Hostel life can be great fun and easy on the travel budget, too. I'll always remember my Dad, in his 50s or 60s, explaining to me that hostels weren't just for young people anymore, and anyone could stay there - a philosophy I have long enjoyed and used. In this episode, we chat about many sides of staying in hostels, starting with Jamie Burr and his description of why he loves to book hostels when he travels. I then chat with Will Hatton who loves them some much he actually built his own - Tribal hostel and co-working space in Bali. Finally, I speak with my good friend Christina Koullas about a particular hostel experience she had in Barcelona, when it all went wrong - I feel like all of us who've spent time in more than a handful of hostels can tell a story like this, and as it happens, I also explain to Christina what went wrong for me in a Taipei hostel. Links: Jamie Burr - https://jamieburr.com/  Will Hatton - The Broke Backpacker - https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/ Tribal Bali - https://www.instagram.com/tribal_bali/  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/338 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travellers will all have their special memories about the wonderful learnings they've had from travel: from tiny things like a new way to enjoy a favourite food, to enormous life-changing epiphanies inspired by other cultures or someone they meet. In Episode 337 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three people about some of the ideas that have stayed with them or made them think. First up, Thomas Swick describes several moments including a long (very long!) train journey through eastern Europe, and what this still means to him decades later. Angela Correll then gives examples of some of her cultural learnings while living in and renovating a home in Italy. Finally, Daniel Troia explains some of what a unique experience riding a bicycle across America taught him about himself and the world. Links: Thomas Swick - https://www.thomasswick.com/  Thomas’s book Falling Into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer - https://amzn.to/3EmpBA8  Angela Correll - https://www.angelacorrell.com/  Angela’s book Restored in Tuscany - https://amzn.to/3Qdwu9r  Daniel Troia’s doco “We Are All In This Together” - https://www.weareallinthistogethermovie.com/ - streaming on several major platforms now and picking up many awards! 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/337 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bex Thomas, a traveler and founder of Feel Good Getaways, shares a hilarious and unexpected story about connecting with a family friend in New Zealand. Her tale highlights the delightful surprises that travel can bring. As she followed her aunt's advice to meet this family friend, Bex found herself in a series of comical and heartwarming situations. The discussion emphasizes the power of serendipitous encounters and how saying yes to new connections can lead to unforgettable experiences and friendships on the road.

I'm excited to share this episode of Curious Tourism, a fabulous podcast about responsible travel, which I recorded recently with host Erin and producer Kattie, who generously agreed I could also share it here in my feed. We start off by chatting about some recent visa news for visitors to Europe and the UK, as well as the outrage in Australia to see our passport is the most expensive in the world. Then we get seriously deep by covering a bunch of thoughtful travel topics: how we can be more intentional in our travels at the same time as de-centring ourselves; how social media is often not helping when it comes to travelling better; the sometimes tricky issue of wildlife tourism; and our plans for 2025.  Links: Curious Tourism website - https://pinatravels.org/curious-tourism/ Erin on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pinatravels  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/335 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to know how to be the favourite aunty or uncle? This episode about taking your nieces and nephews travelling will give you plenty of ideas! Mike Day, a wonderful uncle, starts off by explaining how he really hoped he could give his nephews something special by giving them the gift of travel. It seems to have worked as he has a wonderful story to tell about the impact a trip over a decade ago had on one of his nephews. I then chat with Dianne Bortoletto, a fabulous aunty, about her recent experience in Italy with her niece. To alleviate teenage boredom, Di came up with a very special (and delicious) challenge and surely is now her niece's very favourite aunty! Links: Mike Day - https://www.mikedaytravels.com/ Mike’s book "The World Has a Big Backyard" - https://amzn.to/42sIg7b Dianne Bortoletto - Travelletto - https://travelletto.com/ Di’s new podcast And Away We Go F1 Podcast - including F1, travel and lifestyle - https://www.andawaywegof1podcast.com/  Sherry Ott’s Niece Project - https://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/the-niece-project/ 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/334 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overtourism is a buzz word of late, but not a good one. We've all read about the cities and regions being overrun by tourists, who might be damaging natural or historical sights, or making an area unaffordable for its original residents to stay in. In this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I speak with three guests with an interest in overtourism and ask for their thoughts. First up, I speak with Dylan Thuras of Atlas Obscura. Dylan's whole website and podcast are based around encouraging people to learn about, and visit, less popular, more obscure places, so he's been thinking about overtourism and its opposite, undertourism, for many years. I then chat with Jamie Burr, who specialises in marketing for responsible tourism businesses, and therefore also has a significant interest in overtourism and how we might deal with it. Finally, Chris Christou from The End of Tourism podcast talks about some future alternatives for tourism, speaking from the example of his home of Oaxaca in Mexico, that may be one way to mitigate the problems of overtourism.    Links: Dylan Thuras  - Atlas Obscura podcast https://www.atlasobscura.com/podcast Jamie Burr - https://jamieburr.com/  Chris Christou - The End of Tourism podcast -  https://www.theendoftourism.com/  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/333 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're a sports fan (and as one guest will prove, even if you're not), travelling to play or watch sports can be a great combination of two enjoyable pastimes. It's one way you can immerse yourself in something that local people enjoy as well, and can even be a great way to connect or make new friends.  In this episode I hear firstly from Julie Kaplan who has had some fun table tennis experiences in several countries - it's a great story! I then chat with Tara Wells, who is not usually a sports fan, but can make an exception when she travels. Finally, I speak with Scott Antcliffe who is a very devoted ice hockey player and fan, and is headed on an international trip shortly to play in a very special final tournament.   Links: Julie’s YouTube channel, Julie from LA - https://www.youtube.com/@juliefromla Tara Wells’ website - https://www.tarawellsauthor.com/ Scott Antcliffe's photography website - https://www.scottantcliffephoto.co.uk/  Episode 238 - Travelling for a Sporting Event - https://notaballerina.com/238  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/332 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learning more about being a responsible traveller when it comes to seeing or interacting with animals on my trips is one of the biggest learning curves running this podcast has given me over the past decade. In this episode, I hear from three professionals working at the intersection of animals and tourism, in three different but equally fascinating roles. First up, I chat with Nora Livingstone of Animal Experience International, about a trip she took to Sierra Leone to visit a dog rescue centre that was looking for volunteers. Then, I speak with John Roberts, director of Sustainability and Conservation for the Minor Hotels group, and he describes the particular case of looking after hornbills at their Avani resort on Koh Lanta, Thailand. Finally, Suzanne Milthorpe of World Animal Protection Australia explains the sad sight that awaited her on a visit to a so-called turtle rescue venue in Bali, Indonesia. From all of these stories, there is plenty for us to take away and help in our considerations for future trips so that we can be thoughtful when it comes to how we include animals in our travels. Links: Nora Livingstone from Animal Experience International - https://www.animalexperienceinternational.com John Roberts - Group Director of Sustainability and Conservation, Minor Hotels -https://www.minorhotels.com/  Suzanne Milthorpe - Head of Campaigns, World Animal Protection Australia - https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com  Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/331 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: Julie - Have Wheelchair Will Travel - https://havewheelchairwilltravel.net Michael - Brent and Michael Are Going Places - https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com Carolyn - Holidays to Switzerland - https://holidaystoswitzerland.com/podcast/ Barefoot Backpacker - Travel Tales From Beyond the Brochure - https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/ Conde Nast’s Best Places to Go in 2025 - https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-places-to-go-in-2025 AFAR’s list of Where to Go in 2025 - https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-in-2025  CNBC’s article on Travel Trends in 2025 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/20/travel-trend-in-2025-places-that-are-lesser-known-and-less-crowded.html  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/330 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See 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 Manchester Art Gallery in England, which has recently had a significant rethink of how they run their displays. Links: Chris Christou - The End of Tourism podcast - https://www.theendoftourism.com/  Dylan Thuras  - Atlas Obscura podcast https://www.atlasobscura.com/podcast Atlas Obscura article about the Mummies of Guanajuato - https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-las-momias-de-guanajuato  Carol McQuaid - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/   Carol’s World Voyage Sketchbook - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/shop/p/illustrated-vagabonds-world-voyage-sketchbook-pre-sale  Catherine’s article about the Ladies Lounge in Mona - https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/mona-ladies-lounge-high-tea-inside-the-secretive-new-womenonly-experience-20220530-h243zx.html    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/329 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.