Travel Writing World

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.