Getting off the Beaten Path With Travel Writing Legend Joe Cummings

2024-01-16

How often do you find yourself getting off the beaten path, and how have those experiences shaped you?In this episode, I have travel writing legend Joe Cummings as my guest, who wrote the very first Lonely Planet Guide book to Thailand back in the early '80s. We dive into what that was like, talk about what guidebooks have done to travel (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and the benefits of getting off the beaten path. He shares tons of stories that encompass his entire travel writing career, including one with Mick Jagger!What is your favorite travel story?...

How often do you find yourself getting off the beaten path, and how have those experiences shaped you?

In this episode, I have travel writing legend Joe Cummings as my guest, who wrote the very first Lonely Planet Guide book to Thailand back in the early '80s. We dive into what that was like, talk about what guidebooks have done to travel (the good, the bad, and the ugly), and the benefits of getting off the beaten path. He shares tons of stories that encompass his entire travel writing career, including one with Mick Jagger!

What is your favorite travel story? I'd love to hear about it and hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.

This is a republished episode from 2020.

Tune In To Learn:

What led Joe to Bangkok
How we went from Quaker College to a travel writing rockstar
Finding the balance between feeling and communicating in guidebook writing
The good, the bad, and the ugly of guidebooks on travel
Joe's advice on finding and getting off the beaten path on your travels
How travel has changed (for the better and worse) with technology
Eastern philosophies and the influence on travel
Fundamental mindset shifts from living outside of the US
Tips for travel and honing your craft
How to experience the real Thailand
And so much more

Resources:

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CNN Article: Plenty of Whiskey, Few Backpackers: The Wild Story Behind Lonely Planet's First Thailand Guidebook
CNN Article: Tattoos, Karaoke and a Touch of Film Noir: What It Was Like To Work With Anthony Bourdain in Thailand
Sacred Tattoos Of Thailand

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