Do you have an unstoppable urge to travel? You are not alone! In Episode 77 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with two fellow travel-lovers who just feel they must travel, as much as possible. To start off with, I chat with Matt Eakin of Himalayan Schoolies, who started his real travelling adventures age 17, with no particular plan other than that he should catch a plane and go somewhere new with the expectation that something amazing would happen. Of course, he was right! With Yasmin Newman, we talk about the influence of our families on our unstoppable urge to travel, and our fervent desire to pass this urge on to our children as well. Yasmin says that travel and her life trajectory are inseparably intertwined and I have to say the same is true of mine. Links:
Matt’s site Himalayan Schoolies - https://himalayanschoolies.com/
Yasmin’s website - https://www.yasminnewman.com
Yasmin’s new book, The Desserts of New York (And How To Eat Them All) - http://amzn.to/2shtR9u
Yasmin’s first book, 7,000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines - http://amzn.to/2ucVBNB Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellersTweet me @amandakendleHashtag #thoughtfultravelpodFollow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina   Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/77

<div>Do you have an unstoppable urge to travel? You are not alone! In Episode 77 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with two fellow travel-lovers who just feel they must travel, as much as possible.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>To start off with, I chat with Matt Eakin of Himalayan Schoolies, who started his real travelling adventures age 17, with no particular plan other than that he should catch a plane and go somewhere new with the expectation that something amazing would happen. Of course, he was right!</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>With Yasmin Newman, we talk about the influence of our families on our unstoppable urge to travel, and our fervent desire to pass this urge on to our children as well. Yasmin says that travel and her life trajectory are inseparably intertwined and I have to say the same is true of mine.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><strong>Links:</strong></div>
<ul>
<li>Matt&rsquo;s site Himalayan Schoolies - <a href="http://himalayanschoolies.com/">https://himalayanschoolies.com/</a></li>
<li>Yasmin&rsquo;s website - <a href="https://www.yasminnewman.com/">https://www.yasminnewman.com</a></li>
<li>Yasmin&rsquo;s new book, The Desserts of New York (And How To Eat Them All) - <a href="http://amzn.to/2shtR9u">http://amzn.to/2shtR9u</a></li>
<li>Yasmin&rsquo;s first book, 7,000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines - <a href="http://amzn.to/2ucVBNB">http://amzn.to/2ucVBNB</a></li>
</ul>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Join our Facebook group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers">https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers</a></div>
<div>Tweet me @amandakendle</div>
<div>Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod</div>
<div>Follow me on Facebook at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina">https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>
<div>Show notes: <a href="http://notaballerina.com/77">http://notaballerina.com/77</a></div>

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.

<p>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.</p>

77 - The Unstoppable Urge to Travel

I last saw South Korea's fabulous capital Seoul way back in 2002, so when my 15-year-old son spotted a great flight price in November I was very keen to take him there! This podcast episode reports back on our week in Seoul, and I even persuaded my son to come on and chat about our trip, too. 

I'm a big believer in being a thoughtful traveller in all phases of a trip, so in this episode I start off explaining the three things I did to prepare for our trip (at short notice - we booked a fortnight before we left) - and they do not involve planning a day-by-day itinerary. My son Ruben and I then chat about some of our favourite parts of the trip, including the best day out, most delicious meal and our most fun shopping experiences. I give us a rating on the thoughtful travel scorecard and then finish up by explaining our budget - for once I had all the figures to hand and several people had asked me. Listen and tell me if you think our budget was appropriate or not!

Links: 
Korea travel reading list - https://amzn.to/45Oxn0l
Ruben’s YouTube channel of Pro Clubs (FIFA) gaming, Reginald Ramen - https://www.youtube.com/@ReginaldRamen  
The best moments of my trip to South Korea were not on my itinerary - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/the-best-moments-of-my-trip-to-south 
PLK Travel for DMZ Tour - https://www.plktravel.com 
My Seoul Map - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1s8N441QUJAOnjRQUMH0X9D6H6unt6cU&usp=sharing
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/378

 

*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.

<p>I last saw South Korea's fabulous capital Seoul way back in 2002, so when my 15-year-old son spotted a great flight price in November I was very keen to take him there! This podcast episode reports back on our week in Seoul, and I even persuaded my son to come on and chat about our trip, too.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I'm a big believer in being a thoughtful traveller in all phases of a trip, so in this episode I start off explaining the three things I did to prepare for our trip (at short notice - we booked a fortnight before we left) - and they do not involve planning a day-by-day itinerary. My son Ruben and I then chat about some of our favourite parts of the trip, including the best day out, most delicious meal and our most fun shopping experiences. I give us a rating on the thoughtful travel scorecard and then finish up by explaining our budget - for once I had all the figures to hand and several people had asked me. Listen and tell me if you think our budget was appropriate or not!</p>
<p><strong>Links:</strong>&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>Korea travel reading list - <a href="https://amzn.to/45Oxn0l">https://amzn.to/45Oxn0l</a></li>
<li>Ruben&rsquo;s YouTube channel of Pro Clubs (FIFA) gaming, Reginald Ramen - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ReginaldRamen">https://www.youtube.com/@ReginaldRamen</a> &nbsp;</li>
<li>The best moments of my trip to South Korea were not on my itinerary - <a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/the-best-moments-of-my-trip-to-south">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/the-best-moments-of-my-trip-to-south</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>PLK Travel for DMZ Tour - <a href="https://www.plktravel.com">https://www.plktravel.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>My Seoul Map - <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1s8N441QUJAOnjRQUMH0X9D6H6unt6cU&amp;usp=sharing">https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1s8N441QUJAOnjRQUMH0X9D6H6unt6cU&amp;usp=sharing</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>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/378">https://notaballerina.com/378</a></li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>*Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program<br>NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p>

378 Seoul Trip Report: Spontaneous Budget Travel to South Korea

How often do we go somewhere with a preconceived idea and find it hard to really see other perspectives ... well, speaking for myself, pretty often! In this episode I share three stories which highlight ways to learn about and understand different perspectives - but are also just great stories on their own.

First up, Kiliii Yuyan tells me about his experiences in Palau, and shares a fascinating story from Palauan culture which is vital to helping their coral reefs recover from algal blooms in a way I wish other reefs could. Next, Jamie Burr explains some of the results of his research into Chinese attitudes to carbon offsets - quite honestly, a perspective I'd never considered, and an interesting one indeed! Finally, Monisha Rajesh shares two examples of overlooked, alternative perspectives, one from her travels in Tibet, and another from a fellow tourist in North Korea.

Links:
Killii Yuyan’s website - https://kiliii.com/ 
Kiliii’s new book - Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet - https://amzn.to/3YcpYUx
Jamie Burr - https://jamieburr.com/ 
Monisha’s website https://monisharajesh.com/ 
Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train - https://amzn.to/4mm4UEN 
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/377

 

*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.

<p>How often do we go somewhere with a preconceived idea and find it hard to really see other perspectives ... well, speaking for myself, pretty often! In this episode I share three stories which highlight ways to learn about and understand different perspectives - but are also just great stories on their own.</p>
<p>First up, Kiliii Yuyan tells me about his experiences in Palau, and shares a fascinating story from Palauan culture which is vital to helping their coral reefs recover from algal blooms in a way I wish other reefs could. Next, Jamie Burr explains some of the results of his research into Chinese attitudes to carbon offsets - quite honestly, a perspective I'd never considered, and an interesting one indeed! Finally, Monisha Rajesh shares two examples of overlooked, alternative perspectives, one from her travels in Tibet, and another from a fellow tourist in North Korea.</p>
<p><strong>Links:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Killii Yuyan&rsquo;s website -&nbsp;<a href="https://kiliii.com/">https://kiliii.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Kiliii&rsquo;s new book - Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3YcpYUx">https://amzn.to/3YcpYUx</a></li>
<li>Jamie Burr - <a href="https://jamieburr.com/">https://jamieburr.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Monisha&rsquo;s website <a href="https://monisharajesh.com/">https://monisharajesh.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train - <a href="https://amzn.to/4mm4UEN">https://amzn.to/4mm4UEN</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/377">https://notaballerina.com/377</a></li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>*Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program<br>NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p>

377 Overlooked Perspectives on Travel

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the December 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting about book "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner - https://amzn.to/47KtLea 

If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, sign up for our updates at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/

You can also read more about it at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub, and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers 

*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.

<p>This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the December 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting about book "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner - <a href="https://amzn.to/47KtLea">https://amzn.to/47KtLea</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, sign up for our updates at <a href="https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/">https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/</a></p>
<p>You can also read more about it at&nbsp;<a href="https://notaballerina.com/bookclub,">https://notaballerina.com/bookclub,</a>&nbsp;and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at <a href="https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers">https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>*Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program<br>NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p>

77 - The Unstoppable Urge to Travel

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