The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

2024 is reaching an end, and I'm honestly looking forward to getting on with 2025! This year was a bit of a bust: the sudden loss of my Mum tainted most of the year with various repercussions, and even this podcast suffered from some neglect! But with a shiny new year ahead, I'm happy to look back on what travel I did manage in 2024, as well as talk about what seem to be the most likely travel trends for 2025. I also asked listeners about their resolutions for 2025 and I'm glad to include a wonderful selection of ideas - most especially because all of my listeners are so thoughtful! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to being back in your ears every week in 2025. Happy travels! Links: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-places-to-go-in-2025https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-in-2025https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/20/travel-trend-in-2025-places-that-are-lesser-known-and-less-crowded.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/330See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many parts of travel, in recent years I've started to rethink some aspects of museum that I just took for granted in my early years of travel. In this episode, I chat with three guests on a variety of aspects of the ethics of museums, which all gave me great food for thought. First up, I spoke with Chris Christou, who articulates some of the key ethical issues many museums face, especially those that are focused on archaeological artefacts - some of which might not have been acquired in the most ethical of ways! Next, Dylan Thuras of Atlas Obscura tells me about his particular interest in medical museums, and some of the questions surrounding these, and includes an interesting example of a museum he visited in Mexico. Artist Carol McQuaid highlights a recent art gallery scandal involving MONA in Tasmania, Australia, which she had the opportunity to visit recently. While chatting galleries, I was reminded of my recent experience at the Mancester Art Gallery in England, which has recently had a significant rethink of how they run their displays. Links: https://www.theendoftourism.com/https://www.atlasobscura.com/podcasthttps://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-las-momias-de-guanajuatohttps://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/shop/p/illustrated-vagabonds-world-voyage-sketchbook-pre-salehttps://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/mona-ladies-lounge-high-tea-inside-the-secretive-new-womenonly-experience-20220530-h243zx.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/329See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost 40 years after my first trip to Hong Kong, I returned in November with my teenager son. Back as a nine-year-old, Hong Kong was the very first place I'd been to outside of Western Australia, so it made quite the impression. This time, I was there to visit friends who've recently moved there, and to do some extra sightseeing while they were at work. In this trip report episode, I'm going to let you know what my highlight was (hint: it could happen anywhere in the world!), explain the sightseeing we did and something intriguing I learnt about, and also tell you all about my brief foray into China, a country I've long wanted to visit, and now want to see even more of, please! I then have a Disney-related confession to make, and some ethical pondering about visiting Hong Kong. I'd love to hear about your own Hong Kong experiences as I'm keen to return and deep my knowledge of this fascinating place, so let me know your thoughts! Links: https://amzn.to/4ihZp9phttps://instagram.com/amandakendlehttps://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3073367/hks-indigenous-people-and-other-tribes-helped-create https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/328See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A huge reason many people travel is to get away from city life and into nature. In Episode 327 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast we don't just get into nature - we hear about some really rare and unique encounters with the natural world. First up, I chat with Satyajit Das, a veteran of many intriguing wildlife encounters on his travels, who explains how lucky he was in coming across the small cats of South and Central America: ocelots, margays and onchillas. Next, Paul Christie explains something of the history of the sakura or cherry blossom in Japan, and leaves me with the surprising fact that you don't necessarily have to be in Japan in springtime to see the beautiful cherry trees bloom. Finally, Iris Villarreal tells the story of her experience with a nomadic Kazakh ethnic minority in western Mongolia, and in particular, how they train and use eagles for hunting. Links: https://amzn.to/4eMWpP9https://walkjapan.com/https://www.instagram.com/outventurenowhttps://amzn.to/4cR2Z6Ihttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/327See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://uktravelplanning.comhttps://globaltravelplanning.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/326 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-zeringer-532728130/https://www.juliekaplan.com/https://www.instagram.com/amazingsydneylife/https://www.tiktok.com/@amazingsydneylifehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/325See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.weareallinthistogethermovie.com/https://rupertgrey.co.uk/https://www.romanticroadmov.com/https://uktravelplanning.comhttps://globaltravelplanning.comnotaballerina.com/peruhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/324See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.youtube.com/ThaiTalkwithPaddy/https://uktravelplanning.comhttps://globaltravelplanning.comhttps://www.thomasswick.com/https://www.pamelapetro.com/https://amzn.to/4bt7TGqhttps://notaballerina.com/277https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/323See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.pamelapetro.com/https://www.amazon.com.au/Long-Field-Presence-Absence-Memoir/dp/1956763678https://www.tooflyfoundation.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-zeringer-532728130/notaballerina.com/233notaballerina.com/248https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/322See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://travelletto.com/https://www.instagram.com/travelletto/https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/320See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://ninakarnikowski.com/https://www.instagram.com/outventurenowhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/319See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.likelocal.io/Netflix Episode with Olafur Eliasson on Abstract: The Art of Design - https://www.netflix.com/title/80057883 https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://thoughtfultravel.substack.comhttps://notaballerina.com/318See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/https://www.adventurefix.co/notaballerina.com/78https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://notaballerina.com/317See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://rupertgrey.co.uk/https://www.romanticroadmov.com/https://www.sun-trails.com/https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/https://www.rickantonson.comhttps://amzn.to/3Zq1C8Thttps://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://notaballerina.com/316See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://walkjapan.com/https://notaballerina.com/310https://notaballerina.com/308https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanneetti/https://www.intrepidtravel.com/https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/track-less-travelled-what-12-hr-train-trip-between-melbourne-ettihttps://justins.world/https://www.atmosfair.de/en/offset/flight/https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://notaballerina.com/313See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/https://www.solofemaletravelers.club/https://tanzaniawomenguidesfoundation.org/https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/https://rootedstorytelling.com/social-impact/tourism-travel-giving-back/https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/2023/08/travel-for-good/https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://notaballerina.com/312See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: https://www.merriemonarch.com/ House of Kamohoali’i documentaries: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/11/house-kamohoalii-london/https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/05/10/house-kamohoalii-paris-2/https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/26/house-kamohoalii-milan-3/https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellershttps://notaballerina.com/linkedinhttps://notaballerina.com/311See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.