July 10, 2025 • 23 mins
Veteran journalist Pam LeBlanc takes us behind the scenes of her remarkable journey from newspaper columnist to freelance adventure writer in this captivating conversation about authentic outdoor storytelling and responsible tourism. After 32 years in newspapers, Pam made the leap to freelance writing in 2018, focusing exclusively on the muddy, mosquito-bitten adventures that fuel her passion for nature.
"I only want to write about stuff that I have personally experienced myself and I can write about with authority," Pam explains, setting herself apart from writers who compile stories from behind desks. This philosophy has taken her scuba diving with 200 hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos, rappelling down 38-story buildings, dog sledding above the Arctic Circle in Sweden and hiking through the normally inaccessible Santa Elena Canyon during drought conditions.
While Pam's byline appears in prestigious publications like Condé Nast Traveler and Texas Monthly, she remains particularly proud of her work highlighting the natural wonders of Texas. She shares thoughtful perspectives on responsible tourism, encouraging travelers to respect local cultures, seek out less-crowded alternatives to Instagram-famous destinations, use public transportation when possible and always be mindful of environmental impact.
Perhaps most inspirational is Pam's advice for "injecting adventure into everyday life." Her number one tip? "Get your hair wet." This simple phrase encapsulates her philosophy that too many people, especially women, watch adventures from the sidelines rather than fully participating. At 61, she leads by example through her active lifestyle and upcoming trips to France, Colorado and Antarctica, proving age is no barrier to adventure.
Discover more about Pam's adventures and follow her journey at PamLeBlancAdventures.com or AustinTravels.com. Whether you're planning your next outdoor expedition or simply seeking inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, Pam's stories will ignite your sense of adventure and appreciation for the natural world.
Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to the Media in Minutes podcast here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-in-minutes/id1555710662
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Angela Tuell (00:05):
Welcome to Media in Minutes.
This is your host, Angela Tuell.
This podcast features in-depthinterviews with those who report
on the world around us.
They share everything fromtheir favorite stories to what
happened behind the lens andgive us a glimpse into their
world From our studio here atCommunications Redefined.
This is Media in Minutes.
Today we are talking withadventure and travel writer Pam
(00:32):
LeBlanc.
After a 32-year career innewspapers, which included
starting a Fit City column whereshe ran a naked 5K and repelled
down a 38-story building aspart of her year of adventure,
pam became a freelance writer.
Today, she's an Austin-basedfreelancer who specializes in
stories about outdoor adventureand travel.
(00:53):
Her byline can be found inCondé Nast Traveler, yahoo Life,
texas Monthly, austin Travels,gear, junkie and many more.
She loves anything that makesher muddy, results in mosquito
bites or poison ivy, rips herpant legs and brings her closer
to nature.
Hello, pam, hi, how are youGreat?
(01:13):
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Thank you for having me.
You have a lot of background, soI was trying to decide where we
should start, but we'll kind ofgo back to the beginning a
little bit.
You spent over 30 years innewspaper reporting and then
pivoted to freelance adventureand travel writing.
What pulled you in thatdirection?
(01:35):
How'd you make that change?
Pam LeBlanc (01:36):
Well, I left the newspaper business in 2018.
And I think the main reason Ileft was I was fearful for the
future of print newspapers and Iwanted to go out on my own and
see if I could.
I had always kind of wonderedif I could go freelance and
write for a bunch of differentmagazines instead of the daily
newspaper.
I loved my newspaper job overthe years, but this was
(01:59):
something a little bit differentand I could focus even more on
the stuff that I really loved towrite about.
Angela Tuell (02:04):
Yeah, and how did you find it?
You know how, how different wasit.
Pam LeBlanc (02:09):
Well, I was lucky because when I left the paper um
, I had a column that ran in thenewspaper, a fitness column for
15 years, and so people in thearea kind of knew who I was.
So I didn't have any troublegetting my first freelance
assignments.
I had editor contacts atvarious publications.
I get to pick and choose myassignments, which I love, but
(02:33):
I'm really bad at the whole partabout invoicing and keeping
track of everything.
So that was the downside.
Angela Tuell (02:40):
Yes, and you have to get paid to make a living.
Exactly In your bio youmentioned loving anything that
leaves you muddy, or mosquitobitten, even poison ivy.
Pam LeBlanc (02:52):
Those don't sound like great things to me, but I
am totally an outdoor person andI think that's the niche I've
tried to create for myself andmy work.
I don't typically write aboutfancy hotels or luxury trips.
I'm actually much morecomfortable, much more happy
outdoors.
So I write a lot about canoepaddling trips or scuba diving
(03:14):
or snow skiing, camping,anything like that.
I just love, I just love.
I'm happiest when I'm outdoors.
Angela Tuell (03:21):
Yeah, what sparked ?
Pam LeBlanc (03:23):
that I'm really not sure.
It's not that I my family,growing up we would go on
weekend camping trips just to acampground, but we didn't do
anything.
You know super adventurous, butmy dad kind of instilled in me
a curiosity about what's outsideand what things I could do
outside, so I just learned tolove it.
Angela Tuell (03:43):
Yeah, what are some of your?
I won't ask your favorite,because that's a very hard
question.
But how about some of yourfavorite adventure experiences
you've had?
Pam LeBlanc (03:53):
Well, I love, you know, travel all over the world
and I've been able to scuba diveall over the world and I love
being in the water.
I'm a swimmer, I'm part of amaster swim team and I train
five days a week here in Austin.
So anytime I can go on a tripand get in the water, that makes
me happy.
So that goes from scuba divingto canoe trips.
(04:15):
There's a place in West Texascalled the Devil's River.
It's one of the most pristinerivers in the country and I love
to do like multi-day canoetrips on that river and I love
the Big Bend region of WestTexas.
You know I've traveled all overthe world, but some of the most
beautiful places to me areright here in my home state.
Angela Tuell (04:36):
That's a great perspective.
A lot of us don't see that wethink of.
Where else can we see aroundthe world and not really what's
in our backyard too?
Yeah, how do you choose yournext adventure or your next
story?
Pam LeBlanc (04:50):
Well, a lot of it comes from destinations that get
in touch with me and they'relooking for reporters to, you
know, to bring out and to showtheir destination to.
I've gotten a lot pickier inrecent years.
I won't just take any trip thatis offered to me.
I want to go places that I canbe outdoors, places that I can
(05:13):
do some hiking.
I was recently in Patagonia andspent a week and a half
visiting national parks downthere and that's kind of really
the type of thing that I like todo.
If I can backpack, I backpackthe John Muir Trail.
You know snow skiing is high onmy list.
Every year I try to get out andski someplace new once or twice
(05:34):
.
So anything that involves theoutdoors and not so much fancy
hotels is what I want to bewriting about.
Angela Tuell (05:43):
Are there any outdoors adventures or things
that you won't do?
Not so far, that's great, notso far.
Pam LeBlanc (05:52):
I'm pretty willing to do just about anything.
Nobody has pitched anythingthat has that I flatly turned
down.
I've done some pretty crazythings over the years.
I have participated in andwritten about a naked 5k run
which I miraculously won.
I'm not a fast runner.
I think the race happened toattract a lot of slow people.
(06:15):
I have a fear of heights, butI've rappelled down a 38 story
building.
I, I have done the luge Um.
I I don't know I have done itall.
I've loved to scuba dive, as Imentioned earlier, and have done
some diving um with sharks inthe Galapagos islands when the
(06:36):
hammerhead sharks were schooling, so we had like 200 hammerheads
at once.
A lot of that stuff that I, I,I.
It just makes me feel alive andI I haven't done anything crazy
, risky or life threatening, butI just feel like I get out
there and and I love to try newthings and kind of push my own
(06:56):
limits as far as adventure.
I think everyone should havemore adventure in their life.
Angela Tuell (07:00):
Yes, that's super great advice I would.
I would question, though, ifthe swimming with the hammerhead
sharks was life threatening.
Pam LeBlanc (07:10):
On that dive trip.
It was a live aboard dive tripfor a week in the Galapagos
Islands and the sharks are aboutthe last thing on the list that
I was worried about.
The water is super cold, thecurrents are super strong,
there's a lot of things that youhave to be an experienced diver
to be able to do and the sharksreally aren't interested in you
(07:32):
.
They're more interested in eachother, and hammerheads in
particular.
It's not like a great whiteshark, it's not super aggressive
, so that really the sharksthemselves are not too fearsome.
Angela Tuell (07:45):
Well, that's good, that's good.
What do you feel makes yourstories different than others?
Besides your focus, you know.
Pam LeBlanc (07:51):
But yeah, so I won't do stories where, where I
sit at my desk at home andcontact a bunch of places that
I've never been.
I know a lot of people doroundup stories but I only want
to write about stuff that I havepersonally experienced myself
(08:12):
and I can write about withauthority.
And I think, as someone that'sbeen covering outdoor adventure
for, you know, more than 30years, I'm well qualified to do
that and I do travel all overthe country and all over the
world.
But I'm particularly proud ofthe work I've done here in Texas
, writing about state andnational parks and rivers and
(08:32):
lakes and oceans and all that.
So I think the difference forme is I can write really well in
first person about some of thethings that other people have
never had the chance oropportunity to do.
Angela Tuell (08:45):
Yeah, you have that credibility Absolutely.
What are some of your mostmemorable stories?
I know there's been thousands,right?
So I know.
Pam LeBlanc (08:54):
I know people ask that all the time and it's
really it's hard to say.
I just did one recently thatwas super fun for me.
I think it ran in Condé Nastand I went.
There's a man, his name isCharlie Gandy, and he's creating
a new hiking, equestrian andcycling route that cuts across
(09:15):
the midsection of Texas, acrossthe whole state.
It's more than 1,000 miles, Ithink.
I can't remember the exactnumber.
So I went and met him out in BigBend and, because of the
drought that West Texas isexperiencing right now, the Rio
Grande is at extremely low flows, and so that's not a good thing
(09:35):
, unless you're trying to hikeup this one particular canyon.
It's a canyon that the riverflows through, with very sheer
walls.
It's called Santa Elena Canyon,and typically a hiker could not
walk through that canyon, butbecause the water levels are so
low, in February I went out withCharlie and we were able to
(09:56):
walk up into that canyon.
Um, we had to get in water alittle bit up to our necks, but
mostly it's walking along theshore or walking through very
muddy um, extremely muddy thigh,thigh deep mud trails.
So that was kind of coolbecause it was an opportunity
that isn't typically there, butbecause of the conditions right
now it's possible.
(10:16):
So I like stuff like that.
I was in the Marshall Islandsand I have been to the Galapagos
Islands twice in Patagonia, soI've had the opportunity.
I'm super grateful for just theopportunities that I've had to
travel around the world and dothese things.
Angela Tuell (10:36):
Yes, you also do TV segments.
Was that a tough change for?
Pam LeBlanc (10:40):
writing it is.
I'm not a TV, I don't have a TVbackground at all, but I sort
of slipped into it and I have aonline travel website with two
other women.
It's called Austin Travels, andso as part of that, we have a
segment once a week.
It usually runs on Wednesdayson the local TV station here in
Austin and we talk about adestination that we've been
(11:03):
through.
So yeah, that's great.
Angela Tuell (11:05):
I love it.
Yes, they're really good too,so congrats on that.
Something I wanted to talkabout as well is you talk about
responsible tourism.
You know what are key stepsthat travelers should take when
keeping that in mind.
Pam LeBlanc (11:22):
Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that, and I guess
number one is respect theculture of the place that you're
traveling to.
You don't want to do anythingthat the locals would not do,
and I also try to avoid supercrowded touristy places.
I don't want to add to theimpact that travelers are
(11:43):
already putting on a placethat's pressured that way.
So I look for places thataren't as touristy as other
places.
So, for example, I went to Perua couple of years ago and I'm
sure you've seen photos onlineof the rainbow colored mountains
.
And instead of going to that oneparticular mountain.
There are other rainbowmountains in Peru that you can
(12:06):
go to, and so I found analternative one to visit that
wasn't one that had beenhighlighted already, so that's
another thing that you can do.
Obviously, don't litter, youknow.
Don't exploit the wildlife.
That's kind of obvious, but Iwas just watching some people
(12:28):
tormenting a bison, which is notsafe and also not good for the
animals.
I also try, when I can, to usepublic transportation, and that
would be anything from a trainor a bus or even a bicycle, when
I get to where I'm going, ifthat's possible.
I like to conserve water.
(12:48):
I think backpacking has taughtme that water is a precious
resource and you don't need touse as much water as you think
you do.
So obviously drink what youneed, but don't let the faucet
run and all that kind of thing.
So I think it all really boilsdown to me to respecting the
environment and respecting thedestination where you're
(13:09):
traveling.
Angela Tuell (13:10):
Yes, those are all great tips.
How do you recommenddiscovering some of those lesser
known places?
Pam LeBlanc (13:17):
You know, I listen to other people when I travel
and try to you know, hear wherethey've been.
I love traveling to places thatare diverse, places that are
diverse.
Last year I was able to go toSweden and do some dog sledding
(13:38):
above the Arctic Circle, andthat's something I think that
most people don't get to do.
So I'm looking.
I'm looking for opportunitiesto do things outdoors that
connect me with nature and theenvironment and not the typical
things that you see advertisedeverywhere.
Angela Tuell (13:56):
Yes, yeah, that's great advice.
I love finding those things aswell, those are usually the best
experiences too.
Pam LeBlanc (14:02):
Absolutely.
Angela Tuell (14:04):
I love how you are also a public speaker and
something you talk about isinjecting adventure into
everyday life, as you mentioneda little bit earlier too.
Pam LeBlanc (14:13):
What are?
Angela Tuell (14:13):
some of your best tips for this.
Pam LeBlanc (14:16):
So my number one tip is get your hair wet.
But what I mean when I say thatis if you go to the lake.
A lot of times I see this amongwomen in particular.
If you go to the lake, youmight see a bunch of kids and a
bunch of guys in the river, inthe water playing and diving and
(14:37):
having fun and getting theirhair wet.
And too often I see peoplesitting on the sidelines because
they don't want to mess uptheir makeup or they don't want
to ruin their hair that they'vespent 30 minutes, you know,
perfecting in the morning.
So my advice is just jump in.
Just jump in and have a goodtime and don't worry about what
anybody else thinks about you.
And it's not so hard to injectadventure in your everyday life.
(15:03):
And and I think that meansdifferent things to different
people.
So for me, injecting adventureinto my life might mean, you
know, going on a paddling tripand camping on the river.
To other people, it might meangetting up early in the morning
and going for a run before thesun comes up, just because
that's not what they normally do.
(15:23):
But I just think to mix up yourown routine a little bit and
put a little spice in your owndaily life helps me experience a
little more adventure.
Angela Tuell (15:39):
Yeah, I think that could definitely help all of us
, definitely.
You mentioned earlier aboutbeing a little more choosy in
your travels.
How often are you travelingcurrently?
Pam LeBlanc (15:49):
Well, I always tell myself I'm trying to slow down.
I travel a lot.
I would say I'm gone.
Maybe I did slow down for thelast couple of months because
I'm trying to work on a hikingguide and I'm almost done with
that, so the travel is rampingup again.
But I would say when I'mtraveling, when I'm full steam,
(16:10):
I'm traveling probably 10 to 12days a month.
You know where I get on anairplane and travel somewhere
else.
But I also have a camper van,so I'm doing a lot of travel
around the state or I just drive, you know, drive to a state
park and stay a night or two andthen go somewhere else.
(16:31):
I do a lot of small townprofile stories for several
magazines as well.
So I do a lot of drive travelalong with the airplane travel.
I try I guess I try to keep itto one like one international
trip a month.
I don't want any more than thator my head explodes.
I have a husband here at homethat I like to see now and then
(16:55):
Right.
Angela Tuell (16:56):
And it's like when do you get the work done?
You know, when do you write?
Pam LeBlanc (16:59):
Yes, exactly, exactly.
Angela Tuell (17:01):
Do you have any favorite tools or resources you
use when planning travel?
Pam LeBlanc (17:07):
You know, I rely a lot on PR professionals to guide
me and to other people that Iknow that have traveled to
places.
I always like a science angleto anything I'm doing, and I
know a lot of people who workfor parks departments and
national parks around thecountry, and so I'll a lot of
(17:30):
times tap people that I knowsources that I've had over the
years to get advice from them.
I'm always looking for scienceangles too, so I, you know, try
to see what's going on in the,you know, with wildlife studies
and things like that, and I getideas that way.
Angela Tuell (17:47):
Yeah, that's great .
How can PR pros, which is alarge part of our audience, best
help you with your job?
Pam LeBlanc (17:55):
Yeah, pr professionals have helped me a
lot over the years and Iappreciate them.
I guess my advice is to keepthe pitches to a reasonable
number to a reasonable number.
Don't flood journalists withtoo many story ideas.
Make sure that you know whoyou're contacting.
(18:20):
I can't tell you how many timesI've gotten emails that are
clearly, you know, direct, sentto me, that should not be sent
to me, that they don't know whatI'm writing about.
So you know, check, like muckrack or something, and and get
an idea of what type of work thejournalist does before you
reach out and pitch them.
Um, and just, you know, be areal person, call me in person,
(18:42):
I'm happy to chat, uh, ratherthan getting just an email
that's misdirected.
Yeah, it's all about thoserelationships, right, it's in
the title, exactly I have workedwith some of the same PR people
you know for more than 15 or 20years, which is great.
When I have a relationship likethat with someone, they know
the type of stuff that I'mlooking for and and they and
(19:05):
they are so helpful, getting mebackground information that I
need or connecting me withsources that I need to to write
a good story, and and helping me, um, you know, arrange a trip,
um, so I can do things firsthandand experience things before I
write about them.
Because, like I said earlier, Iit doesn't make sense to me
(19:27):
that people are writing aboutthings they have not experienced
firsthand.
Angela Tuell (19:31):
Right, absolutely.
Something else I love that I'veseen in your writing is
spotlighting female outdoortrailblazers and advocates.
Why is showcasing women'svoices important in the
adventure space?
Pam LeBlanc (19:44):
Well, I think traditionally, a lot of outdoor
adventure writers have been male.
Traditionally, a lot of outdooradventure writers have been
male and whatever reason.
We've focused on tough guys inthe great outdoors and there are
just as many amazing womendoing incredible things paddlers
, skiers, climbers, you know allof that stuff and I want to
(20:06):
encourage other people to getout and experience the outdoors,
and so when I highlight a womanwho's doing that, I think that
it reminds people who read thestory that, yeah, maybe I could
do that.
I want to encourage other womento get out and have fulfilling,
adventurous lives and by givingexamples of people who have
done that, I hope it inspiresthem.
Angela Tuell (20:28):
Yes, absolutely, and I will not ask your age, but
you've been a journalist for along time and you're very active
and, like you've said, how doyou continue this as you age?
Yeah Well, I just turned 61.
Pam LeBlanc (20:42):
I don't care if anyone knows how old I am, don't
look at it at all, yeah, and Idon't.
I don't feel that old and Ifeel like getting out and doing
stuff is what keeps me young andI have, you know, I I swim with
people my age, I I go paddlingwith people who are my age and
older than me and I I guess Ijust, over the years, met a lot
(21:04):
of people who are older than Iam that are still staying active
, and I believe that's how youstay healthy is to keep on doing
it, and it makes me happy.
I love to be outside and doingactive type things.
So if I wasn't, what would I bedoing?
Sitting here at my computer,just, you know, not using myself
.
So it's my personality.
Angela Tuell (21:28):
Yes, you are definitely one of those females
to look up to as well in theadventure space, for sure.
So what's next for you?
What adventures are on thehorizon?
Pam LeBlanc (21:38):
Well, let's see, I've got a bunch of stuff coming
up.
I'm going to Colorado in a fewweeks, then I'm going on a
hut-to-hut hiking adventure inFrance, hiking adventure in
France.
And then I'm going scuba divingin Eustacia.
(21:59):
And then in January I'm goingto Antarctica, which has been on
my list for a while, so I'msuper excited about that one.
Angela Tuell (22:03):
Wow, those all sound fantastic.
We cannot wait to read aboutthem.
Pam LeBlanc (22:08):
For sure, thank you .
Angela Tuell (22:09):
How can our audience connect with you online
?
Pam LeBlanc (22:12):
Sure, I have several Facebook pages.
My personal page is PamelaLeBlanc.
I have Pam LeBlanc Adventures,which I feature a lot of the
stuff that I've been writing andhas been published, and I also
have the Austin Travels Facebookpage.
I have my own website it'sPamLeBlancAdventurescom, and I
(22:36):
have that Austin Travels website, austintravelscom, and I have
Instagram Pam LeBlanc Adventuresand Austin Travels Magazine.
Angela Tuell (22:45):
So look, for it there.
We will have all of those linksin our show notes and thank you
so much, pam.
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
That's all for this episode ofMedia in Minutes, a podcast by
Communications Redefined.
Take a moment to rate, reviewand subscribe to our show.
We'd love to hear what youthink.
You can find more atcommunicationsredefinedcom slash
(23:07):
podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Tuell.
Talk to you next time.
Welcome to Media in Minutes.
This is your host, Angela Tuell.
This podcast features in-depthinterviews with those who report
on the world around us.
They share everything fromtheir favorite stories to what
happened behind the lens andgive us a glimpse into their
world From our studio here atCommunications Redefined.
This is Media in Minutes.
Today we are talking withadventure and travel writer Pam
(00:32):
LeBlanc.
After a 32-year career innewspapers, which included
starting a Fit City column whereshe ran a naked 5K and repelled
down a 38-story building aspart of her year of adventure,
pam became a freelance writer.
Today, she's an Austin-basedfreelancer who specializes in
stories about outdoor adventureand travel.
(00:53):
Her byline can be found inCondé Nast Traveler, yahoo Life,
texas Monthly, austin Travels,gear, junkie and many more.
She loves anything that makesher muddy, results in mosquito
bites or poison ivy, rips herpant legs and brings her closer
to nature.
Hello, pam, hi, how are youGreat?
(01:13):
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Thank you for having me.
You have a lot of background, soI was trying to decide where we
should start, but we'll kind ofgo back to the beginning a
little bit.
You spent over 30 years innewspaper reporting and then
pivoted to freelance adventureand travel writing.
What pulled you in thatdirection?
(01:35):
How'd you make that change?
Pam LeBlanc (01:36):
Well, I left the newspaper business in 2018.
And I think the main reason Ileft was I was fearful for the
future of print newspapers and Iwanted to go out on my own and
see if I could.
I had always kind of wonderedif I could go freelance and
write for a bunch of differentmagazines instead of the daily
newspaper.
I loved my newspaper job overthe years, but this was
(01:59):
something a little bit differentand I could focus even more on
the stuff that I really loved towrite about.
Angela Tuell (02:04):
Yeah, and how did you find it?
You know how, how different wasit.
Pam LeBlanc (02:09):
Well, I was lucky because when I left the paper um
, I had a column that ran in thenewspaper, a fitness column for
15 years, and so people in thearea kind of knew who I was.
So I didn't have any troublegetting my first freelance
assignments.
I had editor contacts atvarious publications.
I get to pick and choose myassignments, which I love, but
(02:33):
I'm really bad at the whole partabout invoicing and keeping
track of everything.
So that was the downside.
Angela Tuell (02:40):
Yes, and you have to get paid to make a living.
Exactly In your bio youmentioned loving anything that
leaves you muddy, or mosquitobitten, even poison ivy.
Pam LeBlanc (02:52):
Those don't sound like great things to me, but I
am totally an outdoor person andI think that's the niche I've
tried to create for myself andmy work.
I don't typically write aboutfancy hotels or luxury trips.
I'm actually much morecomfortable, much more happy
outdoors.
So I write a lot about canoepaddling trips or scuba diving
(03:14):
or snow skiing, camping,anything like that.
I just love, I just love.
I'm happiest when I'm outdoors.
Angela Tuell (03:21):
Yeah, what sparked ?
Pam LeBlanc (03:23):
that I'm really not sure.
It's not that I my family,growing up we would go on
weekend camping trips just to acampground, but we didn't do
anything.
You know super adventurous, butmy dad kind of instilled in me
a curiosity about what's outsideand what things I could do
outside, so I just learned tolove it.
Angela Tuell (03:43):
Yeah, what are some of your?
I won't ask your favorite,because that's a very hard
question.
But how about some of yourfavorite adventure experiences
you've had?
Pam LeBlanc (03:53):
Well, I love, you know, travel all over the world
and I've been able to scuba diveall over the world and I love
being in the water.
I'm a swimmer, I'm part of amaster swim team and I train
five days a week here in Austin.
So anytime I can go on a tripand get in the water, that makes
me happy.
So that goes from scuba divingto canoe trips.
(04:15):
There's a place in West Texascalled the Devil's River.
It's one of the most pristinerivers in the country and I love
to do like multi-day canoetrips on that river and I love
the Big Bend region of WestTexas.
You know I've traveled all overthe world, but some of the most
beautiful places to me areright here in my home state.
Angela Tuell (04:36):
That's a great perspective.
A lot of us don't see that wethink of.
Where else can we see aroundthe world and not really what's
in our backyard too?
Yeah, how do you choose yournext adventure or your next
story?
Pam LeBlanc (04:50):
Well, a lot of it comes from destinations that get
in touch with me and they'relooking for reporters to, you
know, to bring out and to showtheir destination to.
I've gotten a lot pickier inrecent years.
I won't just take any trip thatis offered to me.
I want to go places that I canbe outdoors, places that I can
(05:13):
do some hiking.
I was recently in Patagonia andspent a week and a half
visiting national parks downthere and that's kind of really
the type of thing that I like todo.
If I can backpack, I backpackthe John Muir Trail.
You know snow skiing is high onmy list.
Every year I try to get out andski someplace new once or twice
(05:34):
.
So anything that involves theoutdoors and not so much fancy
hotels is what I want to bewriting about.
Angela Tuell (05:43):
Are there any outdoors adventures or things
that you won't do?
Not so far, that's great, notso far.
Pam LeBlanc (05:52):
I'm pretty willing to do just about anything.
Nobody has pitched anythingthat has that I flatly turned
down.
I've done some pretty crazythings over the years.
I have participated in andwritten about a naked 5k run
which I miraculously won.
I'm not a fast runner.
I think the race happened toattract a lot of slow people.
(06:15):
I have a fear of heights, butI've rappelled down a 38 story
building.
I, I have done the luge Um.
I I don't know I have done itall.
I've loved to scuba dive, as Imentioned earlier, and have done
some diving um with sharks inthe Galapagos islands when the
(06:36):
hammerhead sharks were schooling, so we had like 200 hammerheads
at once.
A lot of that stuff that I, I,I.
It just makes me feel alive andI I haven't done anything crazy
, risky or life threatening, butI just feel like I get out
there and and I love to try newthings and kind of push my own
(06:56):
limits as far as adventure.
I think everyone should havemore adventure in their life.
Angela Tuell (07:00):
Yes, that's super great advice I would.
I would question, though, ifthe swimming with the hammerhead
sharks was life threatening.
Pam LeBlanc (07:10):
On that dive trip.
It was a live aboard dive tripfor a week in the Galapagos
Islands and the sharks are aboutthe last thing on the list that
I was worried about.
The water is super cold, thecurrents are super strong,
there's a lot of things that youhave to be an experienced diver
to be able to do and the sharksreally aren't interested in you
(07:32):
.
They're more interested in eachother, and hammerheads in
particular.
It's not like a great whiteshark, it's not super aggressive
, so that really the sharksthemselves are not too fearsome.
Angela Tuell (07:45):
Well, that's good, that's good.
What do you feel makes yourstories different than others?
Besides your focus, you know.
Pam LeBlanc (07:51):
But yeah, so I won't do stories where, where I
sit at my desk at home andcontact a bunch of places that
I've never been.
I know a lot of people doroundup stories but I only want
to write about stuff that I havepersonally experienced myself
(08:12):
and I can write about withauthority.
And I think, as someone that'sbeen covering outdoor adventure
for, you know, more than 30years, I'm well qualified to do
that and I do travel all overthe country and all over the
world.
But I'm particularly proud ofthe work I've done here in Texas
, writing about state andnational parks and rivers and
(08:32):
lakes and oceans and all that.
So I think the difference forme is I can write really well in
first person about some of thethings that other people have
never had the chance oropportunity to do.
Angela Tuell (08:45):
Yeah, you have that credibility Absolutely.
What are some of your mostmemorable stories?
I know there's been thousands,right?
So I know.
Pam LeBlanc (08:54):
I know people ask that all the time and it's
really it's hard to say.
I just did one recently thatwas super fun for me.
I think it ran in Condé Nastand I went.
There's a man, his name isCharlie Gandy, and he's creating
a new hiking, equestrian andcycling route that cuts across
(09:15):
the midsection of Texas, acrossthe whole state.
It's more than 1,000 miles, Ithink.
I can't remember the exactnumber.
So I went and met him out in BigBend and, because of the
drought that West Texas isexperiencing right now, the Rio
Grande is at extremely low flows, and so that's not a good thing
(09:35):
, unless you're trying to hikeup this one particular canyon.
It's a canyon that the riverflows through, with very sheer
walls.
It's called Santa Elena Canyon,and typically a hiker could not
walk through that canyon, butbecause the water levels are so
low, in February I went out withCharlie and we were able to
(09:56):
walk up into that canyon.
Um, we had to get in water alittle bit up to our necks, but
mostly it's walking along theshore or walking through very
muddy um, extremely muddy thigh,thigh deep mud trails.
So that was kind of coolbecause it was an opportunity
that isn't typically there, butbecause of the conditions right
now it's possible.
(10:16):
So I like stuff like that.
I was in the Marshall Islandsand I have been to the Galapagos
Islands twice in Patagonia, soI've had the opportunity.
I'm super grateful for just theopportunities that I've had to
travel around the world and dothese things.
Angela Tuell (10:36):
Yes, you also do TV segments.
Was that a tough change for?
Pam LeBlanc (10:40):
writing it is.
I'm not a TV, I don't have a TVbackground at all, but I sort
of slipped into it and I have aonline travel website with two
other women.
It's called Austin Travels, andso as part of that, we have a
segment once a week.
It usually runs on Wednesdayson the local TV station here in
Austin and we talk about adestination that we've been
(11:03):
through.
So yeah, that's great.
Angela Tuell (11:05):
I love it.
Yes, they're really good too,so congrats on that.
Something I wanted to talkabout as well is you talk about
responsible tourism.
You know what are key stepsthat travelers should take when
keeping that in mind.
Pam LeBlanc (11:22):
Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that, and I guess
number one is respect theculture of the place that you're
traveling to.
You don't want to do anythingthat the locals would not do,
and I also try to avoid supercrowded touristy places.
I don't want to add to theimpact that travelers are
(11:43):
already putting on a placethat's pressured that way.
So I look for places thataren't as touristy as other
places.
So, for example, I went to Perua couple of years ago and I'm
sure you've seen photos onlineof the rainbow colored mountains
.
And instead of going to that oneparticular mountain.
There are other rainbowmountains in Peru that you can
(12:06):
go to, and so I found analternative one to visit that
wasn't one that had beenhighlighted already, so that's
another thing that you can do.
Obviously, don't litter, youknow.
Don't exploit the wildlife.
That's kind of obvious, but Iwas just watching some people
(12:28):
tormenting a bison, which is notsafe and also not good for the
animals.
I also try, when I can, to usepublic transportation, and that
would be anything from a trainor a bus or even a bicycle, when
I get to where I'm going, ifthat's possible.
I like to conserve water.
(12:48):
I think backpacking has taughtme that water is a precious
resource and you don't need touse as much water as you think
you do.
So obviously drink what youneed, but don't let the faucet
run and all that kind of thing.
So I think it all really boilsdown to me to respecting the
environment and respecting thedestination where you're
(13:09):
traveling.
Angela Tuell (13:10):
Yes, those are all great tips.
How do you recommenddiscovering some of those lesser
known places?
Pam LeBlanc (13:17):
You know, I listen to other people when I travel
and try to you know, hear wherethey've been.
I love traveling to places thatare diverse, places that are
diverse.
Last year I was able to go toSweden and do some dog sledding
(13:38):
above the Arctic Circle, andthat's something I think that
most people don't get to do.
So I'm looking.
I'm looking for opportunitiesto do things outdoors that
connect me with nature and theenvironment and not the typical
things that you see advertisedeverywhere.
Angela Tuell (13:56):
Yes, yeah, that's great advice.
I love finding those things aswell, those are usually the best
experiences too.
Pam LeBlanc (14:02):
Absolutely.
Angela Tuell (14:04):
I love how you are also a public speaker and
something you talk about isinjecting adventure into
everyday life, as you mentioneda little bit earlier too.
Pam LeBlanc (14:13):
What are?
Angela Tuell (14:13):
some of your best tips for this.
Pam LeBlanc (14:16):
So my number one tip is get your hair wet.
But what I mean when I say thatis if you go to the lake.
A lot of times I see this amongwomen in particular.
If you go to the lake, youmight see a bunch of kids and a
bunch of guys in the river, inthe water playing and diving and
(14:37):
having fun and getting theirhair wet.
And too often I see peoplesitting on the sidelines because
they don't want to mess uptheir makeup or they don't want
to ruin their hair that they'vespent 30 minutes, you know,
perfecting in the morning.
So my advice is just jump in.
Just jump in and have a goodtime and don't worry about what
anybody else thinks about you.
And it's not so hard to injectadventure in your everyday life.
(15:03):
And and I think that meansdifferent things to different
people.
So for me, injecting adventureinto my life might mean, you
know, going on a paddling tripand camping on the river.
To other people, it might meangetting up early in the morning
and going for a run before thesun comes up, just because
that's not what they normally do.
(15:23):
But I just think to mix up yourown routine a little bit and
put a little spice in your owndaily life helps me experience a
little more adventure.
Angela Tuell (15:39):
Yeah, I think that could definitely help all of us
, definitely.
You mentioned earlier aboutbeing a little more choosy in
your travels.
How often are you travelingcurrently?
Pam LeBlanc (15:49):
Well, I always tell myself I'm trying to slow down.
I travel a lot.
I would say I'm gone.
Maybe I did slow down for thelast couple of months because
I'm trying to work on a hikingguide and I'm almost done with
that, so the travel is rampingup again.
But I would say when I'mtraveling, when I'm full steam,
(16:10):
I'm traveling probably 10 to 12days a month.
You know where I get on anairplane and travel somewhere
else.
But I also have a camper van,so I'm doing a lot of travel
around the state or I just drive, you know, drive to a state
park and stay a night or two andthen go somewhere else.
(16:31):
I do a lot of small townprofile stories for several
magazines as well.
So I do a lot of drive travelalong with the airplane travel.
I try I guess I try to keep itto one like one international
trip a month.
I don't want any more than thator my head explodes.
I have a husband here at homethat I like to see now and then
(16:55):
Right.
Angela Tuell (16:56):
And it's like when do you get the work done?
You know, when do you write?
Pam LeBlanc (16:59):
Yes, exactly, exactly.
Angela Tuell (17:01):
Do you have any favorite tools or resources you
use when planning travel?
Pam LeBlanc (17:07):
You know, I rely a lot on PR professionals to guide
me and to other people that Iknow that have traveled to
places.
I always like a science angleto anything I'm doing, and I
know a lot of people who workfor parks departments and
national parks around thecountry, and so I'll a lot of
(17:30):
times tap people that I knowsources that I've had over the
years to get advice from them.
I'm always looking for scienceangles too, so I, you know, try
to see what's going on in the,you know, with wildlife studies
and things like that, and I getideas that way.
Angela Tuell (17:47):
Yeah, that's great .
How can PR pros, which is alarge part of our audience, best
help you with your job?
Pam LeBlanc (17:55):
Yeah, pr professionals have helped me a
lot over the years and Iappreciate them.
I guess my advice is to keepthe pitches to a reasonable
number to a reasonable number.
Don't flood journalists withtoo many story ideas.
Make sure that you know whoyou're contacting.
(18:20):
I can't tell you how many timesI've gotten emails that are
clearly, you know, direct, sentto me, that should not be sent
to me, that they don't know whatI'm writing about.
So you know, check, like muckrack or something, and and get
an idea of what type of work thejournalist does before you
reach out and pitch them.
Um, and just, you know, be areal person, call me in person,
(18:42):
I'm happy to chat, uh, ratherthan getting just an email
that's misdirected.
Yeah, it's all about thoserelationships, right, it's in
the title, exactly I have workedwith some of the same PR people
you know for more than 15 or 20years, which is great.
When I have a relationship likethat with someone, they know
the type of stuff that I'mlooking for and and they and
(19:05):
they are so helpful, getting mebackground information that I
need or connecting me withsources that I need to to write
a good story, and and helping me, um, you know, arrange a trip,
um, so I can do things firsthandand experience things before I
write about them.
Because, like I said earlier, Iit doesn't make sense to me
(19:27):
that people are writing aboutthings they have not experienced
firsthand.
Angela Tuell (19:31):
Right, absolutely.
Something else I love that I'veseen in your writing is
spotlighting female outdoortrailblazers and advocates.
Why is showcasing women'svoices important in the
adventure space?
Pam LeBlanc (19:44):
Well, I think traditionally, a lot of outdoor
adventure writers have been male.
Traditionally, a lot of outdooradventure writers have been
male and whatever reason.
We've focused on tough guys inthe great outdoors and there are
just as many amazing womendoing incredible things paddlers
, skiers, climbers, you know allof that stuff and I want to
(20:06):
encourage other people to getout and experience the outdoors,
and so when I highlight a womanwho's doing that, I think that
it reminds people who read thestory that, yeah, maybe I could
do that.
I want to encourage other womento get out and have fulfilling,
adventurous lives and by givingexamples of people who have
done that, I hope it inspiresthem.
Angela Tuell (20:28):
Yes, absolutely, and I will not ask your age, but
you've been a journalist for along time and you're very active
and, like you've said, how doyou continue this as you age?
Yeah Well, I just turned 61.
Pam LeBlanc (20:42):
I don't care if anyone knows how old I am, don't
look at it at all, yeah, and Idon't.
I don't feel that old and Ifeel like getting out and doing
stuff is what keeps me young andI have, you know, I I swim with
people my age, I I go paddlingwith people who are my age and
older than me and I I guess Ijust, over the years, met a lot
(21:04):
of people who are older than Iam that are still staying active
, and I believe that's how youstay healthy is to keep on doing
it, and it makes me happy.
I love to be outside and doingactive type things.
So if I wasn't, what would I bedoing?
Sitting here at my computer,just, you know, not using myself
.
So it's my personality.
Angela Tuell (21:28):
Yes, you are definitely one of those females
to look up to as well in theadventure space, for sure.
So what's next for you?
What adventures are on thehorizon?
Pam LeBlanc (21:38):
Well, let's see, I've got a bunch of stuff coming
up.
I'm going to Colorado in a fewweeks, then I'm going on a
hut-to-hut hiking adventure inFrance, hiking adventure in
France.
And then I'm going scuba divingin Eustacia.
(21:59):
And then in January I'm goingto Antarctica, which has been on
my list for a while, so I'msuper excited about that one.
Angela Tuell (22:03):
Wow, those all sound fantastic.
We cannot wait to read aboutthem.
Pam LeBlanc (22:08):
For sure, thank you .
Angela Tuell (22:09):
How can our audience connect with you online
?
Pam LeBlanc (22:12):
Sure, I have several Facebook pages.
My personal page is PamelaLeBlanc.
I have Pam LeBlanc Adventures,which I feature a lot of the
stuff that I've been writing andhas been published, and I also
have the Austin Travels Facebookpage.
I have my own website it'sPamLeBlancAdventurescom, and I
(22:36):
have that Austin Travels website, austintravelscom, and I have
Instagram Pam LeBlanc Adventuresand Austin Travels Magazine.
Angela Tuell (22:45):
So look, for it there.
We will have all of those linksin our show notes and thank you
so much, pam.
Thank you for having me.
I appreciate it.
That's all for this episode ofMedia in Minutes, a podcast by
Communications Redefined.
Take a moment to rate, reviewand subscribe to our show.
We'd love to hear what youthink.
You can find more atcommunicationsredefinedcom slash
(23:07):
podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Tuell.
Talk to you next time.
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