The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

My first creative love is writing, and it's exciting to me to be able to explore how my guests combine writing and travel in this episode about writing retreats around the world. First up, I chat with Suzanne Moore, a novelist who lives in Perth but took the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks completely alone in Japan to work on her book, in the scenic landscape of Hokkaido. Next, Catherine Marshall explains her month-long writing retreat at Ledig House in New York State - and I get quite envious over the idea of spending an entire month focused on writing, in a beautiful place with fascinating people! Finally, Patti Buff tells me about a writers' retreat she organised within the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, held at a particularly picturesque spot in southern Germany. Links: Suzanne Moore https://www.suzannemoorewriter.com/    Suzanne’s book The Place Between - https://amzn.to/31KM6aD  Catherine Marshall - http://catherinemarshall.com.au coming soon! More from Catherine and friends at Time to Wander - http://www.timetowander.com.au/  Art Omi - https://www.artomi.org  Patti Buff - https://pattibuff.wordpress.com  Episode 52 How Travel Sparks Creativity - https://notaballerina.com/52 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/207 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In July 2025 reports were published by The Observer (UK) suggesting significant parts of Raynor Winn’s story are untrue. This is a really sad development for books that both I and my listeners have held dear. You can read the main Observer article at https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-real-salt-path-how-the-couple-behind-a-bestseller-left-a-trail-of-debt-and-deceit   This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the July 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, talking about The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. 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.

Episode 206 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a special one: for the first time, I'm doing a crossover episode with another podcast, because I'm sure it's one my listeners will love.  (Newsflash! We refer to Alpaca My Bags throughout this episode, but this wonderful podcast has been rebranded as "Curious Tourism" - a brilliant name!)   I chatted with Erin, the host of Alpaca My Bags, earlier in the year when we had just gone into Covid lockdown. Erin and I discussed our travel histories, all about what our podcasts stand for, and highlight some of our favourite episodes. I get to be a bit self-indulgent and talk about moving abroad in my twenties and my theory about brainwashing my son so that he loves to travel (so far, it's working!).  Links: Alpaca My Bags Podcast - https://www.pinatravels.org/podcast  Alpaca My Bags Holiday special chat - https://audioboom.com/posts/7462567-a-holiday-special-for-travelers-and-friends Alpaca My Bags No White Saviors episode - https://audioboom.com/posts/7496097-voluntourism-and-no-white-saviors  Interesting Plane Passengers Sitting Next To You - https://notaballerina.com/178 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/206 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What turned you into a traveller? I've been pondering this question and in Episode 205 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with four travel lovers about the origins of their travel addiction. We start off delving back into childhood times to find some of the sparks that interested us in travel, and I speak first with Evan Petrelis. His particular entry point for learning about the world is quite unique! I also chat with Bob DiMenna who grew up loving learning about wildlife around the world, which led on to an interest in world cultures and travel. Next, we consider how you go from a casual traveller into something more serious. I talk to Ferenc Elekes who learnt an important lesson while on a two-week holiday in Australia, chatting with longer-term travellers. I also chat with Kate Manser about how visiting her friend in French Polynesia had a significant impact on her life, too. Links: Episode featuring my Dad talking about Papua New Guinea -  https://notaballerina.com/20  Evan Petrelis from Renaissance Tours - https://renaissancetours.com.au/  Bob DiMenna from The Travelers Blueprint podcast - https://thetravelersblueprint.com Ferenc Elekes - Overland Site - https://overlandsite.com/  Kate Manser’s site You Might Die Tomorrow - https://www.youmightdietomorrow.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/205  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Island life, island time, there are all kinds of phrases we use that evoke that special feeling of islands - be they tropical or otherwise, small islands are exotic places to visit and I've got such a long list of islands I've loved, and long to return to. Turns out I'm not alone and in Episode 204 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three guests about some of their own favourite island experiences and what it is they love about island travel. First up is Seana Smith who, despite being born in a "small, freezing Scottish town", discovered that she could indeed travel to far-flung islands and describes experiences in Africa and Asia. Next, Ben Pearson takes us to Indonesia and has a fun story he likes to tell about a particularly famous island, home to a certain dragon ... Finally, I chat with Nan Caple who has spent many years returning to Kangaroo Island in South Australia, a special place that has captivated her family and turned into something more than just a spot they love to spend their holidays. Links: Seana Smith - Hello Sydney Kids  https://www.hellosydneykids.com.au/ Ben Pearson from World Animal Protection - https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au Nan Caple - Snellings View accommodation on Kangaroo Island - https://snellingsview.com.au/  My old story of Abruka Island in Estonia - http://www.magiccarpetjournals.com/abby_of_abruka_island.htm  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/204Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel can have a lasting impact at any age but if you’re a teenager and you’re away from your family on some kind of student exchange program then it’s even more likely to be life-changing, and Episode 203 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast looks at this idea in this episode about student exchange trips. First up, we hear briefly from Abby Lewtas who describes her experience as a fourteen-year-old on exchange in the United States - the same as I was when I went to Germany on an equally life-altering school trip. I then chat to Patti Buff, an American writer who by chance happened to spend a year as a teenager here in my very own home state of Western Australia. It was so fabulous to chat with her and this is just an extract of a much longer conversation! Finally, one of my listeners, Jane, spoke to me about another angle of student exchanges: being the host family. Jane taught me a lot about all the benefits of student exchange trips to those families where the students end up staying - something I’d never thought much about even though I know it from my own experience to be true. Links: Abby Lewtas - The Wanderlusters’ Mind Podcast - https://www.abbylewtas.com/thewanderlustersmindpodcast Patti Buff - https://pattibuff.wordpress.com Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/203 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's wildflower season! The Western Australian border might be closed thanks to Covid-19, but the positive side of this is as a Perth resident I'm able to travel throughout our vast state - including some of the lesser-visited parts. In mid-August, I spent three days in Australia's Golden Outback chasing wildflowers with my friend Di, and we kept an audio diary of our time away. In this special episode, you'll hear what Di thinks about my navigational abilities, you'll learn about just some of the amazing wildflowers we got to see near Mingenew, Morawa, Canna and Coalseam Conservation Park, and you may even giggle along with our evening campfire chats. Links: Dianne Bortoletto’s website Travelletto - https://travelletto.com  Australia’s Golden Outback - https://www.australiasgoldenoutback.com/page/outback-wildflowers  Mellenbye Station - https://www.mellenbye.com.au  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/202Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second part of my celebration of 200 episodes - today, the wonderful listeners you met in Episode 200 share some of their very favourite travel stories. And they're amazing! Lily takes us first to Indonesia, back when she was just sixteen - and she learnt a lot! Next, Jane tells us of an amazing part of Italy that had captured her imagination and then proved even better than she imagined. Ena describes a particularly special experience she and her children had in an Indian temple. We then move to South America, and Anuj explains an incredible morning in Tikal, Guatemala. Genevieve, one of my most adventurous listeners, chats with me about her epic ski trip across ten very remote communities in Canada. Richie rounds off the tales with his rather long bus trip in China, which nonetheless turned out to be thoroughly worthwhile (as most travel is!). A huge thank you to Lily, Anuj, Ena, Jane, Richie and Genevieve who all gave their time and stories so freely - it was such a pleasure to chat with each of you!  Links Support the podcast on Patreon: http://notaballerina.com/support   Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/201 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a big milestone today: this is the 200th episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast! And since this podcast would literally be nothing at all without all my wonderful listeners, I've decided to devote both this week and next week to you all by interviewing some brave listeners who volunteered to record chats with me - from all corners of the globe - Melbourne to Norway, British Colombia to England, and more. A huge thank you to Lily, Anuj, Ena, Jane, Richie and Genevieve who all gave their time and stories so freely - it was such a pleasure to chat with each of you. In this week's episode, my listener guests introduce themselves and also talk about some of their favourite stories and episodes from The Thoughtful Travel Podcast.  Links Support the podcast on Patreon: http://notaballerina.com/support   Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/200 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seeing animals when we travel is high on many people's must-do lists - but are we doing it responsibly? Responsible animal tourism is one of those areas I'm constantly learning more about: for example, I still remember the moment, perhaps six or seven years ago, when I first learnt about why we shouldn't ride elephants (and if you're not sure, listen on!). Animal tourism is definitely an area where as we learn more about it, we can do better, so I'm hoping this episode is as enlightening for you as it was for me to make it. First up, I chat with Julia Salnicki, a zoologist who has spent many years living in Zimbabwe and Botswana doing research on painted dogs, spotted hyaenas and elephants. We talk about lion cubs, elephants and gorillas - some good and some bad stories! Next, I talk to Ben Pearson of World Animal Protection, first asking him about a pet hate of mine - quokka selfies - and then asking him for some more guidelines on how we can be responsible travellers in relation to animals. Finally, I speak with Louise Southerden about the specific case of riding with camels - as that seemed quite a grey area for me. Links: Julia Salnicki from Classic Safari Company - https://www.classicsafaricompany.com.au  Ben Pearson from World Animal Protection - https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.au Louise Southerden - No Impact Girl - http://www.noimpactgirl.com Lou’s piece on camel riding at World Nomads - https://www.worldnomads.com/responsible-travel/make-a-difference/participation/camel-riding  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/199 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.