Gary Arndt has mastered the art of world travel. He sold his house in 2007 and has been on the road ever since. A short time into his journey he decided to take his blogging and photography seriously, and within 4 years he went from amateur to winning multiple awards.

“Travel allows you to see connections between places.”

Gary has been to all 7 continents and has visited over 175 countries and territories. He has one of the larger collections of National Geographic magazines in the world, he’s gone dog sledding in the Yukon, bungee jumped in New Zealand, landed on an aircraft carrier, ridden in a Formula 1 car, and scuba dived all around the world. The list of adventures and accomplishments go on.

“The ability to adapt is much better than the ability to plan.”

In this conversation we talk about the genesis of Gary’s travel bug, his decision to hit the road, how he taught himself the art of photography and blogging, the success of Everything Everywhere, some of the biggest mistakes beginner bloggers make, the worst question Gary constantly gets, what he wishes people would ask him, some of Gary’s recent adventures, his podcasting, his obsession with Game of Thrones and what’s next for Gary. Whether you’re a traveler or a creative there is something in this episode for you.

“Build an audience and the money will come.”

If you want to hear more shows like this, rate us on iTunes and let us know.

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6 Key Takeaways

1. Don’t spend too much time planning for a trip. Details will inevitably change, and you can learn more about the area from the locals once you are on the ground.

2. Politics are increasingly split between a cosmopolitan world view and a parochial world view. Travel allows you to see how others live; that your way is not the only way to lead a good life. It removes the fear of the “other”.

3. Don’t worry about things like Google Analytics and Instagram posting times, especially when your work is not remarkable. You need to improve the quality of your writing, photography, etc. first.

4. Web traffic is not your audience. Traffic is a way to build your audience. You must create content that is compelling enough for people to want to come back and spread the word.

5. Travel is a great way to learn. By observing other cultures, learning the history behind UNESCO sites, having conversations with people; you can begin to make new connections and have a greater understanding of the way the world works.

6. Never ever ever go to a nightclub while traveling. Nothing good ever happens at a nightclub.


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Show Notes (Ep 18)

Intro and recent travels [02:03]
Where Gary grew up [04:07]
Genesis of the travel bug [06:40]
Selling house and traveling the world [11:46]
Things done while traveling that normally would not [16:16]
Travel now compared to travel when started [19:09]
Learning from travel [22:33]
The dangers of travel [23:59]
Everything Everywhere the blog [26:50]
How to improve photography [31:13]
Blogging turning point [37:45]
How would life be different without the blog [43:50]
Why podcasting [45:10]
What bad questions do you get vs. questions you want [53:37]
Is it hard to disconnect [56:07]
Biggest obstacles to making the leap [57:27]
Could the world use more travelers [58:50]
Favorite recent trip [01:00:22]
Most obsessed with right now [01:03:47]
Final advice for travelers [01:11:25]
 
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Related Episodes

Ep 13: Hannah Nicol – Wanderlust, traveling Southeast Asia and benefits of liberal arts.
Ep 6: Mislav Marohnić – Vagabond Programmer

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Ep 18: Gary Arndt - Everything Everywhere, how to blog like a pro and travel for 9 years.

This is a special mini-episode of Odyssey and Muse where we check in with people that are about to embark on or are in the middle of an adventure around the world. In this episode I catch up with Russ McCoy of Man Bike World. Russ is in the midst of his Great Divide Mountain Bike Tour. I interviewed him back in July just before he shoved off. If you haven’t listened to that episode you can catch up here.

“I saw this little baby grizzly bear cub running across the road.”

Russ began his tour in Banff, Canada and has traveled through Montana, Idaho and is most of the way through Wyoming. In this conversation, we talk about his early encounter with grizzly bears, his misfortunes with bear spray, his new friends on the trail, how his gear and body are both holding up, and about all of the amazing sites seen and experiences had.

“You can’t challenge the rumor. So we were prepared for having no water.”

We’re planning to catch up with Russ when he reaches the end of his 2,745 mile journey, so make sure to check back for updates.

If you want to hear more shows like this, rate us on iTunes and let us know.

- - - - -
3 Key Takeaways

1. If you’re going to be in grizzly bear country, it can pay to have a can of bear spray.

2. Be careful how you store your bear spray. If you puncture the can it can be bad news for you.

3. If you’re riding the Great Divide Trail try to stay at Barbara’s Cyclist Only Cabin.

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Show Notes (Man Bike World Pt. 2)

Introduction and review of Great Divide tour [00:56]
Beginning the journey and the bear spray incident [03:18]
How did your body adjust to the riding [14:05]
Traveling solo vs with others [15:22]
What has the terrain been like [16:28]
How much water would you carry [20:26]
Favorite sites and the treat of forest fires [21:25]
Gear issues [29:08]
Special moments on the ride [32:20]
Experiences using tech to record and connect online [35:07]
Plans for the next few days and the rest of the trip [38:19]


Man Bike World Pt. 2 – Halfway down the Great Divide Trail. Bicycles, bears, friends and fires.

Segment 1: Writer Marjorie Liu talks about her work on Monstress and how inclusive characters shape the way fans read comics.  

Hosted by Joelle

Segment 2: Vincent Jerome star of "The Few" talks about the superhero series on a one-on-one interview with Kay B. 

Hosted by Kay B

Segment 3: Jacqueline, Joi and Leo chat about the popular indie film Moonlight that has received major critical acclaim.

Segment 1 edited by: MR Daniel mrdaniel.net
Segment 2 and 3 edited by: John Bauer

Music by: Sammus and SkyBlew

BGN #96 | Monstress, The Few and Moonlight

The one, the only, the mighty ... Pam Grier. This week the Black Star podcast pays tribute to the figurehead of the Blaxploitation movement: a star who became one of the only black women to take the fight to the men in the action genre. We also track Blaxploitation's influence, from the hip hop of Snoop Dogg and the Geto Boys to the genre's late-90s resurgence thanks - in part - to Quentin Tarantino.

The Pam Grier episode of Black Star contained short clips from the following: 

-	Foxy Brown, directed by Jack Hill and released in 1974 by American International Pictures

-	Coffy, directed by Jack Hill and released in 1973 by American International Pictures

-	Original Gangstas, directed by Larry Cohen and released in 1996 by Orien Pictures

-	Jackie Brown, directed by Quentin Tarantino and released in 1997 by A Band Apart, Mighty Mighty Aphrodite Productions, Laurence Bender Productions and Miramax.

-	Black Dynamite, directed by Scott Sanders and released in 2009 by ARS Nova and Apparition

And a clip from the Fox TV show Empire, first broadcast in 2015 and released by Imagine Television, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Danny Strong Productions, Little Chicken Inc and 20th Century Fox Television.

The Black Star podcast

BFI Black Star 1970-80: Blaxploitation hits, doesn't quit

Rachel Goldberg an award-winning director who helmed the short film, MUTED, starring Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy) and Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show) which sold to HBO. As a director, she has been supported by the Sony Pictures TV Diverse Directors Program, We for She's Direct Her Program, the Fox Global Directors Initiative and the Ryan Murphy HALF Foundation. As a proud participant in AFI's Directing Workshop for Women, she co-wrote and directed the short film NEIGHBORS which was developed into the feature screenplay, "Transformation Awaits." This script was selected for the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab, was a quarterfinalist for the Academy's Nicholl Fellowship (placing it in the top 5% of over 7500 scripts), won a Grand Prize in Screenwriting from the Rhode Island International Film Festival and was supported by the Sundance Women in Film Financing Initiative. Rachel has won over 20 awards for her work in film and theater.

A Conversation w/ Rachel Goldberg - Director, Writer

Savannah Rodgers is a director, writer, and producer currently based out of Lawrence, KS. She creates short films, web series, and is developing her first feature film. In 2014, she founded Professional Amateur Productions, a company aiming to create quality, intersectional feminist content. 

Savannah received the Visionary Award from the Outlaw Film Festival and the Fred G. Andrews Emerging Filmmaker Award from Kansas City FilmFest in 2016. Her short film Sketches (2016) premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival; it has received multiple honors on the independent film festival circuit. Her directorial debut Politically Correct (2015) was named Cinema Constant's 2016 Best Comedy Short Film, and has garnered awards from Kansas City FilmFest, Kansas City LGBT Film Festival, and other festivals worldwide. Both Sketches and Politically Correct have received distribution at REVRY, the world's first LGBTQ+ streaming platform. 

Most recently, she was a Top 10 finalist for the 2017 Horizon Award. She was a semi-finalist for the Sundance Institute's Episodic Storytelling and YouTube New Voices labs in 2016. Her proposed web series, Poly, was an IndieWire Project of the Day. Her documentary work has been featured on Films for Action. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Kansas City Women in Film & TV. 

Savannah will also graduate from the University of Kansas in 2017. While attending KU, she has received multiple honors for her dedication to the film community, including the 2016 Bill Gilbert Award and the 2015 Loren Dolezal Community Service Award. She has also been nominated for 9 Tensie Awards through the University, winning two for Best Director (2016) and Best Screenplay (2015).

A Conversation w/ Savannah Rodgers, Kansas-based writer/director

A community and podcast by and for women storytellers and directors in digital, television, and film spaces. 

More episodes at www.directingmagic.com

A Conversation w/ Savannah Rodgers, Kansas-based writer/director

Directing Magic Podcast

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