One of the most memorable parts of travel is the people that we meet - not just the friends we make or the people we stay with but also the incidental encounters along the way. Speaking with people on our travels is one of the ways we learn the most about the places we're visiting and it's amazing how long these people stay in our minds, even when we don't know their names.

In this episode I share some of my own small but memorable encounters, as well as including stories from four guests. Eryn Gordon starts us off with a tale from Thailand, where the people are stereotypically friendly and she proves it to be true. Amy Willis then shares a place she goes where it's easy to make a connection with the local people wherever you are. Nomad Bianca Rappaport explains how she's managed to both make and maintain connections during her years of housesitting in many places around the world, and finally Heidi Brown highlights one of the big benefits of repeated visits to a beloved place.

Links:
Eryn Gordon’s website Earth to Editorial - https://earthtoeditorial.com/ 
Eryn's TEDx Talk on “What it means to be a good traveler” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps
Amy Willis from Ker & Downey https://kerdowney.com/
Amy's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amynwillis/ 
Bianca Rappaport Website: https://wanderwell.club/ 
Bianca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderwellclub -
Heidi Brown - https://www.heidikristinbrown.com/
Heidi’s memoir The Map I Draw: A Memoir of Travel as a Passport to Self - https://amzn.to/44Mky6T 
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/383

 

*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.

One of the most memorable parts of travel is the people that we meet - not just the friends we make or the people we stay with but also the incidental encounters along the way. Speaking with people on our travels is one of the ways we learn the most about the places we're visiting and it's amazing how long these people stay in our minds, even when we don't know their names.
In this episode I share some of my own small but memorable encounters, as well as including stories from four guests. Eryn Gordon starts us off with a tale from Thailand, where the people are stereotypically friendly and she proves it to be true. Amy Willis then shares a place she goes where it's easy to make a connection with the local people wherever you are. Nomad Bianca Rappaport explains how she's managed to both make and maintain connections during her years of housesitting in many places around the world, and finally Heidi Brown highlights one of the big benefits of repeated visits to a beloved place.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Eryn Gordon&rsquo;s website Earth to Editorial - <a href="https://earthtoeditorial.com/">https://earthtoeditorial.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Eryn's TEDx Talk on &ldquo;What it means to be a good traveler&rdquo; - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps</a></li>
<li>Amy Willis from Ker &amp; Downey <a href="https://kerdowney.com/">https://kerdowney.com/</a></li>
<li>Amy's Instagram - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amynwillis/">https://www.instagram.com/amynwillis/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Bianca Rappaport Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://wanderwell.club/">https://wanderwell.club/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Bianca Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wanderwellclub">https://www.instagram.com/wanderwellclub</a>&nbsp;-</li>
<li>Heidi Brown - <a href="https://www.heidikristinbrown.com/">https://www.heidikristinbrown.com/</a></li>
<li>Heidi&rsquo;s memoir The Map I Draw: A Memoir of Travel as a Passport to Self - <a href="https://amzn.to/44Mky6T">https://amzn.to/44Mky6T</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="https://notaballerina.com/383">https://notaballerina.com/383</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.

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.

383 Small Connections, Big Memories

We need some light relief in these tricky times and I found these stories just perfect! Finding love while you're travelling sounds like it belongs in a romantic comedy, but even those must be inspired by truth: this episode has stories from three couples who met in far-flung parts of the world, sometimes both far from home. If you think about all the decisions that led them to be in the same place at the same time, you have to really start thinking that fate is a thing!

First up I chat with Edward and Kim, who together tell the story of how they met - and later, how they became a couple and many years later, husband and wife - when Kim decided to head to Tanzania to do some volunteer work before going to graduate school.

Next, Hannah Balint explains how she was about to leave Vietnam after living and teaching there, and just a few weeks before her plane took off, she bumped into a handsome Australian in an unusual place.

Finally, I talk to my friend Shaney Hudson about how she originally met her Dutch husband. This tale also crosses many continents and it's pretty amazing that love always seems to win the day!

Links:
Edward Lyimo and Kim Krowne from Pristine Trails - https://pristinetrails.com/ 
Hannah Balint - https://www.hannahbalintcoaching.com 
And thanks to Shaney Hudson! 
Episode 212 - Honeymoons and Weddings - https://notaballerina.com/212 
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/382

We need some light relief in these tricky times and I found these stories just perfect! Finding love while you're travelling sounds like it belongs in a romantic comedy, but even those must be inspired by truth: this episode has stories from three couples who met in far-flung parts of the world, sometimes both far from home. If you think about all the decisions that led them to be in the same place at the same time, you have to really start thinking that fate is a thing!
First up I chat with Edward and Kim, who together tell the story of how they met - and later, how they became a couple and many years later, husband and wife - when Kim decided to head to Tanzania to do some volunteer work before going to graduate school.
Next, Hannah Balint explains how she was about to leave Vietnam after living and teaching there, and just a few weeks before her plane took off, she bumped into a handsome Australian in an unusual place.
Finally, I talk to my friend Shaney Hudson about how she originally met her Dutch husband. This tale also crosses many continents and it's pretty amazing that love always seems to win the day!
Links:
<ul>
<li>Edward Lyimo and Kim Krowne from Pristine Trails - <a href="https://pristinetrails.com/">https://pristinetrails.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Hannah Balint - <a href="https://www.hannahbalintcoaching.com">https://www.hannahbalintcoaching.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>And thanks to Shaney Hudson!&nbsp;</li>
<li>Episode 212 - Honeymoons and Weddings - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/212">https://notaballerina.com/212</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/382">https://notaballerina.com/382</a></li>
</ul>

382 Travel Meet Cutes

Various statistics suggest that more than half of travellers want to see animals when they travel: that's why we keep returning to the topic of animal tourism and how we can do this in ways that both keep humans interested in caring for animals but without doing too much harm - and while bearing in mind that for many communities, animal tourism can be a significant part of their economy. To sum up: it's tricky!

In this episode I get a bunch of different perspectives. I start with Eryn Gordon, a travel writer who visited Thailand and had her first encounter there with an animal sanctuary that was ethical on paper but made her question this when she was there in person - something that many tourists experience.

Next, I speak with safari guide Suyash Keshari, who has many years of experience working in tourism with tigers in India (and other animals around the world), and discusses the difficult balance of tourist behaviour that does and doesn't impact animals in ways that actually change their lives.

Finally, John Roberts takes us back a couple of decades to describe some of what was happening when the world first started to consider whether it was okay or not to train and tame elephants for tourism purposes, and some of the tricky elements of this in the Thai context in particular. 

Links:
Eryn Gordon’s website Earth to Editorial - https://earthtoeditorial.com/ 
Eryn's TEDx Talk on “What it means to be a good traveler” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps 
Suyash Keshari, Ameliya Safaris - https://ameliyasafaris.com/  
John Roberts, Group Director of Sustainability and Conservation, Minor Hotels -https://www.minorhotels.com/ 
Whither Captive Elephants? by Daniel Stiles - https://medium.com/@danielstiles/whither-captive-elephants-f4e70a36aff8 

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/381

Various statistics suggest that more than half of travellers want to see animals when they travel: that's why we keep returning to the topic of animal tourism and how we can do this in ways that both keep humans interested in caring for animals but without doing too much harm - and while bearing in mind that for many communities, animal tourism can be a significant part of their economy. To sum up: it's tricky!
In this episode I get a bunch of different perspectives. I start with Eryn Gordon, a travel writer who visited Thailand and had her first encounter there with an animal sanctuary that was ethical on paper but made her question this when she was there in person - something that many tourists experience.
Next, I speak with safari guide Suyash Keshari, who has many years of experience working in tourism with tigers in India (and other animals around the world), and discusses the difficult balance of tourist behaviour that does and doesn't impact animals in ways that actually change their lives.
Finally, John Roberts takes us back a couple of decades to describe some of what was happening when the world first started to consider whether it was okay or not to train and tame elephants for tourism purposes, and some of the tricky elements of this in the Thai context in particular.&nbsp;
Links:
<ul>
<li>Eryn Gordon&rsquo;s website Earth to Editorial - <a href="https://earthtoeditorial.com/">https://earthtoeditorial.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Eryn's TEDx Talk on &ldquo;What it means to be a good traveler&rdquo; - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Suyash Keshari, Ameliya Safaris - <a href="https://ameliyasafaris.com/">https://ameliyasafaris.com/</a> &nbsp;</li>
<li>John Roberts, Group Director of Sustainability and Conservation, Minor Hotels -<a href="https://www.minorhotels.com/">https://www.minorhotels.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Whither Captive Elephants? by Daniel Stiles - <a href="https://medium.com/@danielstiles/whither-captive-elephants-f4e70a36aff8">https://medium.com/@danielstiles/whither-captive-elephants-f4e70a36aff8</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers">https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers</a>
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - <a href="https://notaballerina.com/linkedin">https://notaballerina.com/linkedin</a>
Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - <a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com</a>&nbsp;
Show notes: <a href="http://notaballerina.com/381">https://notaballerina.com/381</a>

381 Elephants, Tigers and Responsible Animal Tourism

It's (somehow!) six years ago that we started to learn about this new virus and then find ourselves caught up in a global pandemic. While there were some truly tragic parts to that crisis, it turns out there were also some good results, too. Quite by chance recently, two guests in the space of a couple of days told me stories about huge changes in their lives brought about by their travels around Covid times, and these stories were so interesting I quickly decided to create a whole episode on the topic.

First up, I chat with Shannon O'Brien, an international school teacher who was actually working at a school in Shenzhen, China, at the start of 2020. During a school break for the Chinese New Year, Shannon flew to Sumatra, Indonesia, for a short holiday. Spoiler alert: it became a very long holiday!

I then speak with Eva Westerling, a German doctor who in 2019 had decided that it was time for a big change and was contemplating a permanent shift to Morocco. When the pandemic hit, she and her partner were in the earliest stages of setting up a tourism business in Morocco, and then of course, no tourists came. 

My final guest is Eryn Gordon, who was working a corporate job in the United States when the pandemic began, and she soon found herself out of work. Instead of laying low like many of us did during Covid times, Eryn instead decided to get a new qualification and move to the other side of the world, to work in Seoul, South Korea.

Links:
Shannon O’Brien - https://www.shannon-obrien.com/
Shannon’s memoir Stray - https://amzn.to/4bQdiKT 
Eva Westerling’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com
Eva’s tour business in Morocco, Berber Adventure Tours - https://berberadventuretours.com/ 
Eryn Gordon’s website Earth to Editorial - https://earthtoeditorial.com/ 
Eryn's TEDx Talk on “What it means to be a good traveler” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps
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/380

 

*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.

 

It's (somehow!) six years ago that we started to learn about this new virus and then find ourselves caught up in a global pandemic. While there were some truly tragic parts to that crisis, it turns out there were also some good results, too. Quite by chance recently, two guests in the space of a couple of days told me stories about huge changes in their lives brought about by their travels around Covid times, and these stories were so interesting I quickly decided to create a whole episode on the topic.
First up, I chat with Shannon O'Brien, an international school teacher who was actually working at a school in Shenzhen, China, at the start of 2020. During a school break for the Chinese New Year, Shannon flew to Sumatra, Indonesia, for a short holiday. Spoiler alert: it became a very long holiday!
I then speak with Eva Westerling, a German doctor who in 2019 had decided that it was time for a big change and was contemplating a permanent shift to Morocco. When the pandemic hit, she and her partner were in the earliest stages of setting up a tourism business in Morocco, and then of course, no tourists came.&nbsp;
My final guest is Eryn Gordon, who was working a corporate job in the United States when the pandemic began, and she soon found herself out of work. Instead of laying low like many of us did during Covid times, Eryn instead decided to get a new qualification and move to the other side of the world, to work in Seoul, South Korea.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Shannon O&rsquo;Brien - <a href="https://www.shannon-obrien.com/">https://www.shannon-obrien.com/</a></li>
<li>Shannon&rsquo;s memoir Stray - <a href="https://amzn.to/4bQdiKT">https://amzn.to/4bQdiKT</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Eva Westerling&rsquo;s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - <a href="http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com/">http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com</a></li>
<li>Eva&rsquo;s tour business in Morocco, Berber Adventure Tours - <a href="https://berberadventuretours.com/">https://berberadventuretours.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Eryn Gordon&rsquo;s website Earth to Editorial - <a href="https://earthtoeditorial.com/">https://earthtoeditorial.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Eryn's TEDx Talk on &ldquo;What it means to be a good traveler&rdquo; - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps</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/380">https://notaballerina.com/380</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.
&nbsp;

383 Small Connections, Big Memories

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