The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

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

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the June 2021 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about Couchsurfing in Iran by Stephan Orth. 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.

When we travel, we are sometimes wary of strangers - but should we be? The stories in Episode 242 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast suggest we shouldn't be. First up, I chat with Vince Dickson about one of his early travel experiences in Europe. He ended up almost penniless in Paris and that's when he came across a helpful stranger. I then talk to Pam Mandel who also had a wonderful experience with a stranger in Nepal when she was needing a way to cook her dinner! Finally, I hear from Tim Tricker about what I can call a reverse kindness of stranger  situation in Barcelona - a fabulous story! Links: Vince Dickson of Hunu - https://www.wearehunu.com/  Pam Mandel’s website - https://www.nerdseyeview.com Pam’s book The Same River Twice - https://amzn.to/319lwbq  The Kindness of Strangers on Your Travels - https://notaballerina.com/76  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/242 See omnystudio.com/listener fo

Some travel is for fun; other travel is for a huge range of reasons. And some travel turns out to be really emotional - that's the kind we are looking at in Episode 241 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. First up, I chat with Henry Gold. He's the son of two Holocaust survivors and tells the story of visiting the Auschwitz concentration camp with his mother when she was in her late seventies, when she could show and tell Henry and other family members about some of the horrid experiences she had there. It's quite a story. Next, I speak with Carolanna Lisonbee and our emotional travel story centres on Hiroshima in Japan. Carolanna also travelled there with her mother and they both found it a very important trip. Finally, I talk to Tim Tricker about the emotional aspects of irresponsible animal tourism, when he tells me about some difficult and distressing parts of a visit to Bangkok a few years back. Links: Henry Gold, founder of TDA Cycling - https://tdaglobalcycling.com/ (Tour D’Afrique) Carolanna Lisonbee

It's a round-numbered episode so time for something different: this time I'm the one getting interviewed, and I answer questions about what happens behind the scenes of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, gathered from listeners through the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group and other social media sites. It's three years since I did the first Behind the Scenes episode and so much has changed. This time round, travel writer Catherine Marshall interviews me with discussions about the ideas I have for podcast topics, what makes a good interviewee, any disasters I've had and an overview of the technical aspects of how The Thoughtful Travel Podcast comes together. It was fun to chat about these topics and I hope listeners will find the result interesting, too. Links: Episode 100 - the first Behind the Scenes - https://notaballerina.com/100 Catherine Marshall’s Time to Wander site - https://www.timetowander.com.au  Cait Flanders’ new podcast Opting Out - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/opting-out-with-cait-fla

Wandering the world with your eyes wide open means you'll inevitably encounter some incredible street art and murals. My favourites (to date) have been in Penang, Malaysia, but after exploring the topic more while making this episode I can't wait to see more in many other parts of the world.  My first guest in this episode is Jenny Herbert, who speaks about discovering the street art in a city very familiar to her, Melbourne, Australia. She grew up there and still visits regularly, but learnt so much about it from a self-guided street art walking tour. I then chat with Kayla Wyszynski who is an artist and has completed many large murals already. It was so great to be able to quiz her with all my thoughts and questions about how it's possible to create such huge art!  Finally, I chat with listener Anuj about his memorable experience viewing a mural in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's one of those tales where things don't quite go according to plan and that makes his experience all the more memorable. Links: Th

Travelling to participate in a sporting event is a niche reason to travel that a surprisingly large number of travel lovers have experienced during their loves, and I love the unique benefits and fun of trips for sport. In Episode 238 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I speak with three people who've travelled for a wide variety of sporting reasons. First up, I chat with Tim Tricker who has had many short trips to interesting destinations across Europe to take part in darts tournaments. I love that he gets to see out of the way places and congregate with a bunch of like-minded people. Eugene Devereux has travelled for a much more physical sport - adventure races. He's been able to combine this physical experience with exploring some particularly beautiful parts of Ireland. Finally, I speak to Emma Lovell who was lucky enough to experience the joy of travelling in a sporting team as a teenager when she toured New Zealand playing water polo. The change to meet local people and then attempt to beat them at wa

You know I'm all about travelling more thoughtfully and purposefully - and you might find it strange that I'm talking in Episode 237 with the author of a book about *not* travelling! Jenny Herbert's book "The Art of Being a Tourist at Home" is, as the title suggests, about how to get that travel feeling, and many of the benefits of travel, without straying far from your home turf, and certainly without hopping on a plane or landing on the doorstep of a community overcrowded by other tourists. I agree with her premises for not travelling, although I do think there is still an important role for thoughtful travel even in a world fighting climate change and pandemics. In this interview with Jenny, we talk about some of her tips for gaining the benefits of travel in your hometown, when it might be okay to travel, how wonderful walking can be for getting some of the "travel feeling", whether you need to immerse yourself in a foreign culture to grow and how to carve out time for staycation-style travel. Links: J