Great Escape Radio: Travel Writing | Photography | Publishing | Writing

“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”—Theodore Roosevelt Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Lori Allen, Director of Great Escape Publishing discuss the collateral effect of taking the first step toward your goals. Last week’s conversation about the power of streaks and taking a crow bar to bad habits set the stage for this week’s discussion. (You can listen to that episode here.) When you take the first step toward your goals—despite your fears—the collateral effect will surprise you.    Jody shares an example of the collateral effect… “I have been podcasting for 5 years now. I began with my podcast for Park Leaders. I recorded six episodes of that show and held onto them for months because I thought my voice was terrible!” It turns out Jody has a voice for podcast like none other and his voice has become his signature. In the past 5 years, Jody’s podcasts for the Park Leaders show have helped people get jobs in the parks and helped others get a promotion

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”—Aristotle Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Lori Allen, Director of Great Escape Publishing discuss the power of a streak. Jody’s on an amazing streak. He’s closing in on three years of walking 10,000 steps EVERYDAY! Recently, there was a big snow storm near his home in the Pacific Northwest and he got so much snow he was able to bring back one of his favorite hobbies. He could leave from his front door and go cross-country skiing. But he learned something… “I learned I’m not as young as I used to be, and I have to be careful about the vigor I put into my skiing efforts!” Jody injured his calf and was told by his doctor to take three weeks off from exercise. But, he couldn’t… he had to keep the walking streak alive. He limped along, held onto things along the way but he kept that streak alive. As he puts it: “It takes more than a strained calf to stop a bull moose!” There’s incredible power in streaks—in the goal to keep a s

“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” –Anonymous Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Lori Allen, Director of Great Escape Publishing discuss The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. Although the book came out in 2014, it’s getting more attention now because the author has a Netflix series. The book and the series are about tidying up, but it’s more than that. It’s about changing the way you do things. As Lori watched the program she realized how much this bleeds over into her travel writing and photography. For example, her photos stay on her computer instead of being on her wall where they should be. The book is about how to clean-up and declutter—but the process isn’t just about cleaning up, it teaches you something about yourself. Lori realized this as she was going through the process of tidying up her clothes. There are two main pieces to the process: You don’t organize by room, you organize by category Don’t declutter

“Life is a gift. Wake up every day and realize that.”—Unknown Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Lori Allen, Director of Great Escape Publishing introduce us to Nigel Danson. Lori met Nigel by phone in the beginning of 2018. “Every year at the start of the year I call 100 people—members of GEP—to see that’s working for them, what’s not working and what their plans are for the coming year.” In 2018, Nigel was one of those people. During their phone call she learned that Nigel was selling landscape photos—which surprised her. “We encourage members to find opportunities to sell photos of all types of things connected with everyday life. They may not be perfect or pretty, but people need them. They are saleable.” But here comes Nigel in 2018 and he’s selling landscape photos in a way Lori had never seen. He’s following a similar process to what Great Escapes has taught, using the same fundamentals. But he’s doing it in the digital world and on YouTube. Listen in as Nigel shares the story about his journey

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.”—Michael Jordan Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry talks with Great Escape Photographer, Bonnie Caton. Bonnie returns to the show this week to build on her last show where she talked about setting goals. You can listen to that episode here first if you missed it. Jody shares his thoughts on goal-setting… “Sometimes when I’m setting goals, I push myself a little too hard and it becomes work.” But goal-setting and photography can be fun…it should be fun. Bonnie is back to help us maintain the fun factor with photography. “It’s so easy to get frustrated with photography. It’s art but it’s also technical,” Bonnie explains. “You have a great dream in mind and sometimes it doesn’t go that way at all.” The trick is to play and experiment with no expectations and to let yourself be OK with learning something new. Bonnie shares ways we can manage expectations, embrace the learning and put the fun back into photography. If you’d like to get started in photography with the suppor

“Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there.”—Bo Jackson Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry talks with Great Escape Photographer, Bonnie Caton. Good things have been happening for Bonnie. She moved from her home in Portland and bought a new home in Bend, Oregon. New environs bring new opportunities for photographers like Bonnie. She’s also been setting her goals for the new year—it’s something she does each year. “In the beginning, my photography was more of a hobby. I knew I wanted to make money, but I didn’t really know how I would go about it,” says Bonnie. Bonnie began to make money when she started laying out specific goals each year. But those goal-setting strategies have changed over the years. She’s moved from results-based goals to actionable goals. Listen in as Bonnie shares how setting actionable goals can help new photographers find direction. She also gives us useful tips for goal-setting whether you’re a brand-new photographer or more experienced. If you’d like to get started in p

“That the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.”—Ray Bradbury Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen share some of the advantages of attending a live event. In recent podcasts, Jody has spoken with Tracey Minkin, Travel Editor for Coastal Living magazine. He has also shared portions of her presentations from the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas last September. You’ll find one of those previous episodes with her here. Great Escape Publishing’s most successful members are those who attend live events. Lori shares why live events are so helpful… “It’s the power of a group—doing things in a group is motivating. And it’s also the creative spark that can ignite from a comment made by one of the presenters like Tracey.” Jody shares a small portion of one of Tracey’s presentations about finding your story lede where she gives us the four questions we should always ask ourselves when we’re out in the field trav

“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”—Bob Marley Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings award-winning photographer and videographer, Joe Sindorf back to the program this week. You can listen to last week’s episode with Joe here. Jody shares a recent travel experience… “I was in Orlando recently visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom enjoying the safari when a storm rolled in which forced me to have to spend the rest of the day ducking in and out of places to avoid getting wet.” It wasn’t how Jody wanted to spend his time at Animal Kingdom. Of course we prefer sunshine when we’re traveling—especially when we’re trying to get great photos. But Joe shares with us some insight into those rainy travel days… “It’s all about how you face the rain when you’re traveling,” he says. “The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is your attitude.” When it rains, it provides photographic opportunities that you don’t get when it’s dry. Listen in as Joe shares some of his travel experiences in Africa and in

“When we meet another person and experience the life they live as a local, it changes us.”—Joe Sindorf Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings us a returning guest, award-winning filmmaker and photographer, Joe Sindorf. If there’s anyone who exemplifies living an exciting life, it’s Joe. At the time of the podcast recording, Joe is in the process of packing to go to Namibia…again. Jody shares his observations about Joe… “When Joe travels, I see him posting photos on social media of landscapes which are always gorgeous, but he also posts photos of himself with locals. Joe, that’s my question to you. You always seem to be connected to the locals, how do you make that happen?” Joe shares his insights… “I enjoy people, but I’m not really an extrovert…that’s my wife! I tend to seek out one or two people and they tend to bring me to others.” Connecting with locals has brought Joe some incredible experiences… and friendships. He shares an example of his time in Petra, Jordan where camel driver “Mohammad #10” op

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”— Louis L’Amour Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings us a returning guest, Noreen Kompanik. You can find Noreen’s last interview with Jody here. Noreen attended the Ultimate Travel Writers Workshop in San Diego four years ago and has been travel writing ever since. During that time she has published 372 articles and counting. Noreen’s articles have been published in a variety of magazines both online and in print. Her credits include TravelPulse, Links & Libations Magazine, International Living, GoNomad, San Diego Family Magazine, Edible San Diego and more. She joins Jody this week to discuss and debunk the common myths about travel writing. Some of the most commons myths about travel writing are: …You need a journalism degree to be a travel writer …Magazines all have their own staff writers …Travel writers don’t make any money …You must travel to exotic destinations in order to be a travel writer Noreen busts

“The most important sentence in any article is the first one.” –William Zinsser Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings us another segment from the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas. This week we’ll hear from Tracey Minkin again. Tracey is the Travel Editor for Coastal Living magazine. You can listen to last week’s episode with Tracey here. In this episode Tracey discusses the different types of ledes for articles. Understanding this will add a punch to your writing that editors and readers will notice. Tracey came to her post as the travel editor at Coastal Living through working very hard at her craft. She compares it to building a table. First you look at what you have in your toolbox… Then you figure out how to put all the pieces together… And then, you figure out how to make it beautiful. As writers, one of the most important things we have in our toolbox is the lede—the opening few lines of an article. There are six types of ledes… News Anecdotal Scene setting First person Observa

“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.” –Anton Cheklov Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings us another segment from the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas. You can listen to last week’s here. This week we’ll hear from Tracey Minkin, Travel Editor for Coastal Living magazine. Tracey starts by asking questions… “What makes travel writing really sing? What makes it leap off the page, what makes it memorable?” It’s about the details. It’s about the descriptions used to bring the words to life. It’s about using your senses. How do you learn to do that? You practice. Tracey shares with us 5 daily exercises that have helped her develop her writing skills and they’ll help you too. She’s given them interesting titles too… Do Me In Bed Sky Work How Big Is It? Face Off Color Wheel Tracey explains what these exercises mean and how to do them. She also tells us how practicing these exercises every day will enhance your travel writing. To learn more about how you can get starte

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.”— John Heywood Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry brings us the first in a series of episodes highlighting segments from the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas On this episode, you’ll hear from Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen as she delivers the opening message to the workshop attendees. We join Lori live on stage at Austin as she tells us it’s an amazing time to be a travel writer. “One of our attendees, Caroline brought me something we gave out in 2007 about what it takes to be a travel writer. Back then we told people to buy stationary to send query letters and to put slides in folders to submit with articles,” says Lori. Things have really changed! There was a time when Lori was concerned that all the changes with blogs and online magazines would destroy travel writing. But, it’s done the opposite. Now there are even more places to get information which means it’s an awesome time for travel writers. Listen

“Taking action attracts people and attracts opportunities.” –Jody Maberry Great Escape Radio host, Jody Maberry talks with Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen about the great things that can happen when you put yourself out there. It’s the life of a travel writer… or in Jody’s case, a podcaster. Jody shares a recent experience... “I was invited to visit the Indianapolis Zoo for a behind the scenes look at the dolphins and walruses to see how things are done.” This visit included Jody’s entire family and it was an incredible experience for all of them—especially his daughter who loves dolphins! It’s these kinds of experiences that make the life of a travel writer so rewarding. Travel writers often have experiences that aren’t available to the average tourist. And, as Jody experienced, realizing that the work you’ve done resulted in a special memory for your child is absolutely priceless. Listen in as Jody and Lori discuss how asking questions can lead to richer experiences and deeper insights into the

“Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.”—Graham Greene, Ways of Escape Great Escape Radio Host, Jody Maberry brings Melissa Broughton back to the show to talk about writing a memoir. Last episode Melissa talked to Jody about her career as a travel writer with a focus on spa writing. (You can listen in to that episode here.) This week she’s back to talk about a memoir she wrote about her father after he passed away. “My dad passed away about 9 years ago when he was only 54 and I was 34. Overall it was a ‘write to heal’ time for me,” says Melissa. She was doing so many things to go through the healing process, but as a writer it was writing that helped her heal. Although she was only 34 at the time, writing the memoir Cowboy Dad: Love, Alcoholism and A Dying Way of Life was important to her… it’s not about age, it’s about life experiences. Melissa

“I’m so used to being pampered in spas, I’ve forgotten how expensive spa treatments are.”—Melissa Broughton, Spa Writer Great Escape Radio Host, Jody Maberry talks with Melissa Broughton, a travel and spa writer. Jody starts the conversation with a question Melissa is often asked, “Spa Writer? How does that work?” Often people (especially men) that ask Melissa that question assume it has something to do with hot tubs. But it’s so much more than that… “Being a spa writer means more than just relaxation and free treatments. It’s about the adventure and the overall experience. This is part of spa-ing—being aware of your surroundings, enjoying them, breathing with awareness, trying something new. And there are so many new things to try at spas,” says Melissa. When Melissa started out as a travel writer, she began to notice the growing spa business… boutique spas… resort spas… and a general increase in wellness trends. Melissa used her creative instincts to tap into the spa writing market and began to build her re

“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one!” –Dolly Parton Great Escape Radio Host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen introduce is to Kim Wilson. “At Great Escape Publishing, we create a safe place for beginners to start in travel writing and photography,” says Lori. “But our audience is growing and now we are also a place for professional photographers.” Kim Wilson was already a professional photographer when she attended Great Escape Publishing’s stock photography workshop a few years ago. She was interested in learning more about ways to use her photography skills. Now Kim has branched off into something else…videography. “Kim is the perfect poster child for when you’re standing at a crossroads and don’t know which road to take.” Kim shares with us how she started in photography at the young age of 14 and how choosing to change direction in her career led to success and even challenged her to rethink her identity. In this podcast Kim offers practical ti

“I get more out of a trip than any vitamin has ever given me in my life.” –Lori Allen Great Escape Radio Host, Jody Maberry and Great Escape Publishing Director, Lori Allen discuss the recent Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas. The workshop has just concluded and Lori is still recovering. “It’s a lot of excitement, and even life-planning and I’m still coming down from it,” says Lori. People typically come to Great Escape Publishing at a pivotal time in their life. Perhaps they’re transitioning out of a career… or out of a place they didn’t want to be… and into a world of travel. “We’ve all had trips that changed us as a person. You know when you come home from certain places, you’ll never be the same… you’ll never look at the world the same way.” The Great Escape live events affect people in a similar way. The environment rejuvenates and energizes the attendees and encourages them to continue on their journey toward a new life of travel or photography. Listen in as Jody plays the testimonials

“A healthy habit is a great habit in general, but it’s even better when you can use it in your work.”—Tracey Minkin Great Escape Radio Host, Jody Maberry brings Tracey Minkin, the Senior Travel and Features Editor for Coastal Living back to the podcast broadcasting live from the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas. You can listen to the previous episode with her here. This week, Jody and Tracy are talking about some of the daily practices for travel writing. Jody asks Tracy to share some of the things new writers can do to change their mindset and begin thinking like a travel writer. “The thing I need to do the most hour after hour…place after place…morning, noon and night is harvest really good details. I need to be on constant prowl for specifics… about landscapes… people… how things sound… the smells… the color of the sea—a really big deal for us at Coastal Living!” The key to bringing those details to your writing is to note them while you’re in the moment. Days… even hours later, you won’t

“It’s very hard to get the essence of a place just by looking at it… you have to talk to people.”—Tracy Minkin Great Escape Radio Host, Jody Maberry talks with Tracy Minkin, the Senior Travel and Features Editor of Coastal Living, live from the Ultimate Travel Writer’s Workshop in Austin, Texas. Tracy’s a great conversationalist, which was proven when she won a conversation competition in high school—a title that came with a $1,000 prize! Her inherent conversation skills have served her well… “Loving to chit chat, hangout with locals and hear their stories is what makes travel writing better…and it makes it super fun!” By nature, most journalists are curious and anxious to talk to people. As Tracy says, “We’re nosey!” But what if you’re shy about opening up a conversation with a stranger? Tracy suggests hiring a local guide. “When you hire a local guide, you not only gain unique insights into a place, you also support the local economy.” Listen in as Tracy and Jody discuss some of the interesting stories they