Not long ago – in a land quite close by (my apartment) – I came upon Abigail King’s fabulous blog, Inside the Travel Lab. It was an unexpected meeting; we connected on Twitter based on our mutual love and study of travel. I became a fast follower.

Described as one of the web’s best travel blogs, Inside the Travel Lab is a global travel blog on the art and science of unusual journeys.  Unusual – and fascinating – in that Abigail has a background in neuroscience and emergency medicine *and* is a freelance travel writer. She combines her expertise and love of both into rich, eclectic and fascinating snapshots of insightful stories about the people, places and things that she’s discovered and that have shaped her.

I asked Abigail if I could explore a bit behind the connections and passions that drive her writing and she graciously accepted.

**

Laura: You started your career in medicine and now have an extremely successful site documenting your travel experiences. Was it difficult to marry those two passions / areas of expertise or did you find it a natural fit?

Abigail: Well, finding the time for both was the biggest challenge and in the end it was a combination that proved impossible. However, I think that both travel and medicine involve exploration by finding out about people and trying to understand how our world works. There’s an art and a science to both, plus they both need a cast-iron approach to assessing risk!

Wielding a scalpel for the first time, climbing an ice wall and arriving alone in a strange city where everyone stares at you – they’re all new, frightening and exhilarating experiences.

You need a certain amount of preparation in each case but for both independent travel and medicine, you need to throw yourself into the real world and challenge yourself.

Laura: When you review various places, you always take a very personal and “real” angle, not just a report from a location. What are some of your inspirations for your writings?

Abigail: I think I’m inspired by great stories and many of my trips have sprung from books I’ve read, ranging from Wild Swans and A Long Walk to Freedom to my childhood memories of the Adventures of Tintin! If there’s a tradition or a belief or a strong link to history in a place, then I’m hooked.

Today, it’s easy to find travel information by typing a few words into google, so if anything, I wanted to enjoy myself and hopefully to transport people to another place and show them something interesting.

Laura:  What is your advice to bloggers, especially ones that want to blog about travel? How can they get started and what should they be mindful of?

Abigail: Choose a topic that you really love and then play around on wordpress.com for free (with privacy settings on) until you get the hang of the technology. Join Twitter and TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) and be courteous and considerate to people. There’s a really helpful community of travel bloggers out there but, just like in the real world, you need to treat people well.

Laura: And, most important, where’s your next trip?

Abigail: Aha! I’m just confirming dates this week, but I’ll either be hiking along via ferratas in the Dolomites or heading further afield to Sri Lanka (Icelandic volcanoes permitting!)

**

Check out more from Abigail on Inside the Travel Lab and on Twitter. (P.S. I just booked an adventure trip to Ecuador so I know Abi’s expert advice, tips and tricks will help as I plan for my next travel piece!)

Readers: Where do you hope to travel to next?

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Not long ago, I rewatched The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, a Hallmark Hall of Fame production originally broadcast by CBS on April 19, 2009. It is based on the biography written by Anna Mieszkowska, Mother of the Children of the Holocaust: The Irena Sendler Story.

Irena Sendler’s story is almost unbelievable, but it is true.

During World War II, she was an activist of the Polish anti-Holocaust resistance in Warsaw, where she helped to save more than 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto by providing them with false documents and hiding places in individual and group homes outside of the Ghetto.

Irena Sendler got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumber. She courageously smuggled babies in her tool box and carried larger children in her sack. She also trained her dog to bark when the Nazi soldiers were near, which muffled the sounds of the crying children.

Sendler kept a record of the children’s names in a glass jar buried under a tree in her yard.

Ultimately, the soldiers caught and beat her severely, breaking both of her legs. She persevered and attempted to connect any parents with their children, yet most of the parents had been killed. Most of the children were placed into foster family homes or adopted.

The most amazing part of the story: Two years ago, Sendler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but was not selected.

Al Gore won for his presentation on global warming. (Laura’s note: I have nothing against Al Gore).

Sendler died in 2008. What I learned: These are the stories that we must keep telling.

You can read more about Sendler here: http://www.irenasendler.org/

What stories, in your opinion, do we need to keep telling more of?

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A few weeks ago, I tweeted: “Does anyone know of a fabulous travel photographer? Would love to interview.”

The idea for the Tweet came a few days after I had re-read my interview with one of the executives from National Geographic and had written about the storytelling power of images and my desire to learn more about it, particularly as I continue to write more and more about the different aspects of my traveling.

I received a number of responses – and based on a recommendation from my fabulously talented wedding planner in the Cayman Islands sister, I came upon Nick Onken.

In addition to his wildly cool career in travel photography, Nick (I’ll let his amazing site speak for itself) recently published Photo Trekking: A Traveling Photographer’s Guide to Capturing Moments Around the World. I bought it immediately after visiting his site and poking around on his blog.

Photo Trekking is a colorful compilation of his travels, images and real-life guidance for those who want to learn more about what it truly takes to be a travel photographer. From Asia to Africa to Australia and back again, Onken easily and effortlessly connected me  the stories he told of the people, places and things all over the world.

Nick’s real life insights about what the travel photographer’s lifestyle, the very worthwhile trade-offs and numerous tips to help novices get started and keep professionals on track.

I reached out to Nick – he graciously agreed to do an interview for the site about his experience as a photographer, creator and traveler. After reading Photo Trekking and Nick’s down-to-earth insights about what it takes to be a travel photographer, I coughed up the courage to ask him a self-indulgent question about my own potential dream career in travel photography (anything is possible!)

I’m psyched to share our chat with you.

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Laura: Was there a specific moment when you knew you wanted to be a photographer?

Nick: Becoming a photographer was more of a transition than a lightbulb moment. I was originally a graphic designer and began shooting content for my design projects. I started really enjoying it, and ended up going to Africa to shoot an image library for an NGO client of mine. When I got back I realized the possibilities of doing photography as a career and embarked on the journey. Eventually I transitioned into photography.

Laura: What’s the most rewarding part of your work? The most challenging?

Nick: The most rewarding part of my work is the lifestyle. I get to create it for the most part. The best thing about the lifestyle is being able to “create” for a living. The commercial work I do pays for and balances the personal projects I do(like travel photography) Travel photography isn’t the most lucrative part of the business which is a big challenge. The other challenge is getting to the point in your career where you can suffice a good living doing it all.

Laura: I know you’ve traveled extensively and captured amazing stories with your work. Is there a particular story or place that stands out in your mind as the most memorable (or one of the most memorable?)

Nick: My favorite story/trip was a 2 month trip to Asia. Asia stands out as my favorite place to travel because of each culture’s diversity and vibrance. The dress, clothing, landscapes are the most diverse from one country to the next. Favorite countries: Mongolia, Thailand, Nepal, Japan. All so amazingly photographic and completely different from one to the next.

Laura: I’m definitely a novice photographer, but have a dream of marrying my love of travel and writing with photography. Any suggestions for those of us just starting out? Is there hope for me?

Nick: Everything is possible, you just have to figure out the puzzle pieces to make it happen. The path is different for everyone. (You should read Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck. I think it could shed a good light into this world) Suggestions: take more pictures and show more people. All my vacations are oriented towards walking around and taking travel photos. Build a portfolio of images so you have something to show for. Write about your experiences along with the images. Try to find a way to build a business around it.

Have some of your own photography lessons, suggestions or advice for those just starting out? And, if you’re into travel photography, would love to hear about how you got started.

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