We're used to expecting culture shock when we travel to a different country but what about when we return home? Sometimes it's a worse shock than when we travel, and we're not always prepared for it. This kind of reverse culture shock, or culture shock when you come home, is something my guests in Episode 139 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast have all experienced.

First up I chat with Talon Windwalker who like me lived abroad for about six years. After two years at home he's still having trouble settling back, something I can very much relate to as it took me many years to feel like I was happily at home again.

I then talk with Luke Mackin who, as a third culture kid who grew up in the Philippines with American parents, moved to the United States as a teenager and now lives with his family in Indonesia, finds it hard to decide what is home and what is "his" culture, meaning this whole culture shock issue can be really amplified.

Finally I speak with Jo Duggan who spent six months volunteering in a medical setting in rural Thailand. It was an incredibly different experience to her regular life in Australia, but one of the hardest parts, to Jo's surprise, was actually settling back home.

Links:
Next course for two weeks in June - “Start a personal travel blog” - add your email at traveljournalschool.com to get the info
Talon's blog 1 Dad 1 Kid - http://1dad1kid.com/
Talon on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/onedad1kid/
My post about "bragging" - I mentioned talking to Talon - https://www.notaballerina.com/2013/01/people-equate-talking-travels-bragging.html
Luke’s Wild Sumatra site and blog - https://www.wildsumatra.com/blog/ 
Jo and Jeremy’s website Coming Home Strong - http://www.cominghomestrong.com 
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/139

We're used to expecting culture shock when we travel to a different country but what about when we return home? Sometimes it's a worse shock than when we travel, and we're not always prepared for it. This kind of reverse culture shock, or culture shock when you come home, is something my guests in Episode 139 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast have all experienced.
First up I chat with Talon Windwalker who like me lived abroad for about six years. After two years at home he's still having trouble settling back, something I can very much relate to as it took me many years to feel like I was happily at home again.
I then talk with Luke Mackin who, as a third culture kid who grew up in the Philippines with American parents, moved to the United States as a teenager and now lives with his family in Indonesia, finds it hard to decide what is home and what is "his" culture, meaning this whole culture shock issue can be really amplified.
Finally I speak with Jo Duggan who spent six months volunteering in a medical setting in rural Thailand. It was an incredibly different experience to her regular life in Australia, but one of the hardest parts, to Jo's surprise, was actually settling back home.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Next course for two weeks in June - &ldquo;Start a personal travel blog&rdquo; - add your email at traveljournalschool.com to get the info</li>
<li>Talon's blog 1 Dad 1 Kid - http://1dad1kid.com/</li>
<li>Talon on Instagram - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/onedad1kid/">https://www.instagram.com/onedad1kid/</a></li>
<li>My post about "bragging" - I mentioned talking to Talon - <a href="https://www.notaballerina.com/2013/01/people-equate-talking-travels-bragging.html">https://www.notaballerina.com/2013/01/people-equate-talking-travels-bragging.html</a></li>
<li>Luke&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.wildsumatra.com/blog/">Wild Sumatra site and blog</a> - <a href="https://www.wildsumatra.com/blog/">https://www.wildsumatra.com/blog/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Jo and Jeremy&rsquo;s website Coming Home Strong - <a href="http://www.cominghomestrong.com">http://www.cominghomestrong.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers">https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers</a></li>
<li>Show notes: <a href="http://notaballerina.com/139">http://notaballerina.com/139</a></li>
</ul>

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast with Amanda Kendle is a show for travel lovers. Each episode is packed with travel stories from fellow travel addicts on topics like using foreign languages, meeting the locals, getting lost and what we learn from our travels.

Tales from travel-lovers about why we travel and what we learn from it.

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast with Amanda Kendle - established 2016 - helps travellers think about how our travels can be good for us and good for the world. We talk about how to make ethical decisions on our trips, sustainable and regenerative tourism, bringing back what we learn from the people and cultures we meet to improve our lives back home, and share the most memorable stories from travelling: fun, scary, educational and more. Most episodes include extracts from conversations with three different guests, centred on a particular topic, but you'll also hear occasional deep dive interviews, recordings from the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, and Amanda's own experiences from travelling past and present.

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast with Amanda Kendle - established 2016 - helps travellers think about how our travels can be good for us and good for the world. We talk about how to make ethical decisions on our trips, sustainable and regenerative tourism, bringing back what we learn from the people and cultures we meet to improve our lives back home, and share the most memorable stories from travelling: fun, scary, educational and more. Most episodes include extracts from conversations with three different guests, centred on a particular topic, but you'll also hear occasional deep dive interviews, recordings from the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, and Amanda's own experiences from travelling past and present.

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