The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

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 references, more information and videos. Links: RISE Travel Institute - https://www.risetravelinstitute.org Catherine Marshall at Time To Wander - https://www.timetowander.com.au  World Animal Protection - https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au  Animondial - https://animondial.com   Diana Edelman's post about riding elephants in Thailand - https://dtravelsround.com/2015/08/11/truth-about-riding-elephants-in-thailand/ 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/252 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 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 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 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/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 in Denmark. And finally, I talk about Justin Watson, a fellow Aussie and a friend I made through the Thoughtful Travellers group, who's now my cohost of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club. All in all, it's a mix of a behind the scenes episode, and a wave of gratitude for all the fabulous people I've got to know over the last five years - thank you all of you! Links: Ian from Travel Tales from Beyond the Brochure - https://barefoot-backpacker.com  Penny Wincer - pennywincerwrites.com  Eva from Not Scared of the Jet Lag  - notscaredofthejetlag.com Erin from Oregon Girl Around the World - oregongirlaroundtheworld.com Justin’s blog - http://www.justins.world  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/250 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/249 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.kaitlynjain.com - her book is Passports and Pacifiers - Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time  Helena Fox - https://helenafoxauthor.com  Helena’s young adult fiction book How It Feels to Float - https://amzn.to/3C9VaYu  Annie Daly - https://www.anniedaly.com/  Annie’s book Destination Wellness - https://amzn.to/3lmLaoO  Episode 233 Studying Abroad -  https://notaballerina.com/233   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/248  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Pacifiers - Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time  Deborah Haile and her son Jonah https://www.tinyglobalfootprints.com  Previous episodes on travelling with kids: 19 - Travelling with Kids is Good for Everyone - https://notaballerina.com/19  54 - Benefits of Travelling with Kids - https://notaballerina.com/54  66 - On Taking Your Kids Travelling - https://notaballerina.com/66  94 -  How Travel Changes Kids - https://notaballerina.com/94  164 - Please Travel With Your Children! - https://notaballerina.com/164  Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/247 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 northern white rhino - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G9brceVivo Extract from Kifaru, a documentary about the rhino caretaker unit James was a part of - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_WKm547F20  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/246 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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://helenafoxauthor.com - her recent novel is “How It Feels to Float” - https://amzn.to/3kNNfd9  Vince Dickson, from Hunu - https://www.wearehunu.com/  The book mentioned by Vince is “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari - https://amzn.to/36tSZjw Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin or direct to https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13984484/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/245 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 took 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! Links: Kaitlyn Jain - https://www.kaitlynjain.com - her book is Passports and Pacifiers - Traveling the World, One Tantrum at a Time  Vince Dickson, from Hunu, making sustainable travel products - https://www.wearehunu.com/ Deborah Haile and her son Jonah https://www.tinyglobalfootprints.com  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/244 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.