What if your biggest opportunity as a travel creator isn't another sponsorship, but turning your audience into your customers?

Chris Joondeph, the creator behind Authentic Traveling, has visited 170 countries and built an audience of millions by exploring places many travellers overlook or misunderstand. But his biggest business opportunity came when he started inviting followers to experience those destinations with him.

Today, his company, Authentic Tours, takes travellers to destinations including Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia. And despite his enormous social media following, Chris says his tours now generate more revenue than his content.

Palle Bo and Rick Calvert talk with Chris about building an audience through short-form video, turning trust into bookings, working with local partners and creating a business around something you genuinely love doing.

In this episode:

• How Chris turned a passion project into a full-time business.
• Why his first Nigeria tour changed everything.
• How content creation and group tours support each other.
• Building customer trust and encouraging repeat bookings.
• Why everyday experiences can produce extraordinary travel content.

Relevant links:

• Authentic Traveling: https://authentictraveling.co
• Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authentic_traveling
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@authentictraveling
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authentic_traveling
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/authentictraveling.org
• Ethiopia and Somalia Group Tour: https://authentictraveling.co/ethiopia-somalia-group-tour/
• Extraordinary Travel Festival (October 22–25, Bangkok): https://extraordinarytravelfest.com (Use promo code Vagabond for $100 off.)
• Learn more about TBEX: https://tbexcon.com
• Find more Travel Matters episodes in your podcast app or on https://tbexcon.com/podcast/
• Podcast produced by RadioGuru: https://radioguru.co.uk

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