JUDI COHEN: WORLD TRAVELER & WRITER INSIDER
BIG BLEND RADIO INTERVIEW: On this episode, Judi Cohen shares her global adventures and discusses her travel writing career. Listen / download the podcast on BlogTalkRadio.com, Spreaker.com, YouTube.com, or SoundCloud.com
Focusing on luxury off-the-beaten-path world travel and small ship cruising adventures, Judi Cohen has joined the Big Blend family as an expert on Big Blend Radio, and editorial contributor in Big Blend Radio & TV Magazine and Parks &Travel Magazine.
Based in Canada, Judi has travelled the world in search of unique experiences and off-the-beaten-path destinations. She is also a connoisseur of small-ship cruises that pack big adventure, and local cultural and dining experiences. Judi became a full-time traveller and travel advisor in 2015 following her 35-year career in engineering and transportation, and today she writes about her experiences to inspire others to step outside their comfort zones and embrace new kinds of adventures.
Judi has been to over 90 countries on six continents and enjoys sharing her stories along the way. Her training and experience as a Health Coach and as a Travel Advisor allows her to plan trips and seek out wellness destinations and experiences. Combined with her story-telling skills, she has become an accomplished Travel Writer accredited by SATW, NATJA, and IFWTWA, and her work has been published on travel websites.
Traveling with family and friends, and sharing ideas and itineraries so others can plan their own unique adventures is her passion. Her “next trip” is always on her mind and calendar! Enjoy her answers to our 10 World Traveler & Writer Insider Questions below.
1. What led you to a career in the travel writing industry?
Turning my passion for travel and discovering off-the-beaten-path experiences as a Travel Writer is like a dream to true. My story has been full of curveballs that life has thrown at me, but the constants have always been the importance of family, embracing change, and the openness to try new experiences and step outside my comfort zone.
I aim to redefine how people of all ages and abilities can enjoy small-ship and expedition cruising, as well as adventurous journeys by land to some of the most remote places on the planet.
2. What attributes do you have that make you a good fit for being a successful travel writer?
Over a 35-year career in global transportation and infrastructure, I travelled around the world learning about city-building as well as global and local environmental challenges. I have travelled to over 90 countries on six continents and I am always planning my next adventure. I’m a sucker for opportunities to travel by small-ship or on land to remote and authentic destinations.
3. Who or what inspires you?
I am inspired by my 93-year-old mother, who survived the Holocaust as a child and is the quintessential “Survivor”. She lives life looking forward with love and gratitude.
Reading articles and blogs by other travel writers and journalists has inspired my sense of wanderlust, and provided a benchmark for excellence and value in documenting my travel adventures for others. I am drawn to luxury experiences that I define not by thread-count or price, but by the freedom to choose how, when and with whom to enjoy these travel experiences.
4. Describe your ideal audience.
Engaging with curious-minded, well-travelled readers challenges me to find ways to help travellers and wanna-be adventurers to find their own travel styles and interests, and to build travel into their financial and life goals.
I think my stories resonate with travellers who enjoy luxury accommodations at the same time as discovering authentic cultural and dining experiences. Choosing between boutique, historic, modern and traditional accommodations is a luxury, as is the ability to have a customized itinerary with unique experiences.
5. What improvements would you like to see in the tourism and hospitality industry?
I have too many to name here however the one very significant improvement I’d like to see is with respect to sustainability and environmental protection. We all need to protect nature, wildlife and built form so that our children’s children can enjoy the world’s amazing destinations and experience them to their fullest moving forward.
6. What personal changes have you had to make to build your writing career?
I’ve realized the importance of keeping an up-to-date calendar with dates for the completion of proposals, stories, podcasts, and photos. I also have become quite selective about where, when and how I will travel, balancing personal travel with media trips.
7. What do you consider your biggest challenge?
Time management is definitely a challenge as I juggle travel, writing, editing and organizing my photos, along with my Board responsibilities on the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority and my family commitments.
8. If you could invite any three people (alive or passed on) for a dinner party who would they be?
Julia Childs would be invited to inspire a French menu, teach me the art of French cooking and enjoy dinner with all of us. Joining her would be my grandparents from Hungary who did not survive the Holocaust. I would love to hear their stories about my parents and our family before and during the war. Dinner would not be complete without my favorite songwriter and performer, Bruce Springsteen who has inspired me through the years with his music and lyrics, and whose inexhaustible energy is contagious.
9. If you could switch careers for a day, what would you choose?
Been there and done it!!
I’ve already switched careers. I’ve left big corporate life and am completely content being a traveller, storyteller and travel writer sharing my passion for world travel.
10. What is the most important tip you would pass on to another person just getting started in world travel?
Don’t wait to travel until after you retire. Travel as much as you can, while you can and still remember it! Pack an open mind and a positive attitude. It’s about the journey and experiences along the way. No bucket lists. Just do it!
Follow Judi’s adventures at www.TravelingJudi.com.
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