Entries about industryinterview

In this month's Industry Interview we chat to Alexis Grant, a journalist and travel author who's the founder of the popular blog The Traveling Writer. Alexis launched the blog to chronicle her experience writing her first book, Please Send Pants, about backpacking solo through Africa. She is now a frequent guest-writer for other popular sites on achieving career/life balance and following one's dreams. You can also connect with Alexis on Twitter.

Alexis reporting in Africa

You describe yourself as a solopreneur. What is it and what does it mean to you to be a solopreneur?

A solopreneur is an entrepreneur who works on her own. I'm already deviating from this definition because I have a small team who helps me (no full-time employees though), but I like it because I do think of myself as an entrepreneur, but not the kind that's trying to build a huge company and make a ton of money. I'm a lifestyle entrepreneur, building my own business because it allows me to do work I love and have a flexible schedule.

I also sometimes call myself a "slasher" -- because I'm a journalist/social media strategist/entrepreneur. Most of my income comes from helping small businesses with blogging and social media, and I also create and sell digital guides and courses, which is the part of my biz I'm super excited about right now. For anyone interested in transitioning away from working for an employer to working for yourself, I offer a weekly newsletter called Solopreneur Secrets that shares what I'm learning.

What inspired you to backpack through Africa and what are your must-do recommendations?

I really wanted to challenge myself and explore a part of the world that was different from my home. I traveled overland through a handful of countries in West Africa, then to Cameroon, South Africa and finally, Madagascar.

That last country, Madagascar, is my must-do recommendation. What an experience! I spent two months there, so I was able to see a lot of the country. It has an African-Asian feel that's different from West Africa, and the island boasts so many species of plants and animals that don't exist anywhere else in the world, including the lemur. Accommodations are lovely compared with other parts of Africa, and traveling there is super affordable -- once you've bought the plane ticket, that is. Go! You won't regret it.

Alexis and a new friend in Madagascar

What made you decide to write your travel memoir?

I'd always thought about someday writing a book, but I didn't decide to do it until the very end of my trip. I was writing down all the people I'd met during those six months of backpacking, just for my own benefit, so I wouldn't forget them. And I realized just how many stories I had to tell. I also think Africa's not written about as much as it should be, so by writing this book, I'd help fill that gap. Now I just need a publisher to buy it!

You travelled solo for six months - do you have any suggestions for coping with long-term travel?

Lots! The biggest one is -- no surprise -- pack light. Carrying around all your belongings gets old real fast, but it's certainly easier if you have less to carry. Look for opportunities to swap books with other travelers, so you always have something to read. This has changed now that ereaders are out, but if you're traveling in places that don't have electricity, old-school books are still your best bet. Bring a pocket knife, plastic bowl and spoon. I wasn't doing anything fancy with the pocket knife, but it allowed me to carve up a pineapple for a snack or cut up a cucumber when I was craving veggies. Oh, and here's a tip I heard only after I returned home from this trip: bring a doorstop. You can use it to prop closed a door from the inside, for safety purposes, when your hostels have shoddy locks.

As for coping with loneliness, two tips: 1. You get used to it, and even start to enjoy it. Now that I'm back in the States, I crave alone time and quiet more than I used to. 2. Even if you travel solo, you're not alone most of the time. In many places around the globe, it's easy to befriend locals or other travelers if you're willing to put the effort in. I hooked up with several long-haul travelers who also wanted company -- and made some great friends!

Travelling solo through Madagascar

Where will you go next?

I'm thinking about a trip to Nicaragua in March. It'd be for three weeks or so, a lot shorter than six months! But I have an added challenge this time because I now run my own business that I can't leave behind for weeks at a time. This will be my first shot at traveling while working, and I'm a little nervous about finding the right balance (and Internet connection).

You successfully combined your journalism skills with your dream to travel. What advice would you give to someone contemplating working on the road?

Go for it! There are lots of obstacles, of course, but the best way to work through them is to just do it. That also forces you to figure out which skills you're lacking to be successful, and learn them. I do think it's easier to build a business at home, where you can depend on your Internet connection and ask for help when you need it, so I'd recommend getting your freelance biz or whatever you're going to use to bring in income off the ground before you go. Then, while traveling, you can focus on maintaining and maybe growing, but hopefully the framework is already in place. Even better, save enough money so you can leave the workforce for a year or so; then you can really focus on your passions while traveling -- and use that experience to get an even better job when you return home.

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Check out our other posts in the Industry Interview series:

• Industry Interview with Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle
• Industry Interview with Stuart McDonald of Travelfish
• Industry Interview with Steph of Twenty-Something Travel
• Industry Interview with Igor Bratnikov from GreenXC
• Industry Interview with Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere

In this month's Industry Interview we chat to Colin Wright aka @colinismyname. Colin is an entrepreneur, author, brand consultant and full-time traveller who lives in a new country every four months. He blogs at Exile Lifestyle.

Colin Wright

You move to a new country every four months – how did this reader-voting system come about?

When I started travelling, I actually hadn't ever left the country before, so I figured just about everyone else in the world would know more about where I should check out better than me!

I also knew I wanted to go everywhere eventually, so it seemed like a fun idea to randomise it (for me, anyway) and give my readership the opportunity to take part in the experiment. They haven't let me down so far, and I've got a really tight-knit community as a result.

What's your favourite place so far and where's next?

I don't think I can choose a favourite... every place I've lived feels like home at this point, and I love them for different reasons.

I will say that New Zealand was the most beautiful, Argentina was the most educational, Iceland had the most interesting local culture, Thailand was the most difficult and India has been the most shocking.

I actually have no idea where I'll be headed next, as people are still voting! I'll know by my last week here in Kolkata, though, and will buy my plane ticket the next day.

You created Exile Lifestyle – what's it all about?

Exile Lifestyle is the blog home-base of a project that has me hopping from country to country to expand my knowledge of the world and its people.

When I left the US, I had a pretty firm grasp of how to make it in the business world, but I was depressingly short on real-world knowledge outside the US, except for what I was hearing second-hand through whatever I could read or watch on the news. The reality of how other people live and what angle other cultures view the world from has been grossly distorted in the popular media, and seeing it first-hand has given me many new perspectives from which to view every problem I come across (which was a big part of my original goal!).

In more nuts and bolts, practical terms: Exile Lifestyle is a blog where I write about entrepreneurship, lifestyle experimentation and full time travel. I move to a new country every four months based on the votes of the folks who read Exile Lifestyle, and while in that country I do my best to live like a local and pick up what knowledge and new experiences I'm able.

You own 50 things – what advice do you have for those wanting to embody the minimalist lifestyle?

Everything Colin owns

Realise that the stuff you have doesn't define you as a person. The less you own, the more 'you' you'll be forced to be, and as a result, the better chance you'll have to become an even better version of yourself.

Once that thought is in place, just start whittling down to what you need and only what you need. Look at it as an exercise that you can always stop if you want to (though you'll likely enjoy it), and as a way to figure out what's really important in your life. The things you keep: that's the important stuff. Everything else you can spend less of your time, energy and resources on.

What is it about slow travel that you love?

I love being able to take the time to build real relationships with people and places.

When you do the tourism thing, or hop around from place to place really quickly, the relationships you start are unable to grow, so you don't really get to put down roots or make new friends or love a place for its good points and its downsides. When you travel more slowly, though, you're able to really take it in. You can go to the grocery store and rent an apartment rather than eating out every day and living at a hotel. You can go to birthday parties and sit around watching TV and have good times and bad times and get the full range of human experience, just in a different place, surrounded by a different culture.

To me, it's much more educational, and I walk away feeling like I know a million times more about the world, while at the same time being even more acutely aware of how ignorant I am about so many things; the perfect combo for wanting to learn more and more and more!

How do you fund your travels?

I have a few businesses that I run from the road, and I do a good bit of writing.

For example, I publish an 'everlasting ebook' travelogue called Exiles, which people subscribe to and then receive five new chapters every two weeks. I also publish ebooks (I just released my sixth one, How to Travel Full Time the other day, and my most recent collection of tales from the road, My Exile Lifestyle), and do some travel writing for a few different publications.

I also do brand consultation work from time-to-time, though I don't take on very many clients these days, as it tends to be difficult scheduling calls from the road. If the project/client is right, though, I make it work.

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Check out our other posts in the Industry Interview series:

• Industry Interview with Stuart McDonald of Travelfish
• Industry Interview with Steph of Twenty-Something Travel
• Industry Interview with Igor Bratnikov from GreenXC
• Industry Interview with Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere
• Industry Interview with Darren Cronian of Travel Rants

In this month's Industry Interview we chat to Stuart McDonald who's the founder of the popular go-to site for all things Southeast Asia, Travelfish.org. Stuart launched the site in 2004 along with journalist/editor Samantha Brown, both of whom have been based in Southeast Asia since 1997. Along with their two children, they live somewhere between a volcano and the sea in Bali.

Stuart in Don Khong, Champasak, Laos

How would you describe Travelfish?

Travelfish.org is a travel planning site for travellers heading to Southeast Asia. It allows people to research and plan their time in the region, drawing on our personal experience of 15 years in the region along with that of our dozen or so writers and on the greater Travelfish.org community. There's also plenty of scope for people to armchair travel on the site.

What do you love about Southeast Asia?

From a travel perspective I love the wide range of experiences, people and food available to be explored. I've always been a big fan of being on the move and Southeast Asia is great for that. There's boats, buses, trains and planes, each with their own distinct appeal.

It's also a region that you can make of what you will. Want a lazy beach holiday with cold beers and fresh pineapple brought to your deckchair – no problem. Looking for a more challenging motorbike trip through remote mountains – you can do that too.

In what order do you recommend to explore Southeast Asia?

For the first timer to Southeast Asia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are by far the easiest. Cambodia and Laos are also not too challenging, though the timetables are more of a guideline there.

While it hasn't been my experience, some find the Vietnamese backpacking experience to be a bit abrasive and difficult to deal with, meaning that some find it a challenging mirror to laid back Laos or Cambodia.

Indonesia though is where I'd say things are "at" for independent travellers looking to get off the beaten track. It's a vast archipelago encompassing a tremendous variety of cultures and landscapes. It can be a little uncomfortable going at times, but the rewards more than compensate. If you've been to mainland Southeast Asia and find it a bit too "easy", you want to hit Indonesia.

What changes have you witnessed in Asia since your launch in '04?

Big changes! The traveller demographic has changed. We're seeing a lot more short-term visits (people visiting the region for under a month) and, courtesy of low cost airlines like AirAsia, it is far easier to cover a lot of miles. We regularly see people trying to cover five countries in three months, where when we first arrived in Asia you were much more likely to meet people doing three countries in five months.

You used to be a hard-copy guidebook writer - what are your thoughts about them now?

I think there will always be a place for them and it need not be an either/or scenario. Paper has been around for a long time. I think what some of the traditional publishers have in their favour is their talent pool of extremely experienced, knowledgeable writers, and they should be leveraging that to produce quality product that can be regarded as essential. The last guidebook I was truly happy with was a '92 Lonely Planet guide to India.

You've been based in Bali for some time - do you think you'll ever head back to Australia?

Is my Mum going to read this?!

While we're very happy here in Indonesia, we have two young kids and at some stage we'll probably consider shifting back to Sydney to see they get the best education we can manage. That said, we've probably got another five years here or in the region at least.

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Check out our other posts in the Industry Interview series:

• Industry Interview with Steph of Twenty-Something Travel
• Industry Interview with Igor Bratnikov from GreenXC
• Industry Interview with Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere
• Industry Interview with Darren Cronian of Travel Rants
• Industry Interview with Sue Gough Henly

In this month's Industry Interview we chat to Stephanie Yoder, a freelance travel writer and founder of the popular travel blog Twenty-Something Travel. She is a non-9-to-5 enthusiast, a self-described "Girl who can't sit still" and on a mission to encourage others to launch their own international adventures. On a smaller note, I think she's got one of the best blog headers going!

Steph and a cute panda

What is Twenty-Something Travel?

There is this idea, particularly in the United States where I'm from, that you need to go to school, get a job, start a family, and then maybe when you are older you'll have time to travel. I think that's really a shame because in many ways your 20s are the ideal time to see the world: you have more energy, less responsibilities, and the lessons you learn while travelling can stick with you your entire life. I created my website with the goal of encouraging other young people to get out and see the world.

What inspires you to travel? What have been some of your most memorable experiences and destinations?

For me the most important part of travel is constantly learning and discovering new sights, foods and ideas. As a result, many of my favourite destinations were places that I knew very little about going in. Places like Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cambodia.

Vietnam was one country where I felt like I was constantly encountering new things. The country is so big and crowded and frenetic; there were always people to meet, weird shops to discover and new amazingly delicious street foods to try. I spent five weeks there and I was exhausted often, but bored absolutely never.

A shot from Vietnam

According to your blog, London is your favourite city – what is it about it that you love?

I love to travel, but I also honestly believe that there is enough going on inside of London to keep me busy for my entire life. I lived in London for a while in my early 20s and just fell in love completely. It's a huge city with massive amounts of history and culture. I'm also a huge book nerd so I love it's many literary associations. There is always something going on, something to do, some new little corner to explore. In all my travels I've never found another city that gets my imagination and sense of romance racing the same way. I love it and I miss it everyday.

What words of encouragement would you give to people wanting to do a big trip but are a little hesitant?

The absolute hardest part of executing a big trip is actually making the decision to do it. It's such a big mental block and a lot of people struggle with the choice. Once you actually commit to making it happen, the rest falls into place fairly easily.

It can be really daunting to upend your life - but hey you've only got one chance to live.
I've never met anyone who has regretted taking time off to travel, but I've met plenty of people who wish they had.

I've never met anyone who has regretted taking time off to travel, but I've met plenty of people who wish they had.

You often journey solo: what advice do you have for young female travellers?

The idea of travelling alone is so much more scary than the reality. Even now before I set off somewhere on my own I get kind of nervous, but then once I push off I'm so glad I did. Travelling alone gives you so much freedom: you don't need to take anyone else's needs into account when deciding where to go, what to have for lunch, whether to nap all afternoon. It's very liberating and, as long as you possess basic common sense, much less dangerous than the media would have you think.

Travelling solo at the Forbidden City in Beijing

You've been referred to as an upcoming travel blogger to watch – what factors have contributed to your success and what's or more importantly where's next?
I just celebrated my two year blogaversary (yes, I made the term up), and nobody is more shocked than me at the amount of attention my blog as gotten. I am first and foremost a writer so I am really grateful that I can use my blog as a platform to share my thoughts. I write a lot about my personal experiences and emotions, but I try to connect them with the same universal travel truths that everyone experiences. I think as a result a lot of people feel like they can identify with what I have to say.

Right now there is so much going on! I'm home in the United States for the Summer working on some projects and writing. I've launched a second site called Everywhere Connection, with my boyfriend (who is also a travel blogger) and I'm working on some other still-to-be-announced projects. In the fall I will be headed to Central and South America for the first time - exciting!

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Check out our other posts in the Industry Interview series:

• Industry Interview with Igor Bratnikov from GreenXC
• Industry Interview with Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere
• Industry Interview with Darren Cronian of Travel Rants
• Industry Interview with Sue Gough Henly

In this month's Industry Interview we are pleased to chat to Igor Bratnikov, one of the initiators and founders behind GreenXC – an organisation of people trying to raise awareness and raise money for national parks and forests. He's also a seasoned travel photographer and journalist who shares his experiences through his photo blog.

Igor with fellow GreenXC founder Polina Raygorodskaya

What is GreenXC and who's involved?

GreenXC is an organisation of young professionals determined to make an impact on the preservation of National Parks and Forests. At the end of July, we are setting out on a three-week mission to get cross country using only ride-shares and conducting a national outreach and awareness campaign for parks and forests with the help of the USDA Forest Service. Stopping at various destinations along the way, we will be documenting our travels and bringing our followers along for our journey through our site. Follow us along our journey!

We are a collaboration of enthusiasts with seasoned experience in the fields of public relations, marketing, business, law, journalism and photography who share the common goal of enriching young minds to encourage the future generation to take action to protect our national parks and forests and create an eco-sustainable nation.

You can view a photo story of the trip that started GreenXC here.

Why is it important to protect national parks and forests?

America's National Forests and Parks, since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt, have been serving the nation's interests in protecting the pristine beauty of nature and preserving eco-environments across the country. Thanks to this rich heritage, today we can all visit places like Old Faithful in Yellowstone and Half Dome in Yosemite. Visitors can be awed by the majestic hush of giant trees in our National Forests, and enjoy the rushing waters of the Deschutes, tumbling falls of the Cascades, magnificent mountaintops of the Rockies, and the colorful forests of the Appalachians. Whether you enjoy these special places for the hot springs or cool rivers, craggy peaks or verdant valleys, they are places to enjoy, and places to protect. We are raising awareness for them to ensure that these special places and the unforgettable experiences they provide will sustain us for generations to come.

Is the initiative based in the US only?

Currently the initiative is focused on the US but we focus on spreading environmental awareness across the world and plan to do campaigns in other countries in the future. Also, many of our readers come from all over the world and we hope to bring everyone that comes on our website along our journey to visit the national parks and forests together.

What are some of your favourite outdoor and nature spots around the globe?

We recently took a trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua where we hiked volcanoes and visited various beautiful villages. Nicaragua was one of our favourite places that we visited together. Both of us have travelled all over the world separately as well. Polina loved hiking in New Zealand and the beautiful forests there. Igor loved hiking in Colco Canyon in Peru and rice terraces in Batad, Philippines. And of course we love the nature that surrounds us here in the US that we endear so much.

You're using Travellerspoint to map your trip – what do you like about our service?

We LOVE Travellerspoint map for many reasons. We first tried using Google Maps to map our journey but found it very difficult to work with and nearly impossible to change and add points. We love that Travellerspoint map allows you to easily add points and move the sequence around without messing anything up. We also LOVE that each point has a great explanation of the locations that we will be visiting, many of the facts we did not previously know.

You can view GreenXC's Travel Map here.

What advice do you have for people wanting to travel green?

There are many ways to travel green really it is all about desire, little steps or big ones they all count in the end. Understanding that you can add green elements to your travels without having to change your entire routine. Also, try out ride sharing! It is fun, you meet interesting people and save money on gas and protect your environment! Also, you get to exactly where you want to go and don't have to sit in a cramped bus or train. And as far as safety goes, it is a far more safe form of transportation than many others. Make sure to get references and background information on the people you are getting in a car with. And stay-tuned, GreenXC is working on a platform for people to connect for ride-shares, to make it a safe, convenient and practical way to travel very soon! Would love to integrate some of the fantastic Travellerspoint's travel resources with what we are working on.

Disclaimer: Travellerspoint is supporting GreenXC as an early-stage partner.

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Check out our other posts in the Industry Interview series:

• Industry Interview with Gary Arndt of Everything Everywhere
• Industry Interview with Darren Cronian of Travel Rants
• Industry Interview with Sue Gough Henly