Hello Craig and Linda. Congratulations on winning Best Podcast in Lonely Planet’s Travel Blog Awards. Is your life all champagne and showbiz now? CRAIG: Absolutely. We’ve done nothing but drive around in stretch limos and work on our singing career. LINDA: Hmm, more champagne wouldn’t go amiss.
Seriously though. Bloody well done. Why do you think you won? LINDA: Craig’s done a lot of work recently redesigning the site, so it’s looking really good. Apart from that, I think we have a good show – we have fun with it, but it’s informative too.
Is Indie Travel Podcast just a bit of a fun, or a business venture? CRAIG: I think of it as an obsessive hobby with a business plan. I’d like for the site to feel professional, but as non-commercial as possible. If that makes sense.
How and when did it all start? LINDA: In November 2006, we’d just finished a crazy Eurail Pass trip and I think we did everything wrong. So we started the podcast to help others avoid making the same mistakes we did.
You’ve only recently got back to New Zealand after three years on the road. What’s it like being home? LINDA: It’s fantastic to be back. I’ve realised how much I missed being surrounded by people I have a history with. CRAIG: I find it strange getting lost in my own city.
How have you managed to stay on the road for so long? CRAIG: Working our butts off for a few years helped. LINDA: We also worked along the way. Having a TESOL qualification helped a lot.
Do you consider yourselves “professional travellers” and how long do you plan to keep it going? LINDA: We definitely consider ourselves “full-time travellers” – we’re working on the “professional” part! If we do settle down, it won’t be in any sort of traditional manner.
Where have three years on the road taken you? CRAIG: A touch of Asia, all over Europe and then several months in Australia.
Where were your favourite places in Australia? CRAIG: I’ve loved Melbourne for a long time. LINDA: We just had a fantastic six months in Perth, I didn’t want to leave!
And if you had to pick just one… LINDA: [Melbourne. It’s great location-wise and it’s pleasantly quirky.
Any tips for travellers in Oz? LINDA: Wear sunscreen all the time.
And New Zealand? CRAIG: Get a car! LINDA: And wear sunscreen all the time.
Travelling as a couple can be tough (especially when it comes to map reading we have noticed). How has your relationship survived the challenges of the road? CRAIG: It’s survived well. We’ve just celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. LINDA: We make sure we communicate all the time.
What can we look forward to in the future from Indie Travel Podcast? CRAIG: We’re going to keep going with a 20 minute audio show every week. LINDA: I edit all the articles. We’re going to keep publishing a couple of them each week – and we’re also on the look out for some new regulars who will submit one or two stories a month. CRAIG: I’m working on series two of our Travel Talks videos. LINDA: And there’s heaps more too. Our city guides have been really popular, so in 2010 we’ll be making iPhone and Facebook apps for them. CRAIG: And we should have a free online magazine by the end of the year too. LINDA: It’s pretty busy! There’s lots more to come. CRAIG: We’ll be part-way through a round-the-world trip by then, so we’ll just have to see how good our internet connection is through South America and North Africa!
Well, good luck with it all. Happy travels folks. LINDA: Thanks TNT, travel well. For more from Linda and Craig visit indietravelpodcast.com and/or download their podcast via iTunes
