TV Clips and Trailers

 

CBS The Early Show

Harry Smith and I discuss little-known discounts for people age 50 and older.

Fox 5 D.C.

In this five-minute interview, Tony Perkins and I chat about voluntourism and my new book.

NBC Today show

Where’s the best place to live in America? Lester Holt and I review AARP’s list.

C-SPAN2 Book TV

I talk with host Peter Slen about The Voluntourist on the campus of George Mason University.

CBS The Early Show

I explain the biggest findings in an AARP survey on caring for your parents.

650,000 Hours

Check out the teaser for my upcoming digital series and podcast on giving and real-life heroes.

The Voluntourist

Here’s the trailer for my award-winning memoir, The Voluntourist

 

Podcast Appearances

New Zealand Public Radio
A thoughtful chat about volunteering abroad, my father’s death and leaving a legacy.

Make Meaning
Podcast host Lynne Golodner and I explore loss, travel, volunteering and leaving your comfort zone.

Saturday Evening Post
For the magazine’s podcast, I discuss my essay on witnessing a bike crash and what it taught me about chance.

Circles of Change
Dr. Zara Larsen and I talk on her Arizona-based show on living a life that matters.

TV and Radio Appearances

I have appeared 100+ times on TV and radio including:

 
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NBC’s Today show

CNBC’s Street Smarts

NBC KSHB-TV, Kansas City

Peter Greenberg Worldwide

USA Radio Network

New Zealand Public Radio

TravelTelevision.org

CBS This Morning

ABC News Now

Martha Stewart Living Radio

Rudy Maxa’s World

Voice America Radio

AARP’s Prime Time Focus

WUSA Channel 9, D.C.

CBS’s The Early Show

D.C. Fox 5

National Geographic Weekend

The Stream on Al Jazeera English

Bloomberg Radio

The Angel Clark Show
(iHeart Radio)

*

 

“There is power in small gestures — and small gestures, taken together, can become large gestures.”

—from my talk on what I’ve learned from volunteering around the world

Speaking Engagements

I’ve spoken 40+ times on The Voluntourist at a range of events, from conferences to book clubs to literary festivals. I’ve also taught workshops on subjects such as memoir writing, travel writing and successfully pitching editors. My speaking appearances include:

AARP Boomer Café

In 2020, I shared my four lessons from volunteering abroad for AARP and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s Boomer & Beyond Academy.

Conferences

  • Travel Classics writer’s conference, keynote address, Cardiff, Wales

  • International Luxury Travel Market panel with Peter Greenberg, Cancun, Mexico

  • TEDx Malaysia

  • AARP Annual Member Event, Los Angeles

  • Hippocamp Conference for Creative Nonfiction Writers, panel, Lancaster, PA

  • AARP Boomer and Beyond Academy, virtual event due to COVID

Schools and Educational Groups

  • Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA

  • College of Charleston, Charleston, SC

  • George Mason University, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Fairfax, VA

  • Johns Hopkins University writing program, Washington, D.C.

  • Arlington Learning in Retirement Institute, Arlington, VA

  • JEB Stuart and George Mason high schools, Arlington, VA

  • Sigma Theta Tau medical honor society, Fairfax, VA

 

Bookstores

  • Politics and Prose, Washington, D.C.

  • Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO

  • Common Good Books, St. Paul, MN

  • Garden District Book Shop, New Orleans, LA

  • One More Page Books, Arlington, VA

Festivals and Libraries

  • Bethesda Literary Festival, Bethesda, MD

  • Fall for the Book festival, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

  • Iowa State Fair (as part of the AARP The Magazine Roadshow), Des Moines, IA

  • Thompson Public Library, Manitoba, Canada (via Skype)

Non-profit Organizations

  • Cross-Cultural Solutions, New Rochelle, NY

  • Global Volunteers, Washington, D.C. and St. Paul, MN

  • Medical Missions Foundation, Kansas City, MO

  • Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Atlanta, GA and Baltimore, MD

Testimonials


“Ken Budd’s gift for writing is exceeded only by his ability to tell his stories out loud. His anecdotes are warm and funny and you feel like you’re the first to hear them. We would welcome Ken back to the store to talk about any new writing, or even just about how his day is going. Ken makes you so comfortable—you feel like you’ve invited him over for dinner, and boy does he have some good stories to share”

—Terry Nebeker, One More Page Books, Arlington, VA


“Perhaps the most difficult audience is a room of one’s peers. In Cardiff, Ken Budd keynoted Travel Classics Wales, a conference for some 60 top magazine editors and writers. He spoke without notes, without a podium, delivering his speech in an eloquent and conversational way. During it all, you could have heard a pin drop. After rousing applause, a few of the guests couldn’t wait and pulled out their cell phones to buy Ken’s book.”

—Maren Rudolph, President, Travel Classics Writers Conferences