One of the questions we’re often asked is how you can help us run and grow Indie Travel Podcast. Linda and I have been having great fun running the podcast and growing the site into a better and better resource for indie travellers as we make our journey around the world, but we could definitely use your help.

In 2009 we decided that we were spending so much time on our labour of love that we had to stop one of three things: stop travelling, stop working, or stop the site. We decided to follow our hearts and over the last seven months have been doing less and less real work to free ourselves up to develop the site, serve you — our awesome world-travel-loving audience — and travel more. Of course, that means the site has to start paying the bills. So … how can you help us?

1. Review us in iTunes

Part of our income comes from advertising on the audio (and this year the video) podcast. The more people who listen to the show, the better advertisers we can find and the better shows we can produce. Giving us a review in iTunes is the best way to help us grow the show! Please do this as it only takes a minute and makes a huge difference.

Click here to open iTunes and review the Indie Travel Podcast. Give us five stars and write a sentence or two about why you love the show.

We’re also on directories like Podcast Alley and the Zune marketplace. If they’re where you spend time, please review us there.

2. Give us some money

We’re making more products which you will be able to buy to support us and the site, but we really prefer to give things away for free, when we can afford it. 99% of Indie Travel Podcast materials are free: the stories, the audio, the video, the digital magainze, the … you get the idea. We currently need another US$275 to buy a couple of 500 gig hard drives: one for the video footage we’re taking this year, and a second to back up that data.

Make a donation below with Paypal or your credit card. We’ll send you a postcard if you make a donation of US$10 or more.

3. Tell someone about us

I wasn’t joking about the audience thing! We’re really hoping to grow our audience in 2010, so please help us out. You can:

• Talk to a real person
• Email a link to the show to somebody – this link will open the podcast in itunes (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=280043653) or send them to http://indietravelpodcast.com to have a look around and sign up for the email newsletter.
• Get a subscription to our travel magazine. By having a copy around the house, you can easily show people the great opportunities there are in the world of budget and independent travel.

4. Join us on Facebook

We’re at http://facebook.com/indietravel – become a fan. After you become a fan, you can share the page with your friends, using the “share” button on the bottom of the left column. By sharing our page with your friends, you help more people find us.

You can also find (and share) us on Twitter, Youtube, Flickr and other sites. Check our contact page for all our online locations.

5. Talk to us

Craig or Linda personally answer each email we receive. We don’t outsource it or anything like that. You can email your thoughts on the show, your podcast ideas, or simply tell us your travel plans … that’s what gets us really excited and we’d be glad to help when we can.

6. Do you know a potential advertiser?

If you know a company or have a contact who might be interested in advertising with us, tell THEM not us. Here’s our most recent media kit … feel free to download it and forward it to people who might fit well with Indie Travel Podcast. If you’re happy to travel with them, they’ll probably fit the show well so it’s a win-win for all involved.

Download the most recent media kit (PDF). Now email it to the right person.

7. Can you give us some time?

Running a site like this is time consuming and being on the road can make internet access and writing time difficult to come by. If you have a spare 30-60 minutes a week to give us, we probably have some things for you to do that will make a real difference to the show. It might be research, marketing, editing or something you’ve never done before. We’d love to have you on board with us. Contact us.

We know life is busy and tough and we really appreciate you spending time with us each week as you visit the site or listen to the podcast. We hope we continue to entertain you this year and that you continue to learn from our mistakes as we travel around the world. I mean, the whole point is to help you have more fun that we do! Thanks for being a part of Indie Travel Podcast.

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This article was written by Craig Martin

Podcaster and writer Craig Martin has been living on the road since leaving Auckland, New Zealand in February 2006. With a degree in Media Studies and English plus a penchant for Coleridge, he's still travelling. Craig podcasts at the Indie Travel Podcast and has penned several travel books for Indie Travel Media Ltd.