Today's episode includes excerpts from two of the many masterclasses offered to students of Travel Writer Transformation, Intrepid Times' 8-week writing course. In the first excerpt, the Intrepid Times editors discuss the first paragraph of a travel story and how to make sure you grab readers' attention without giving them too much information. The second excerpt discussions conclusions and how writers can make sure they deliver on any goodwill they've built up throughout their story.

In this episode, travel writer Thom Brown discusses the process of tracking down a story in Mongolia, which led to his recently published story, "The Silicon Steppe." He talks about why the story he ended up writing was so different from his original idea, how he found contacts in Mongolia, and the various angles he had to consider while writing.

In this episode of the Intrepid Times Podcast, editors Nathan Thomas and Jennifer Roberts discuss a recent New Yorker article and ask the question, "Can travel change you?" They dig into the subtle and not-so-subtle changes that happen when we travel, explore the trials and tribulations of some of their early travel experiences, and offer ideas for how people can make sure travel changes them for the better.

In this episode, travel writer Tim Hannigan discusses his new book, The Granite Kingdom, based on his journey walking east to west across Cornwall. He explores why both inside and outside voices are needed in travel writing, the ethical issues around writing about those you meet while traveling, how to find balance with a sense of belatedness, and when the second person can be a great tool for writers.

In this episode, Nathan Thomas explores how his new book, "Untethered: Living the digital nomad life in an uncertain world," attempts to reframe the stereotype and expectations of the digital nomad, why stillness is important, even when one is constantly on the move, how his experience with “traditional” travel writing informed the way he approached writing "Untethered," and how writing a second book felt different from the first.

In this episode, the editors of Intrepid Times take you behind the scenes of “Romance on the Road” and show you what it looks like when editors sit down to choose the winners out of hundreds of entries. Along the way, they talk about what the winners did differently that made them stand out from the rest, and share hard-won insights for writing a powerful travel story that editors can’t say no to.

In this episode, Shafik Meghji speaks about his new book, as well as about the responsibility travel writers wield when deciding what and where to write about, whether it’s possible to be truly objective as a travel writer, and the way good travel writing helps us make connections that may get overlooked. He also offers some great insight into how travel writers can decide which stories are interesting enough to tell and how to make potentially uninteresting stories feel relevant and inspiring.

In this episode, the editors of Intrepid Times explore their journeys from studying the humanities to developing writing and editing careers, and tackle some uncomfortable questions about becoming a writer in 2023: Are the humanities still valuable, and if they are, then why? Is writing really a safe career choice with the new advancements in AI tech? Is the promise of the writing career actually a myth? And, if people, young or old, decide to try their hand at a career in the literary field, what can they reasonably expect to find?

In this episode, the editors of Intrepid Times tell the stories of how Elizabeth Gilbert's wildly popular memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love," came to land in both of their laps at very different points of their travel lives and what that meant for how they perceived its importance. They also discuss the things the book does (and doesn’t) do well, the role of emotion in travel writing, and how a personal story can shape and inform a travel story.

In this interview, B.A. Van Sise discusses his upcoming book, Invited to Life, with Nathan James Thomas of Intrepid Times.