Forever curious — Blake McCoy has built a successful career as a broadcast journalist by traveling to new places, seeking out new people and questioning everything. Even the biggest news stories start with a tip or hunch. A journalist explores it from all angles until a story takes shape. That boundless curiosity is what makes travel Blake McCoy’s favorite pastime.
Blake McCoy’s career often takes him to exciting new locations covering events as they happen. Journalism rewards curiosity. In his off-time, Blake McCoy channels that innate curiosity into travel with assignments he gets to choose himself.
A California native, Blake McCoy grew up outside Los Angeles. His first travels were to explore new beaches, attend summer camp in the mountains of Big Bear and on weekend trips to places like Santa Barbara, Palm Springs and Catalina Island. As a teenager, Blake McCoy relocated with his family to Nevada and a small town outside Las Vegas rich in history. Founded by the federal government in the Great Depression, Boulder City was built to house workers constructing the Hoover Dam. Today, that dam creates Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States, responsible for generating power and allocating water for three states — Nevada, Arizona and California. The sprawling growth of Los Angeles, Blake McCoy’s first home, was made possible by the prior founding of Blake’s second home — a story revealed through travel (okay, a forced move) and endless curiosity.
As a journalist, Blake McCoy’s career has taken him to new homes across the United States. Blake McCoy’s first job in television took him to Boise, Idaho, known worldwide for potatoes but appreciated by those who live there for its mountains and access to the great outdoors. Blake’s next job returned him to Nevada, this time under the neon lights of Las Vegas. After three years back in Nevada, Blake traded triple-digit heat for sub-zero cold with a move to Minnesota and the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Blake fell in love with lake life, distinct seasons and the friendliness of people in the Midwest. He would go on to join NBC News as a national correspondent and requested to be based out of their Midwest bureau in Chicago. Blake McCoy also spent many years living in Washington, DC, which offered weekend trips to beach towns in Maryland and Delaware and day-trips hiking and rafting in West Virginia. Blake McCoy has close family in Hawaii and Texas, two places he also travels often.
Blake McCoy marked his first foray overseas studying a college semester abroad in Manchester, England. Living alone in a new country helped Blake develop the confidence to continue exploring. He spent several weeks during that time visiting friends studying in Egypt and Greece. Upon returning to the United States, Blake immediately enrolled in a winter break abroad, earning credit traveling Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava.
Since college, hardly a year has passed where Blake McCoy didn’t travel abroad. Italy and Spain meant exploring historic wonders like the Colosseum, Vatican and Sagrada Familia while indulging on mouthwatering cuisine. Blake McCoy traveled to the confluence of East and West in Istanbul, Turkey. In Israel, Blake walked the sacred steps of Old Jerusalem, floated in the Dead Sea and enjoyed beaches and nightlife of Tel Aviv.
Safari took Blake to Kenya and Tanzania. On a separate trip to South Africa, Blake McCoy visited Nelson Mandela’s prison cell. That visit coincided with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States and offered a poignant parallel to reflect on the history of racial injustice around the globe.
Standing in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, Blake McCoy examined a modern China’s hesitance to a more a globalized world. Blake explored the Forbidden City and walked along the Great Wall of China. On a visit to Hong Kong, Blake stood awe of the dazzling skyscrapers and a vibrant modern culture just before violent clashes and government clampdowns by Beijing.
On two trips to Colombia, Blake McCoy examined history through walking tours of graffiti-art that lines streets of Bogota. The walking tour of vibrant colors continued with a trip to the coast, within the old fort walls Cartagena. For his 32nd birthday, Blake McCoy drove with friends along Australia’s Great Ocean Road, taking in the breathtaking natural scenery. Sydney and Melbourne are two of Blake’s favorite cities anywhere in the world to visit.
Other notable travels have taken Blake McCoy to Greece, Malta, Thailand, Denmark, Germany and Costa Rica. He welcomes any discussion about travel and would love tips from your own journeys!