The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Episode 190 - time for a special episode! As Western Australian life starts to become somewhat normal again after a period of Covid-19 isolation, I decided it was time to record some thoughts about what life has been like here in Perth during the global pandemic. I talk about how extraordinarily lucky we have been here, and how for once, I've actually appreciated how isolated Perth, Western Australia is. I also talk about how important it has been for me to be in touch with friends interstate and across the world - mostly friends I've made through travelling - because hearing people's personal stories about their experiences is so much more impactful than only watching the news headlines. It's also been a period where I've been in much closer touch with friends outside of Western Australia and I've really loved that aspect of it. Finally, I talk about the future of travel in a post-pandemic world - not that I have any crystal ball to know what's going to happen, but I do have some hopes for what we might be thinking about travelling. A Perth friend, Carolyn Beasley, was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic when her Antarctic expedition ship was prevented from landing in Chile as planned back in March 2020. I talked to Carolyn about her experiences and this seemed the perfect time to share that story. Links: The importance of making travel friends - notaballerina.com/covidfriends Episode 184 on Antarctic Travels - notaballerina.com/184 Carolyn Beasley - https://www.carolynbeasley.com  Support The Thoughtful Travel Podcast on Patreon - notaballerina.com/support Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/190 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 March/April 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, On the Plain of Snakes by Paul Theroux. 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.

Meeting local people when you travel is one of the surest ways I know to be a more thoughtful traveller - and to have a lot of fun, too! In Episode 189 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I talk to three travellers who discovered fascinating ways to interact with locals on their travels - and of course, they all found it really rewarding. First up, I chat with Tracey Croke who told me that the surest way to get to meet some interesting locals is to join a revolution! There are caveats of course - but it's true that this is what Tracey did on a trip to Macedonia. Next I talk to JoAnna Haugen who found a particularly unique way to get to see what the locals were doing, by volunteering as an international election observer in Ukraine. My last guest is Jen Williams who got to know some locals when she was visiting Bagan in Myanmar, and they led her to quite an intriguing encounter with a local shaman. Links: Tracey Croke, travel journalist - https://traceycroke.com JoAnna Haugen, founder of Rooted - https://www.joannahaugen.com/rooted/  Jen Williams - Launch Your Travels - https://www.launchyourtravels.com/  Support via Patreon - https://www.notaballerina.com/support Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/189 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nobody wants to get sick on a trip, but especially if you're a frequent or long-term traveller, it's nearly inevitable. Like many mishaps when we travel, much of the time the story of how you dealt with being ill in a foreign country turns into an anecdote you regularly retell - and that's the case for the three guests on Episode 188 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. First up, I chat with Christine Williams who has spent many years on the road - which means at some stage, illness is likely to catch up with you, and for Christine it was a case of dengue fever. Next, Liz Green talks about just why she ended up touring the many vaccination clinics of South-East Asia after a small incident in Laos. Finally, Chris Haag tells me about the time he ended up rather sick in Mexico - don't be eating while you listen! Links: Support the podcast via Patreon - https://www.notaballerina.com/support Christine's website Don’t Forget to Move - https://www.dontforgettomove.com/  Christine's podcast Not So Bon Voyage - https://notsobonvoyage.com   Liz’s site Whiz Bang Writing - https://www.whizbangwriting.com/  Chris Haag's site The Places I Pee - https://www.theplacesipee.com Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/188 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are lots of interesting stories in travel but if your travels are connected to some personal connections to history, that sure makes it even more interesting! In Episode 187 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'm lucky to chat with two travellers who some really interesting connections to history. First up, I talk to Flip Byrnes who - unbeknownst to her until she was an adult - is the great-granddaughter of photographer and adventurer Frank Hurley. Since she learnt of the connection she's let this ancestry influence a lot of her travel choices and has some fascinating tales to tell as a result. I then speak with Tom Mattson, who has a particular interest in Cuba and regularly visits. On one trip he had the good fortune to meet Juan who, as a child, was an eyewitness to historical events involving Fidel Castro and more. Links: Travel journalist Flip Byrnes - Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theadventuremamma/ Author Tom Mattson - https://tomsglobe.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/187 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Things go wrong fairly frequently when I travel - and I'm sure I'm not alone. Mostly these mishaps are minor and they make an otherwise ordinary day much more memorable. In Episode 186 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three guests who've had some kind of mishaps or things go wrong on their trips - but all with happy endings! First up, I chat with Catherine Marshall who, despite always arriving as early as possible at an airport, very nearly missed a flight. You can decide who was at fault! I then speak with Kiki Wong who participated in a particularly interesting media trip to the Grand Canyon - the kind that had a lot of low points and also some high points, thankfully! Finally, I find out the whole story about Rick Antonson's trip to Timbuktu for a haircut. It might not quite have been the haircut he'd usually have ... but it was still a very worthwhile experience. Links: Catherine Marshall - https://instagram.com/zizzyballord  More from Catherine and friends at Time to Wander - http://www.timetowander.com.au/  Kiki Wong - Nylon Pink - https://www.nylonpink.tv  Rick Antonson - www.rickantonson.com Rick’s book To Timbuktu for a Haircut - https://amzn.to/3834ltj Episode 73 - When Things Go Wrong - https://www.notaballerina.com/73 Episode 158 - When Travel Days Go Wrong - https://www.notaballerina.com/158 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/186 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Slow travel is a concept hitting all the "travel trends" lists recently, and I think (and hope) that travel post-Covid will include a lot more slow travel, too. The idea of spending more time in fewer places isn't appealing if you want to tick off a list of sightseeing hotspots, but if you try a slower pace and realise all of the benefits it can bring - getting to know a place better, meeting more locals, discovering off-the-beaten path gems that you'd otherwise miss, not to mention the sustainability advantages - then you might be won over! In Episode 185 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three travellers who are big fans of the slow travel concept. My first guest is Christine Williams who confesses she just might be one of the slowest travellers ever, and has been on the road for nearly a decade. She explains what slow travel looks like for her and her partner and why they sometimes stop somewhere for months at a time. Next, I talk to Caro Ryan who is a huge fan of the slowest travel pace of all, walking. She describes how hiking and walking around the world has so many benefits to the traveller. Finally, I speak with Talon Windwalker about how travelling with a child was the impetus he needed to really figure out the art of slow travel - something which has a lot of parallels to my own experience. Links: Christine's website Don’t Forget to Move - https://www.dontforgettomove.com/  Christine's podcast Not So Bon Voyage - https://notsobonvoyage.com   Caro Ryan's website Lotsa Fresh Air - https://lotsafreshair.com  Talon’s website One Dad One Kid - http://1dad1kid.com/ Episode 25: How Slow is Slow Travel - https://notaballerina.com/25 Episode 44: Embracing Slow Travel - https://notaballerina.com/44 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/185 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 February 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, discussing The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. 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.

Many people (including me!) dream of going to Antarctica, but only a small number ever get there. One thing's for sure: I've never met someone who's come back from Antarctica and found their trip a bit "meh". It's always an awe-inspiring experience, and the three guests I chat to in Episode 184 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast attest to that. First up, I chat with Suzanne Moore, who travelled to Antarctica with her husband to celebrate their fortieth birthdays. As an ex-veterinarian, Suzy particularly loved the wildlife, but she's also a keen photographer, so the landscapes enticed her equally. Next I talk to Paul Pichugin, a photographer who went to Antarctica on a photographic assignment and got to experience the works: kayaking, snorkelling, even camping out on the Antarctic continent. Finally, I speak to Carolyn Beasley who has only very recently returned from Antarctica - recently enough, unfortunately, that her ship was stuck off the South American coast for some time as they returned to a Covid-19 immigration nightmare. We'll speak about that in a future episode but for today, Carolyn reminisces about some of the highlights of her incredible Antarctic experience. Links: Suzanne Moore https://www.suzannemoorewriter.com/    Suzanne’s book The Place Between - https://amzn.to/31KM6aD  Paul Pichugin - landscape and travel photographer - https://paulpichugin.com Carolyn Bealsey - https://www.carolynbeasley.com  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/184 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, here's a big question for you: can we justifying travelling in the era of climate change? It's a question that's been on my mind for quite a while now, and I've found two amazing travel journalists to help me ponder it more deeply. Episode 183 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast features Louise Southerden and Catherine Marshall and their very articulate thoughts on whether or not we can, in the future, still justify travel. Spoiler alert, though: nobody knows the answer. First up, I chat with Louise Southerden, in a conversation recorded before Covid-19 decimated travel completely - but her message is still the same. We talk about the benefits of travel personally and about Lou's responsibility as a travel writer, encouraging others to travel, to do so in a sustainable way. I then talk to Catherine Marshall and we cover topics like flight shame, whether travel is a selfish pursuit, what drives people to need to travel and what benefits travel can bring the world. We also touch on how the Covid-19 pandemic might influence all this - hopefully for the better. Links: Louise Southerden - No Impact Girl - http://www.noimpactgirl.com Catherine Marshall - http://catherinemarshall.com.au coming soon! More from Catherine and friends at Time to Wander - http://www.timetowander.com.au/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/183 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.