The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

It's my birthday! Well, yesterday was my birthday, which means this week is the THIRD anniversary of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. That's three years of the chance to chat with awesome, like-minded, travel-loving people from all around the world, and to share the results with a fabulous audience who challenge me with their interesting questions and share their amazing travel experiences with me. In this special third anniversary episode I answer questions from listeners (via the Thoughtful Traveller Facebook group) about topics as diverse as accommodation, language learning, photography, travelling with kids, environmentally aware travel, destination choosing and more. I also divulge some of the statistics behind the listeners and downloads of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast which I kind of obsessively follow (it's my maths degree that makes me love the stats, I think!). A huge thank you to every one of my listeners, whether you've just started tuning in to The Thoughtful Travel Podcast or you've been there

I'm an incredibly firm believer in the value of taking your children travelling, and my own son, about to turn nine, has already been to 17 countries with me, on a real variety of kinds of trips - and it's been pivotal in how he's developed as a wonderful little human so far. The guests on Episode 131 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast all agree with me on this! First up, I chat with Talon Windwalker, who travelled for six years with his child from the age of nine and could see so many benefits from this constant exposure to other cultures. My second guest, Megan Blandford, regularly goes travelling with her two young daughters. While it started out simply as being necessary to bring them along because she and her husband wanted to continue to embrace their love of travel, she has also seen the girls develop numerous life skills through their travel experiences. Finally I talk with Shannon Entin who now has an adult and a teen child and has used travel over the years to supplement her home schooling, and has

Episode 130 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast - being a nice round number - is another very special episode, where I chat with Brooke McAlary, a very like-minded traveller, book author and podcaster, and a very important friend of the podcast! Brooke and her family have spent the last year slow travelling around North America (with a little faster travel during Brooke's book tour for her book "Slow" ... ironically!). Packing up life in Australia and heading far north for an extended time was a huge deal and in this interview Brooke and I chat about how they made this decision, what it involved for work and for the kids' schooling, and how it's all gone. Like me, Brooke and her husband Ben left Australia in their 20s to spend an extended time abroad, but back then, it was much easier: no kids, no house, their jobs could be whatever they found. Making this kind of "escape" with a family is much trickier and it was great to hear about all the benefits they've found along with the challenges along the way. If yo

For me, some of the most interesting travel I've done has been the more challenging travel, and that's often when I've travelled to developing or poorer countries. The culture shock is greater, and where there's culture shock, there's learning! - although of course, I always also am reminded that wherever you go, the common denominator is people, and people are really the same across the world. Just the same, travelling in developing countries leads to some really impactful and interesting experiences and the three guests in this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast have great stories to tell about their trips to countries as diverse as Haiti, Madagascar and India. First up, I speak to Fiona Galloway who spent some time in Haiti about twenty years ago. She learnt a lot from her stay in Haiti, and it set her up for her current work running tours for transformative travel. Next I chat to Linda Schlencker who talks about some of the poverty she found away from the key tourist zones of Madagascar. She's tr

Hands up if you like the planning and research part of travel almost as much - or maybe even more - than the actual travelling itself! Some of the guests on Episode 128 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast would freely admit they have something of an obsession with the planning side of travel and you can learn a lot from listening to them, I think (or, like me, you may just giggle!). First up I chat with two spreadsheet-obsessed accountants, Narelle and Shauna, who have a lot in common when it comes to planning their trips in extreme detail. Some of their tips, though, are actually pretty awesome! (Though I draw the line at their perhaps over-the-top Plan B, C and D plans?!) Next I talk to Queen about the research she did ahead of her recent move to live abroad in Mexico, and finally to Tiana who also agrees that a big part of the joy comes in researching and deciding where to go. There are also lots of planning and research tips from Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group members liberally sprinkled throughout t

Ever been on a yoga retreat in an exotic destination or considered a meditation vacation? On Episode 127 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast we are talking yoga and meditation travel - where's a good place to go for a yoga holiday, what are the benefits of spending some of your travel time meditating, and much more! My first guest is Meagan Hurst who is my total go-to-gal for all things yoga - and she comes through with some great discussion of yoga teacher training in Nicaragua and also the idea of "DIY yoga retreats", for the budget-conscious yoga traveller. After that I chat to Kate Manser who accidentally went on a multi-year yoga and meditation world tour! She has lots of interesting tips on destinations across Asia and some interesting tales too. Finally, I talk with Queen D Michele who recently moved to live in Mexico, in the Lake Chipala area, which as it turns out is a bit of a hotspot for meditation and yoga and has quite drastically changed the way Queen lives. Links: Thanks to Awesome Maps https:

Some people feel that language difficulties can be a reason not to travel, but trying to get by in a country where I don't speak the language is actually one of the (many) reasons I love travelling - the challenge and the fun of it are wonderful and mind-broadening! In Episode 126 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, we cover some of the many difficulties that can arise when there's a language barrier on your travels, along with confessing to some of the funnier language moments my guests, my listeners and I have experienced. A special thank you to members of the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group who offered up some of their funny language experiences! First up, I chat with Dean O'Shea who, amongst his many other trips, spent four months travelling around to different parts of China. He explains with some funny examples how "speaking Chinese" is just not a thing: he tried to learn different dialects and languages throughout his trip but was constantly thwarted by language barriers.  Next I talk to Joanne K

Do you dream about spending years living abroad? I've done it, and so have all my guests today, and we are all here to tell you that if you ever get the chance to try - grab it!  Living in another country is a very special experience and quite different from just taking a trip somewhere. And if you can live in several other countries (or more!) like the first guest in this episode, Kelly Dunning, then so much the better. When I spoke to Kelly last year she was living in Tbilisi in Georgia, and we chat in this episode about how she ended up spending the best part of a decade living abroad. Next I talk to Erin Holmes who left Australia with her two young kids planning to travel in Asia for six months ... and didn't come home until five years later. I can relate to that - I left for a year in Japan and spent five and a half years living in three different countries - and we talk about how this can happen! Finally, I talk to Greg Seymour who was a bit more deliberate in his plans to spend years abroad in Costa

You know I love slow travel and if you're travelling on foot that's one of the slowest forms of travel there is - hence my love for the topic of hiking, which is what this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about! I start off the episode talking with highly experienced hiker Greg Seymour, who has through-hiked the Appalachian Trail (amongst other hiking experiences) and we chat about some of the wonderful benefits of being out there in nature. Next I talk with Eva Westerling who, despite considering herself something of a non-hiker when she was younger, has gone on to do some amazing hikes on her travels, particularly in Morocco and Oman. Lasty I chat with Talon Windwalker about his hiking experiences with his daughter both in the United States and in Europe, and how you don't have to be out in the vast wilderness to experience benefits from going for a hike. Links: Book your travel photos with Flytographer - https://www.flytographer.com/ - and get $50 off a shoot by using the code AMANDA50 

Getting to know the cultural differences between different countries and nationalalities is one of the most fascinating parts of travelling, I think. In Episode 123 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three travellers who've experienced cultural differences in countries like China, South Korea and Spain, and I learn a whole lot in the process! First up, I talk with Jacky Lamenzo who spent a year teaching in China with another American friend. They discovered all sorts of interesting things about being obviously foreign looking in a new country. Next, Lindsay and Marshall who are currently living in Barcelona with their young son talk about some of the key differences between life in Spain and life back in the United States. Finally, Sandra Muller who is an Aussie like meexplains some of what she's learnt about South Korean cultural differences over the years, as she's lived and worked there several times and is married to a Korean guy, too! Links: Flytographer - https://www.flytographer.com/ - an

Easily one of my favourite and most rewarding things to do when I travel is find the chance to talk to locals. I don't want to just see the sights: I want to know what it's like to live there! Especially after living in three different countries to my own (and each quite different from the other), I'm utterly fascinated by local customs, thoughts and ways of life and so Episode 122 is all about talking to locals when you travel. The first guest is Eva Westerling, who recently went on a long trip to Morocco (prompted by this podcast - she heard previous guest Anna Kwiecinska speaking of trekking in Morocco, got in touch, and off they went together!). During this trip, Eva had the chance to get to know her two Moroccan guides really well and she tells us what she learnt from them. Following Eva, we stay in Morocco but chat to Talon Windwalker. He spent some time housesitting in Morocco and got to know a local very well - to the point where they could have conversations about some really tricky topics, which p

Travelling in cold places is absolutely not my speciality - so Episode 121 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a useful one for me personally! I chat with three travellers about their experiences in cold places like Iceland, Finland and Canada; the result is a good reminder that I shouldn't ignore a destination just because the temperatures are low! First up I chat to Lucas Peters who recently took a trip to Iceland. Now, Iceland will always be one of my favourite destinations, but it definitely fits the cold bill - I visited during mid-summer and still needed all the warm clothes I could find!! Tamara Gruber then tells me about her experience visiting Quebec City for their Winter Carnival. It sounds realy, really cold - and yet really awesome, too. Finally, I talk to Erin Holmes who grew up in Western Australia like me, and therefore wasn't quite prepared for the crazy cold temperatures she and her kids experienced in northern Finland one Christmas. Fortunately, it was all worth it. Links: Flytographer -

This year has been nuts! In a good way, thankfully. Episode 120 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a fun summary of 2018 both in terms of my travel, everything I've learnt from that travel, everything I've learnt from all of you amazing listeners, and what the podcast has done this year. Listen in and you'll hear about what looking back on travel in Japan, Fiji, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam has taught me - and find out the odd combination of destinations I have ready to head to in 2019. I'm so grateful to my listeners and the members of the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group for all the amazing conversations and friendships over the year. Just last weekend I spent a massive two and a half hours chatting with a friend I've made because she was a guest on the podcast - these opportunities are so special to me, and the people connected to the podcast are the main reason I keep doing it - so thank you all! Links: Travel Journal School - No more boring travel diaries! - https://traveljournalschool.com/p/no

Travel can be utterly life-altering in so many ways and this episode's three guests have brilliant stories to illustrate exactly that!  First I speak with Natascha Mirosch, with her story about a trip to a Greek Island which resulted in a completely life-changing event ... though you'll have to listen to find out what, no spoilers here! I then chat to Talon Windwalker, who brought tears to my eyes telling the story of spending six years travelling with his adopted daughter and the bonds this developed - listen out for his "Forever Day" story. Finally, Kate Toon rounds out the life-altering travel moments with a quick but amazing story about what happened when she and her friend were travelling in Thailand ... until suddenly they werent!   Links: Travel Journal School - No more boring travel diaries! - https://traveljournalschool.com/p/no-more-boring-travel-diaries   Use the discount code EARLY20   Natascha’s website - https://www.nataschamirosch.com  Natascha’s new ExtraVirgin Podcast - https://extravirg

They might be buzz words at the moment, but ecotourism and responsible travel are nonetheless super-important and that's why Episode 118 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about how to travel without causing any harm (and maybe even doing some good).  First up, I chat with my lovely friend Meagan of Malas With A Mission, who is one of my favourite people to talk to about the issue of responsible travel. She has a great attitude to it and is able to educate people about issues like ecotourism, sustainable travel and voluntourism without sounding at all preachy, which is really good skill!  Next I talk with Deborah Regen who runs a site collating eco-friendly tour operators, a great resource for researching a your responsible trips. Deborah has always loved nature and now wants to help ensure it's there for everyone to enjoy for a long time into the future. Finally, I discuss responsible animal tourism with Christine Knight, and particularly the issue of riding elephants. It's one of those issues which

Learning should never stop just because you're not at school and in Episode 117 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast we talk about taking classes when you travel - because of just countless benefits that come with them! First up I chat with Tiana Templeman who is a bit of a pro at finding a class whenever she travels, regardless of the topic. She thinks it's a fantastic way to get a different experience on a trip and chats about classes she's taken in Australia, Bangkok and Japan. I then talk with Cheri Shanti, who's basically the podcast's resident expert on Cuba (every time I listen to her I desperately want to go!) and in this episode she shares her experiences of taking drumming classes in Cuba. Finally I discuss the topic of taking classes with Eva Westerling, who has a fabulous example of a cooking class she took in Jordan - but a rather special one indeed. Links: Travel Journal School journal writing course in January 2019 - sign up to get info first at https://notaballerina.com/journal  Airbnb sign up

How do you choose your next destination? In Episode 116 I chat with four travellers about the different ways they decide where they're going to travel next and between them we discover a multitude of reasons people choose their destinations - and there are no doubt still more! First up I chat with Tamara Gruber who takes some trips alone with her school-aged daughter and is clever at tying in some of their destinations to connect up with what her daughter's been learning at school (I love this!). Meagan Hurst is next and follows a method I often use too: where can she get a bargain airfare to! I have quite often visited a pretty random place just because it was cheap to get there, and sometimes those places turn out to be unexpected gems. My Cambodian friend Cham Peou has put quite some thought into how he chooses his destations and I love his approach. Finally, I chat with Greg Seymour who has a really great philosophy about choosing destinations - and making sure he and his wife go outside their comfort

I’m always fascinated by cultural differences and if you’re travelling in Muslim countries there can be quite a lot of customs that are different to my home country of Australia. In Episode 115 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I’m bringing together stories of travelling in various Muslim countries from three guests who’ve all had interesting experiences. First up, I talk again with Eva Westerling, who talks about experiences she’s had in three different places - Zanzibar, Morocco and Oman. It’s interesting to hear about what she’s done to fit in while she’s travelling in Muslim countries and how she’s found this strategy to work for her. Following Eva, I chat with Kate Toon, who has an interesting angle as she’s travelled in Tunisia accompanied by her Tunisian husband. You’ll have to listen to find out some particularly surprising reactions! Finally, I’m joined by Margarita Pas who discusses her experiences in Tunisia and in the Maldives, and she has plenty of tips for how people can look and behave respe

I've had lots of special travel experiences in my life but my recent week in Cambodia with Hands On Journeys easily rates as one of the most special of all, so I'm really excited to share these chats with three of my fellow travellers in Cambodia - well, to be precise, two travellers and our one-and-only tour guide extraordinaire, Cham. First up, I chat with Meagan Hurst from California, who has previously travelled several times with Hands On Journeys but was still really impacted by our time in Cambodia. She talks about some of our her favourite experiences, especially our visit to a village near Siem Reap. Next I chat to Aimee Jackson of London, a very special guest because she heard about Hands On Journeys from this podcast and then joined a trip with us - it was very exciting to meet her! Her favourite part of the trip was our village visit near Phnom Penh and I loved hearing her memories of it. FInally, a very special guest is my favourite tour guide ever, Cham, who was our local guide in Cambodia. B

Anyone who's lived an expat life of some sort tends to be a good traveller, right? (Actually, I have a friend who's an exception to this, but it's rare.) In Episode 113 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three people who are currently living as expats - a Polish woman in the United States, a Swede in Australia and an Australian in South Korea, just to have a good mix! - about their expat travels and life in general. I love hearing about the kinds of expat lives people live and my first guest, Sandra, has an expat history a little similar to mine - in fact we both nearly taught in Japan at exactly the same time, but she took a little detour and went to South Korea instead, which proved to be a very important move. My second guest is a Perth local but she didn't start out that way - born in Sweden, Stina has now lived abroad, in various places, longer than she lived in Sweden when growing up. Margarita Pas, my final guest, has lived in a diverse range of European countries, including Bulgaria, Spai