The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Travel and learning other languages often go hand in hand, whether we're cramming in a few words before we visit somewhere for the first time or we are intentionally travelling to practice a language, perhaps even heading to a language school for full immersion.  This episode covers all manner of language experiences, starting with Chris Magnuson who was a brave and confident teenager, boldly striking out on French streets with the goal of just talking French with as many people as possible. Spiri Tsintziras then chats with me about her relationship with Greek - the language spoken in her childhood home in Australia, and a language she wanted to pass on to her children. Next, Ros Belford describes her initial learning of Italian and some tips for new learners of any language, involving focusing on a passion. Finally, Megan Frye talks about choosing a language school when you are specifically taking a trip to practice another language. Links: Preply to find language tutors -  https://notaballerina.com/preply Chris’s website - https://www.streetviewvagabond.com/  Streetview Vagabond on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/streetviewvagabond/  Spiri Tsintziras - https://www.writingspirit.com.au/  Spiri’s new book Twelve Golden Gifts - https://amzn.to/4mWCqCa Ros Belford - https://rosbelford.com Ros’s book Children of the Volcano - https://amzn.to/4dq2vpz Megan Frye - https://www.meganfrye.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/369 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the October 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking with author Monisha Rajesh about her book "Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train". If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, sign up for our updates at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/ You can also read more about it 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   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bangkok called my name again in September, and this episode recaps my experiences spending five days in the Thai capital, for a mix of work and fun purposes (of course, even the work parts were fun!). Along with explaining what activities I got up to in Bangkok, I decided to rate each day in terms of how much of a "thoughtful traveller" I was, so listen in to see my daily score out of ten, and my final result. My trip included some networking and education with Tourism Cares, many wonderful Thai meals, great chats with friends, a sightseeing outing to Ayutthaya, and best of all, I finally had the chance to spend time in person with my dear friend Vincie Ho, founder of Rise Travel Institute. We've worked together online for years but never before seen each other in real life!  Links: Google Map of places I mention https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1B6yO5RH-U8jG3Rv16gE1A6yhoVAOp1c&usp=sharing Rise Travel Institute - https://www.risetravelinstitute.org  Tourism Cares - https://www.tourismcares.org/ Curious Tourism - White Lotus recaps - https://voyascape.com/curious-tourism/the-white-lotus-recap-s3e1-same-spirits-new-forms/  304 Bangkok Travels with Friends - notaballerina.com/304 302 Chiang Rai - Thailand’s Far North - notaballerina.com/302 111 Secret Thailand: Phrae and Nan - notaballerina.com/111 My Substack post on visiting Thailand many times - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/do-you-travel-to-the-same-place-over  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/368 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now that we're worried about crowds and overtourism, the idea of visiting lesser-known places is a real winner. I've always loved to go to the places that aren't listed frequently on travellers' itineraries and maintain that many of the best experiences happen there - and the stories from the three guests in this episode seem to confirm that. First up, I chat with Jonny Wright about his love of going to places nobody knows about. He explains an experience in eastern Turkey, and the circuitous route he took to end up on a little-known island off the coast of Hiroshima, Japan. Pam Petro is obsessed with Wales - itself not an entirely lesser-known place, though how she ended up there is not a usual way - but it led to an especially intriguing trip around the world visiting all the places where Welsh is spoken, including an unsuspecting part of South America. Finally, Barefoot Backpacker has returned to tell me their tales of visiting Paraguay. I think they are the only person I know to have stories about travelling to Paraguay, and I was thus very intrigued to hear them! Links: Jonny Wright on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goandfindoutpod/ Jonny's podcast Go And Find Out - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/go-and-find-out/id1807777446 Pam Petro - https://www.pamelapetro.com/  Pam’s book Travels in an Old Tongue - Touring the World Speaking Welsh https://amzn.to/3VMIVvZ  Ep 323 Language Learning Through Travel and Immersion - https://notaballerina.com/323  Simon Wilson’s visit to Welsh Patagonia - https://youtu.be/H9Z-m763gWc?si=gntUzp8jd9Gscukz  The Barefoot Backpacker blog - https://barefoot-backpacker.com/ Travel Tales from Beyond the Brochure - Episode 99 about Paraguay - https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/  https://barefoot-backpacker.com/podcast-099-paraguay-iguazu/  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/367 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is travel good for your mental health? If you believe my guests in this episode (and me), then it's a resounding yes. I chat first with Kaila Yu who explains some of what she thinks helps your mental health when travelling, including some chat about the miraculous quiet of being under the sea when scuba diving. Next, Heidi Brown describes her mental journey before, during and after a trip, identifying some of the precise reasons that she believes her travels have improved her mental health. Finally, Diane Hartmann describes some of what happened to her on her first trips abroad - all solo - and how these challenges contributed positively to her mental health. A content warning: some of our conversations include references to depression and in the final part of the podcast, suicide, so skip this one if you'd rather not hear these discussions. Links: How travel makes me feel more like myself - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/how-travel-makes-me-feel-more-like  Kaila Yu - https://kailayu.com/ Kaila’s memoir Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Beauty, and Feminism - https://amzn.to/40EL7ID   Heidi Brown - https://www.heidikristinbrown.com/ Heidi’s memoir The Map I Draw: A Memoir of Travel as a Passport to Self - https://amzn.to/44Mky6T  Diane Hartman https://dianehartmanauthor.com/ Diane’s new book Getting Lost On My Way: Self Discovery on Ireland’s Backroads - https://amzn.to/45Q9Awp 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/366 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chatting with author and journalist Monisha Rajesh was just as delightful as I expected (and I had high expectations!). Long-distance train travel is basically synonymous with being a thoughtful traveller, and our chat ranged from a favourite train (you are allowed to have favourites!) through some of the most interesting passengers she's met and a little taster about the thrills of sleeper train travel, which she delves into more in her new book Moonlight Express. If you're listening to this shortly after publication, don't forget you can join us live to chat with Monisha on 10th October for our Thoughtful Travellers Book Club - Moonlight Express edition. Links: Monisha’s website https://monisharajesh.com/  “Moonlight Express” book club with Monisha - https://www.facebook.com/events/730399343332753 Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train - https://amzn.to/4mm4UEN  Our previous book club chat on Around the World in 80 Trains - https://youtu.be/9WsdgaAUaGs?si=F7k3iR8K6-__SjON  Episode 313 - Train Travel in Australia - https://notaballerina.com/313  Monisha’s Around India in 80 Trains - https://amzn.to/469DcGA  Around the World in 80 Trains - https://amzn.to/4gqtGSA  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  Thoughtful Travellers Book Club mailing list - https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com    Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/365 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Van Life Diaries: Europe 1985, we move on to Scandinavia. Starting off in Denmark, we looked for Lego, noticed the size of the Little Mermaid, and enjoyed spending time in Copenhagen. From Denmark it was a short ferry ride to Sweden, and while my Dad and I muse that we don't have many strong memories from our time there, my Mum's diary does the heavy lifting contributing details about our time in some seaside islands, followed by Stockholm, and an intriguing visit to a timber mill area. Finally, we chat about how much we loved Norway, including time in Oslo, the fjords and playing badminton in Bergen. This is the fifth part of a monthly, six-episode series celebrating the fact that exactly 40 years ago this year, my family and I spent six months in a striped motorhome travelling around Europe. I was nine years old and yes, this trip had an enormous impact on my life - I'm sure you wouldn't be listening to this podcast today if Van Life 1985 hadn't taken place! Throughout the series, I'll include chats recorded with my Dad this year, extracts from my late Mum's travel diary from 1985, and of course my own memories and thoughts.  A big thanks to Context Travel for sponsoring this series, and an even bigger thanks to my Dad for agreeing to be part of it. Links: Context Travel - https://bit.ly/contexttravel - use the code THOUGHTFULTRAVEL to get 15% off any online booking. Context Travel operate walking tours in cities around the world, and have interesting and qualified subject-matter experts leading your walk Listen to Part 1 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 348 - https://notaballerina.com/348  Listen to Part 2 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 351 - https://notaballerina.com/351  Listen to Part 3 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 355 - https://notaballerina.com/355  Listen to Part 4 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 359 - https://notaballerina.com/359  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/359  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Di Westaway is the founder of Coastrek and Wild Women on Top, and she has had the most fabulous career building up these businesses - topped off with many well-deserved accolades like an Order of Australia medal for services to women's health, fitness and charity services. It was so much fun to chat with Di about how her impulsive decision to attempt to climb South America's highest peak, Mount Aconcagua, even when she'd never done anything remotely like it before, set off a chain reaction leading to decades of fascinating travels and influencing and inspiring countless people to look after themselves more and take on new challenges. During our chat we move from the "big fail" of Mount Aconcagua through some other favourite hiking trips around the world, Di's world record for the highest handstand, a scary night on Mount Rinjani in Indonesia (and a story she said she's never told anyone publicly!!!), and through to the success of Coastrek today in getting thousands of people out there hiking the most beautiful parts of Australia and raising millions of dollars for worthwhile charities like Beyond Blue and the Fred Hollows Foundation.  Links: Coastrek - https://www.coastrek.com.au/ Wild Women on Top - https://www.wildwomenontop.com/ My blog post including the microlight flight - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/10/australias-coral-coast-stretched-comfort-zone.html  Di Westaway on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/diwestaway/ 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/363 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creativity is an important part of my life, and I have so often observed that when I'm travelling, and also on my return, my creative thinking gets a huge boost. In this episode I chat with other travellers who feel the same. First up, I talk to author Spiri Tsintziras. Spiri has written several memoirs related to her experiences and travels in Greece, and explains beautifully how being away from home impacts her creativity so positively. Next, artist Carol McQuaid describes how travelling not only allows her creativity to flourish, but also talks about how travellers who take her visual art workshops while they are travelling have the same experience. Finally, author Diane Hartman tells me about her experiences in Ireland and in particular, about a writing retreat in a beautiful part of County Cork which included all the required ingredients for maximum creativity. I also chatted with friends and colleagues from the Creative Schools program, Claire Davenhall and Joanne Marriott, about how they feel travel and creativity come together, and I've included some of their thoughts. Links: Episode 207 Writing Retreats Around the World - https://notaballerina.com/207   Episode 52 How Travel Sparks Creativity - https://notaballerina.com/52  Spiri Tsintziras - https://www.writingspirit.com.au/  Spiri’s new book Twelve Golden Gifts - https://amzn.to/4mWCqCa Carol McQuaid - The Illustrated Vagabond - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com Diane Hartman https://dianehartmanauthor.com/ Diane’s new book Getting Lost On My Way: Self Discovery on Ireland’s Backroads - https://amzn.to/45Q9Awp Claire Davenhall, visual artist - https://www.instagram.com/clairedavenhall Joanne Marriott - MOJO Creative Leadership + Culture - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannemarriott/ 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/362 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode is the audio of the livestream of the August 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking about Chris Broad's book "Abroad in Japan". If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com 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   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.