Karen Gershowitz has been traveling since she moved to Europe alone at seventeen. Six decades and more than one hundred countries later, she is still going. For the last fifteen years she has traveled with chronic back and mobility issues that have deepened her conviction that travel is for everyone, at every age.
She is the author of two travel narrative books published by She Writes Press: Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust (2021) and Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine (2023). Wanderlust won a 2024 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards) Silver Medal for Travel-Essay. Her new book, Wanderlust After 60: How and Why to Embrace Travel in Your Later Years, is complete and ready for submission. It blends practical guidance with narrative storytelling to help readers over 60 travel with greater confidence, adaptability, and joy.
A regular contributor to JourneyWoman (the leading publication for solo women travelers over 50), Karen has been published in more than two dozen travel outlets including Perceptive Travel, Go World Travel, and In Travel Magazine. She has appeared on more than twenty podcasts and spoken at venues including the Ethical Culture Society of New York and Parker Life.
Her platform includes an active and engaged social media presence: 5,000+ Facebook followers concentrated in senior travel communities, along with LinkedIn, Instagram, and a travel-focused website. She is supported by Book Savvy PR. Her background includes four decades as a strategic marketing consultant, giving her an unusually clear understanding of how to position and promote a book.
What got you into travel journalism?
When I was eight years old my family took a trip to Florida. My mother insisted that I keep a journal about where we went and what we did. On subsequent trips she reminded me about journaling. It became a lifelong habit that formed the basis of my first book, Travel Mania. That led to writing travel articles on a regular basis. I still have that journal from when I was eight. It’s pretty good.
What’s the most challenging part of being a travel journalist?
My writing focuses on unusual experiences, people I interact with, quirky places and anything a little off well-trodden paths. I’m a senior with mobility issues, so much of what I write is intended to encourage reluctant seniors to overcome their fears and believe they can and will have a manageable and fun trip. That’s not content that a lot of outlets are interested in. On the other hand, I’ve been invited by numerous organizations that cater to seniors to be a speaker, teach classes and write articles.
What is the most rewarding aspect of travel journalism?
Apart from the travel itself, I’ve had many people thank me for giving them the push they needed to get out and travel. For me there is nothing more rewarding than knowing I’ve gotten people out of their comfort zone and onto a plane or into their cars to explore.
What is something you wish people knew about travel journalism?
Though I’ve been writing about travel my whole life, it is only since retiring that I have become serious about being a journalist. I always thought travel journalism was something you had to start when you were young and pursued over many years. I’ve been surprised to discover it is possible at any age, perhaps not as a full salary, but as a supplement to other income streams.
How have your cross-cultural experiences shaped your point of view of the world?
I’ll answer this with a story. On our way out of a small town in Java, Indonesia I noticed a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet squeezed between a fabric store and a hardware store. Pointing it out to the guide I said, “Well Bandung is certainly going downhill.” I grimaced and continued, “I can’t believe Indonesians eat that junk.”
“What are you talking about? KFC is great!” He said this so enthusiastically I knew he was serious. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could think the arrival of KFC was a good thing. At home I avoid KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King and all their clones. But instead of blurting out some sarcastic comment, I forced myself to calmly ask, “Really? What makes KFC great?”
“Look at it from our perspective,” he said. “Here KFC is where you take your girlfriend if you really want to impress her. For us it’s a fancy foreign restaurant.”
I thought about what he’d said. KFC is brightly lit, spotless and shiny. You can sit in padded chairs in air-conditioned comfort. The food resembles nothing sold or eaten locally. The prices are exorbitant in comparison to the food stalls, though still affordable as an occasional splurge. I could easily imagine a young couple dressed in their best clothes going there on a hot date. In Indonesia, KFC is a fancy foreign restaurant.
Now when I’m overseas and come upon that familiar red and white sign it’s a reminder that people in other countries don’t see things as I do. It forces me to try to understand how local people experience their world.
What have you enjoyed most about being a NATJA member?
Having the recognition of acceptance by writers I admire.