LIFE BY DESIGN Magazine May/June 2007 Profile on Ruth and Rich Carlson Touring in Tandem
Life By Design Magazine
Touring in Tandem
Touring in Tandem photos by Rich Carlson Story by Karen Buscemi
Touring in Tandem Story by Karen Buscemi Photography by Rich Carlson
Life being as busy as it is, finding time to get away for one grand vacation a year can be a challenge. Ruth and Rich Carlson of Santa Cruz, California have found a way to make travel a significant part of their lives, using their writing and photography skills to garner assignments that keep them on the go, discovering new locales.
In 2006, they visited Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Canada, and Croatia, capturing the sights, sounds, and tastes of the destinations for various magazines and newspapers. It was all done during Ruth's vacation time. She keeps a full time job as directgor of public relations for West Valley-Mission Community College District.
When Ruth met Rich, she was a junior writer at KRON - TV4 in San Francisco. "I was dating a reporter who kept telling me about this nice guy, Rich, a photographer at the station, and I figured I'd set him up with my sister," Ruth says. "When I started talking to him, I decided to keep him for myself."
Now married 26 years, the couple have found they make an excellent travel team. "It's a natural thing for us," says Ruth. "I ask him to photograph something that I want to write about, or he shows me his photos and there will be a shot that I didn't remember, which really adds to my story." And she says when they're not on the road, she's grateful Rich is willing to handle the parts of the job she doesn't enjoy, such as billing and paperwork.
But every couple can't be in agreement all the time, and the Carlson's differ when it comes to luxury versus budget accommodations, Ruth preferring finer hotels and Rich happy to go the cheaper route.
In addition to their print assignments, which include East West, Relax, and Caviar Affair magazines and the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News, Ruth and Rich have enhanced their journeys by taking video for their cable show, TalkinTravel TV. The half-hour show, which incudes studio commentary, clips from trips, and interviews with travel experts, can be viewed around California, as well as on the couple's Web sites, talkintravel.com and talkintravel.tv.
"I had an idea to put the TV show together about five years ago", says Rich. "I had been in televsion enough to know I could do it. It's not all that difficult to be in front of a camers. Once you get past the point of staring at the camera, it's no big deal."
Assignments come from the Carlsons' suggestions as well as direct assignments from the publications. "We've had the most luck figuring out where we wanted to go and considering what's going on in the world," Ruth says. A few years ago while planning a trip to Spain, the couple came upon the America's Cup, which happened to be there. That led to an invitation. It's worked out like that quite a few times."
Seasoned travlers, Ruth and Rich conduct their own research, often relying on each countries government travel bureau Web site for the most complete information. "They have great Web sites and people who will help you for free," Ruth says. "They'll send you coupons and answer your questions."
It was during their honeymoon that Ruth experienced her first travel "oops." "I thought we could just show up in Paris," she says. "There was a huge PR conference in town, and we spent a day in the rain trying to find a hotel. We did find one, but found out why it was available when at 3 a.m. a farmers market was setting up below our window."
This year the Carlsons will travel to Barcelona for the first time and will take a third trip to the America's Cup, this time in Valencia, Spain. "Valencia is the fastest growing city in Europe, and the America's Cup is like the Super Bowl of sailing," says Rich. "We don't have an assignment to cover the event, but I'm crazy for sailing, and it's worth paying our own way.
"It really doesn't matter where you go," he adds. "Just get off your butt and see as much of the world as you can before you die."
TALKINTRAVEL.COM AND TALKINTRAVEL.TV ARE A REGISTERED TRADEMARKS
