The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Hearing languages I can't understand is one of my favourite parts of travelling - it's one of the surest ways to feel I am away from home, exploring a foreign-to-me place. I've also been lucky enough - from an English-speaker perspective, especially - to have studied quite a few different languages over the years. I still wish, of course, I'd been born somewhere in Europe where I would have grown up learning multiple languages more easily from a young age, but I can only dream about that! In Episode 261 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three guests about their various experiences with languages and accents. First, I speak with Helena Fox about the languages of her childhood and how they contributed to her accent. I then chat to Carolanna Lisonbee who chose to study Mandarin and Japanese for a really fabulous reason. Lastly, I turn to Lindsay Williams for some tips on languages for travellers - she has much to say about being practical with your approach to language learning before and during a t

History, current events and politics are intrinsically interesting, but when you have the chance to travel to the places where important world events have taken place - or be somewhere at the moment something historic actually occurs - then that's even more impactful. In this special episode, I trace my personal history with the city of Berlin, and how my travel experiences there have brought history to life for me (as well as influencing, well, basically my whole life!). I start off way back in the 1960s when - no, I wasn't alive - the Berlin Wall was built, and then move forward to 1990 when I had the immense luck of being in Berlin for the night of reunification, as a fourteen-year-old. Coming all the way from Australia meant that experiencing such a historic moment firsthand impacted me in many ways. I returned to Berlin several times after 1990, and most recently took my some in 2015, and it's pretty amazing to track our experiences. Links: News audio extracts from https://archive.org/details/1962-08-

Focusing away from the big tourist attractions and being more open to just seeing what comes your way when you travel is one way we can be “less tourist, more traveller”, and this episode includes several stories which are wonderful examples of what happens when you do just that. First up, I chat with Kate Peterson about an experience she had in Greece. While it starts off being a tale of everything going wrong, Kate explains that she learnt a lot from his and ends up having a very special experience in a cafe. I then talk to Paula Morgan about a time when an elderly man in Penang taught her about the value of just saying yes to opportunities that present themselves unexpectedly, even if you feel a bit suspicious of them. Finally, travel writer Tim Richards discusses the idea that it’s the things that you don’t ordinarily expect will make it into published travel stories that are often the experiences which make the best stories. Links: Kate Peterson’s Art - https://www.katepeterson.art/ Kate’s travel jou

Getting to meet all kinds of people is one of the best parts of travelling and this episode is full of stories of connecting with people in all kinds of different ways. First up, Kate Peterson tells an amazing story about both her parents' connections with a Greek man back in the 1970s, and her follow-up explorations when she lived in Greece decades later. I then chat with Tobi Barth, who takes people on tours to see the northern lights in the Yukon, about a special connection he's made from this work. Finally, Lindsay Williams explains a lovely connection made quite randomly in Cuba on a muddy walk that turned into something very special. Links: Kate Peterson’s Art - https://www.katepeterson.art/ Kate’s travel journal Around the World and Back Again - https://amzn.to/3FTAHZH  Tobi Barth of Epic North - https://epic-north.com/  Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages - https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultrav

In this special collaborative episode, I chat with Jeremy Bassetti of the Travel Writing World Podcast. We talk about our most memorable and influential travel reads, what's important about travel literature and why we enjoy it. (So many reasons!) We also compare our podcast experiences, including talking about writers we've enjoyed talking to (spoiler: we only say nice things!). And of course, readers like us are very often also writers, so we chat about the future of the travel genre and our own experiences of writing books, and some of our hopes for the future of the industry. Links: Travel Writing World - https://www.travelwritingworld.com/  Info about the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club - https://www.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 The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell - https://amzn.to/3a0oBwD Around the Worl

Travel is fun, but even more, it teaches us so much. From life skills to personal development and even changing our fundamental personality, travel has the potential to do it all. I start off this episode briefly mentioning some of the research that has backed this up, but the most important thing is hearing the stories from my three wonderful guests. First up, I chat with Jennifer Johnston who has one particularly important lesson from travel: learning how similar we all are, no matter what our culture or homelife or language. Next, I talk to Carolanna Lisonbee who spent a year teaching English in China, and this particular experience changed her significantly. Finally, I speak with artist Kate Peterson who points out something I hadn't concretely considered before now - that the contrast of learning about other cultures when you travel helps you understand your own background and culture much more deeply. Links: Jennifer Johnston - https://travelbugwithin.com.au/ Carolanna Lisonbee’s poetry book - Wisp of

In the fourth of my Deep Dive Into Thoughtful Travel interview episodes, I chat with Dr Vincie Ho, founder and executive director of the RISE Travel Institute. We met while I was studying for a Certificate in Sustainability and Anti-Oppression in Travel through RISE and I couldn't wait to chat with her about her travel history. Vincie and I discuss where her love of travel came from, some of her experiences in studying abroad and volunteering, and what her hopes are for RISE Travel Institute and the future of thoughtful travel. It's a great chat which I can safely say we both thoroughly enjoyed, and hope you do too. Links: RISE Travel Institute - https://www.risetravelinstitute.org  My capstone project from my recent RISE course - my topic was ethical wildlife tourism - Episode 252 - https://notaballerina.com/252  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers  Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin

The ultimate long trip is not a trip at all: migrating to another country has much in common with long-term travel, but then, you never go home. Episode 254 is about migrating to Australia in particular - it interests me greatly to hear more about how and why people have moved to my home country, and what they like or dislike about it. First up, I chat with Catherine Marshall, who migrated from South Africa almost two decades ago. As she mentions, we have a significant number of South African migrants here in my hometown of Perth, so it's especially intriguing to hear more about her experiences. I then speak with Anuj, a migrant from India who now lives in Melbourne, after initially coming to Australia to complete postgraduate study. Fifteen years on, he seems very happy here! Finally, I talk to Lucky Legong, another immigrant from South Africa who arrived in Australia more recently after being offered a job at Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. From never having considered Australia as a destination

Walking is such a wonderful way to explore the world - it's a way to slow down, really look around you, often to get in touch with nature too, and it's healthy and environmentally-friendly as well. In Episode 253 I chat with travellers who've walked in many parts of the world and got so much out of it that it'll make you want to follow in their (literal!) footsteps. First up, I chat with Kath and Howie of The Museum of Us, a couple who have become quite addicted to long walks over the last few years - curiously, as the result of knee injuries. I talk with Kath and Howie about their experience of walking the Camino a few years back. Next, Justin Watson tells the story of a popular walk in Bhutan to see the Tiger's Nest Monastery or Paro Taktsang in Bhutan. It's a pretty vertical walk and it's a fun story! Finally, Tara Wells talks to me about how to get the most out of walking - she's just published a guide book on a long Sydney walk, so she should know! Links: Kath and Howie’s YouTube channel The Museum o

Should we ride elephants? (For me, the answer is definitely no.)  But did you know that at one stage, the offering of elephant rides was seen as being part of "saving" them from a tortuous life working in the forestry industry, dragging heavy logs around? And did you know there are now thousands of domesticated elephants in Thailand who still need to be supported, somehow? While I always strive to be an ethical wildlife tourist, diving deeper into this topic has proven to me it's never as black and white as we think, and that many solutions to these kind of problems are best solved through empowerment and many discussions with the local people involved - and that this is not a quick or easy solution, but a better one for sure! This is a special episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast - I've put it together as part of the requirements for the Certificate in Sustainability and Anti-Oppression in Travel, a fabulous course I've been studying through the RISE Travel Institute. See the show notes for reference

In the third of my Deep Dive Into Thoughtful Travel interview episodes, I chat with Penny Rafferty in South Australia, with a wide-ranging discussion about all manner of thoughtful travel topics. I started off asking Penny about her fascinating career trajectory, which sees her now taking the roles of both Head of Sustainability at Tourism Australia and Executive Officer of Luxury Lodges of Australia. Her roles have given her plenty of food for thought and we discuss both her professional and personal experiences of tourism and travel, how travel can change us, and how travellers can change the world. Links: Luxury Lodges of Australia -  https://luxurylodgesofaustralia.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/251 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the August 2021 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about All the Way to the Tigers with author Mary Morris. You can find out more about Mary at her website https://marymorris.net and read the book at https://amzn.to/3cfiEzY  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  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the semiquincentennial episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast (and listener Justin, who features in this episode, told me about that crazy word in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group) - in any case, it's Episode 250, a round-numbered episode and time for something totally different! One of the most fabulous parts of running this podcast for over five years is the people I've met - some of whom have become good friends who I can't imagine not knowing! I feature as selection of them in this episode - just a handful out of many - and I'm so grateful that running this podcast gave me the chance to get to know them. From the UK, I feature Ian Oliver (who now runs his own podcast, Travel Tales from Beyond the Brochure), and Penny Wincer, who is originally Australian but now resides in England. Out of Europe I mention Eva Westerling who lived in Germany when we first chatted but has spent more time in Morocco of late, and also Erin Gustaffson of Oregon Girl Around the World, an American currently based

I’m usually talking about elephants in the sense of seeing them on safari, or of how we should ethically visit elephants in appropriate sanctuaries, and how we absolutely shouldn’t ride them. But this episode is  about what happens when travellers and elephants collide - quite literally! I first chat with Catherine Marshall, who has travelled extensively throughout Africa and has a special love for elephants - but also, a very serious respect for them. She tells me of an elephant encounter some time back in Kruger National Park. My second guest is Henry Gold who has a rather dramatic elephant story to tell. His encounter takes place in India while he was running a cycling tour. You’ll soon understand why this story is one that Henry has told very frequently since it happened a decade ago. Links: Catherine Marshall’s Time to Wander site - https://www.timetowander.com.au  Henry Gold, founder of Tour D'Afrique Cycling - https://tdaglobalcycling.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https:/

Studying in other countries isn't just about getting a qualification: oh no, it's SO much more! In Episode 248 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three women who've spent some time studying abroad, both undergraduate and postgraduate, and without fail they mention how significant and life changing this experience was. First, I chat with Kaitlyn Jain. She hadn't never been outside of North America before she spent a semester at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and this experience was particularly life-changing for Kaitlyn because she really threw herself into Australian life. My next guest is Helena Fox who dutifully completed a law degree in her home country before finally "running away" - her words! - to the United States to study writing; let's just say, she's now a writer and not a lawyer! Finally, I speak with Annie Daly who majored in American Studies at college, and had a wonderful full year studying abroad in England as part of this. Links: Kaitlyn Jain - https://www.k

I've been raving about the benefits of travel with kids for many years now (almost my whole life!), and I loved putting together this episode about the benefits of family travel. The benefits run in all directions - both for the children and the parents, and beyond. My first guests are Kath and Howie of The Museum of Us, who have travelled for many years with their daughter. We discussed their three-month stint in Thailand when she was two years old, and how having her with them opened up all kinds of doors to local society. I then chat with Kaitlyn Jain who decided that having kids (four of them) wouldn't stop her pursuing her love of travel, and it hasn't - it's just changed it, and for the better. Finally, I speak with Deborah Haile and her son Jonah about what travel teaches kids and why it's beneficial for both them and us to go travelling with them. Links: Kath and Howie - The Museum of Us - https://www.youtube.com/themuseumofus  Kaitlyn Jain - https://www.kaitlynjain.com - her book is Passports and

In my second Deep Dive Into Thoughtful Travel interview episode, I speak with James Mwenda in Kenya - and I'm really excited to share our chat. For almost a decade, James was a caretaker for the last three - then two - northern white rhinos in the world, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. It's heartbreaking to imagine working with the very last animals of a species - and James talks about the emotional toll this work takes. We also talk about what thoughtful, sustainable travel should look like, and James has recently started his own expedition company, Jemu Expeditions, to show travellers to Kenya the things he loves most about his country. From the importance of tourism dollars for conservation efforts to his emphasis on using tourism to support his local community, James has so many words of wisdom.  Links: James’s expedition company, Jemu Expeditions - https://www.jemuexpeditions.com  Ol Pejeta Conservancy - https://www.olpejetaconservancy.org  Video of James speaking about Sudan, the last male norther

My definition of thoughtful travel has come a long way since I named this podcast over five years ago; I’ve also been excited to see a lot more people giving thought to the question of what thoughtful travel means. Episode 245 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast gathers the ideas of many more people to help us consider this important question. I chat with four guests about what they think thoughtful travel means, starting with Henry Gold. He emphasises respecting others, especially because you are visiting their home or country. Next, we hear from James Mwenda who focuses on the impact our travels have. Helena Fox talks about being present in the place you go to, and also discusses ideas of respect and slow travel. My final guest, Vince Dickson, talks about being more open to different experiences, as well as considering the impact our travels have. Links: Henry Gold  founder of TDA Cycling - https://tdaglobalcycling.com/ James Mwenda - Jemu Expeditions - https://www.jemuexpeditions.com Helena Fox - https://h

Most of travel involves a flight, train or ferry ride, and things can go wrong - that's why Episode 244 is all about transport glitches when we travel. Some of these stories are just plain crazy - the amount of stuff that can go wrong one trip is unbelievable! - and others remind us that even when things go wrong, there's often a silver lining (or at the very least, a good story to tell!). First up, I chat with Kaitlyn Jain about a trip she and her husband took to Finland with their four (very) young children. She had a great plan to take the ferry from Helsinki to Estonia for the day, but things went wrong when jet lag made them sleep through their alarm ... Next, I talk to Vince Dickson who tells the story of perhaps his unluckiest friend, who had quite a saga flying to visit Vince in South Africa a few years back. It certainly tok a lot longer than planned. Finally, Deborah Haile and her son Jonah talk about what happened when they unexpectedly got stuck for a night in Dubai - and it was all good! Link

This month's special guest for a deep dive into thoughtful travel is JoAnna Haugen, founder of Rooted Storytelling. JoAnna has appeared in a couple of past podcast episodes but her knowledge and experience in many important areas of thoughtful travel is so vast that I wanted to get deeper into some, well, really thoughtful stuff! JoAnna and I chat about what she believes thoughtful travel is, whether the impact of the pandemic will lead to some improvement in how sustainably and thoughtfully we travel, how best we can travel with an emphasis on supporting locals and finally, some advice and guidance for content creators - travel writers, journalists, bloggers, podcasters and influencers - on how we can best use the responsibility of our influence. Links: JoAnna Haugen’s website, Rooted Storytelling - https://rootedstorytelling.com  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/243 See omnystudio.com/listener fo