The Pod Well Travelled team Penny Thomas, Stephen Scourfield and Megan French tackle the great outdoors in a new episode of their Packing Series.

Penny seeks packing tips ahead of her trip to Japan to hike one of the world’s premier spiritual roads — the Kumano Kodō, ancient pilgrimage routes which crisscross the Kii Peninsula.

Outdoors-man travel editor Stephen and fashion writer Megan present a brief overview on the history of outdoor gear and how fabrications evolved as popularity for hiking and outdoor exploring gained momentum throughout time.

From the importance of layering to what a hiking day pack should contain, the trio cover extensive ground on the topic.

+ Subscribe and listen to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.

+ Sign up for eTravel via thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.

The Pod Well Travelled team Penny Thomas, Stephen Scourfield and Megan French tackle the great outdoors in a new episode of their Packing Series.
Penny seeks packing tips ahead of her trip to Japan to hike one of the world’s premier spiritual roads — the Kumano Kodō, ancient pilgrimage routes which crisscross the Kii Peninsula.
Outdoors-man travel editor Stephen and fashion writer Megan present a brief overview on the history of outdoor gear and how fabrications evolved as popularity for hiking and outdoor exploring gained momentum throughout time.
From the importance of layering to what a hiking day pack should contain, the trio cover extensive ground on the topic.
+ Subscribe and <a href="https://omny.fm/shows/the-pod-well-travelled/playlists/podcast">listen</a> to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.
+ Sign up for eTravel via <a href="https://thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences">thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences</a>. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.

A weekly podcast with Travel Editor Stephen Scourfield and the West Travel Club Team, filled with travel news and stories, in conversation and through the speech and sounds we collect on the road.

A weekly podcast with Travel Editor Stephen Scourfield and the West Travel Club Team, filled with travel news and stories, in conversation and through the speech and sounds we collect on the road.

The Pod Well Travelled

Welcome to The Pod Well Travelled's dedicated Packing Series, where we provide practical tips to help you pack smarter, travel lighter and say goodbye to any luggage-related woes you might come up against when packing.

Welcome to The Pod Well Travelled's dedicated Packing Series, where we provide practical tips to help you pack smarter, travel lighter and say goodbye to any luggage-related woes you might come up against when packing.

The Pod Well Travelled | Packing Series

PACKING SERIES | What to pack for an outdoor adventure

From building schools in remote villages to conserving wildlife habitats, volunteer tourism promises to be an enriching way to travel. But how can you be sure the work you’re doing is really helping?

During today’s show, we cover the key things you need to know when it comes to travelling with a purpose, like how to choose responsible programs, the impact of the work you’re doing, plus the personal rewards and challenges of this growing trend.

We also hear from Valentina Raffel, who shares her insights on responsible volunteering and the establishment of her organisation, Statera Community. 

Subscribe to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.

Sign up for eTravel via thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.

From building schools in remote villages to conserving wildlife habitats, volunteer tourism promises to be an enriching way to travel. But how can you be sure the work you’re doing is really helping?
During today’s show, we cover the key things you need to know when it comes to travelling with a purpose, like how to choose responsible programs, the impact of the work you’re doing, plus the personal rewards and challenges of this growing trend.
We also hear from Valentina Raffel, who shares her insights on responsible volunteering and the establishment of her organisation, Statera Community. 
Subscribe to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.
Sign up for eTravel via <a href="https://thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences">thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences</a>. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.

Voluntourism & travelling for a cause

On this week’s episode, Penny Thomas, Megan French and Stephen Scourfield recap the recent Jackets Of The World exhibition, which took place in Fremantle last month and featured over 50 hand-sewn jackets from Stephen’s travels.

During the show, we also hear a special live recording from the event, where Stephen performed a moving piece about Africa accompanied by the captivating rhythms of musician and composer Steve Richter.
Subscribe to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.
Sign up for eTravel via thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.

On this week’s episode, Penny Thomas, Megan French and Stephen Scourfield recap the recent Jackets Of The World exhibition, which took place in Fremantle last month and featured over 50 hand-sewn jackets from Stephen’s travels.
During the show, we also hear a special live recording from the event, where Stephen performed a moving piece about Africa accompanied by the captivating rhythms of musician and composer Steve Richter.
<ul>
<li>Subscribe to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.</li>
<li>Sign up for eTravel via <a href="https://thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences">thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences</a>. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.</li>
</ul>

Words, music and jackets of the world

Earlier this month, Old Customs House in Fremantle was transformed into a vibrant gallery for Stephen Scourfield’s Jackets Of The World exhibition, which featured an impressive collection of hand-sewn denim jackets that Stephen stitched together with fabrics, tapestries and other bits and bobs he’s collected from his travels.

As part of the two-day event, The Pod Well Travelled hosts Penny Thomas and Megan French recorded a live Q&A session with Stephen, where they answered questions from the audience on a wide range of travel-related topics, including insurance options for over-80s, the challenges and benefits of travelling solo, plus age limits for car rentals and why you should consider booking direct with certain travel companies to avoid hidden costs.

They also discuss the Jackets Of The World exhibition, with Stephen sharing details on how he sourced many of the unique materials on display and the emotional significance behind each piece.

Thank you to everyone who attended the live podcast recording during the Jackets Of The World exhibition. It was a pleasure to see you, and we thank you for coming.

As promised, below are the links we reference throughout this week’s show.

Insurance options for over-80s

+ Consider companies like NIB, COTA or Chubb.

+ Comparetravelinsurance.com.au is Australia’s leading comparison site solely focused on travel insurance.

+ Probus Clubs are clubs for retired or semi-retired people that often provide good insurance for their members. It’s also worth noting that you can get insurance through Probus, even if you’re not a full member.



Quality tour operators we recommend using, especially for solo travellers 

+ Of course, our own West Travel Club tours are great for solo travellers.

+ Another nice little company based here in Western Australia is called Travel with Me (TWME). They cater to individuals, couples, friends and groups.

+ If you’re after a European tour specialist, Albatross Tours are brilliant at what they do.

+ Intrepid Travel is another reputable company from Australia that provide small group tours in over 100 countries that we can happily recommend.

+ Collette offer an incredible range of small group tours. They are a third generation family-owned business and the longest-running tour operator in North America, with a history dating back to 1918.

+ To get the latest travel deals and offers, the best thing you can do is sign up to the newsletters of preferred travel companies.



Travel Tips for ageing travellers

+ Listen to our previous podcast episode on how to survive a long-haul flight here.

+ Consider train travel. Europe, the US, India and Australia all have great train journeys. Broadly speaking, there are two main types of train journeys — the sort where you buy a pass or ticket to get from A to B and touring trains.

+ River cruising in Europe is a really good way to see a lot, really easily.

+ Travelling to Vietnam has never been easier or more affordable with both VietJet Air and Vietnam Airlines flying direct between Perth and Ho Chi Minh City. If you do, consider visiting Hoi An and Hanoi, they offer more charm than Ho Chi Minh.

Car Hire and International Driving Permits

Read Stephen Scourfield’s story on navigating car hire & its many pitfalls here.



THE POD WELL TRAVELLED 
Subscribe to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.
Sign up for eTravel via thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.

Earlier this month, Old Customs House in Fremantle was transformed into a vibrant gallery for Stephen Scourfield’s Jackets Of The World exhibition, which featured an impressive collection of hand-sewn denim jackets that Stephen stitched together with fabrics, tapestries and other bits and bobs he’s collected from his travels.
As part of the two-day event, The Pod Well Travelled hosts Penny Thomas and Megan French recorded a live Q&amp;A session with Stephen, where they answered questions from the audience on a wide range of travel-related topics, including insurance options for over-80s, the challenges and benefits of travelling solo, plus age limits for car rentals and why you should consider booking direct with certain travel companies to avoid hidden costs.
They also discuss the Jackets Of The World exhibition, with Stephen sharing details on how he sourced many of the unique materials on display and the emotional significance behind each piece.
Thank you to everyone who attended the live podcast recording during the Jackets Of The World exhibition. It was a pleasure to see you, and we thank you for coming.
As promised, below are the links we reference throughout this week’s show.
Insurance options for over-80s
+ Consider companies like <a href="https://www.nibtravelinsurance.com.au/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwxsm3BhDrARIsAMtVz6N4-LBeT2uqlHhc4cE7jR-Ui_guzD54YX2RpuhUVY7ybrKYsdvGnUsaAuFAEALw_wcB">NIB</a>, <a href="https://www.cota.com.au/insurance/travel/">COTA</a> or <a href="https://www.chubbtravelinsurance.com.au/cti/au-en/home.html.html">Chubb</a>.
+ <a href="https://www.comparetravelinsurance.com.au/">Comparetravelinsurance.com.au</a> is Australia’s leading comparison site solely focused on travel insurance.
+ Probus Clubs are clubs for retired or semi-retired people that often provide good insurance for their members. It’s also worth noting that you can get insurance through Probus, even if you’re not a full member.
 
Quality tour operators we recommend using, especially for solo travellers 
+ Of course, our own <a href="https://westtravelclub.com.au/tours">West Travel Club</a> tours are great for solo travellers.
+ Another nice little company based here in Western Australia is called <a href="https://www.travelwithme.com.au/">Travel with Me (TWME)</a>. They cater to individuals, couples, friends and groups.
+ If you’re after a European tour specialist<a href="https://www.albatrosstours.com.au/?source=GoogleSearchNetwork&amp;device=c&amp;campaign=21223500898&amp;adgroup=166667038252&amp;keyword=albatross%20tours&amp;matchtype=e&amp;placement=&amp;adposition=&amp;location=9070540&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwxsm3BhDrARIsAMtVz6O1ZrmrQ-iZprCeVr_Ake6C5g9I-R--5mtvNOrVA_kyoeKF-e2lH5MaAl02EALw_wcB">, Albatross Tours</a> are brilliant at what they do.
+ <a href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwxsm3BhDrARIsAMtVz6MY_A68mg5R7DQ-au38U78OOISYAJcKe3tg2p-To_AKjEZs3QXuQmMaAu89EALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Intrepid Travel</a> is another reputable company from Australia that provide small group tours in over 100 countries that we can happily recommend.
+ <a href="https://www.gocollette.com/en-au">Collette</a> offer an incredible range of small group tours. They are a third generation family-owned business and the longest-running tour operator in North America, with a history dating back to 1918.
+ To get the latest travel deals and offers, the best thing you can do is sign up to the newsletters of preferred travel companies.
 
Travel Tips for ageing travellers
+ Listen to our previous podcast episode on how to survive a long-haul flight <a href="https://thewest.com.au/news/travel/packing-guide-for-long-haul-flights-c-15460418">here.</a>
+ Consider train travel. Europe, the US, India and Australia all have great train journeys. Broadly speaking, there are two main types of train journeys — the sort where you buy a pass or ticket to get from A to B and touring trains.
+ River cruising in Europe is a really good way to see a lot, really easily.
+ Travelling to Vietnam has never been easier or more affordable with both VietJet Air and Vietnam Airlines flying direct between Perth and Ho Chi Minh City. If you do, consider visiting Hoi An and Hanoi, they offer more charm than Ho Chi Minh.
Car Hire and International Driving Permits
<a href="https://thewest.com.au/travel/navigating-car-hire-its-many-pifalls-c-9819261">Read Stephen Scourfield’s story on navigating car hire &amp; its many pitfalls here.</a>
 
THE POD WELL TRAVELLED 
<ul>
<li>Subscribe to The Pod Well Travelled where you get your podcasts — and share it to your family and friends.</li>
<li>Sign up for eTravel via <a href="https://thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences">thewest.com.au/manage-email-preferences</a>. It’s our free digital edition of travel that gets delivered to your inbox once a week and is full of new stories, fresh podcast episodes, upcoming events and more.</li>
</ul>

PACKING SERIES | What to pack for an outdoor adventure

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