Welcome back to GO! Interviews. This week we are proud to feature the talented travel blogger Keith, the Traveling Savage. Keith is an avid traveler who enjoys sharing his many adventures with the rest of us on the World Wide Web. He has been kind enough to sit down and share with the GO! Overseas community his journey thus far. Enjoy!

GO!: Hi Keith, thanks for joining us today. Shall we start with a brief introduction?

Keith: My name is Keith Savage and I live in Madison, Wisconsin with my wife Sarah and three somewhat dysfunctional cats. I grew up living in various cities around Wisconsin and got my bachelor's degree in Psychology and English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison back in 2002.

I'm currently in Verona, Wisconsin, just outside Madison, where Sarah and I keep a house on the edge of a farm field with some wetlands and a horse farm out the back window.

During the day I'm a sales writer at a large healthcare software company. I've had this job for just over seven years — ever since I graduated from college. The salary is more than I could ever have expected with my liberal arts degree, and I'm thankful for the opportunities it has provided.

I'm also the founder and writer of Traveling Savage, a travel blog dedicated to exploring the psychological, emotional, and philosophical impact of travel on the human condition.

GO!: How did your blog, Traveling Savage, come about and what have been your goals for the project?

Keith: Traveling Savage was conceived in a moment of desperation, really. I'd been feeling stunted in my job for a few years and just couldn't figure out where to turn. Then one night last winter as Sarah and I enjoyed some drinks out, she suggested that I start a travel blog and write. The idea immediately took over my thoughts and within a couple of weeks Traveling Savage was live. Perhaps I just needed a little encouragement.

Since then, my main goal has been to find my voice and the particular niche through which I can most effectively convey it. I haven't been on the road much, yet, but that will change. I look at these months of writing as getting in shape, and I'm lucky to have them.

GO!: Do you have a specific audience in mind?

Keith: I write Traveling Savage for travelers, thinkers, and anyone looking to change their track in life. Admittedly, this isn't a neatly-defined and narrow audience, but the blog is still growing and may become more focused over time.

Social media and writing strong, thought-provoking posts have been my main strategies for reaching this audience. If the content is good, people will read and word will spread.

GO!: As an avid traveler, how do you feel about still working in the 9-5 corporate grind?

Keith: I don't think 9-5 office jobs are inherently evil. I've had a lot of great times working the normal office work day. It only becomes unbearable once you've mentally and spiritually moved on and left your physical self in the same place. It is this dissonance that breeds crippling stress, dissatisfaction, and hopelessness.

Traveling is a cure, but not the only one. Unbearable situations require you to find a new path. Maybe you need a new project at work, a vacation, or a different job altogether. Each situation is unique and travel is not the remedy for each one. Travel does provide perspective, however, and I've found that's often the most important element in choosing the right path.

GO!: A quick internet search reveals hundreds of popular travel blogs in every possible niche. Why do you think this form of blogging has become so popular?

Keith: People want to be heard, and they want to share their travel stories. By our nature we are intensely curious about the world, so there's a large and ravenous built-in audience for travel blogs. With Traveling Savage I've tried to strike a unique tone in my writing on relatable topics. In addition to philosophical travel posts, I also write lyrical vignettes and a series on good travel music.

If there's one word to describe the travel blogging community it's this one: friendly! Travel bloggers are so welcoming and encouraging. While we often see the same folks posting comments on our blogs, it's just the motivation to keep going, to remember you're being heard.

GO!: Do you feel that travel blogs, such as yours, have replaced the need for large scale travel publications (e.g. Lonely Planet)?

Keith: Absolutely not. The depth of information in large scale travel publications is still largely unmatched. These publications need to change in accordance with the way our methods of knowledge consumption are changing to stay relevant. There's an endless variety of travel blogs covering every niche imaginable. If anything, the two media complement each other and give the consumer a more complete travel picture. One last point: travel publications like Lonely Planet put the emphasis on the place or topic whereas with a blog the emphasis is on the blogger's particular view of the world.

GO!: The popular notion of a travel writer is hard play and little work. Do you believe this is true?

Keith: The ways in which writers engage in travel writing are also quite varied. Some folks take press trips, in and out of a destination. Others backpack Europe in a whirlwind and jot down notes for a guidebook or blog. Still others are vagabonds first, writers second. When people love something, they often overlook the hardships. What's left is the glow, often in the tales we tell our friends and family. Traveling is tiring and usually the farthest thing from glorious, but I love it nonetheless.

I can't yet claim travel writing as my profession, but I've been surprised to find the industry in the midst of a sea change. We're seeing an evolution in the way readers interact with their travel information, and guidebooks, newspapers, magazines, and blogs are all involved.

GO!: What impact, if any, has travel writing had on your relationships with friends and family?

Keith: So far none. But part of my plan with Traveling Savage is go to destinations around the world for a month at a time and really dig into the local culture. As you might imagine, this will be difficult for Sarah and me until we find a groove that works. She's been my constant, best travel companion on all of our previous travels so I'm hoping the system shock won't be crippling. We're planning to rely on technology like Skype, Google chat, and iPhones to bridge the gap.

I believe that people have to do these difficult things to reach their personal apex.

GO!: It is June 9th, 2015. Where are you and what are you doing?

Keith: I'm sitting in my home office listening to Kings of Convenience as the frogs produce a wild chorus outside my window. June in Wisconsin is an achingly beautiful time.

GO!: Any last words?

Keith: One of the most important lessons I've learned in the course of travel blogging and planning a major shift in my life is that it's OK to be afraid. It's OK for things to be difficult. In the past, I'd rejected ideas ultimately out of fear, out of perceived difficulty, as if everything should come easily. Choose the difficult path you are afraid to take.

GO!: Thanks Keith! If you have any further questions for the Traveling Savage feel free to leave them in the comments below!