writer.

Listen in as Jen shares some of the benefits of travel writing that many people don’t consider and how your unique background and hobbies can enhance your path to travel writing.

To learn more about the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Little Rock, Arkansas this September, visit here.

“Every time I wander a few miles from where I live, I find something new.”–Theresa St. John

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings travel writer and photographer, Theresa St. John back to the show.

Theresa has been on the show previously to talk about her travel writing career which she built by starting local. She has written for 16 local publications.

She shares with us her thoughts on writing about her hometown for local publications…

“People often ask me if I get bored writing about my hometown, but I love writing about local places. I’ve learned so much about my community. Every time I wander even a few miles from where I live, I find something new.”

Listen in as Theresa describes the benefits of focusing your writing on local attractions for local publications.

Join us at our next Ultimate Travel Writer’s weekend to get started.

“You don’t have to know all the steps to getting where you want to be, you just have to know the next step.” ―Valerie Young

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen introduce us to Valerie Young.

Lori introduces us to Valerie…

“Valerie describes herself as the “dreamer in residence” at changingcourse.com. I go to her when I have questions for people interested in transitioning to new careers.”

Valerie shares her insights into what it means to follow your passion and the role passion plays in the work that we do.

“I’m of the mind that it is important generally speaking that we find something we enjoy doing. But sometimes people get really hung up on finding their true passion.”

Valerie encourages people to think about what they want their lives to look like first and then figure out how to make that happen.

Listen in as Valerie shares her insights and advice on how to focus on life first and work second as a means to creating the life you want.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career that allows you to live life on your own terms go to www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting and explore the ways travel writing can help you do that.

“I went all the way across the world and realized people there are just like me.”—Jody Maberry

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen reflect on Jody’s first international trip.

Jody had never left the country before his recent trip to Kuwait. It was a “go big or go home” jump into international travel starting with 14 hours of flight.

His first impression—he didn’t like it. He didn’t like flying with 300 people. He was bored and he couldn’t sleep. As a result, he suffered severe jet lag after arriving.

Lori shares a similar experience she had when she first visited Shanghai. Although she found a restaurant with a menu in English, the choices were something she would never eat. Hippo and bird nest soup were both offered—and that wasn’t going to happen!

Between the unacceptable food choices, trouble with taxis, jet lag and the overwhelming pace of the city, she cried the first night.

Ultimately, Jody and Lori both adjusted to their destinations and enjoyed their respective experiences. Listen in as they reflect on their experiences and what travel has taught them.

Lori is a big believer in digging deeper into travel to explore new cultures and places. If you’re interested in learning how to do that in your travels, the Great Escape Publishing travel writing and photography courses are the place to start. Visit www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/travelwriting  and www.greatescapepublishing.com/start/photography for more information.

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”—Chinese Proverb

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry welcomes Tracey Minkin, Senior Travel Editor for Coastal Living magazine back to the show.

Jody and Tracey met at the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas last September where they both experienced the excitement and energy of the workshop through the attendees.

Tracey will be returning to the workshop again this year in Little Rock, Arkansas in September. She will be leading workshop sessions to help new writers get started.

One topic Tracey always focuses on when she’s talking to new writers is starting small. Listen in as she shares what it means to start small as a travel writer and its benefits.

For more information about Great Escape Publishing, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com.

“Social media is just a buzzword until you come up with a plan.”—Unknown

Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry welcomes Bonnie Caton back to the podcast.

At the recent Ultimate Photographer’s Workshop in St. Louis, Bonnie spoke to attendees about Instagram.

Jody confesses he resisted Instagram for years even though people told him he should be there. He’s on Facebook and wasn’t sure he wanted to add another social media channel to his life.

Jody’s not alone. Many people resist bringing more social media platforms into their lives.

Bonnie shares some of the benefits of Instagram…

“You can share your photos and see all the beautiful photos posted to the site, it’s stress free and it’s Facebook without the drama!”

Listen in as Bonnie shares more advantages of being on Instagram along with tips for getting started and for using the platform to build your business or brand.  

Click here to follow Great Escape Publishing on Instagram.

For more information about Great Escape Publishing, visit www.greatescapepublishing.com.