One of my favourite outings in Bangkok last month was heading north to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic city of Ayutthaya for a day, together with my friend Vincie. Since we are both deeply into contemplating thoughtful travel - Vincie is the founder of RISE Travel Institute - we decided to record a chat about our experiences in Ayutthaya through a "thoughtful travel lens". We report the good and the bad and our conversation ranges from sustainabilty practices through tourist education and on to wildlife protection as well, and we also have a lot of fun reminiscing - so hope you enjoy this conversation too.

Links:
Ep 368 Bangkok Trip Diary and Thoughtful Travel Scorecard - notaballerina.com/368
RISE Travel Institute - risetravelinstitute.org 
Retouch Ayutthaya app - https://www.retouchayutthaya.com/ 
Ep 252 RISE Capstone project: Elephants Are Many Shades of Grey - notaballerina.com/252 
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com 
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/372

One of my favourite outings in Bangkok last month was heading north to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic city of Ayutthaya for a day, together with my friend Vincie. Since we are both deeply into contemplating thoughtful travel - Vincie is the founder of RISE Travel Institute - we decided to record a chat about our experiences in Ayutthaya through a "thoughtful travel lens". We report the good and the bad and our conversation ranges from sustainabilty practices through tourist education and on to wildlife protection as well, and we also have a lot of fun reminiscing - so hope you enjoy this conversation too.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Ep 368 Bangkok Trip Diary and Thoughtful Travel Scorecard - <a href="http://notaballerina.com/368">notaballerina.com/368</a></li>
<li>RISE Travel Institute - <a href="http://risetravelinstitute.org">risetravelinstitute.org</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Retouch Ayutthaya app - <a href="https://www.retouchayutthaya.com/">https://www.retouchayutthaya.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ep 252 RISE Capstone project: Elephants Are Many Shades of Grey - <a href="http://notaballerina.com/252">notaballerina.com/252</a>&nbsp;</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>Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack -<a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/"> https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Show notes:<a href="http://notaballerina.com/372"> https://notaballerina.com/372</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 - is a weekly show which 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 - is a weekly show which 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.

372 Ayutthaya, Thailand: Visiting Thoughtfully

The end of 2025 is imminent and it's time to look back on our discussions and travels and then get ready for a thoughtful and fun 2026! In this episode I'll tell you which episodes were the most downloaded during 2025 and share some other podcast highlights.

And then it'll be crystal ball time: what will 2026 bring us? Listeners have weighed in with some of their concrete travel plans as well as some ideas that they're not quite sure about yet; and because 2026 will be the 10th anniversary of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'll let you know about some exciting plans I have for celebrating this milestone.

Thanks to all my wonderful listeners and community members of thoughtful travellers - both for listening to episodes every week and for all your discussions and feedback. I'm so lucky to have you all! Happy New Year and wishing you all safe and thoughtful travels in 2026.

Links:
Get podcast merch - https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-thoughtful-travel-podcast
Substack subscription - listener and community special of 50% off Substack https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=00e800ba or https://www.notaballerina.com/half 
Hannah Kent's book Always Home, Always Homesick - https://amzn.to/49xigL6 
Event link for our February 2026 book club with Hannah Kent - https://www.facebook.com/events/884742791192736 
Book Club info also available at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/
RISE Travel Institute's Experiential Journey https://www.risetravelinstitute.org/rise-experiential-journey
Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning Podcast - https://uktravelplanning.com/ 
Barefoot Backpacker - Travel Tales from Beyond the Brochure - https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/ 
Michael Jensen - Brent and Michael are Going Places -https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/ 
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com 
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/376

 

*Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program
NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The end of 2025 is imminent and it's time to look back on our discussions and travels and then get ready for a thoughtful and fun 2026! In this episode I'll tell you which episodes were the most downloaded during 2025 and share some other podcast highlights.
And then it'll be crystal ball time: what will 2026 bring us? Listeners have weighed in with some of their concrete travel plans as well as some ideas that they're not quite sure about yet; and because 2026 will be the 10th anniversary of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'll let you know about some exciting plans I have for celebrating this milestone.
Thanks to all my wonderful listeners and community members of thoughtful travellers - both for listening to episodes every week and for all your discussions and feedback. I'm so lucky to have you all! Happy New Year and wishing you all safe and thoughtful travels in 2026.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Get podcast merch - <a href="https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-thoughtful-travel-podcast">https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-thoughtful-travel-podcast</a></li>
<li>Substack subscription - listener and community special of 50% off Substack <a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=00e800ba">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=00e800ba</a> or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.notaballerina.com/half">https://www.notaballerina.com/half</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Hannah Kent's book Always Home, Always Homesick - <a href="https://amzn.to/49xigL6">https://amzn.to/49xigL6</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Event link for our February 2026 book club with Hannah Kent - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/884742791192736">https://www.facebook.com/events/884742791192736</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Book Club info also available at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/</li>
<li>RISE Travel Institute's Experiential Journey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.risetravelinstitute.org/rise-experiential-journey">https://www.risetravelinstitute.org/rise-experiential-journey</a></li>
<li>Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning Podcast - <a href="https://uktravelplanning.com/">https://uktravelplanning.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Barefoot Backpacker - Travel Tales from Beyond the Brochure - <a href="https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/">https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Michael Jensen - Brent and Michael are Going Places -<a href="https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/">https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/</a>&nbsp;</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>Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - <a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Show notes: <a href="https://notaballerina.com/376">https://notaballerina.com/376</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
*Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

376 All Aboard for 2026 Travels!

Chris Christensen had the foresight to start a travel podcast before almost anyone had even heard of podcasts - way back in 2005. The Amateur Traveler podcast is still going strong - and is approaching its one thousandth episode. 

Chris and I chatted about the evolution of podcasting in general and the Amateur Traveler specifically, his approach to life now that he has retired from his 'day job' to the podcast, and what he thinks it means to be a thoughtful traveller.

Links:
Amateur Traveler - https://amateurtraveler.com/ 
Chris's previous appearances back in Episode 40 - https://notaballerina.com/40 and Episode 32 - https://notaballerina.com/32 
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com 
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/375

Chris Christensen had the foresight to start a travel podcast before almost anyone had even heard of podcasts - way back in 2005. The Amateur Traveler podcast is still going strong - and is approaching its one thousandth episode.&nbsp;
Chris and I chatted about the evolution of podcasting in general and the Amateur Traveler specifically, his approach to life now that he has retired from his 'day job' to the podcast, and what he thinks it means to be a thoughtful traveller.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Amateur Traveler - <a href="https://amateurtraveler.com/">https://amateurtraveler.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Chris's previous appearances back in Episode 40 - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/40">https://notaballerina.com/40</a> and Episode 32 - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/32">https://notaballerina.com/32</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>Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/linkedin">https://notaballerina.com/linkedin</a></li>
<li>Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - <a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Show notes: <a href="http://notaballerina.com/375">https://notaballerina.com/375</a></li>
</ul>

375 Chris Christensen: Deep Dive into Travel Podcasting

When I learnt that past guest Renae Ninneman runs a business providing cultural intelligence assessments and intercultural training I was immediately fascinated. And when Renae offered to guide me through a CQ - cultural intelligence - assessment complete with a debrief, and was happy to record it so I could share some on the podcast, I was thrilled!

Cultural differences have captivated me particularly strongly since I began teaching in Japan in 2001, when I had a perfect opportunity to learn many of the nuances of cultural differences in my conversational lessons with students. 

In this episode, Renae discusses the results of my CQ assessment and we also talk about what to do with this knowledge - taking it beyond just a point of interest to help with communication in all kinds of situations, including when meeting people of different cultures on your travels.

Links:
Renae Ninneman - Beyond Tourism: Cultural Travel and Training - https://www.goingbeyondtourism.com/  
Renae on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goingbeyondtourism 
Renae on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@beyond_tourism 
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com 
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/374

 

When I learnt that past guest Renae Ninneman runs a business providing cultural intelligence assessments and intercultural training I was immediately fascinated. And when Renae offered to guide me through a CQ - cultural intelligence - assessment complete with a debrief, and was happy to record it so I could share some on the podcast, I was thrilled!
Cultural differences have captivated me particularly strongly since I began teaching in Japan in 2001, when I had a perfect opportunity to learn many of the nuances of cultural differences in my conversational lessons with students.&nbsp;
In this episode, Renae discusses the results of my CQ assessment and we also talk about what to do with this knowledge - taking it beyond just a point of interest to help with communication in all kinds of situations, including when meeting people of different cultures on your travels.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Renae Ninneman - Beyond Tourism: Cultural Travel and Training - <a href="https://www.goingbeyondtourism.com/">https://www.goingbeyondtourism.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Renae on Instagram - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/goingbeyondtourism">https://www.instagram.com/goingbeyondtourism</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Renae on TikTok - <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@beyond_tourism">https://www.tiktok.com/@beyond_tourism</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>Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/linkedin">https://notaballerina.com/linkedin</a></li>
<li>Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - <a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Show notes: <a href="http://notaballerina.com/374">https://notaballerina.com/374</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

372 Ayutthaya, Thailand: Visiting Thoughtfully

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