Ep. 23 Local voices, glamour & grind with Kenyan travel journalist Harriet Owalla

What's the reality behind the glamorous-looking life of a travel writer? This week the Serena Beach Resort & Spa on the white sands of Shanzu Beach in Mombasa Kenya is the location for a conversation with award-winning travel journalist Harriet Owalla. From 4AM wake-up calls to the urgent need for more local African voices in travel writing, Harriet pulls back the curtain on the "glamour and grind" of the travel media industry. In Episode 23, the writers discuss: The "glamour vs. reality" of media trips. Harriet's top three recommendations for things to do in her hometown of Nairobi. How the pandemic changed the way Kenyans and Ugandans view local and domestic travel. How invasive crows and thieving monkeys create human-wildlife conflict in coastal Mombasa. Join me, Charlotte Beauvoisin, author of Diary of a Muzungu, as we debate whether ditching the single-use plastic bottle makes one sustainable and whether a career in travel writing is viable or strictly a "side hustle." It took Charlotte two days to travel from Kampala to Mombasa by bus, train, and the famous Likoni Ferry (listen in to hear how she did it!) Welcome to my world! Tune in to the award-winning East Africa Travel Podcast for the dawn chorus of a tropical rainforest, gorilla tracking adventures and the sound of waves lapping on an Indian Ocean beach. Join me on my morning nature walks (mind we don't slip in an elephant pothole!) and listen in to illuminating chats with conservationists and intrepid travellers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Sign up to my occasional newsletter. Visit www.eastafricatravelpodcast.com for detailed transcripts. Follow Charlotte Beauvoisin, Diary of a Muzungu on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.