The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Because travel has changed my life in so many varied ways, I know that it's transformative; when I talk to three other people who believe this, like for this Episode 152 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'm even more sure about how transformative travel can be. If you're able to rearrange your budget to get travelling then go and do it! In this episode I start off speaking with Dean O'Shea who runs a business devising trips for mostly corporate professionals with the hope that they'll be transformational - and it sounds like it's working. Dean gives me a couple of examples of people he's already helped to have some major life transformations as a result of particular travel experiences. I then chat with Nate Hake who used to be a trial lawyer in the United States. These days he's travelling the world - he was about to head to Tblisi, Georgia when we spoke - and his own life has been substantially transformed through his travel experiences. As an Aussie I'm proud to say there were Australians involved in th

Scuba travel has never been high on my wishlist but after talking to my three guests on Episode 151 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast about their diving trips all around the world, I'm beginning to think otherwise! Scuba diving holidays are special - and my first guest Ella Loeffler should know as in the short few years since she first learnt scuba diving, she's tried it out in quite a number of places around the world. Liveaboard diving sounds especially good to me - kind of like a separate trip within a trip where you get to hang out with like minded travellers and locals. After Ella I chat with Deborah Dickson-Smith who loves diving so much she bought a scuba diving travel agency! She's got a long list of great dive experiences but also some wishlist ideas to experience the best scuba diving in the world sometime. Finally, I talk with Talon Windwalker, who has done work as a dive instructor and has done many special diving trips with his daughter. He also emphasises the many-faceted benefits of combining

Before I travelled to Denmark a couple of months back, I recorded Episode 140 with all my thoughts ahead of that trip. In particular, I wanted to be a more intentionally thoughtful traveller on that trip and in this special Episode 150 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I'm following up on how that all went. It turns out - quick spoiler - that being more intentional really helped me to have an even better experience in Copenhagen and rural Denmark. But you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out why! A special bonus in this special episode is that my son, now Mr9, has made a return visit - the last time he was here, he was only Mr6! He answers some questions asked by the lovely members of the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group - thanks everyone! Links: My pre-Denmark thoughts in Episode 140 - https://notaballerina.com/140  Easy Travel Speak free lesson -  https://www.nomadingabout.com/free-easy-travel-speak-lesson/ Use discount code AMANDA for 40% off Easy Travel Speak - https://www.nomadingabout.

We who get to travel the world are a very privileged lot - right? If we're going to be good, thoughtful travellers, I think that considering issues of class and privilege when we travel is an important part of it. In Episode 149 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I talk with three guests who articulate some really interesting thoughts on this topic and I'm so pleased to bring them to you, and hope they give everyone some food for thought. First up, I speak with Ella Loeffler, a recently graduated ecologist who has been spending time volunteering on a sea turtle project in Malaysia. She might be young, but she has given this topic a lot of thought already and it was great to hear how she has handled it so far. I then chat to Nate Hake, a former lawyer who now travels the world as a digital nomad and has written about issues like passport privilege in the past. Finally, I talk to Chris Haag who actually proposed this whole topic in the first place. Chris is cycling the Americas from north to south and when we

Solo travelling is one of those things that you might fear before you try it: but if you take the plunge you will find that the life of a solo traveller is insanely rewarding. In Episode 148 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I talk to three people who have done a lot of solo travel in all kinds of parts of the world and they all agree that including some solo travelling in the mix is absolutely worthwhile. My first guest is Alastair Humphreys who has done some very adventurous solo travel and finds it both soul-searching and rewarding. We talk in particular about one of his solo trips walking across India. Next up I chat with Justin Watson who, like me, thought at first that solo travel might be difficult; when he finally tried he was very glad he did. Finally, I speak with Michela Fantinel about one of her first solo travel experiences in New York City - since then she has gone on to do numerous solo trips and would thoroughly recommend it. Links: Alastair Humphreys - https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/  A

One of the most well-known (and successful, for that matter) travel bloggers around is Matt Kepnes, also known as Nomadic Matt. Here's the thing. I actually started blogging a couple of years before Matt, and we got to know each other while freelancing for some of the same travel sites back in the day - but he's the one who went on to turn his travel blog into a very successful full-time career. I want to be jealous, but whenever I encounter Matt I'm reminded that he's just a really nice guy and along with that, we share very similar attitudes to travel. And so after thinking about it for much too long, Matt and I have finally caught up for a special episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast where we talk about all kinds of travel topics: budget travel and staying in hostels, how to be a thoughtful traveller and the wonders of solo travel. Matt also has a new book out, "Ten Years a Nomad" and of course that rates a mention too! Links: Matt’s site Nomadic Matt - https://www.nomadicmatt.com Matt’s new book “Te

It's not all too many years ago that I would have thought Iran was definitely off the visit list, but in recent years it has become quite a popular destination amongst travellers I know. Episode 146 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is, in fact, devoted fully to Iran because I've had so many guests tell me about their good experiences there that I just had to create an entire episode to be able to share some of their stories. First up I chat with Brett Seychell of Social Cycles who first visited Iran on his two-year cycling journey from London to Melbourne. He loved it so much that he has now been half a dozen times and runs tours there! Next I speak with photographer Dale Neill who has also taken a tour group to Iran in recent years. Dale reiterates the common theme of this episode, that Iran is probably the single friendliest country he's ever visited. Finally, I hear from Joanne Karcz who was recently in Iran for a month and had so many good stories to tell about the country and especially the kindness o

It's becoming increasingly popular to make volunteering a part of a trip abroad, but it's also becoming increasingly known that not all volunteer programs are created equal. It's sometimes hard to be sure if you're helping or hindering, and difficult to be sure you're helping to create lasting change.  In Episode 145 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three travellers who've taken part in various volunteer programs in recent years. We talk about how to find a good volunteer program and their own examples are really worth hearing about. First up, I talk to Ella who is currently volunteering in Malaysia at an organisation protecting endangered sea turtles. She has an ecology degree and describes the great work that is happening there, along with some thoughts on how to find a good way to volunteer abroad. Next I chat with Meagan who lives in southern California. In the last few years she's become involved with regular volunteer work just a couple of hours' drive away in Mexico. Finally, Eva explai

Travel and life intersect in all kinds of ways and Episode 144 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a collection of stories about when grief intersects with travel. I'm so grateful to all the guests for sharing these pretty personal stories, because I know they will be interesting and even useful for many who listen. First up I speak with Justin Watson who shares a story of a very special trip to the United States with a good friend; then Dean O'Shea talks about an important trip he took his brother on not long after their father passed away.  Finally, I chat with Kate Manser who started a project called "You Might Die Tomorrow" after the sudden, unrelated deaths of three young people she knew. She hopes to help people use activities like travelling to help them live life to the full - hopefully without having tragedy around them first. Links: Justin’s blog at Justin’s World - http://www.justins.world Dean’s site Unbelievable Adventures - https://www.unbelievableadventures.co.uk/  Kate Manser’s site You Mig

So are you a helpful traveller or a harmful traveller when you're on the road? I think we'd all like to think we're more the former, but there's always more we can do. For this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I have a very special guest, Aussie broadcaster and journalist Jan Fran, who recently went overseas with adventure apparel brand Kathmandu to find out firsthand from the locals what's happening in our travel hotspots and how we can do better. They’ve produced three videos called Helpful or Harmful? featuring Bali, Nepal and Australia. I was a bit fangirly nervous before I got to interview Jan Fran but she was a delight to chat to and I loved finding out more about some of the behind the scenes experiences she had in Bali and Nepal to make these videos. Hope you enjoy this chat, too! Links: Helpful or Harmful Travel - https://www.kathmandu.com.au/helpful-or-harmful  More about Jan Fran - http://www.janfran.net Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show not

We often fear getting lost when we travel ... but in reality, it usually either means we discover something we otherwise wouldn't have, and/or it becomes a funny story we repeat regularly later on! In Episode 142 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three travellers who all believe that getting lost is fun (or at least it is most of the time!). First up, Lucas Peters explains his strategy of getting deliberately lost - it's more sensible than it sounds, I promise! Next up I chat with Michela Fantinel who has had some wonderful experiences getting lost while driving in Australia, for example - although as a good Australian I must warn you all to make sure you take water and petrol with you if you're driving about in the Australian outback - it's one of those places where getting lost can actually end up being a bad thing. (Michela is fine!) Finally, I talk to Erin Holmes about some of the various times she's got lost while travelling.  Links: Travel Journal School - www.traveljournalschool.com  Luc

If you don't get to really meet the people of a country, have you really been there? Some of my first significant travel moments involved a lot of immersion with local people - from a school language trip aged 14, staying with three different families across Germany without a fellow Aussie friend in the home with me, to living and teaching English in Japan, meeting dozens of new Japanese people every day. I guess that's meant I learnt fast just how much more you can learn about a place when you take as many chances as possible to chat to locals, so it's really ingrained in all my travels now. And it turns out I'm not alone, of course. The three guests on Episode 141 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast value a good chat with a local as much as I do. First up I speak to Seng Mah, who describes a recent experience in India where he got more involved in an Indian wrestling hall than one would expect - but it was a great experience! Next I chat with Kim Yuhl who is slow travelling around the world as a digital no

It's a special episode again - every ten episodes I do something different for The Thoughtful Travel Podcast - and listener Justin suggested I record my thoughts about my trip to Denmark with my son and how this trip would challenge us to be thoughtful travellers. I liked this suggestion a lot so this is a solo episode with my pre-trip thoughts about visiting Denmark with my son; what made me decide to go, what I hope to find, and all of the thoughts I've had ahead of the trip. As always I've done some reading and research (also as always, not as much as I'd like, because life always gets in the way), and I'm curious to find out if the Denmark I expect is the Denmark I find. When this episode goes live I'll be mid-way through two weeks exploring both Copenhagen and rural Denmark so I'll have to have a follow-up later on what I actually discovered! Links: My thoughts on thoughtful travel - https://www.notaballerina.com/2018/01/thoughtful-travel.html The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell - https://amzn

We're used to expecting culture shock when we travel to a different country but what about when we return home? Sometimes it's a worse shock than when we travel, and we're not always prepared for it. This kind of reverse culture shock, or culture shock when you come home, is something my guests in Episode 139 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast have all experienced. First up I chat with Talon Windwalker who like me lived abroad for about six years. After two years at home he's still having trouble settling back, something I can very much relate to as it took me many years to feel like I was happily at home again. I then talk with Luke Mackin who, as a third culture kid who grew up in the Philippines with American parents, moved to the United States as a teenager and now lives with his family in Indonesia, finds it hard to decide what is home and what is "his" culture, meaning this whole culture shock issue can be really amplified. Finally I speak with Jo Duggan who spent six months volunteering in a medical s

Want to stay somewhere other than a hotel? Then Episode 138 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is for you! I'm not a huge fan of hotels and love to stay in alternative kinds of accommodation, so I was excited to chat to my three guests in this episode about some of their favourite kinds of non-hotel accommodation. I start off with a chat with Dan Johnston who has been living in a bunch of different places around the world in recent years. Being focused on generally longer stays than the average trip, he's found lots of really creative ways to find a great place to stay. Next I talk to Kendall Simmons who reminds me that hostels can also be a great accommodation alternative, no matter how old you are - hostels are definitely not just huge dorm rooms any more! We also discussing house sitting as another really interesting way to find somewhere special to stay (and to save money doing it!). Finally I discuss accommodation with Chris Haag who has a particularly unique perspective as he and his partner are cyclin

If you experience depression, you may have combined this with travel and either found it made things worse, or better. I would love to imagine that travel could cure depression, but from the chats I had with three different people for this episode, it seems (unsurprisingly, really) that experiences of depression and travel vary as much as people vary. First up today I chat with Justin Watson, who has actually found that travel has been quite helpful in managing his issues with depression. We talk about mindfulness techniques and how practicing these when you travel can be a great way to improve them. Next I speak with Megan Blandford, who has experienced depression while travelling during a period when she was in denial that she had any depressions issues at all. The link between Megan's depression and her adventurous travel activities is something I found really fascinating to discuss. Finally, I talk to Ian Oliver who has had some mixed experiences with depression while he is travelling: from finding tha

Everyone takes tonnes of photos when they travel these days - hundreds from a short trip is not unusual, thanks to bringing our smartphones complete with cameras these days, or because we're taking lots of shots to try and get an Instagram-worthy one! In Episode 136 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I talk with three photographers about a bunch of different thoughts about taking photos when we travel, along with some very handy tips. First up, I chat with Seng Mah, who works as a photographer and takes people on photography tours to some fabulous places around the world. Seng's ideas on how we ordinary people should approach taking pictures is a breath of fresh air and well worth listening to. I then talk with Whitney Taylor, who similarly has a surprising attitude to photography while travelling. She's definitely of the Instagram generation but is not in favour of watching your trip unfold through your phone's camera. Finally, Dale Neill returns to the podcast with some really solid tips and information a

Ever painted the town red one night on your travels? Episode 135 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about the nightlife you've experienced on your travels - whether you hit a nightclub or bar or, my personal favourite, a karaoke box in Japan! Along the way through these discussions my guests and I discovered that exploring the nightlife is also a fascinating study in cultural differences. My first guest today is Whitney Taylor who experienced an Indian nightclub in Agra, and certainly discovered a couple of significant differences between our local Aussie nightclubs and Indian ones - and had a wonderful evening. Next up I chat with Dan Johnston, who currently calls Prague in the Czech Republic home and has also spent time living in Germany. We discuss some of the cultural differences in nightlife experiences between countries like Australia and Canada, and the European model. Finally I speak with Kate Toon who, like me, doesn't always get out and about at night when she travels because if you're trave

Having location independent work - which usually means doing a job that you can do online - is becoming increasingly popular these days and many people are wandering the globe at the same time as they're earning an income. Magic, hey? In Episode 134 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast we look at the topic of location independent work and I chat with two digital nomads about their current experiences and tips. Firstly I chat with Kim Yuhl who's over a year into working on the road with her husband. Currently in Guatemala, Kim has spent time in China, Italy, Mexico, the United States and Belize in the past twelve months and while doing her full time writing and editing job is also creating a YouTube channel with her husband called Nomading About. It's a busy and varied life, but Kim talks to me about how to get a routine into this kind of life as well. I also speak with Kendall Simmons, another digital nomad, but her job as an interior designer didn't initially sound like a job that's conducive to working online

Sometimes, the things we learn from travel creep up on us in a cumulative way. Other times, one trip teaches us so much and just whacks us in the head and makes us change something significant about our lives! And this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is definitely about the latter situation. First up I talk to Dean O'Shea who took off on a huge challenge to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in California when he was 22 - and he chose it purely because it was the longest, hardest journey listed in his mother's book of long, hard journeys! What happened in and after California is not what you'd expect - and certainly not what Dean expected either - but it changed his life in some significant ways. I then chat with Seng Mah, a friend of mine here in Perth who has long told me that going to India is life-changing for many people (and yes, I'm now convinced I need to go there sometime!). Seng's first experience of travelling through India gave him so many insights and new perspectives that his life then chan