DBTV’s interview with Karen LeBlanc, creator and host of “The Design Tourist,” reveals her unique travel philosophy, the inspiration behind the show, and how you can become a Design Tourist too.
Ever wondered what it means to be a Design Tourist? An interview with DBTV which airs The Design Tourist travel show Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 pm-9pm and streams the series on its network, available on Roku, Amazon Fire and most streaming platforms.
DBTV interviewed host, Karen LeBlanc, aka The Design Tourist, an award-winning travel journalist, about the origins of her travel series and her passion for connecting viewers with the history, heritage and culture of a place.
Why travel as a Design Tourist?
My motto is Stay Curious and Stay Inspired because travel stimulates the mind, engages the senses, and inspires creativity. Travel can be your muse and teacher by pushing you outside your comfort zone and challenging ways of being and seeing the world. Travel gives me a sense of history, perspective, and place in the universe and time.
Exploring a country through its legacy of craft tells a story in a way that traditional tourism cannot. It’s a different way to travel— by meeting artisans and craftspeople, you can learn a lot about the people, the country, and the culture through their creativity that goes way beyond surface sightseeing.
What differentiates The Design Tourist travel show from other travel programs?
In each episode, I don’t just hit the popular or known highlights of a destination, I explore its creative soul and humanity. My show is not a travel report or documentary but rather a journey in which I invite viewers to come along as I share my personal encounters and transformative experiences.
I believe that craft connects us to the past and gives us an appreciation of the present. I’ve spent the past decade trying to draw attention to artists and another way to travel that immerses you into the cultural fabric of a place where its history, heritage, and traditions are expressed in craft.
How do your life philosophy and worldview inform your travels?
I believe that the world is big and life is short. Travel pushes us beyond our comfort zone and opens our hearts and minds to other ways of being and seeing the world. My passion and purpose is to foster an appreciation of art and culture, crossing language and geographical boundaries to connect in the beautiful parts of shared humanity. That is why I’ve dedicated my journalism and TV career to travel.
I’m drawn to destinations where I can venture beyond surface sightseeing to make meaningful connections with the culture and discover experiences that push me out of my comfort zone.
The Design Tourist is a different type of traveler who detours from guidebook recommendations to meet artisans, craftspeople, and makers who express history and heritage through art and craft. Creativity speaks a common language that transcends geographical and language barriers to open our hearts and minds to different ways of being and seeing the world.
How did your background lead you to create The Design Tourist travel show?
I started out in television as a news reporter and anchor with an insatiable curiosity about people and places beyond my world. Over the years, I have continued to work as a national TV Host with two decades of experience writing and producing lifestyle and news content. I appear as a regular on-air guest host as Home Shopping Network (HSN) and I have appeared in numerous TV commercials and several films.
Through The Design Tourist show, I hope to inspire viewers to become design tourists themselves – to travel deeper and make personal connections through the beautiful lens of cultural artisanship. Whether exploring nearby or venturing across the globe, looking at a destination through its crafts provides a fascinating window into the people, history and living traditions. Tune in to be inspired by these different ways of traveling and experiencing the world.
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