Patrice Raplee is an accomplished travel photojournalist and editor for Travel Excursion. In addition, she writes a monthly travel column for the award-wining site Offbeat Travel and is a regular correspondent for award-winning travel radio shows. She is a member of North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) and the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), as well as a multiple winner of the Travel Media Showcase Exhibitor Choice Award. Her articles and photographs have appeared in national magazines and newspapers, such as Alaska Airlines in-flight magazine, Beyond. Patrice travels the globe to cover destinations that feature fascinating culture, art, culinary, history and soft adventure.
Travel Excursion features intriguing global travel destination articles and insightful, award-winning travel radio shows that offer readers and listeners the opportunity to explore.
Patrice began her career in audio-video media and photojournalism. The focus was on music and theatre performance. However, when she met her husband and agreed to move to the Emerald City (Washington, State) A whole new opportunity opened up for her.
“My husband was a global project manager who was travelling 90 per cent of the time. And, as a consequence, I started travelling to spend more time with him. There was no going back for me after experiencing amazing new cultures and fascinating countries”.
After a considerable time in the travel industry, Patrice felt it was necessary to aggregate her current travel content from various publications and producers onto a website. Travel enthusiasts and industry professionals are now able to view a larger scope of her work. Moreover,
Travel Excursion allows her the ability to add cross-platform content from articles, photography, radio and videos.
Since the first case of COVID hit Patrice’s state, she has been working in the home office in Seattle on a backlog of travel articles and radio shows. However, when June came around, she began writing non-travel articles and started working back on audio and video projects.
“It’s been difficult to see the travel industry gutted and countries lose sustaining tourist dollars and jobs. Fortunately, I am still able to work on travel radio shows and new content that relates to local and safe solo travel”.
On the changing industry, Patrice thinks that it depends entirely on the efficacy of virus vaccines and when they become available.
“If the vaccines work, travel will come back but it may take time, as many businesses and destinations have to ramp back up for tourism. If the vaccines take longer than expected, the travel industry will have to reinvent itself to meet more cautious customer demand”.
Writers and digital nomads that can hang on financially and adapt through the regulations and changes that will become part of a new travel model will succeed in Patrice’s opinion.
Since the uncertainty of the global travel situation will remain fluid for an indeterminate period, Patrice’s advice to others in the industry is to use the time to adapt. People may have to change their focus or collaborate with other writers on sharing expenses and coordinating travel trips together, as destinations may not have the budget or staff to assist for a while.
When we are free to travel again Patrice would suggest Svalbard, Norway, 650-miles from the North Pole.
“The other-worldly beauty of this rugged and often harsh environment is striking but also fragile. It is the last remaining, unspoiled wilderness in Europe but well worth the numerous flights and effort to get there”.
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