This is an exciting time.
And I don’t just mean for me personally—although I am thrilled to be Great Escape Publishing’s new editorial director. I’m looking forward to being in regular contact with you and sharing the insights I’ve picked up over the last decade I spent working as a freelance writer and photographer around the world. (My very first tip, learned from hard personal experience: if you want to order chicken skewers at a street festival in Japan, be very sure it’s actually chicken on the skewer.)
But it’s also exciting in a broader sense. As Great Escape Publishing partners with International Living—with whom I’ve been a managing editor for the last three years—we get to bring two great worlds together. The world of IL, which has multiple publications about living, traveling, and making money in the world’s most exotic and exciting locations, and the world of Great Escape, which is filled with aspiring writers and photographers like you, ready to share your views of the places you love.
Let me tell you a little bit more about International Living.
Back in 1979, a little newsletter sparked a big idea… That you can live better, for less, overseas.
When International Living suggested in that first newsletter that an exotic life in an overseas, tropical paradise wasn’t just for the rich and famous…that you can do it now for less money than you currently live on…it was a radical idea.
In many ways, it still is. Not because it’s difficult (it isn’t), or requires lots of money (it doesn’t), or hasn’t been done before (it has, thousands of times).
The idea of living a happier, more fulfilling, more prosperous life overseas still strikes many people as a radical idea simply because they don’t have the whole story.
Like most folks, they rely on the mainstream media to tell them what the world is like. Open the pages of USA Today or turn on CNN and you get the standard fare…death, destruction, mayhem. Bad news is good news for the giant media conglomerates. If it bleeds, it leads.
With input like that, it’s a wonder anyone goes outdoors, much less overseas!
But the world is a fascinating place, filled with amazing locations to discover, people to meet, and spectacles to witness. Sitting at home with your head under the covers is no way to live your life. You need to get out there and welcome new friends and opportunities.
We decided that there are too many doom and gloom merchants out there, making money by scaring people. So we’ve made it our mission to tell the other side of the story. To tell our readers about the beautiful communities and exciting adventures that await their discovery.
We’re continually on the move in search of Paradise, and after four decades, we’ve built quite a support network. International Living has more than 200 contributors, correspondents, friends, and colleagues exploring the world. And we’re always on the lookout for more.
So it makes perfect sense to partner with Great Escape Publishing. After all, the GEP community is filled with people like you, who want to write captivating stories and take beautiful photos of everything the world has to offer. Whether you want to travel the globe or simply tell the world about the joys available in your local area—we want to support you.
With our expertise and your enthusiasm, this could be the next stage of a beautiful friendship.