History of Travel Radio Podcast
May 2017, Colorado Springs, CO, Travel Radio Podcast was born. It originated through my life working in the travel industry and wanting audio programming to research and learn about places I wanted to visit or research while walking my dog, cooking, etc. I was already a podcast listener and found only two podcasts resembling anything close to what I was looking for.
One of them was Cruise Radio Podcast by Doug Parker. Cruising was largely unfamiliar to me. We had a bad experience on our honeymoon and hadn’t been on a cruise since. However, Doug was cranking out podcast episodes and I was learning a ton about travel. This is what I wanted in a land based travel podcast. I had yet discovered I enjoy cruising and did not have interest in competing with Doug. I do cover cruises now from time to time but regularly point people to Cruise Radio as a library of audio gold.
THANK YOU BREAK: I would like to take a minute and say THANK YOU to Doug Parker. Doug took time to answer my questions and email back and forth about starting my own podcast. I launched Travel Radio Podcast as Travel Agent Interview. You may see that title in back episodes. Don’t panic, that sultry voice, with a slight lisp and occasional stutter is still me. In the early days of Travel Radio Podcast guests were exclusively other travel professionals. I am thankful for every one of those travel agents, most of whom had never heard of a podcast before, let alone lent their voice or story to one. Interacting with them in my agency is what gave me the content and confidence to start Travel Radio Podcast. Each of them specialized in a unique niche or style of travel.
The content was amazing and I knew it would engage listeners. I was learning a ton, having stimulating conversation, and really finding a rhythm in recording. Stats were climbing but I was stuck.
Recording a weekly travel podcast is exciting, takes a lot of planning, and 52 guests a year. I soon ran out of guests I knew and trusted that were travel agent or travel planners doing these very specialized, bust out your passport, inspiring travel. I had a little panic. I had to consider interviewing guests on Travel Radio Podcast I had no connection to.
My dilemma with interviewing guests on the podcast I have no connection with is the same as my privilege. Travel Radio Podcast actually has listeners and a lot of them. People will hear the podcast episodes and potentially, do business with podcast guests, trust them, etc. Each episode of Travel Radio Podcast is created both as a joy and creative outlet for me but it is also a pretty “baller” promotional piece for each podcast guest.
So again, the dilemma and privilege… Who can I raise up and also who should I hedge out? I was out of travel professional guests I could vet. I had a list of inquiries emailed out through introductions my past guests set up for me. I also had an inbox, not full, but regularly receiving pitches to be on the podcast in some way.
I stared at the calendar. Fifty Two weeks is a lot of podcast episodes.
My first podcast guest branch out into the travel professional -tangent guests was Dr. Jeffrey Barnes. Jeffrey Barnes is also know as Dr. Disneyland. Jeff’s books on the life and history or Walt Disney changed my perspective on Disney radically. I was a “never Disney” traveler converted into taking my children to Disneyland Paris as part of our three week European jaunt last Christmas. I’d like to think that through our interviews together and additional conversations we are now friends. Thank you Jeff for lending Travel Radio Podcast your voice so many times and also for your terrible “faith” jokes.
Since then, on Travel Radio Podcast, I’ve hosted authors, linguist, historians, UNESCO World Heritage Site planners, Archeologists, tour providers, tour guides and more. If a guest is boring, they aren’t for this podcast. All my guests have insight worth hearing. They are all available to you as resources.
Shortly after the formation of Travel Radio Podcast, I move to Oxford, England, UK. I am so thankful for the life and friends I made there, Many are my world authorities in their subject matter. This has allowed me even greater and more interesting guest to bring onto the podcast. As of August 2020, Travel Radio Podcast is a part of the Travmarket Media Network. This is a network of podcasts all geared towards offering the travel professional and the travel curious resources from and for the travel industry. Thank you Richard Earles for the opportunity. A blog post about how I am involved and how the Travmarket Media Podcast network came to be is forth coming. It’s a good story. Click Here (eventually)
Thank you for reading. This was a long history on the short life of Travel Radio Podcast. I look forward to updating it as the adventure unfolds. Feel free to email me at info@travelradiopodcast.com Sincerely,
Megan Chapa Host Travel Radio Podcast
Network Producer Travmarket Media Network