Getting Off The Beaten Path with Travel Writing Legend Joe Cummings

Zero To Travel Podcast

Jason Moore

Society & Culture, Business, Entrepreneurship, Places & Travel

4.6 • 866 Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2020

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How often do you find yourself getting off the beaten path & how have those experiences shaped you? Today I have travel writing legend Joe Cummings as my guest and he wrote the very first Lonely Planet Guide book to Thailand back in the early '80s and we will dive into what that was like plus we talk about what guide books have done to travel (the good, the bad, & the ugly), what the benefits are for getting off the beaten path, and he shares tons of stories that encompass his entire travel writing career including one with Mick Jagger. Do I need to pick up that name I just dropped?! This is definitely a not to miss episode for anyone who loves travel & the stories that come from it so sit back relax, grab your favorite beverage and enjoy my time with travel rock star Joe Cummings. What is your favorite travel story? Send me an audio message (please) or shoot me an email over at Jason@ZeroToTravel.com. I am so excited to partner with HomeExchange.com who makes it possible to see the world without paying for accommodations. Make sure you listen to the entire podcast to get the promo code to save you some extra cash when you get your first exchange. Tune In To Learn: 08:15 Why Bangkok? 11:15 For The Love Of Travel 15:30 From Quaker College To Travel Writing Rock Star 20:15 The Experience of Writing The Thailand Guidebook 25:10 Opening Up Via The Language 27:00 Finding The Balance Between Feeling & Communicating In Guidebook Writing 31:50 The Impact Of Guidebooks: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly 38:40 Tips On Finding & Getting Off The Beaten Path 40:20 Stories On Travel & Getting Lost 46:25 Travel & Technology In Modern Times 51:45 Eastern Philosophies & The Influence On Travel 56:35 Fundamental Mindset Shifts From Living Outside The U.S.A. 01:02:10 Hanging With Mick Jagger 01:04:30 Advice On Travel & Honing Your Craft 01:07:35 Would You Do Anything Differently? 01:08:40 What Does The Future Of Travel Look Like? 01:10:40 Experiencing The Real Thailand Tips & Tricks 01:14:05 Most Proud Moments In Life And so much more Resources: Find Joe On His Website Follow Joe on Twitter | Instagram 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 HomeExchange Location Indie Want More? Behind The Scenes With Adventure Travel Journalist w/ Jayme Moye How To Get Paid To Travel As A Freelance Travel Writer How To Become A Professional Travel Writer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you ready for an amazing show? Today I have Joe Cummings as my guest. He wrote the very first
0:08.2	Lonely Planet guidebook to Thailand back in the early 80s. And you'll get to hear what that
0:15.5	experience was like. We discuss guidebooks in general, what they've done for travel, the good, the bad, and the
0:23.4	ugly.
0:23.9	He shares his best advice for getting off the beaten path.
0:27.9	We talk about technology and how it can affect the travel experience.
0:32.8	He shares a little bit about his time hanging out with Mick Jagger.
0:36.5	Yes, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.
0:39.2	And stories, stories and more stories. You know, Mick Jagger's a rock star, but Joe is a rock star as well.
0:46.2	I mean, these guidebook authors, when I started traveling, we didn't have smartphones and guidebooks were very helpful for getting to know about a place and understanding, getting
0:56.1	some cultural context and historical context and some advice on the things to see and do.
1:02.7	And guidebook authors, particularly Lonely Planet guides, were like rock stars to me. And it was
1:09.1	really cool to just hear what it was like to be a part of that
1:14.3	guidebook revolution. And really one of the people that kind of kicked it off because that
1:20.5	guidebook to Thailand was so successful, you are going to love being a fly on the wall for
1:27.2	this conversation.
1:28.9	And we've got plenty more in today's show.
1:30.4	I'll tell you about in just a minute.
1:31.6	But we should get into it, right?
1:33.5	We've got to get into the intro.
1:34.8	So I want to say thanks for being here.
1:36.8	And welcome to the Zero to Travel Podcast, my friend.
	...

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