The Girl, The Camper & The Story

_This Month’s Episode Features a Conversation with Kim Foley MacKinnon of Girl Camper_In this month’s episode, you will hear from a seasoned camper—both tent and RVer. Kim Foley MacKinnon is a journalist, author, and editor of Girl Camper Magazine. Kim has written books about travel—with an emphasis on the New England states. She has a range of experience in camping from tents and hammocks to RVs. 

With Kim’s travels she has a wide array of experiences, but food and camping are on the top of her list. She does her best to avoid chain restaurants, and brings her foodie palette to life in her writings. Check out everything by listening the podcast here:

What is the Difference Between a Reporter, a Journalist, and a Blogger?

This topic is a hot topic in the writing world. Kim gives a thoughtful response, but really boils it down to a good writer is a good writer. The key is you need to have an interesting topic that is backed up by facts and speak with authority. There is more to it than that, but it is the essence of being a good writer. Kim gives a more full explanation in the podcast, but definitely possesses an inclusive approach to her understanding of who is a writer.

What Advice Would You Give to Aspiring Writers?

Kim offers up some wisdom that was passed on to her at the early stages of her writing career. That advice is: “To be a good writer you need to be a good writer.” It is important to read all types of content too. From silly magazine pieces to historic biographies, it is all important. She says it all adds to your ability to write. Kim offers another key piece of information for writers too. She recommends that writers read their own content—out loud. She believes this helps the writer hear their own words. It exposes words you’ve skipped, the stumbling blocks in your language, and helps smooth it out. A second thing you might want to do is ask someone else to read it. Getting fresh eyes on your content is incredibly important. There are even more gems in this interview. It is worth taking the time to check it out.

Kim Explains Girl Camper

Girl Camper was the idea of Janine Pettit. She loved camping, but realized there wasn’t a lot of camping content geared specifically towards women. This led to Janine starting a podcast. It was a place for her to share her experience as a female camper and connected her to the experiences as a child and makes her feel like a girl.After this, she started a website and connected with different guides across the country to put on events for female campers—Girl Campers. After that she started a quarterly magazine—this is where Kim enters the picture as a writer.

Who Is Girl Camper For Specifically?

Jeremy asks this straight-forward question to help bring clarity on who the target audience is for Girl Camper. Kim’s response definitely helps explain it. “Girl Camper is for anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors, wants some support, and wants to learn about camping.” At Girl Camper, they have acknowledged the majority of marketing dollars and products are geared towards men. And while they don’t hate on men in any way, they want women to feel just as comfortable in that space too. Girl Camper’s content is for everyone, but seems to create a slant towards women—hence the name. It is a fantastic community to be a part of for everyone.

A Glimpse Into Kim’s RV of Choice

Kim chose a 1981 Scamp—13 feet in length. She explains why she chose it, how useful it is for her, and the practical reasons for choosing a smaller camper. Watch the podcast as Jeremy and Kim go back and forth about why it is great to be small.

Future Plans and Goals for Kim

Kim is excited for her future RVing destinations. She has fallen in love with Harvest Hosts. She talks about the way Harvest Hosts has helped her see new places, experience things she never would have otherwise, and gives her more things to write about. She anticipates utilizing Harvest Hosts more and more throughout the year.

Catch the Full Podcast for More

You can catch all of these topics and more from Jeremy and Kim by watching the entire podcast. If you want to connect with Kim or buy her books, you can go to escapewithkim.com —and all of her social media is @escapewithkim. Or you can locate her at Girl Camper in the about section too.