Intrepid Times The Travel Writing Podcast

Over the years, Mike Richards has been to over 150 countries, has written global political and economic research for renowned global research houses, and has become a meditation teacher. During his years of traveling, he's come to a simple conclusion: most people are good.

In this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast, Nathan spoke with Mike about his new book, how traveling with his young daughter has helped him rediscover a sense of wanderlust, how a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan opened his eyes to people’s true natures, how his work as a risk analyst shapes his travel experiences, what he’s learning about connection and community through his travels to unlikely places, and much more.

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JT Genter didn't set out to become a digital nomad. He was working as a tax accountant when he and his wife decided they wanted to do some traveling. Looking for a way to reduce the cost of a trip to China, he discovered that signing up for one credit card could get them enough miles to fly round-trip for almost nothing out-of-pocket. As luck would have it, points and awards was a growing area of interest in the travel space, aligning perfectly with JT's experience in accounting and his love of travel. This intersection found him contributing as a freelance writer for The Points Guy, eventually earning a position as a full time writer for the publication and later as the editor-in-chief of AwardWallet, which has allowed him and his wife to travel full time.
In this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast, Nathan and JT talk about how JT found his unique niche, why flying economy allowed him to get his foot in the door, how he keeps himself organized with a travel schedule that has him moving every few days, his approach to the boom in AI as the editor-in-chief of a growing publication, and more.

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Years ago, while hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, Tim Mathis became fascinated by the idea of the pilgrimage. It was spiritual but didn't have to be religious, and it was, it seemed, always transformative for those who made the journey. The experience stuck with him and led him to write a unique guidebook for those interested in tapping into the power of the Camino's long walk. The guidebook is called The Camino for the Rest of Us: A Comprehensive Guide to a Life-Changing Journey on the World's Most Approachable Pilgrimage and was the focus of this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast.

During the episode, Nathan and Tim discuss why Tim decided to write a physical guidebook in the age of the internet, how "sacred texts" of all sorts can be guiding lights for us all, the idea of the “gap month” and how it can open space for change, the highs and lows of self-publishing, and much more.

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In this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast, Jennifer speaks with travel journalist Paige McClanahan about her new book, The New Tourist. From Hawaii to Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam to Angkor Wat, Paige has been witness to various approaches to tourism, which led her to question not only how governments are approaching tourism, but also her own actions and insights as a tourist. Her new book seeks to help those who love to travel become better and more conscientious tourists wherever they go.

During the conversation, Paige discusses how the shift from the old to new tourist translates to travel writing; how social media has helped democratize the travel writing space; how the empathy we gain through travel may help us confront the challenges we’ll face as a species in the coming decades; why questioning our motivations for traveling can be the first step toward becoming a better tourist; and much more. This is a great listen for anyone who loves to travel and wants to have a positive impact on the places they visit.

Many of the most well-known authors in history have struggled with their dark side, a struggle that so often provided the energy for great writing. This dark side is what Brad Kelly and his co-host Kevin Kautzman explore on their podcast Art of Darkness. In this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast, Nathan invited Brad on to talk about some of the authors that Art of Darkness has covered and how travel specifically played a role in the development of their creativity and writing. Brad also offered insight into how researching other authors has both helped and haunted his own writing.

The idea of sustainable tourism can leave a weird taste in your mouth, especially as the term is used incorrectly in all kinds of contexts and scenarios. But the idea, in its authentic form, is an important one, and one that we know many of our listeners are interested in learning more about, so we decided to tackle it on this episode of The Travel Writing Podcast.

For this conversation, which we knew would need a nuanced and candid approach, we invited on Jeremy Sampson, the CEO of The Travel Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps the travel industry better manage its impact and improve local livelihoods.

During the episode we talked about the important questions for travel writers to ask when writing about a destination, how the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action and Tourism has created and maintained momentum toward positive change in the tourism sector, how writers’ ability to demonstrate nuance can be key in advancing positive tourism practices, and more.