This episode is a joyful collaboration with Tracy of the UK Travel Podcast. When one of your best friends invites you to his wedding in the Lake District in England, you say yes! We first met Cham in Cambodia - back in Episode 114 - and we've holidayed with him across Asia ever since, but meeting up in the UK to celebrate his wedding was our most exciting adventure together yet. My 14-year-old son and I took the opportunity to explore some more of north-west England and northern Wales while we were there, taking in Manchester, Liverpool, the Lake District, and northern Wales, including Wrexham and Llangollen. In this collab with the UK Travel Podcast, Tracy interviews me about my UK experience and I describe it through a thoughtful travel lens, from our planning, our experiences and then our post-trip reflection. There's also some unexpected sandwich chat! Links: Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning https://uktravelplanning.com And, Tracy's Global Travel Planning at https://globaltravelplanning.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/326

If you think of Australia, you're bound to imagine a few stereotypes of what life here is like: sun and sand might feature, and you will perhaps imagine we're a laidback nation of permanently relaxed people. Over the last year, the topic of what people think about Australia has come up with quite a few guests so I decided to compile an episode about these ideas. I chat first with Michael Jensen who spent half a year here on student exchange in the 1980s, and recently returned for another months-long stint: what had changed? Quite a lot, as you can imagine, and we had an interesting chat. Alex Zeringer, a German student now based in Ireland, came to Australia on a much more recent student program just last year, and I asked him about his impressions of my home town of Perth. Our reputation often precedes us, and Julia Kaplan told me her ideas about Australia and its people although she hasn't yet been here - but she's met enough Aussies abroad on her travels to get a good idea. Finally, I speak with Jules Park, who moved here from South Korea, and tells me some of her initial cultural shocks, including the tale of pink hair! Links: Brent and Michael are Going Places - https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/ Alex Zeringer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-zeringer-532728130/ Julie Kaplan - https://www.juliekaplan.com/ Jules Park - Amazing Sydney Life on Instagram or TikTok - https://www.instagram.com/amazingsydneylife/  or https://www.tiktok.com/@amazingsydneylife 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/325

Meeting new people is one of my favourite parts of travelling, and when these chance encounters turn into long-term friendships, that's just perfection! My most recent trip, three weeks in England and Wales, came about because my son and I were invited to attend the wedding of a dear travelling friend, who we originally met in Cambodia and have also travelled with in Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand - and now England! This episode features many such friendships, but the most unique is Daniel Troia's friendship with a family in a tiny, picturesque village in the Swiss Alps. He has spent many summers with these now long-term friends, despite not having a common language when he first met them. My second guest is Rupert Grey who tells of his very special friendship with Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam, who he first met back in 1992 when travelling briefly in Bangladesh with his family. Finally, Tracy Collins tells me about several special friends from travelling, and in particular she highlights some of the many and varied ways you can more easily find yourself making friends when you're away from home. Links: Daniel Troia’s doco “We Are All In This Together” - https://www.weareallinthistogethermovie.com/ Rupert Grey - https://rupertgrey.co.uk/ Rupert’s movie Romantic Road - https://www.romanticroadmov.com/ Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning https://uktravelplanning.com and Global Travel Planning at https://globaltravelplanning.com Thoughtful Travel trip to Peru notaballerina.com/peru 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/324

Learning other languages can be really hard - especially if you're sitting in your home country trying to learn from a boring textbook. The guests in this episode all decided that they'd learn another language - Thai, French, Polish and Welsh - by travelling and immersing themselves in the language, in varied and interesting ways. First up, I hear from Paddy Jenkins about his experience of learning Thai - in fact, teaching himself Thai - while he spent six months volunteering in Chiang Mai. Spoiler alert: yes, he would literally take his notebook and dictionary even if he went to the pub or a nightclub! That's dedication. Next, I speak with Tracy Collins who was told by her French teacher she would never be able to speak French, but proved her wrong when she moved to France to work as an au pair. She also was lucky to be working for a family that helped her out in some perhaps unexpected ways. Love is often a reason for learning another language and this was what took Thomas Swick to living in Poland. I did laugh when he was explaining the grammatical complexities of Polish, although when you're leaning it you're more likely to cry, I think! Finally, Pam Petro decided to make the effort to learn the lesser-spoken language of Welsh. She went through some hardcore learning and even took some surprising travels in her pursuit of Welsh fluency. Links: Thai Talk with Paddy https://www.youtube.com/ThaiTalkwithPaddy/ Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning https://uktravelplanning.com and Global Travel Planning at https://globaltravelplanning.com - both also podcasts Thomas Swick - https://www.thomasswick.com/  - and his new book, Falling Into Place  Pamela Petro - https://www.pamelapetro.com/ Pam’s book The Long Field - https://amzn.to/4bt7TGq Episode 277 Languages and Connection  https://notaballerina.com/277 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/323

Although I never studied abroad myself I have no doubt at all that I would have loved every minute of it - and my three guests today certainly remind me of all of the many ways a study abroad experience can be life-changing. I start off chatting with Pam Petro who studied a graduate program in Wales, and not only learnt something from her course but began a lifetime obsession with all things Welsh. Next, I speak with Brandon Miller who studied abroad in France. He has now co-founded the Too Fly Foundation which helps students from under-privileged backgrounds access experiences like study abroad programs, as he recognised how valuable and life-changing they are. Finally, I talk to Alex Zeringer, who was a student I met while he was studying abroad here in Perth at Murdoch University, where I teach (among other subjects) podcasting - it was so great to catch up with him now that he's back at university in Ireland. Links: Pam Petro - https://www.pamelapetro.com/ Pam's book The Long Field - https://www.amazon.com.au/Long-Field-Presence-Absence-Memoir/dp/1956763678 Brandon Miller from the Too Fly Foundation - https://www.tooflyfoundation.org/ Alex Zeringer - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-zeringer-532728130/ Episode 233 Studying Abroad notaballerina.com/233 Episode 248 Studying in Other Countries notaballerina.com/248 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/322

For travellers like us, knowing a tourism business we are about to use is properly thoughtful, taking into account the impact we will have on the community and the environment, is important. But with an industry full of greenwashing and unsubstantiated eco-credentials, it's sometimes difficult to know what we can trust. Over the past few years now I've had a growing awareness of B Corps but was very keen to dig deeper, so this podcast episode is here to satisfy my own desires to know more, but also to help my listeners understand what makes a B Corp so they can make decisions about their travel with care. My first guest is Jonathan Coleman from Untours. When I chatted with Jonathan last year, he explained to me that Untours was, in fact, the very first B Corp back in 2007, and learning how this came about was the impetus for me to find some more people to talk to about this important topic. I speak next with Narelle Wilson of Volta Consulting, who knows a lot about the process of how a business applies to be certified as a B Corp, and explains it clearly!  Finally, I talked to Aurora Expedition's Chief Marketing Officer, Hayley Peacock-Gower, about Aurora's recent B Corp certification. She gives some interesting examples of some of the improvements Aurora is making as part of the continuous improvement that the B Corp movement encourages. Links: Jonathan Coleman from Untours Foundation - https://untoursfoundation.org/ Narelle Wilson from Volta Consulting - https://voltaconsulting.com.au/ Aurora Expeditions - https://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/ Aurora’s journey to becoming a B Corp - https://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/blog/our-b-corp-journey/ 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/321

This is an episode I never imagined I'd need to make; family lore was that my mum June would live to a hundred. But very sadly, after a sudden terminal cancer diagnosis in late January, my beautiful mum passed away early in February. As the biggest fan of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I knew I couldn't restart it after my time away without mentioning my mum and how she encouraged me to travel - I definitely wouldn't be here creating this podcast without her influence throughout my life. My dear friend Di Bortoletto and I sat in her spare room last weekend to record this chat about my mum's travel experiences and about some of the special experiences we'd had together as well, and I wanted to share that with you all.  Links: Dianne Bortoletto's site Travelletto - https://travelletto.com/ Di on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/travelletto/ 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/320

Staying in someone’s home is the ultimate in starting to understand the local way of life when you travel, and I’ve had some brilliant homestay experiences in the past. In this episode devoted to homestay accommodation, I first tell you my own tales of Russian homestays, with some of the delightful interactions with homestay hosts in Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Moscow and St Petersburg. I then chat with Nina Karnikowski who explains many of the thoughtful values of homestays, and has a great example of her own experience in India. My other guest is Iris Villarreal, who tells me about some homestays she has done in Guatemala, learning much about the local culture along the way.  Links: Nina Karnikowski - https://ninakarnikowski.com/ Iris Villarreal - https://www.instagram.com/outventurenow 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/319

When I was first introduced to Gevorg Babayan and his company LikeLocal.io, which matches travellers with local experiences, I knew he'd be a good guest for The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, but as I got to know him more through interactions in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group, I soon realised that a quick chat wouldn't be enough - we would need a deep dive! In this chat, I learn more about Gevorg's background in Armenia, his work in tourism there and abroad in places like Cambodia, and most impressively to me, some of the unique approaches to tours he offers his visitors. I loved hearing about his creativity in coming up with different ways that travellers can get to know more about a destination and its people, and I'm sure you will too. Links: Like Local - https://www.likelocal.io/ Netflix Episode with Olafur Eliasson on Abstract: The Art of Design - https://www.netflix.com/title/80057883  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Join my newsletter community at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/318

Tales of things going wrong - or almost - are always popular, and I think if you throw in the trickiness of a border crossing, these stories are top-notch entertainment! In this episode, I start off chatting with Michael Jensen about a triple-border experience in northern Thailand recently - made more fun by knowing exactly the spot he was talking about as I was lucky enough to visit that same spot just last year. I then talk to Antonio Cala who has not one but two border crossing tales to tell from a long motorcycle trip he and his wife took from the top to the bottom of Africa in 2022. The first involves the river border between Cameroon and the Central African Republic, a tale that had me worrying the whole time about hippos. Antonio's second story takes place on the border between Algeria and Mauritania, a spot that wasn't even a tourist border crossing at all until 2019, and let's just say, that doesn't go smoothly at all. Links: Michael Jensen - Brent and Michael are Going Places - https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/ Antonio Cala - Adventure Fix - https://www.adventurefix.co/ Episode 78 on Border Crossings - notaballerina.com/78 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/317

I am absolutely convinced that taking kids travelling is one of the best things you can do for them, and in this episode I've gathered together the thoughts of four fathers who agree with me! First up, I chat with Rupert Grey, who took his daughters across the world at a young age - in particular, he tells me about their experience visiting Bangladesh in the 1990s, and the impact that their travels has had on them now that they are adults. Cristian Martinus tells me about the reactions from kids on his tours in Morocco, then has a great example to share about a time when things went wrong while travelling with his young daughter - but it all turned out brilliantly. Peter Baines then tells me about the experience of cycling with his own children in Thailand, as well as an example of a father and son pair who were recent tour participants. Finally, Rick Antonson takes it one generation further with his tales about travelling as a grandfather, and in particular his trip with a ten-year-old grandson in western Canada.  Links: Rupert Grey - https://rupertgrey.co.uk/ Rupert’s movie Romantic Road - https://www.romanticroadmov.com/ Cristian Martinus - Sun Trails  - https://www.sun-trails.com/ Peter Baines - Hands Across the Water - https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/ Rick Antonson - https://www.rickantonson.com Rick’s new book, Train Beyond the Mountains - https://amzn.to/3Zq1C8T 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/316

Connecting with local people when we travel is a true joy for me - whether it's just a quick conversation in a queue, or a deeper day or more spent together, learning about how our lives are the same and different - I love it all! In this episode I chat with three guests who agree, and have found various ways to meet locals when they travel. First up, I get the tour operator perspective from Cristian Martinus, who confirms that guests who travel on his Moroccan tours particularly enjoy any opportunities for genuine connection with local people - but (appropriately, I think) he warns against "staged authenticity". Next, Will Hatton describes some of the ways he has met local people on his travels across the world, and we particularly get deeper into describing some of his Couchsurfing experiences. Finally, Dara Brewton highlights how taking a cooking class or two can be a special window into the lives of locals, with lots of time to chat (and a delicious outcome as a bonus!). Links: Cristian Martinus - Sun Trails  - https://www.sun-trails.com/ Will Hatton - The Broke Backpacker - https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/ Dara Brewton - https://travelness.com/ Cookly - https://www.cookly.me/ Episode 302 about Chiang Rai - https://notaballerina.com/302 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/315

If you decided to escape the corporate world, would you buy up a plot of land in an isolated part of Japan? It's not my first thought, but this is what Walk Japan CEO Paul Christie did at the age of forty, and with many good consequences. One of these is that Walk Japan has a strong social, "giving back" element, between the Community Project in Kyushu - which springs from Paul's initial plot of land - and its emphasis on taking travellers to rural areas of Japan which can really benefit from the tourism dollars (quite apart from being some of the most beautiful parts of the country, with the most welcoming inhabitants!). This episode is a wide-ranging chat with Paul about his career, how he came to be in Japan and what Walk Japan is doing to give back to many local communities, and particularly in the Kunisaki Peninsula in Kyushu, southern Japan. Links: Walk Japan - https://walkjapan.com/ Fukushima Trip - Episode 310 - https://notaballerina.com/310 My Walk Japan Trip - Episode 308 - https://notaballerina.com/308 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/314 Disclaimer stuff: Walk Japan hosted me on my September/October walk in Japan, which means they covered my travel costs (thank you!). However, my opinions, as always, are all my own, honest truth.

It's common knowledge that train travel beats air travel in the sustainability stakes, but in recent months I've put this to the test a bit more than usual, in a country where it can be hard to do: my homeland, Australia.  It all began when Dr Susanne Etti, the Global Environmental Impact Manager for Intrepid Travel, challenged me to fly the shorter route to Melbourne and then take the train with her from Melbourne to Sydney, on our way to speak at SXSW Sydney. The Melbourne to Sydney route is one of the busiest domestic air routes in the world, and seeing how the train alternative worked was such a good idea! Susanne and I recorded our thoughts along the way, so you'll hear those in this episode, along with our answers to a bunch of questions asked by listeners about our experience. Once you start looking, there are other times you might take the train instead of alternatives like flying or driving. Justin Watson, another SXSW panelist, took the train from Canberra to Sydney instead of driving or flying, and I chat with him about this experience too. Finally, I added another train ride just in time to make this episode - travelling on the Australind train from Perth to Bunbury on my way to run workshops in south-west Western Australia. Another fantastic experience, and I tell you all about it in this episode.  Links: Dr Susanne Etti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanneetti/ Intrepid Travel - https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ Susanne's op ed, The Track Less Travelled - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/track-less-travelled-what-12-hr-train-trip-between-melbourne-etti Justin Watson - https://justins.world/ Flight emissions calculator - AtmosFair - https://www.atmosfair.de/en/offset/flight/ Carbon footprint calculation from the Nature Conservancy - https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/ 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/313

The statistics tell us so: more and more of us want to give back and do good when we travel. This is heartening, right? Now we just have to start figuring out the best ways to contribute to the places we visit, in genuinely useful ways - and some of these are described in this episode. First up, I chat with Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout who gives a good overview of giving back, and shares his wisdom from a tour operator perspective. I wish every tour operator thought like Roger! Next, I speak to Meg Jerrard and Mar Pages, two hardworking women I've known for many years, who now run small group tours under their Solo Female Travelers Club brand. Through this work, they've been giving back in Tanzania, and explain the story of Glory Thobias, who runs the Tanzanian Women Guides Foundation and trains female porters and guides to work in the lucrative tourism industry at Mount Kilimanjaro. Finally, I talk to Peter Baines, founder of Hands Across the Water, a company offering cycling tours of Thailand with a very important giving back purpose, aided by compulsory fundraising for the tour participants. It's a great model that's proven vital for helping some at-risk groups of children in Thailand. Links: Roger Smith - Echidna Walkabout - https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/ Meg Jerrard and Mar Pages - Solo Female Travelers Club - https://www.solofemaletravelers.club/ Glory’s Tanzanian Women Guides Foundation -https://tanzaniawomenguidesfoundation.org/ Peter Baines - Hands Across the Water - https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/ The Perils of Giving Back - JoAnna Haugen - https://rootedstorytelling.com/social-impact/tourism-travel-giving-back/ Carolyn Beasley’s Australian Geographic article on Travel for Good - https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/2023/08/travel-for-good/ 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/312

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Micah Kamohoali'i when I was in Sydney for SXSW recently, and I knew immediately we would need a LONG chat! This discussion was a pleasure from start to finish: we start off discussing how Micah found himself working in the tourism industry, and what tourism in Hawai'i has been like over the years: with ups and downs of how responsible it was (and wasn't) and the different kinds of tourists they were attracting. In a wide-ranging discussion which moves us via snakes in the grass to pounding bark for cloth, and incredibly then to the story of Micah being invited to take part in New York Fashion Week, whatever we talk about, Micah's clear love of Hawai'i and Hawaiian culture shines through and we finish up by hearing about his proudest moments from a splendid (and ongoing!) career. Links: Merrie Monarch festival https://www.merriemonarch.com/ House of Kamohoali’i documentaries: London https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/11/house-kamohoalii-london/ Paris https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/05/10/house-kamohoalii-paris-2/ Milan https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/26/house-kamohoalii-milan-3/ Thoughtful Travel to Hawaii - Island Wisdom by Kainoa Daines and Annie Daly - Episode 285 - https://notaballerina.com/285 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/311

I'm not alone in finding Japanese museums about earthquakes and tsunamis interesting and impactful; I know my friend Catherine who travelled with me in Tohoku last month is the same. This episode will test out whether it's just the two of us, or if more of you share this feeling - a yearning to understand more about these kinds of disasters, to get to know more about the human stories behind them, and a keen desire to share in the "hope tourism" equation of the scenario. In this episode, I talk about three parts of my recent trip to Japan that fit under this idea of "hope tourism" - and not "dark tourism". As well as visiting the "Kaze no Denwa", we spent many hours at two new museums in northern Japan: the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, Fukushima. We both found these visits so impactful, and I'm still mulling over a lot of what I saw and learnt there to this day. Links: “Really Long Distance” - This American Life episode about the Wind Phone - https://www.thisamericanlife.org/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go-2016/act-one Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum - https://iwate-tsunami-memorial.jp/en/visit.html The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum - https://www.fipo.or.jp/lore/en Hope Tourism - https://www.hopetourism.jp/en/ Walk Japan - our hike - Episode 308 - https://notaballerina.com/308 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/310

Here it is! This is the live recording of our panel at South By South West (SXSW) Sydney, from October 2023, on the topic “Why We Need Travel More Than Travel Needs Us”. It was such a thrill to be on the podcast stage at SXSW with Catherine Marshall, Susanne Etti and Justin Watson, three fabulous guests who had so many interesting stories and opinions to offer for this tricky topic.  We start off with everyone sharing a story about what travel means to them, then dive deeper into topics like wildlife tourism, overtourism, and how we can travel better. This episode was recorded live at SXSW Sydney 2023. Links: Catherine Marshall - Instagram - https://instagram.com/zizzyballord Susanne Etti - Intrepid Travel - https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ Justin Watson - Justin’s World blog - https://justins.world/ SXSW Sydney - https://sxswsydney.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/309

There are many, many ways to see Japan, but I think I've just experienced my favourite: on foot. In late September/early October 2023, I undertook a six-day trip with Walk Japan, on the Self-Guided Basho Wayfarer walk around Sendai. And it was brilliant! In this episode, I give an overview of the content and logistics of this trip, which essentially includes hiking various segments of the route that haiku poet Matsuo Basho took in the 1700s, as he describes in his book "Narrow Road to the Deep North". It had all the elements of a trip that I need to really love it: incredible scenery, interesting sightseeing spots, truly delicious food, some great interactions with locals, and all with one of my best friends. What more could a girl ask for? Most of this episode is a chat I recorded with my travel companion, Catherine Marshall, about our highlights from the trip. We cover our favourite hiking, food, train, and accommodation moments, along with our most unexpected highlights.  Links: Walk Japan main website - https://walkjapan.com/ Self-Guided Basho Wayfarer walk - https://walkjapan.com/tour/self-guided-basho-wayfarer Cape to Cape Track Episode 276 - https://notaballerina.com/276 Catherine Marshall on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zizzyballord 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/308 Disclaimer stuff: I was hosted for this trip, which means Walk Japan covered my travel costs. However, my opinions, as always, are all my own, honest truth.

It's a strange phenomenon, but podcast episodes full of stories of things going wrong on our travels are always popular! For Episode 307, I've got two stories of strange goings-on while my guests are at sea. Enjoy?! First up, Antonio Cala tells the story of that time he and his wife needed to be rescued by the Jamaican coastguard. Fortunately, we know they lived to tell the tale, but let's just say life on their catamaran in the Caribbean was not all plain sailing. I then chat with Imogen Lepere, who has a story to share from her very first press trip, aboard a boat in Indonesia on which she and her photographer boyfriend became the only passengers after everyone else cancelled after a tsunami the day before it set sail. Things only got stranger after that!  Links: Antonio Cala - Adventure Fix - https://www.adventurefix.co/ Imogen Lepere - https://www.imogenleperewriter.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/307

If we want to be mindful of our carbon footprint when we travel, a good way to do this is to consider more carefully the kinds of places where we choose to stay - like focusing on eco-accommodation. This is a part of my travel I definitely haven't given enough thought to in the past, and this episode has inspired me with stories about all kinds of accommodation options which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. First up, I chat with Dara Brewton who spent a month in Chiang Mai, Thailand, recently. By chance, almost, she ended up choosing some eco-friendly accommodation which has the added bonus of also looking adorable! I then speak with Fran and Andrew Robinson, who are owners of certified eco-friendly chalets near Busselton, Western Australia - since they also have their own trees (thousands of them!), they actually personally offset more carbon than their business produces. Finally, travel writer Nina Karnikowski gives a couple of great examples of sustainable accommodations options that she has enjoyed, in Nepal and in Australia. Links: Dara Brewton - https://travelness.com/ Leafy Greens - https://www.facebook.com/leafygreensCM Fran and Andrew Robinson from Tree Chalets - https://www.treechalets.com.au Nina Karnikowski - https://ninakarnikowski.com/ Happy House Nepal - http://www.happyhousenepal.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/306

Travel experiences should be accessible to everyone - I strongly believe that's an important part of the whole thoughtful travel ethos. As part of the Year of Accessible Tourism in Queensland, I've put together this episode about accessible travel on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia - it's full of great stories of people doing better, and I hope you enjoy it! First up, I chat with Daniel Watkins, world champion wake boarder turned owner of the Gold Coast Wake Park and Gold Coast Aqua Park. Daniel tells me all about their recent trial of all-abilities sessions and how important it is to him to make access to these experiences available to everyone going forward. I then speak with Mike Brigg of iFly Gold Coast, a skydiver and instructor who loves helping people discover what it feels like to fly. He has some really interesting stories to tell of the experiences of people with disabilities at iFly. Finally, Anna Carroll from HOTA Home of the Arts explains what they have done as a multi-arts facility to really be an inclusive and accessible venue for people to experience all manner of arts and creative experiences. Thanks so much to Julie Jones of Travel Without Limits magazine and Destination Gold Coast for their help in making this episode possible. Links: Destination Gold Coast - https://www.destinationgoldcoast.com/ Gold Coast Wake Park and Aqua Park - https://gcwakepark.com.au/ iFly Gold Coast - https://ifly.com.au/locations/gold-coast HOTA Home of the Arts - https://hota.com.au/ Travel Without Limits Magazine - https://travelwithoutlimits.com.au/ 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/305 With thanks to Destination Gold Coast for sponsoring this episode.

Bangkok is a city which rewards many repeat visits and my recent trip there proved it! Putting together Episode 304 was a special chance for me to chat with several friends, old and new, who I had the joy of travelling with on our recent trip to Thailand.  In this episode, I start of chatting with Paddy Jenkins about our mutually favourite part of this Bangkok trip - visiting the Portuguese quarter or Kudijin (Kudichin). Diving deeper into the history of Bangkok here and learning about the Portuguese influence was so interesting (and side note, also delicious!). Next up, I speak with Bonnie Grima about another fun part of our Bangkok days, exploring some of its most famous temples, Wat Arun and Wat Pho. This time, we had with us master guide Suree, and she helped us know more of the extra-interesting details about these temples, both historical and modern. For Jules Park, a committed foodie, our evening in Chinatown was an especially memorable part of our Bangkok stay and we had a good chat about the atmosphere and some of the special treats we got to eat. Finally, I have included a part of an interview I recorded with our guide Suree while we were sitting in the cafe of the delightful Baan Kudichin museum in the Portuguese quarter. She gives me another good Bangkok tip, but we mostly chat about Thai culture and why Thai people often seem so content. Links: Thai Talk with Paddy - https://www.youtube.com/ThaiTalkwithPaddy/ Bonita Grima - https://www.bonitamaygrima.com/ Jules Park - @amazingsydney life - https://www.instagram.com/amazingsydneylife/ Talat Noi in Bangkok -  https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/talat-noi Amazing Thailand - https://amazingthailand.com.au/ 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/304

Thank you internet: you've made many things possible, two of them being podcasts, and working as a digital nomad. In this episode on digital nomading, I've got three guests who all bring quite different perspectives on digital nomad life, and I hope it sparks some thinking! First up, I chat with Will Hatton, aka The Broke Backpacker, who's spent many years wandering the world, making money in various ways online, including through his well-known blog. He describes his digital entrepreneurship trajectory and also gives some tips for prospective nomads. I then speak with Dara Brewton, who has been working as a freelancer for about five years and recently started doing some digital nomad stints, like a month working out of Chiang Mai in Thailand during her son's summer school vacation. Finally, I talk to Chris Christou of the End of Tourism podcast. Chris has lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, for about eight years now, and it's a real digital nomad hotspot - this has caused Chris to have a deeper think about digital nomad life than most and the results are super-interesting. Links: Taiwanese listeners! Find me on Instagram https://instagram.com/amandakendle Will Hatton - The Broke Backpacker - https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/ Dara Brewton - https://travelness.com/ Chris Christou - The End of Tourism podcast - https://theendoftourism.com/ Episode 134 on Location Independent Work - notaballerina.com/134 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/303

Ah, finally, I've made it to Chiang Rai! I've wanted to visit this most northern part of Thailand my whole life, as my dear late aunty came from Chiang Rai. Spending a few days up there was delightful, and full of really fascinating experiences, but I've narrowed it down to my three favourites for this podcast episode. First: the White Temple. It's a very new temple, built on the site of an old one, and is almost more art and architecture than temple, designed and funded by well-known Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat. I try to describe it - but you really do have to see it to believe it. My second highlight was our day at Ahsa Farmstay, a little further north of Chiang Rai city. In this episode I explain what I loved about it and also share an interview with one of the women who run it, Aun Wannamala. Finally, I explain my day at the Ban Pang Ha village right up in the northern tip of Thailand in Mae Sai. This is another excellent community-based tourism initiative and we enjoyed massages, facials, paper-making, great food and more up here; I chatted to Thiraphon Saraphrom about what makes Pang Ha so special. Disclaimer stuff: I was hosted for this trip, which means the Tourism Authority of Thailand covered my travel costs. However, my opinions - and my love of Thailand - are all my own, honest truth. Links: Ahsa Farmstay - https://ahsafarmstay.com/ Ban Pang Ha community - https://www.thailand.go.th/issue-focus-detail/001_02_169 Community-Based Tourism - Episode 301 - https://notaballerina.com/301 Amazing Thailand - https://amazingthailand.com.au/ 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/302

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the August 2023 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about Landlines by Raynor Winn with my co-host Justin Watson, and later joined by Thoughtful Travellers member Philippa. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is 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

Community-based tourism experiences are one of my favourite things to seek out when I travel, and this episode is a great explanation of what CBT is, illustrated with fabulous examples from Thailand, Jamaica and Australia. I first chat with Justin Meneguzzi who gives a great overview of community-based tourism as a whole, and then illustrates this with an example from an organic coffee farm he visited in northern Thailand. Jonathan Coleman of Untours then tells me some examples of small community-based tourism businesses that the Reset Tourism Fund is looking to support - Jonathan has the fabulous role of travelling around to find these businesses. Finally, I speak with Roger Smith from Echidna Walkabout, who has a great example of a way that a tour can support the local community with deliberate choices of accommodation. Links: Justin Meneguzzi - https://www.justinmeneguzzi.com Suan Lahu - organic coffee farm in Thailand - https://suanlahu.org/ Jonathan Coleman - Untours Foundation https://untoursfoundation.org/ Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout - https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/ 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/301

Thailand was calling, and I had to go! Three and a half years after my last pre-Covid adventure abroad, I finally managed to get out of Australia for a short media trip to Thailand. I'm home again now and celebrating that trip along with the milestone of the three hundredth episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast seems very appropriate. In this episode I'll tell you a little bit about my trip to Bangkok and Chiang Rai - more to come on these destinations in future episodes - and about how I felt to be leaving Australia. I've also included an extract from a chat I recently had with my friend Jean, who took her first post-Covid trip to Iraq a couple of months ago, and had lots of similar thoughts about this "new" travel experience. Of course, I always try to be a thoughtful traveller, and like to divide ways to be thoughtful into before, during and after a trip, so in this episode I ponder how well I did with this, considering it was a trip that arose at fairly short notice. And finally, I ask our Bangkok guide Suree for her tips on how we can be thoughtful travellers in Thailand, and she has plenty of advice for travelling and, to be honest, for life in general. Disclaimer stuff: I was hosted for this trip, which means the Tourism Authority of Thailand covered my travel costs. However, my opinions - and my love of Thailand - are all my own, honest truth. Links Amazing Thailand - https://amazingthailand.com.au/ How to be a thoughtful traveller - https://www.notaballerina.com/2018/01/thoughtful-travel.html Previous chat with Jean about her trip to Iraq - https://notaballerina.com/297 Jean's site Traveling Honeybird - https://www.travelinghoneybird.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/300

Travelling in some kind of van - a campervan, a caravan, an RV, a motorhome - is a unique and fabulous way to see the world. I was lucky enough to spend many months in a campervan as a child, exploring both Europe and Australia, and it was completely life-changing! In this episode I have three guests with a wonderful variety of van experiences. First up, I chat with Julie Kaplan, who is a self-described "reluctant" van traveller, but she tells a great story about a van trip she recently took with friends in Montenegro. Next, Staci Mellman explains one of her favourite ever trips, which happens to be a campervanning adventure around my own home state of Western Australia. Finally, I speak with Fran and Andrew Robinson, who talk about some wonderful family travels with their sons in a caravan around Australia - meeting some interesting characters along the way.   Links: Julie Kaplan - https://www.juliekaplan.com/ Staci Mellman, Senior VP, Brand USA - https://www.thebrandusa.com Fran and Andrew Robinson from Tree Chalets - https://www.treechalets.com.au 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/299

There are so many ways we can try to do better when we travel, and looking for tours or activities that have a conservation angle is one that, with a little research, can be surprisingly easy. In Episode 298 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with two tour operators who have been diving deep into the conservation travel area for years, and to a traveller who was impressed by a conservation project in India and made a point to visit. First up, Roger Smith from Echidna Walkabout does a good job of providing a definition of conservation travel, and then gives some great examples of what it can be and the effect it can have. It's good food for thought, too, that here in Australia, many people don't understand the value of our wildlife nor really see why it's so important to conserve it. I chat then with Jamie Van Jones from Salt and Bush Eco Tours, who has a great example of a conservation project she's been involved with centred on fairy terns, small birds which are classed as a "vulnerable" protected species. Finally, my long-time listener and friend Anuj explains more about his trip to the Gir National Park in India, where there has been a successful conservation campaign to improve outcomes and numbers for the local lions. Links: Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout - https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/ Jamie Van Jones - www.saltandbush.com.au Anuj’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anujph/ Episode 293 - Citizen Science for Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/293 Episode 292 - Ethical Animal Experiences - https://notaballerina.com/292 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/298

City names like Mosul, Karbala and Basra - and of course the capital Baghdad - are familiar to us all, but not from seeing people's holiday snaps, unfortunately. Tourism in Iraq is a very small-scale affair, but I've been curious about it recently after seeing a couple of people I knew travel there - and I've interviewed two women who've recently travelled to Iraq for this episode. First up, I speak with Julie Kaplan. Curiously, Julie intended only to spend a few days in Kurdistan and on the insistent advice of friends she made there, decided to explore federal Iraq as well - and ending up spending four months there!  I then chat with longtime friend of the podcast Jean Cheney, who joined a small group tour in Iraq recently. She explained how safety issues were dealt with along with telling me about the amazing history and food of Iraq - enough to make me yearn to get there some day, for sure! Links: Julie Kaplan's website - https://www.juliekaplan.com/ Julie’s YouTube channel, Julie from LA - https://www.youtube.com/@juliefromla Jean's website, Traveling Honeybird - https://www.travelinghoneybird.com/ Janet's Journeys - https://janetsjourneys.com/ Episode 157 - Eva on her work trip to Iraq - notaballerina.com/157 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/297

Making connections - either brief or lasting - with local people when you travel can often be the highlight of a trip. In this episode, three guests tell stories about people they have befriended on their travels and I hope it inspires you to be open to these kind of connections when you are next wandering the world, too. My first guest is Antonio Cala, who talks about a stay in Mexico in the first month of he and his wife's years-long journey cycling down through Central and South America. Having an open schedule meant they could say yes to some incredible opportunities. Next, I chat with Martha Waslen, who reminds us that you can also make connections on shorter trips too - again, it's about staying open to the possibilities. She and her husband made lifelong friends amongst the locals working in a Maldives resort, and she's drawn on that lesson to start her business. Finally, Sequoia Armstrong describes a stay in Cuba when she and her friend got to know their trishaw rider and got to experience some local Cuban fun! Links: Antonio Cala - Adventure Fix - https://www.adventurefix.co/ Martha Waslen - DayAway - https://mydayaway.com/ Sequoia Armstrong - Puebla York - trips to Japan and Mexico - https://pueblayorkinc.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/296

Travelling overnight in a train is, I think, a very special experience. I've slept peacefully on overnight trains in Russia, Finland and Vietnam, and will happily do so again, for many reasons. Spending extended periods of time on trains is a wonderful way to get chatting to other travellers, a comfortable way to really see a country's landscapes, and of course, it's also more environmentally friendly than flying. My first guest on this episode is Justin Meneguzzi, who recently included overnight train travel to replace domestic flights on his trip to Thailand. It was great to hear about his experiences in both first and second class and has definitely inspired me to test out the Thai rail system on my next trip there. I then chat with Julie Kaplan, who not long ago spent four months travelling in Iraq. She took her first overnight train trip while she was there, and tells me about her experience travelling from Baghdad to Basra. Finally, I speak with Imogen Lepere about her trip across Russia on the Trans-Mongolian. As is often the case with overnight train travel, she struck up some kind of connection with the local travellers sharing her cabin. Links: French ban on short plane trips - https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/02/is-france-banning-private-jets-everything-we-know-from-a-week-of-green-transport-proposals 12 Go Asia https://12go.asia/en - booking transport in Asia  Justin Meneguzzi - https://www.justinmeneguzzi.com Julie Kaplan - https://www.juliekaplan.com/ Julie’s YouTube channel, Julie from LA - https://www.youtube.com/@juliefromla Imogen Lepere - https://www.imogenleperewriter.com/ Imogen’s book The Ethical Traveller - 100 ways to roam the world without ruining it - https://amzn.to/3Pj7KO7 Trans-Siberian Train Journeys, Episode 194 - notaballerina.com/194 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/295

Raynor Winn, bestselling author, one of my personal heroes, all-round amazingly nice person - is the guest on this deep dive episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. I discovered Raynor Winn's books thanks to the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, when one of our members, Joan, suggested we read "The Salt Path". I'm so glad she did, because it became a firm favourite amongst book club members, and we've subsequently read "The Wild Silence" and will soon discuss Raynor's third book, "Landlines", too.  In this chat, we discuss the mindset shifts from the hiking life, and what to do when you have to spend time back in "normal life"; we talk about making connections with other people on your travels; we cover the issue of homelessness, something important to both of us; we delve into how Raynor actually became a writer, and what her writing process is like now; and finally, we end with some fabulous lessons from travel.  It was such a thrill to record this chat, and I hope you all enjoy it even half as much as I did! Links: Landlines by Raynor Winn - https://amzn.to/3WLpmDO Thoughtful Travellers Book Club - https://notaballerina.com/bookclub 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/294

Many of us like to “do good” when we travel, and getting involved in some kind of citizen science program when we travel is a fantastic way to do this. Citizen science might involve making observations of wildlife or flora, collecting other kinds of data or even working in a science lab, and the guests on this podcast have a variety of wonderful citizen science experiences to report. First up, I chat with Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout. After running tours in Australia for several decades, largely centred on our intriguing wildlife, he has much to say about using citizen science on their tours, and has a great example from a koala project to share. I then speak with Jamie Van Jones of Salt and Bush Eco Tours. They include some kind of citizen science aspect to all their tours and Jamie explains how travellers are contributing to helping conserve a critically endangered possum in Western Australia. Finally, Justin Meneguzzi explains his experience of citizen science on an expedition cruise to Antarctica, where he could get involved in various projects run by the scientists on board the ship. Links: Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout - https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/ Koala Clancy Foundation, their NFP - https://www.koalaclancyfoundation.org.au Jamie Van Jones - www.saltandbush.com.au Swanlandia, their NFP - https://www.swanlandia.com.au Justin Meneguzzi - https://www.justinmeneguzzi.com eBird - https://ebird.org/ iNaturalist - https://www.inaturalist.org Questagame - https://questagame.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/293

Getting animal experiences right when we travel is something we can all try hard to do - checking ahead of time whether the ways we might be about to interact with animals are ethical and appropriate.  In this episode I have a bit of theory and practice to share. First up, we hear from Nora Livingstone at Animal Experience International, an organisation which helps travellers volunteer at ethical animal experiences around the world.  We then move on to India with my long-time listener Anuj, who recently spent time in the Gir National Park in Gujarat, India, and explains both the ethics and his incredible experiences there. Links: Nora Livingstone from Animal Experience International - https://www.animalexperienceinternational.com Anuj’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anujph/ Gir National Park - https://girlion.gujarat.gov.in - official site, available only in India 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/292

There is, apparently, no end to the appetite of both me and my listeners to hear stories about things going wrong on our travels. It’s not that we want to laugh or point fingers at people who have bad things happen to them - I think it’s more an empathy and sympathy, and the kind of entertainment that arises from someone who’s told a travel story many times, and can tell it well. That’s my excuse anyway: this is just one more of quite a number of episodes on this topic! My first guest in this episode is Nora Livingston of Animal Experience International, and her tale of something going wrong does, indeed, feature an animal - a Cape buffalo, in fact, in Kenya. Fortunately, all involved come out of the experience unharmed. I then chat with Staci Mellman of Brand USA about the natural disaster kind of “things going wrong” - when cyclonic storms interrupted a boat ride while she was in Fiji a few years back. Finally, I discuss work travel with Joseph Kolapudi, who’s had quite a string of bad luck when he’s travelled to present at conferences. He has tales from India and Kenya about some of the things that have gone wrong - but that he always manages to get through nonetheless. Links: Nora Livingstone, Animal Experience International - https://www.animalexperienceinternational.com Staci Mellman, Senior VP, Brand USA - https://www.thebrandusa.com Joseph Kolapudi, SolveSquad - https://www.solvesquad.co/ 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/291

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the March 2023 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves. Justin and I chatted about some of the positives of this book - the various lessons learnt from travel and some guidelines for travelling thoughtfully - along with a few parts we didn't agree with so wholeheartedly. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is 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

Happy 7th birthday to The Thoughtful Travel Podcast! This is a special episode with a few interesting tidbits about the podcast, inspired by members of the Thoughtful Travellers groups who gave me some excellent suggestions. For example, I've got the stats to show you which seven episodes have been the most downloaded over the history of the podcast; I've also got our group's version of the seven deadly sins of travel. I've also combined this seven-year celebration with a trip report on my recent experience in Kununurra, in the far north-east of Western Australia. It's an incredible part of the world and I feel so blessed to have been sent there to run some workshops, and I wanted to share a few of the highlights from my experience. But I have to return to see more!!! Links: SxSW Session Select voting - https://notaballerina.com/vote  “Why We Need Travel More Than Travel Needs Us” (until 11th April 2023) My Instagram for Kununurra pics and videos - https://instagram.com/amandakendle 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/290

What really goes on behind the scenes of travel writers, content creators and podcasters, and their counterparts in the tourism and travel industry, public relations firms and tourism boards? I recently spent the best part of a week in Sydney immersed in this world and I realised that lifting the curtain on how this part of travel and tourism works might prove interesting for my listeners. This episode is part trip report (in short: Sydney is gorgeous) and part BTS of IMM Australia, and more. The what? You'll have to listen to find out! I also chat with Christina Koullas of CK PR who gives us a great rundown on how public relations in general works within the travel industry. Links: Christina Koullas of CK PR - https://ckpr.com.au/ Christina’s blog about working with a journalist - https://ckpr.com.au/how-we-secured-a-cover-story/ The resulting article from Catherine Marshall - https://www.traveller.com.au/cape-york-queensland-travel-guide-the-last-great-adventure-destination-in-australia-h1twly TravMedia - https://travmedia.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/289

It'd be great if any time we took ourselves travelling and volunteered somewhere that it was a purely good act. The problem is, of course, that we are now getting to understand just how damaging some kinds of volunteer tourism can be. Is it all bad, though? I don't think so! But we definitely have to be very, very thoughtful any time we sign up for voluntourism. In Episode 288 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three travellers about their thoughts and experiences with volunteer travel. First up, I speak with Eliza Raymond of Good Travel, who has a very telling story about an experience she had volunteering in Guatemala at just eighteen years of age. Next, I talk to Jonathan Coleman from the Reset Tourism Fund at the UnTours Foundation. After working with NGOs hosting volunteer groups, along with various other tourism experiences throughout his career, he's very sceptical about the ability of almost any travel volunteer experience to be a truly worthwhile one for every party involved. Finally, I chat to Kayra Martinez of Love Without Borders For Refugees. Kayra was living in Germany when she saw an influx of refugees on the news back in 2015, and tried to find out what she could do to help - this led to a seriously big commitment to voluntourism in Greek refugee camps. Links: Eliza Raymond - Good Travel - https://www.good-travel.org/ "Youth, Let’s Be Good Travellers" video - https://www.good-travel.org/blog/youth-lets-be-good-travellers Jonathan Coleman - Untours Foundation -  https://untoursfoundation.org/ Kayra Martinez - Love Without Borders - http://lovewithoutborders4refugees.com/ Episode 228 - Volunteering Experiences - https://notaballerina.com/228 Episode 145 - Volunteering Experiences While Travelling - https://notaballerina.com/145 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/288

I don't think I'm the kind of traveller who's going to board a five-thousand-passenger cruise ship any time soon. But when I chatted with these three guests about their experiences with what I've called "not your typical" cruises, then I'm feeling much more inclined to pack my bags and my seasickness tablets! My first guest is Rick Antonson, an author of many fantastic travel books, and veteran of nearly no cruises! He did, however, have a brilliant experience on a river cruise in Myanmar a few years back, and does a good job of convincing me that it's my kind of cruise, too. Next, I chat to Noah Barnes, captain of a sailboat or windjammer off the Maine Coast, about how the trips he runs are absolutely not your typical cruise. I'm literally ready to sign up. Finally, I speak with Justin Meneguzzi about an experience he had on the kind of cruise that's always appealed to me - an expedition cruise. You'll have to listen to find out why three hundred passengers all abandoned their dinner and grabbed their cameras when they were cruising near Svalbard. Links: Rick Antonson - www.rickantonson.com Rick’s new book, Train Beyond the Mountains - https://amzn.to/3Zq1C8T (out April 2023) Maine Windjammer Association - https://www.sailmainecoast.com/ Noah’s boat - Stephen Taber - https://www.stephentaber.com/ Justin Meneguzzi - https://www.justinmeneguzzi.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/287

One of my very favourite cities anywhere is Melbourne, Australia. It's a city I seriously considering moving to when I returned from living abroad, and I have so many friends there - long story short, I always love visiting Melbourne. When my son was picked as a goalkeeper for the Western Australian state indoor soccer team, and we found out he'd be headed to Melbourne for the National Fustal Championships in January 2023, I was equally excited about his inclusion in the team and the fact that we'd "have to" go to Melbourne! This episode is a trip report about our experiences on sports travel, as well as a few days down in San Remo and Phillip Island, topped off with a city staycation in the heart of my beloved Melbourne. Links: Penguins at Phillip Island - https://www.penguins.org.au/ Voco Melbourne Central - https://www.ihg.com/voco/hotels/us/en/melbourne/melct/hoteldetail Immigration Museum - https://museumsvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/ 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/286

I've always wanted to get to Hawai'i some day - but now I know why I haven't made it yet. I needed to read this brilliant book first! This episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is an interview with Annie Daly and Kainoa Daines, the authors of "Island Wisdom: Hawaiian Traditions and Practices for a Meaningful Life". It's one of those brilliant books - all too rare - which serve the function of teaching us really important things about a destination before we arrive, and enrich the experience we have once we're there. Having read this book, I know for certain I'll get so much more out of a future Hawai'i trip then if I hadn't read it. I had such a wonderful chat with Annie and Kainoa, and I've tried to edit it down a little - we couldn't stop talking! - but it's still a little longer than a regular episode. Hope you enjoy it and that if you've visited Hawai'i before, it gives you some extra context, or that it enriches a future trip if you're like me and haven't had the magic of a Hawaiian experience just yet! Links: Island Wisdom - https://amzn.to/3E2oNgO 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/285

We know that having expectations can often set us up for disappointment - and many thoughtful travellers will also know that letting go of these expectations and just embracing whatever happens can often lead to the most memorable and enjoyable trips. In this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three guests who prove just that. Firstly, I talk with Diana Fischer of Detours Zürich about some of her experiences of travel and how she’s learnt that being humble and open-minded can teach her the most. I then speak to windjammer captain Noah Barnes who explains that both his own travel experiences and those he observes of his cruise passengers have taught him that having expectations is the enemy of fun, and that a certain amount of discomfort is actually the best recipe for a memorable trip. Finally, Nancy Edwards gives some examples of the unexpected occurrences she’s faced on travels in Sierra Leone and Laos, reminding us that being prepared for anything is likely to both teach us the most and give us the best possible travel experience. Links: Diana Fischer from Detours Zürich - https://www.detours-zurich.ch/ Maine Windjammer Association - https://www.sailmainecoast.com/ Noah’s boat - Stephen Taber - https://www.stephentaber.com/ Nancy Edwards, author - https://www.nancyedwards.ca - Not One, Not Even One: A Memoir of Life-altering Experiences in Sierra Leone, West Africa 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/284

It's the season for Antarctic travel - but should we really encourage Antarctic tourism? That's the question I had in mind when I chatted with Justin Watson (well-known to listeners as my Book Club co-host), who travelled to Antarctic recently on a true trip-of-a-lifetime. We chat about the highlights of an Antarctic trip, Justin's tips for deciding on a ship to join, and also our thoughts on whether Antarctic tourism is for better or worse. You'll have to listen to find out what we decided! Links: Justin’s blog with some great photos on his Antarctic posts - https://justins.world Nikki Gemmell’s book Shiver - https://amzn.to/3Dqfvei 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/283

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the 2022 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about Peel Me A Lotus by Charmian Clift with my co-host Justin Watson, and later joined by Thoughtful Travellers member Philippa. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is 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

Friendships made while travelling are some of the best friendships of all, right? I think the kind of person we act as while we travel is closer to our best self than usual, plus we’re likely to interact with people who have similar interests and values - and then, whammo, we suddenly have friends for life! In this episode I start off with a beautiful story from Diana Fischer about a friend she made on her first backpacking trip to Asia, in Sri Lanka. It’s a friendship that has stood the test of time. Next, I speak with Noah Barnes, who describes both his own travel friendships, as well as the many friendships he witnesses being made every sailing season aboard his windjammer in Maine. Finally, I chat to Oliver Jähnke about travelling for his YouTube channel, Queers of the World, and how the people he makes contact with ahead of every trip help provide him with instant friendships on arrival. Links: Diana Fischer from Detours Zürich - https://www.detours-zurich.ch/ Maine Windjammer Association - https://www.sailmainecoast.com/ Noah’s boat - Stephen Taber - https://www.stephentaber.com/ Oliver Jähnke - Queers of the World - https://www.youtube.com/queersoftheworld 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/282

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the December 2021 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about Sovietistan by Erika Fatland with my co-host Justin Watson. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is 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

We all see the headlines about how travelling is bad for the earth - and yet I know my podcast listeners also agree that travel is so very good for us, in so many ways, that we need to find a way to continue to travel. This makes the ideas of regenerative travel and sustainable travel important to talk and think about, and I'm pleased to have put together this episode to help us all do just that. I chat first of all with Dr Susanne Etti, who's currently the Global Environmental Impact Manager at Intrepid Travel. We discuss how we can "make flights count", and her ideas on what we should do about carbon offsets, too. My second guest is Diana Fischer from Detours Zürich, a small but impactful tour business running in Switzerland. It's exciting to hear Diana's thoughts behind how and why she set up the business and it's a good reminder for us to consider the impact of every business we choose to support when we travel. Finally, I had wonderful chat with Sam Combs from the middle of a rainforest in Belize, where he and his family run the Sattva retreat centre. He ponders whether regenerative travel is really able to do more good than harm but also explains the lessons we can take home from travel, along with the permaculture focus of their centre. Links: Dr Susanne Etti from Intrepid Travel - https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ Diana Fischer from Detours Zürich - https://www.detours-zurich.ch/ Sam Combs from Sattva retreat centre in Belize - https://www.sattvaland.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 Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/281