If you don't get to really meet the people of a country, have you really been there?

Some of my first significant travel moments involved a lot of immersion with local people - from a school language trip aged 14, staying with three different families across Germany without a fellow Aussie friend in the home with me, to living and teaching English in Japan, meeting dozens of new Japanese people every day. I guess that's meant I learnt fast just how much more you can learn about a place when you take as many chances as possible to chat to locals, so it's really ingrained in all my travels now.

And it turns out I'm not alone, of course. The three guests on Episode 141 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast value a good chat with a local as much as I do.

First up I speak to Seng Mah, who describes a recent experience in India where he got more involved in an Indian wrestling hall than one would expect - but it was a great experience!

Next I chat with Kim Yuhl who is slow travelling around the world as a digital nomad these days, and we discussed her experiences in developing a community during her stay in Guatemala City.

Finally, Joanne Karcz tells me about a number of interesting interactions she had with Iranian women on her recent trip to Iran, the kinds of conversations you don't have unless you actively seek them out.

Links:

• Travel Journal School is running again - traveljournalschool.com - the next course for two weeks in June is “Start a personal travel blog”
• Seng Mah at Venture Photography - https://www.venturephotography.com.au
• Kim’s site Nomading About - https://www.nomadingabout.com
• Nomading About Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_pZyS0KMSY6orTWAsSEAA 
• Joanne’s site Travel with Joanne - https://www.travelwithjoanne.com/   
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers -  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/141