World Footprints

What does the future of travel look like?

What does the future of travel look like? We asked a travel industry insider, Helen Hernandez, CEO of the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) for her insights.
In a previous episode we learned about Helen’s path from her humble beginnings in California, to her work with the labor union movement, to Hollywood where she worked with famed producer and creator Norman Lear and finally to CEO of NATJA.
With more than 400 members representing destinations and travel journalists, NATJA is forging ahead amidst the toughest period ever faced by the travel industry.
In the finale, we get Helen’s thoughts on how COVID-19 is impacting the travel industry and how NATJA is responding to the health challenges, social unrest and environmental concerns.
Helen shares her thoughts and hopes for a future world as well as the legacy this generation will leave for the next.

Helen Hernandez: Connecting the dots from Labor Unions to Hollywood to Travel Journalism (Part 1)

Helen Hernandez has worn a lot of hats in a storied career that’s taken her from the trenches of labor union activism to becoming the CEO of the North American Travel Journalist Association (NATJA) - one of the leading organizations that brings destination managers and travel journalists into the same tent. And in between it all, she has been a presence in the Los Angeles Arts and Entertainment communities too.
In this episode of World Footprints—the first of two with Helen—she shares her remarkable journey. We explore Helen’s journey from her childhood in California as a Mexican-American Latina who overcame much adversity to taking an active role in the labor union movement. Her career would go in an entirely different direction and land her a job working for television producer Norman Lear.

Author Janet Cheatham Bell on Literature, American History and Travel

Janet Cheatham Bell is an author, scholar, budding playwright and mother to CNN host, W. Kamau Bell, of United Shades of America. Having lived through America’s Civil Rights Movement, Janet joins World Footprints to reflect on her life journey from a segregated Indiana to her interracial marriage that defied the laws of the era.
We also talk to Janet about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and how BLM has become a global movement.
Janet tells us that her literary works have seen a revival during the COVID-19 pandemic. From titles like “Not All Poor People Are Black and other things we need to think more about,” Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates has said that he holds Janet’s contributions to African-American writing in high esteem.

Controlling the Narratives on Race, Transformation and Travel

Do you wonder who will tell your story and how you’ll be portrayed? How can you control your narrative? Why should we be concerned with uncovering the full truth of our collective history?
Meet Ardre Orie--a social activist, entrepreneur, publisher, philanthropist and author who is on a mission to give marginalized voices a platform to speak.
Ardre is the CEO of 13th & Joan Publishing and the founder of 100 Seeds of Promise, a literary initiative that empowers men of color to document and publish their own narratives. She has ghostwritten for A-list Hollywood actors, Grammy Award-winning artists, professional athletes, entrepreneurs and countless other clients. Her work has been featured on WH1, MTV, WE TV, Bravo, BET, Centric and more.
Ardre joins World Footprints to discuss the power of storytelling, narratives on race and, of course, travel.

Escape from India during COVID-19 (Part 3 Final)

In Episodes One and Two of Escape from India during COVID-19, we heard from veteran journalist Anietra Hamper, who gave us a chilling, first-hand account of her time in India as COVID-19 spread through the country. Anietra and her guide, Ian Henderson of The Greatest Fish, traveled to India on a fishing assignment to write about a rare catfish called the Goonch, but the outbreak of COVID-19 left them trapped.
Anietra and Ian had to rely on each other…others around them…and their own instincts in order to get out of India alive, as the pandemic overtook the country and paranoia against foreigners ran high. Anietra and Ian eventually escaped, and made it back to their home countries safe and sound, but not without experiencing the single-most terrifying event in their entire lives.
This conclusion of Escape from India during COVID-19 continues with Anietra sharing more of the roller coaster ordeal that took her and Ian from hope to hopelessness and back. Now she is confronted with the memories of the traumatic experience.

Escape from India during COVID-19 - Part 2

"All we want to do is leave!"
In Episode One of Escape from India during COVID-19, we introduced you to veteran journalist Anietra Hamper who was trying to escape from India after COVID-19 derailed her fishing assignment trip. Anietra and her fishing guide, Ian Henderson, were left stranded in India with only a narrow window to get out.
In this episode, we hear about the multiple obstacles that Anietra and Ian faced as they tried to get home--lack of food, embassy miscommunications with local officials, limited internet, etc.
Anietra and Ian basically went into survival mode to find a way out of India. As the first episode mirrored a scene from The Fugitive this episode is reminiscent of The Twilight Zone.
The many twists and turns Anietra and Ian experienced also resemble scenes from the movie No Way Out. Anietra recounts every heart-pounding memory of their horrific ordeal that took them from hope to hopelessness and many grey areas in between.

Escape from India during COVID-19 – Part 1

What was meant to be a four-week writing assignment to Nepal and India for veteran journalist Anietra Hamper, turned out to be an absolute nightmare for her and her traveling companion, Ian Henderson.
In March 2020, Anietra and Ian set out in search of the goonch--a very rare catfish also know as the giant devil catfish. Anietra was hired by a prominent fishing magazine to write about the elusive goonch and Ian was her fishing guide. The goonch is found in the Indian subcontinent so Anietra and Ian were traveling between very remote fishing camps in search of the elusive catfish.
Instead of catching the goonch, Anietra and Ian found themselves caught between the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s subsequent lockdown and law enforcement during their attempts to leave the country. Their ordeal resembled scenes from the action thriller The Fugitive.
This episode is the first part of a three-part series about Anietra’s harrowing escape from India.

LIFE DOWN UNDER IN THE LAND OF “OZ”

Today we’re going to explore the land down under – Australia. As an extra bonus we will also enjoy a listener’s favorite travel memory.
What is it about Australia that captures our imagination? We had hoped to explore parts of Australia until COVID-19 forced a change in all of our plans. So we did the next best thing, we traveled vicariously through the stories of our Australian friend and fellow travel journalist, Amanda Kendle – host of The Thoughtful Travel podcast.
Amanda gave us some insights into her West Coast city of Perth, and how Australia has handled COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests; especially as they relate to the Aboriginal population.
There’s something so nourishing about revisiting a favorite travel memory and we think that we can all use a little boost to our spirits right now. So we thought—since we can’t travel now—certainly not the way we use to—that it would be nice to enjoy some of our favorite travel memories.
Enjoy a special travel memory from Visionary Womenpreneuer founder, Donna Price.
Do you have a favorite travel memory that you’d like to revisit? If so we’d love to share it on an future World Footprints podcast. Email: ProductionTeam at World Footprints.com for more information.
Join us as we explore the land down under on World Footprints with Ian and Tonya Fitzpatrick.

Creating ”The Great Outdoors” while stuck indoors

What do you get when you take several stacks of pancakes, add some miniature figurines and a stream of syrup? If you’re photographer Erin Sullivan you’ll get a scene of a canyon with hikers walking by a waterfall.
Erin Sullivan is an accomplished photographer and traveler blogger. She showcases her work on her blog Erin Outdoors.
During this pandemic Erin created a challenge called #TheGreatIndoors. This challenge called for other creative and travelers who were under stay-at-home orders to create outdoor using common household items. Erin told us that these miniature outdoor sets is helping to satisfy her wanderlust and keep her creative juices flowing.
Erin shows us that a photograph isn’t always what it appears to be but that it still has the power to transport you to a place that’s as vast as the imagination.
Join World Footprints as we explore the great outdoors while indoors with photographer Erin Sullivan of Erin Outdoors.
Photo: Pancanyon taken by Erin Sullivan

Travel’s New Normal

When travel writing is your profession, adjusting to a new normal of not traveling can be tough and even downright weird. To understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the travel journalism community and to gain some insight into what the future of travel may hold, we spoke to an award-winning veteran travel writer, Tim Leffel.
Tim Leffel publishes multiple blogs and online magazines including Perceptive Travel--an online resource for independent travelers. He splits his time between Mexico and the U.S. and he joined us from quarantine in Mexico.