Entering his second decade as a travel journalist and podcaster, Ian has traveled the world with his wife Tonya as the co-founder and co-host of award-winning World Footprints, dedicated to connecting conscientious, socially-responsible travelers all over the world. Having covered Olympic and Paralympic games in Vancouver, Sochi and Rio as well as traveling to places around the world and sharing them through powerful human interest stories, Ian and Tonya have developed a reputation as immersive and interactive travel storytellers. A veteran travel radio broadcaster, he and Tonya hosted consumer travel radio programs in Washington, DC on WMAL-AM and WWRC-AM. He has done live and recorded reporting from festivals, travel trade shows and interviewed some of the leading travel personalities and celebrities. A former airline analyst for Northwest Airlines (now Delta), Ian leveraged his industry knowledge and expertise once covering the airline industry for the Examiner in Washington, DC. Ian is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, where he was an editor of the Buffalo Law Review. He graduated from the University of Michigan, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and an MBA from the Ross School of Business. Mr. Fitzpatrick holds membership in the Maryland and District of Columbia bars. Ian and Tonya make their home in Silver Spring, Maryland.
1. What got you into travel writing?
I started doing journalism in high school. Travel journalism came about decades later when Tonya and I were asked to do a travel radio show in Washington in 2007.
2. What’s the most challenging part of being a travel journalist for you?
When you travel a lot, it is easy to take it for granted. I try to be grateful for the opportunities travel affords because most people do not get those opportunities.
3. What is the most rewarding aspect of travel journalism?
Being able to see the world and meet interesting people along the way.
4. What is something you wish people knew about travel journalism?
Travel journalism should be centered on the people and places you meet along the way, not merely about what you experience.
5. What have you enjoyed most about being a NATJA member?
The conferences, the friendships, and being part of an organization that is making a difference.
6. How have your cross-cultural experiences shaped your point of view of
the world?
People generally want to share their culture, history and way of life with travelers. I find it amazing that the people facing hardest circumstances in life find a lot of joy and are the most hospitable. We can learn a lot from those who have a lot less than we do.
