BITW 110: How to Find Unique Travel Stories with Joe Baur

Joe Baur is an American travel author, writer, filmmaker and podcaster whose work has appeared in a variety of domestic and international outlets, including Matador Network, BBC Travel, Viator, and CraftBeer.com. He’s the man behind the mic for the Without A Path travel podcast and Trivago podcast. He’s author of various Falcon Guide titles and Talking Tico: (Mis)adventures of a gringo traveling Costa Rica and Central America.

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How to Find Unique Travel Stories with Joe Baur

In my interview with Joe, we discuss his passion for finding unique stories & going beyond the narrative. Click here to listen to the full interview and hear Joes’s additional advice about learning how to do homework about traveling to places people don’t know about or are erroneously painted as too dangerous. This is “BITW 110: How to Find Unique Travel Stories with Joe Baur”.

In this episode we also discuss:

- How to do homework to find the true story of the safety of a location?
- Why you should always do the first walk through a city without a camera or anything of value.
- Why everyone should be cognizant of traveling well (stay with local hotels, no chain hotels if possible, avoid big cruises and travel car-free),
- If you are concerned about traveling to a destination, reach out to other travel writers and bloggers before you go to get a real life experience.
- Why doing research in advance is important to find a unique story angle.
- Why you should get lost and take long walks when you travel.
- His process to find a story that hasn’t been written.
- Why it’s important to tell a story you are excited to share.
- Why Joe seeks out locals to find unique stories.
- Why Joe is inspired by the travelogues of Bill Bryson and Polly Evans.
- The book writing process.
- Read your work out loud. It’s a great first step in self-editing.
- The importance of hiring an editor if you write a book.
- Why cognizant travel is important and allows you a more immersive experience.
- How to use CVBs and DMOs to find a story that fits your niche.
- The best way to bike and walk Europe.

Full episode >> Listen to Episode 110 Now!

Episode Resources

Without A Path travel podcast
Talking Tico: (Mis)adventures of a gringo traveling Costa Rica and Central America
El Salvador Could Be Like That by Joseph B. Frazier
Salvador Movie by Oliver Stone
New Paris: The People, Places & Ideas Fueling a Movement
Love in Translation: Letters to My Costa Rican Daughter by Katherine Stanley Obando
The Green Seasonby Robert Isenberg
Trivago’s Room 5
Rheinsteig Trail

Connect with Joe Baur
Joe’s Website
Joe Baur on Twitter
Joe Baur on Facebook
Joe Baur on Instagram
Joe Baur on G+
Joe Baur on Pinterest
Without a Path Podcast
Trivago Podcast

Connect with Alexa, Break Into Travel Writing & My Travel Blog
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
52perfectdays.com
The Aspiring Travel Writer, the Facebook group

Tweetable:

Loved the interview with Joe Baur on the Break Into Travel Writing #podcast w/ @writetotravel

Hope you enjoyed this episode and are inspired to rethink your story angles. Please join me in thanking Joe for sharing such awesome information and actionable tips on today’s show! Interested in hearing the full podcast? Click here to listen now!

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