We were lucky to catch up with David Brodie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for Voyascape came from noticing a clear gap: while podcast networks were popping up in every category—business, sports, comedy—no one was building one focused exclusively on travel and tourism.

I’d already been running my podcast, Travel in 10 for years, with a growing global audience, but I could see that monetization would always be an uphill battle for a single podcast in a niche category like travel. What clicked was the idea that if we brought together some of the world’s best travel podcasts into one network, we could do something much bigger. We could help all the participating shows grow their audiences, share resources, and create something truly compelling for advertisers. A rising tide approach—but in a way that still felt purpose-driven.

We weren’t just building a business. We were building a network where each podcast, episode, and host could support one another—and where we could help people explore the world in a more intentional, inspiring way. The goal was simple: help people travel more, and travel better.

We knew this could work because travel media had become dominated by visuals—Instagram-perfect scenes, drone shots, YouTube montages. But few were tapping into the immersive power of audio. And almost no one was doing it with a clear focus on storytelling, ethical travel, and real cultural connection. That’s where Voyascape was different.

We weren’t just trying to entertain—we wanted to inspire better travel. More thoughtful. More sustainable. More human. Podcasting also brings something you can’t get from other media: intimacy. People build real relationships with podcast hosts. And for something as personal as travel, that connection matters.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been in the travel space for a long time—first as a travel podcaster starting way back in 2005 (before most people even knew what a podcast was), and also through years of work in global communications, where I led award-winning campaigns for major travel brands like Tourism Australia, Emirates, and Expedia. I’ve always believed that travel is one of the most powerful tools we have to build connection and empathy. It’s been the through-line in almost everything I’ve done.

Voyascape grew out of that belief. We’re a podcast network focused exclusively on travel and tourism. That’s our niche—and our strength. Our shows span everything from destination guides to sustainability, cultural stories to behind-the-scenes interviews with travel experts. Together, our network reaches listeners in over 150 countries, with millions of downloads and some of the top-ranked travel shows globally.

What we offer is twofold. For listeners, we provide immersive, informative, and inspiring content that helps people travel more and travel better. Whether someone is planning a trip, dreaming about one, or looking to understand a destination on a deeper level, our shows offer a trusted voice to guide them.

For our advertising partners, we offer something truly unique: a highly targeted, high-intent audience of travel lovers, delivered through trusted host-read integrations. Unlike programmatic ads, we work closely with our partners to tell their stories in a way that feels organic to our shows. And because podcast listeners tend to be loyal and highly engaged, our campaigns deliver strong, measurable results.

What sets us apart is our commitment to storytelling with purpose. We’re not here to sell a picture-perfect version of travel. We want to talk about what it means to travel ethically, responsibly, and curiously. We work with creators who care about those things too.

I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve built a space where creators, listeners, and brands can come together around a shared love of exploration—and where we’ve been able to help amplify voices in the travel space that deserve to be heard. We’ve grown through collaboration, not competition.

If you’re a listener, we hope our shows help you see the world a little differently—or inspire your next trip. If you’re a brand or tourism board, we’d love to help you tell your story to a global audience of people who are already dreaming about where to go next.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

For now at least – we’ve bootstrapped the business. I believe strongly in the concept and was able to leverage savings from my past career and other businesses to fund us. Our cost structure is very lean and we’ve been lucky to bring on a great group of sponsors in our first few months in business to continue generating revenue to re-invest in growing the business.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

One of the moments that really tested my resilience came during the early stages of building Voyascape into a full-fledged podcast network. knew the content had value, but the podcasting industry at the time was dominated by big networks, mainstream topics, and very little appetite for niche travel storytelling.

I had this vision of creating something that didn’t exist yet—a travel podcast network that could bring together like-minded creators, help shows grow together, and offer real value to advertisers. But the first few conversations were rough. Some people didn’t see the market potential. Others loved the idea but weren’t ready to take the leap. And during those early days, I was doing everything—content development, outreach, editing, marketing—often without knowing if the payoff would come.

What has kept me going was the audience and the wins along the way. Even when the infrastructure wasn’t there yet, the listeners were. They were emailing about episodes, sharing them with friends, saying the content helped them plan trips or kept them inspired. We also had some incredible podcasts join the network that really has helped continue to propel our growth and just this month four of our shows were finalists amongt thousands that had been entered as Best Travel Podcast of the Year at the TBEX Awards – one of the world’s largest conferences for travel creators.

Building a network in a niche space took longer than I expected. It meant pivoting, bootstrapping, and in many cases, being willing to hear “no” a lot before finally hearing a few important “yeses.” But slowly, the network has started to grow. We brought on partner podcasts that shared our values. We started seeing our shows chart in countries around the world. We began collaborating with brands that genuinely cared about travel, not just tourism.

That whole process reinforced something I try to keep in mind constantly: in media—especially when you’re building something new—you need both patience and conviction. Resilience isn’t just about pushing through tough days. It’s about staying true to the idea when no one else fully sees it yet.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Voyascape.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voyascapemedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/voyascape/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrodie/
• Twitter: https://x.com/voyascape
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@voyascape
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/@voyascape