A human connection - whether it’s brief and in passing, or deeper and more lasting, is a wonderful side product of travelling in another country. Those connections help us learn so much more than a guidebook or top ten list can ever tell us, and are often the most memorable parts of a trip. Sometimes a language barrier prevents this connection and so in Episode 277 we talk about the ways knowing a local language, whether just a few words or fluently, can make a huge difference to the quality of your experience.

As well as fabulous anecdotes shared by members Anuj, Justin and Carolanna, members of the Thoughtful Travellers community, I also speak with three guests. Eliza Raymond summarises perfectly how a common language is so connecting, and then James Patterson gives a great example of learning some words of local language during his stays on Orkney. Finally, Kayra Martinez, who’s spent a lot of time studying many languages, discusses the value of language learning not just amongst travellers but amongst refugees as well, in the context of a northern Greece refugee camp where she’s spent a lot of time working. Throughout the episode I also make mention of some of the academic research on the topic, carried out by Portuguese researchers.

Links:
Eliza Raymond - Good Travel - https://www.good-travel.org/
James Patterson - https://www.jrpatterson.ca
Kayra Martinez - http://lovewithoutborders4refugees.com/
Research from Ines Carvalho
Carvalho, I. (2021). "You can see both sides of the coin" -  how the pursuit of language skills influences the travel experience. Tourism Recreation Research, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1894044
Carvalho, I., & Sheppard, V. (2022). Memorable experiences in language travel. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 22(2), 149-163. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584211013866
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/277

A human connection - whether it’s brief and in passing, or deeper and more lasting, is a wonderful side product of travelling in another country. Those connections help us learn so much more than a guidebook or top ten list can ever tell us, and are often the most memorable parts of a trip. Sometimes a language barrier prevents this connection and so in Episode 277 we talk about the ways knowing a local language, whether just a few words or fluently, can make a huge difference to the quality of your experience.
As well as fabulous anecdotes shared by members Anuj, Justin and Carolanna, members of the Thoughtful Travellers community, I also speak with three guests. Eliza Raymond summarises perfectly how a common language is so connecting, and then James Patterson gives a great example of learning some words of local language during his stays on Orkney. Finally, Kayra Martinez, who’s spent a lot of time studying many languages, discusses the value of language learning not just amongst travellers but amongst refugees as well, in the context of a northern Greece refugee camp where she’s spent a lot of time working. Throughout the episode I also make mention of some of the academic research on the topic, carried out by Portuguese researchers.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Eliza Raymond - Good Travel - <a href="https://www.good-travel.org/">https://www.good-travel.org/</a> </li>
<li>James Patterson - <a href="https://www.jrpatterson.ca/">https://www.jrpatterson.ca</a></li>
<li>Kayra Martinez - <a href="http://lovewithoutborders4refugees.com/">http://lovewithoutborders4refugees.com/</a></li>
<li>Research from Ines Carvalho</li>
<li>Carvalho, I. (2021). "You can see both sides of the coin" -  how the pursuit of language skills influences the travel experience. Tourism Recreation Research, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-13. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1894044">https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1894044</a></li>
<li>Carvalho, I., &amp; Sheppard, V. (2022). Memorable experiences in language travel. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 22(2), 149-163. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584211013866">https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584211013866</a> </li>
<li>Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers">https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers</a></li>
<li>Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/linkedin">https://notaballerina.com/linkedin</a></li>
<li>Show notes: <a href="http://notaballerina.com/277">https://notaballerina.com/277</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.

Advertisement