Interviews Archive
Guide Books, Nicaragua and Benin: Interview with Randall Wood
If you've spent time travelling around Nicaragua in the past few years, you may already know of Randall Wood.
Randy co-authored the Moon Handbook Nicaragua after living there for several years, part of which was spent working with the Peace Corps. He also wrote a companion guide for expats living in Nicaragua.
TravelBlogs got in touch with him to find out about more about his experiences with the Peace Corps, Nicaragua and his current home, Benin.
An Adventure from Dublin to Sydney: Interview with Dave Kidd
Dave Kidd is an adventurer. A Kiwi Indiana Jones minus the hat and archaeological degree.
Earlier this year, he set out to get from Dublin to Sydney, with a single goal: not to fly. As he wrote: “Quite simple really enjoy a quiet Guinness at St James gate then travel South East by boat, bus, train, foot, donkey, camel, rikhaw until I can see the white curves of the Sydney opera house.” Quite simple indeed.
From a hot and muggy Varanasi, Dave wrote to tell me about how he has fared so far.
Gap Year in China: Interview with Huw
Taking a year out after high school? Sounds like a smart idea to me.
Huw is one 19-year old with the right idea: rather than launching into tertiary education, he's stepping out into the world on a year-long trip to China and back. From his home in the United Kingdom, he travelled east through Europe on the Trans-Siberian Railway, eventually arriving in Beijing a few weeks ago. To help fund his Gap Year, he's teaching English.
.jpg)
Getting Paid to Travel: Interview with Scott McNeely
For many keen travellers, the prospect of paid travel writing has an almost magnetic appeal. What could be better than exploring the far reaches of the world while pulling in a paycheck?
Scott McNeely has written and edited guidebooks for Lonely Planet and Fodor's, and now works for Viator. In short, he has done the "paid to travel" thing.
TravelBlogs caught up with him to talk about how he made it as a travel writer. And for those of you who dream of one day being a writer yourself, Scott shares what it's like to be a travel writer.
.jpg)
A 10,000 Mile Quest for Birds: An Interview with Malkolm, Ken and Wendy
15-year old Malkolm is on a year-long 10,000 mile bike-trip across North America with his parents, Ken and Wendy. Why? Birds, to put it simply.
They're on what's known by bird lovers as a Big Year, trying to catch a glimpse of as many types of bird as they can. But they're doing it with two key differences: by cycling the entire way, they're making an important point about fossil-fuel-free transportation; and they're also raising money for bird conservation.
8 Years on the Road: An Interview With Wade
Wade is a modern-day nomad. Travel is his lifestyle. For over eight years he has wandered the world, spending weeks, months and years in 25 countries on 5 continents. After a few months in Morocco, he crossed over to Europe in October with his girlfriend, Mira. The intrepid couple are now cycling from from Lisbon to France.
Rambling Traveler: An Interview with Stacy
Travel does not necessarily have to involve a lot of money or a lot of time. Nor does it need to involve a flight overseas. Truly rewarding travel experiences can be enjoyed much closer to home, as people like Stacy from Rambling Traveler will testify. Many of her trips are day trips or weekends away around her home in Minnesota, though she also takes every opportunity she can get to head further afield, whether it be a volunteering trip down to Guatemala or an upcoming trip to Scotland.
Teaching English in South Korea: An Interview with Travis
For the cash-strapped traveller, one of the best ways to see the world without going into extreme debt is by finding work overseas. Not only does it ease the financial burden of travel, it also allows a first-hand glimpse into daily life in a foreign context.
Travis is one such cash-strapped traveller. He is spending a year in South Korea, teaching English to a group of eleven and twelve year-old students and sharing his (often comical) observations of Korean culture on his blog.
Hope and Healing: An Interview with Mark and Peggy Shrime
One of the most popular trends in modern travel is voluntourism. One part travel, one part volunteering, voluntourism offers travellers a way to delve deeper into a place while also making it possible to support the local community in some small (or large) way.
Mark and Peggy's trip is a perfect example of voluntourism. A pair of physicians from New York City, they are on a one-year trip around the world, combining their love for travel with their desire to offer their medical skills as volunteers. After 6 months of roaming the globe, they will spend another 6 months in Sierra Leone, where they will volunteer with Mercy Ships, a charity providing free specialised health care to the Sierra Leoneans.
Off and On the Beaten Track: An Interview with Gary Arndt
Since launching back in September, TravelBlogs has regularly added new blogs to our collection of the best narrative travel blogs out there. As a result, the people featured on TB are all over the place, whether they be attending weddings in Mexico (Sloan & Amy), getting married in Bali (Travel Betty), or cycling from Portugal to France (Wade).
The latest addition is Gary Arndt, who is on a multi-year, Round the World trip. He has just completed several months of island-hopping around the Pacific Ocean, including some very off-the-beaten track destinations.
