Freelance Journalist
Ever since my first backpacking trip to South America, I’ve wondered what kind of people write Lonely Planet books. I now know the answer. I finally received my copy of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan 6, which includes the chapter I updated following six weeks of research in Armenia. Buy it at lonelyplanet.com
I rarely talk publicly about the nuts and bolts of my career, but I got that opportunity on The Maverick Show podcast with Matt Bowles. On the show, we go over some of my stories from Armenia, Kenya and Brazil, and discuss the ethics of journalism and travel writing. Listen to Part 1 and 2 (Episodes … Continue reading Podcast Interview: The Maverick Show
After a painful pandemic, I hit the road again for Lonely Planet in September 2022 and here’s my first published guidebook (USA Southwest, New Mexico chapter) in the NEW style. Yes, Lonely Planet has changed its style in its 50th year, and while I’m not paid to say this, I think it’s a game changer. … Continue reading Lonely Planet: Southwest USA (New Mexico)
While in Kenya, I kept hearing about these naked nuisances that spook their neighbors at night. Thrilled to see the story with such amazing illustrations by Rodolfo Reyes for Atlas Obscura. Read it here.
One of my favorite stories ever. I interviewed the Murph-Ariens at their off-grid homestead in Ontario and channeled their life story in an as-told-to feature. Read it at Toronto Life.
Concern about contaminated air causes tension in a small town at the heart of Canada’s push to be a leader in a green economy. Read the multimedia feature in the Globe & Mail.
What if anyone, not just people from countries with strong passports, could live the digital nomad lifestyle? Check out my feature about Plumia, a proposed global passport, on TIME.com here.
Another feature for the Globe & Mail's climate desk. This time, it's about Quebec's tiny chorus frogs and the fight to save them before they're silenced. Story here.
A century ago, Manhattan residents with a hankering for dessert might flick on their finest frock coat, get a table at a white-tablecloth restaurant, and order a juicy slice of Montreal melon for $1, or around $30 in today’s currency. But then it disappeared. Here's what happened, for Gastro Obscura (branch of Atlas Obscura): story here.
Lonely Planet just released a guidebook I updated: France! I did the section on Lyon & the Rhône Valley. Buy it here.
Can a river have rights? I drove up to Quebec's Côte-Nord region with photographer Stephanie Foden to find out how and why the Ekuanitshit Innu pushed to make the Magpie River a legal person. The story appeared on the front page of the Globe & Mail newspaper and was released online as a multimedia feature. … Continue reading Globe & Mail: Why The Magpie Is Legally A Person
Joel Balsam 