This special episode is the audio of the livestream of the August 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking about Chris Broad's book "Abroad in Japan"  - https://amzn.to/4pVg7yj

If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com 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.

This special episode is the audio of the livestream of the August 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking about Chris Broad's book "Abroad in Japan" &nbsp;- https://amzn.to/4pVg7yj
If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at <a href="https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com">https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com</a> 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;
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*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.

Book Club 21: Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

Ireland and the Irish - we all have a story to tell, right? In this episode I get the insider stories from Ireland - both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - from three brilliant guests who all agreed to answer questions about why they love living there, their favourite traditions, what surprises visitors and what we as travellers need to know before we go. What I loved most about speaking with these Ireland locals is the variety of their answers - I thought I knew a lot about this part of the world but there's so much more to learn. A huge thanks to Laura, Tony and Colin for being part of this special Chats with Locals episode.

Links:
Thanks to sponsor, Slowly - download Slowly to start building genuine friendships today -available for free on the App Store and Google Play - https://notaballerina.com/slowly
Laura Pakenham on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/laurajpakenham/
Laura’s book "Irish: History and culture through language" - https://amzn.to/3ST7Z6b 
Colin Johnston’s website https://racingdaydreams.com/
And huge thanks to Tony O’Sullivan
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/402 

Ireland and the Irish - we all have a story to tell, right? In this episode I get the insider stories from Ireland - both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - from three brilliant guests who all agreed to answer questions about why they love living there, their favourite traditions, what surprises visitors and what we as travellers need to know before we go. What I loved most about speaking with these Ireland locals is the variety of their answers - I thought I knew a lot about this part of the world but there's so much more to learn. A huge thanks to Laura, Tony and Colin for being part of this special Chats with Locals episode.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Thanks to sponsor, Slowly - download Slowly to start building genuine friendships today -available for free on the App Store and Google Play -&nbsp;<a href="https://notaballerina.com/slowly">https://notaballerina.com/slowly</a></li>
<li>Laura Pakenham on Instagram&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/laurajpakenham/">https://www.instagram.com/laurajpakenham/</a></li>
<li>Laura&rsquo;s book "Irish: History and culture through language" -&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/3ST7Z6b">https://amzn.to/3ST7Z6b</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Colin Johnston&rsquo;s website <a href="https://racingdaydreams.com/">https://racingdaydreams.com/</a></li>
<li>And huge thanks to Tony O&rsquo;Sullivan</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 -&nbsp;<a href="https://notaballerina.com/linkedin">https://notaballerina.com/linkedin</a></li>
<li>Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack -&nbsp;<a href="https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com">https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com</a></li>
<li>Show notes: <a href="https://notaballerina.com/402">https://notaballerina.com/402</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

402 Ireland: Chats with Locals

About one in ten jobs across the globe are in the travel industry, but from the hundreds of conversations I've had over the years, I've learnt that the paths to working in tourism and travel are many and varied!

In this episode I chat with four people who've found their way into this industry through very different ways.

First up, Russell True describes how he ended up having a lifetime career in the dude ranch accommodation and experience industry; then I speak with Mathi Thayanan who now runs his own travel company in Sri Lanka but didn't always plan to do this. Jana Marie Bald then explains her career path from agricultural science to tourism (not what I'd expected!) and finally, Aabiskar Thapa describes how from growing up near Pokhara, Nepal and seeing tourists on the trail, he took a circuitous route to ending up working in travel himself.

Links:
Russell True of the True Ranch Collection - https://trueranchcollection.com/
Mathi’s business in Sri Lanka, The Curious Experience - https://thecuriousexperience.com/ 
Jana’s app Ørth - https://www.oerth.life/ 
Sharing Seeds in Nepal - https://linktr.ee/sharing.seeds 
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/401

About one in ten jobs across the globe are in the travel industry, but from the hundreds of conversations I've had over the years, I've learnt that the paths to working in tourism and travel are many and varied!
In this episode I chat with four people who've found their way into this industry through very different ways.
First up, Russell True describes how he ended up having a lifetime career in the dude ranch accommodation and experience industry; then I speak with Mathi Thayanan who now runs his own travel company in Sri Lanka but didn't always plan to do this. Jana Marie Bald then explains her career path from agricultural science to tourism (not what I'd expected!) and finally, Aabiskar Thapa describes how from growing up near Pokhara, Nepal and seeing tourists on the trail, he took a circuitous route to ending up working in travel himself.
Links:
<ul>
<li>Russell True of the True Ranch Collection - <a href="https://trueranchcollection.com/">https://trueranchcollection.com/</a></li>
<li>Mathi&rsquo;s business in Sri Lanka, The Curious Experience - <a href="https://thecuriousexperience.com/">https://thecuriousexperience.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Jana&rsquo;s app &Oslash;rth - <a href="https://www.oerth.life/">https://www.oerth.life/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Sharing Seeds in Nepal - <a href="https://linktr.ee/sharing.seeds">https://linktr.ee/sharing.seeds</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/401">https://notaballerina.com/401</a></li>
</ul>

401 Travel-Related Careers

Episode 400 ... what?! Back in 2016, I certainly didn't imagine I'd reach Episode 400, and yet, here we are. It seemed something to celebrate so I asked my dear friend Sasha Wasley along to ask me 40 questions for 400 episodes (aren't you all lucky I didn't opt for 400 questions?!).

Some of the topics I especially enjoyed discussing with Sasha were my long trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway, some of the changes in the way I travel since I started the podcast over a decade ago, and my not-so-thoughtful (perhaps?) love of Disneyland. She even asked me which episode I think all listeners should skip! It was a great chat covering a whole variety of thoughtful travel topics and we laughed a lot, too. Enjoy!

Links:
Sasha Wasley’s website - https://sashawasley.com/
Sasha's newest novel - The Society of Literary Marauders - https://amzn.to/4wWEejX 
Sasha's books for younger readers, under Ash Harrier - https://ashharrier.com/ 
Ten Year Anniversary episode - notaballerina.com/387 
Paul Theroux interview in Episode 214 - notaballerina.com/214 
Other interviews with me - Episode 90 notaballerina.com/90, Episode 100 notaballerina.com/100 and Episode 240 notaballerina.com/240 
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/400


*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.

Episode 400 ... what?! Back in 2016, I certainly didn't imagine I'd reach Episode 400, and yet, here we are. It seemed something to celebrate so I asked my dear friend Sasha Wasley along to ask me 40 questions for 400 episodes (aren't you all lucky I didn't opt for 400 questions?!).
Some of the topics I especially enjoyed discussing with Sasha were my long trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway, some of the changes in the way I travel since I started the podcast over a decade ago, and my not-so-thoughtful (perhaps?) love of Disneyland. She even asked me which episode I think all listeners should skip! It was a great chat covering a whole variety of thoughtful travel topics and we laughed a lot, too. Enjoy!
Links:
<ul>
<li>Sasha Wasley&rsquo;s website -&nbsp;<a href="https://sashawasley.com/">https://sashawasley.com/</a></li>
<li>Sasha's newest novel - The Society of Literary Marauders - <a href="https://amzn.to/4wWEejX">https://amzn.to/4wWEejX</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Sasha's books for younger readers, under Ash Harrier - <a href="https://ashharrier.com/">https://ashharrier.com/</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ten Year Anniversary episode - <a href="http://notaballerina.com/387">notaballerina.com/387</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Paul Theroux interview in Episode 214 -&nbsp;<a href="http://notaballerina.com/214">notaballerina.com/214</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li>Other interviews with me - Episode 90 notaballerina.com/90, Episode 100 notaballerina.com/100 and Episode 240 notaballerina.com/240&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/400">https://notaballerina.com/400</a></li>
</ul>
 *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.

Book Club 21: Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

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