Intrepid Times The Travel Writing Podcast

Traveling is often full of joy and intrigue. Writing about those travel experiences can be difficult but almost always fulfilling. But editing...that's where writers tend to get stuck. Editing can feel not only overwhelming and intimidating, but also tedious. In this episode, Jennifer explores the reasons why editing can feel so tough, but also why it's one of the easiest ways to get across professionalism and interest, build trust with editors, and demonstrate that you care deeply about the story you're trying to tell. In the end, you don't have to be a professional editor in order to engage thoughtfully in the editing process, nor do you ever need to aim for perfection.

In this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast, Nathan and Jen take on the daunting topic of AI. It's a topic that (understandably) makes writers, in particular, very nervous, considering the advances in LLMs. Should we be as worried as we are? Will AI actually ever be able to replace the need for writers, or is there something about the act of putting ideas on paper (or a screen) that is uniquely human?

During this conversation, the hosts also explore how they have personally experimented with tools like ChatGPT, where they see the most promise, what a future in which AI can replicate human personality may look like, why grappling with words is (and may always be) a deeply useful exercise, and why they remain hopeful even as LLMs advance.

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On this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast, Nathan interviews travel writer, filmmaker, and storyteller Ash Bhardwaj. The conversation includes a discussion about the role hedonism plays in our motivation to travel, how seeking out the “other” can push us to travel to certain places, why a desire for self-discovery can be a powerful motivator, how certain types of disconnection can lead to the most meaningful travel experiences, and much more.

The interview is built around Ash's new book, Why We Travel: A Journey Into Human Motivation.

In her recent interview with Nathan Thomas, travel writer Katie Silcox talks about the experience that made her realize she would have to discover her inner strength if she wanted to live abroad; the many ways that her versatile skill set has served her travel writing lifestyle; her advice for female travelers; why a bit of chaos and uncertainty can be a good thing; and much more.

Welcome to an unusual episode of the Travel Writing Podcast — Here, I take the mic solo, for what may be described as a rant but is hopefully more of an exploration of the pressures bearing down on travel writers in today's world. The perverse incentives of Search Engine Optimization and social media. The perils of perpetual connectivity. How can you write something that will last when your editor only cares about what's going to rank highly on Google? How can you tune in and be present in the moment, soaking up the wonderful strangeness of an overnight train journey when your phone is vibrating in your pocket, giving you instant access to everyone you know and, perhaps more damagingly, all the obligations of your sedentary life? I explore this in today's episode of the travel writing podcast. Have no fear — we return to our normal conversation and interview format from the next episode onwards!

We travel, we write, we read, and then we travel again. Does being immersed in the genre of travel writing as a writer and reader change the experience of travel? In this episode, the editors of Intrepid Times take a moment to think about how the travel writing we read inevitably influences the way we interact with the places and people we encounter while traveling. They discuss some examples of when reading about a place helped deepen their understanding, the possible dangers of reading about a place before going there, the power that travel stories have as part of a larger whole that is constantly informing and influencing travelers, and much more.