The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Time for something different for Episode 160 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: you can listen in on my diary! I've just spent a week in Cairns, Queensland, and after many requests to do this, I actually recorded a podcast diary on my trip. Well, most days - it was a very busy trip! The first part of my trip saw me explore Cairns, the Nerada Tea plantation and taking the Skyrail to Kuranda on my own - all lots of fun and I especially enjoyed the chance to be a solo traveller for just a couple of days again. That's a rare pleasure for me at this phase in life. For the second half of my trip, a hundred and fifty or so of my friends joined me!! In fact I was attending the annual convention of the Australian Society of Travel Writers, so I got to visit Fitzroy Island with a small group of them, and then spend two days together talking and celebrating all things travel writing, travel PR and travel influencing. It's such a fun event and also really got my mind ticking over with a billion new ideas for the podcast. Links: Some of the travel I did on this trip was sponsored or subsidised and I'm very grateful for the chance! Of course: my views are always my own. Nerada Tea plantation - see where your tea grows! You can eat a mighty good meal there and see their resident tree kangaroos - https://www.neradatea.com.au Kuranda Skyrail - a fabulous way to get up into the rainforest - https://www.skyrail.com.au Fitzroy Island off Cairns - a place I've promised my son I'll take him to in the near future - https://www.fitzroyisland.com  Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort - a hotel that even I approve of! - https://www.crystalbrookcollection.com/riley Tropical North Queensland - more things to do in this fabulous part of the world - https://www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travelling in foreign countries is only half the fun when we know the language, right? Plenty of intrigue and hilarity ensues when you're trying to communicate in a language you only know a few phrases of, and that's a big joy when I travel - picking up little pieces of a new language and learning how it all fits together! In Episode 159 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three travellers about this very topic and they find it just as interesting as I do. First up I talk to Denise who spent some time in Spain learning flamenco dancing - and learnt just as much about the Spanish language and culture, too. Next I chat with Kendall about how fortunate we are - in some ways! - to be native English speakers, and other issues related to languages and travel. Finally, I speak with Dan Johnston who's tackled one of the more complex European languages, Czech, and found it rather tricky! We talk about how language ability can change your personality in some ways, too. Links: Denise Tham - Spas of the World - https://spatravels.home.blog/ Kendall’s site https://www.kendallsimmons.com/  Dan at Dreams Around the World - https://dreamsaroundtheworld.com/thethoughtfultravelpodcast/   Previous episodes on languages and travel: Episode 126 - https://www.notaballerina.com/2019/02/language-difficulties-episode-126-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html Episode 10 - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/05/thoughtful-travel-podcast-episode-10-cope-another-language.html  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/159 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting around on your travels is not always smooth sailing and things do go wrong. Does that mean your trip is a disaster? I think not! If my three guests in Episode 158 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast are anything to go by, a travel mishap is purely fodder for a great story to tell later. In this episode I chat first with Nate Hake. He tells the tale of visiting Bolivia and running into some trouble when protestors basically shut down the town of Uyuni shortly before he landed there Next, I talk to Justin Watson. He had a visa to get through China ... or did he? Finally, I speak with Natasha and AJ of the 2 Idiots Abroad blog ... about a time in Bangkok when possibly, they nearly lived up to the name of their blog! Links: Nate at Travel Lemming - https://travellemming.com/  Justin Watson - blog at Justin’s World http://www.justins.world  Natasha and AJ - 2 Idiots Travel Blog https://www.2idiotstravel.com/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/158 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visiting places that not many people go to is a special joy for me - I love not knowing much about a place and honestly, I feel a bit proud to tell people if I've been somewhere uncommon. I'm probably not alone in that feeling! In Episode 157 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I speak with three travellers who've spent time in more uncommon destinations recently and loved their experiences. First I speak with Liz Green who found herself visiting Kazakhstan when her son moved there for a stint with his job. From not knowing much at all about it to absolutely loving the experience, Liz's story has definitely convinced me to visit! Next, I talk with Eva Westerling who has spent time in perhaps one of the least commonly visited countries at the moment - Iraq. Eva didn't go there for a tourist visit but rather as part of her job, but she still managed to do a little sightseeing around Erbil in the Kurdish area and has some interesting tales to tell about it.  Finally, I chat with Justin Watson who has visited quite a number of uncommon destinations - he's soon headed to Ethiopia and Djibouti, so I'll have to get him back on to chat about those two! - but in this episode, we discuss his trip to Bhutan. Links: Liz’s site Whiz Bang Writing - https://www.whizbangwriting.com/  Eva’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com Justin Watson - blog at Justin’s World http://www.justins.world  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/157 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel can stretch your comfort zone in a multitude of ways, and the fact that it does is one of the biggest benefits of travel, I think. You can stretch a comfort zone at home too, but pushing the boundaries of what you feel comfortable with is so much easier in a new place, and there are usually a lot more opportunities too. In Episode 156 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I start off talking to Ann Mortimore and Ian Crabtree who took a giant leap by deciding to pack up their life in the United States and start exploring the world full-time. Their first stop, Guatemala, provided quite a few comfort-zone-stretching moments. (Spoiler alert: it was all worth it!) Next up I chat with Michela Fantinel who I personally think is an expert in stretching her comfort zone. I admire how she's built up her experience of solo travel over the years and done particularly some amazing trips around Australia. Finally, I speak to Alastair Humphreys who is no stranger to smashing his comfort zone, being a veteran of numerous crazy physical challenges - but we discuss how his most recent trip to Spain was a stretch of a completely different kind. Links: How I stretched my comfort zone at the Ningaloo Reef - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/10/australias-coral-coast-stretched-comfort-zone.html Ann and Ian at Expat or Not - https://www.expatornot.com/  Michela at Rocky Travel - https://www.rockytravel.net/  Alastair Humphreys - https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/  Alastair’s new book My Midsummer Morning - https://amzn.to/2JWNjDe Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/156 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India is one of those countries that people seem to visit and then rave about for the rest of their lives. In fact, it's really the only place I can think of that I hear so much deep love for. I've never really understood the pull to India that many people have, but after speaking with the three guests in this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'm keen to go and see it for myself. I first speak to Seng Mah, a photographer who found his first trip to India utterly life-changing and continues to return, including taking tour groups of photographers there knowing that their lives will be changed too. Seng explains the magic of India to me better than anyone ever else has. Next, I chat with Whitney Taylor who, like me, hadn't been particularly drawn to visiting India but found herself on a trip there. She was so amazed by it all and would go back in a heartbeat. Finally, Marilyn Murphy tells me a little about her first experience of India, and a more recent and contrasting one. Suffice to say, India was also an incredible experience for her that she recommends to all. Links: Seng Mah at Venture Photography - https://www.venturephotography.com.au Whitney Taylor on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/whitneyleighartist/  Marilyn Murphy from the Wow Travel Club https://www.wowtravelclub.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/155 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taking a dancing class when I'm travelling or specifically taking a trip to learn to dance is not something that I've ever done - but hearing about all the fun that my guests on Episode 154 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast have had makes me begin to wonder if it might be in my future! I start off chatting to Clare who has had several tango-related holidays. Clare describes her tango trips to Spain and Argentina and we also chat about how that interacts with learning and practising a language when you travel. Next, I talk with Denise who spent a month in Spain specifically to learn more flamenco. She really immersed herself in all things flamenco and while I'd say she worked pretty hard there, she definitely had an amazing experience. Finally I chat to Cheri who has taken music and dance classes in many places - and we agree that it is an amazing way to get to know a culture, something that goes beyond language. She describes a dance experience she had in Ghana which sounded pretty incredible. See, I'm nearly converted! Links: Clare’s site The Book Next Door - Australian ESL materials for adults and young adults - http://thebooknextdoor.com/  Clare Harris - Englishy Things - https://clareharris.com Denise Tham - Spas of the World - https://spatravels.home.blog/ Cheri’s site The Breath of Cuba - http://www.thebreathofcuba.com   Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/154  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems that the number of people who love to travel AND who love to read makes up quite a high proportion of my listeners so I'm excited that Episode 153 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast can be all about reading books to inspire travel. I'm constantly reading books because they're set somewhere I'm about to visit, or alternatively I've booked a number of trips because of places I've read about in books! For me, they are completely intertwined - and the guests on this episode seem to feel the same way. First up I chat with Kendall Simmons who is a voracious reader of all kinds of books and believes that reading before you travel somewhere really enriches your understanding of a place.  Next I talk to Lesley West who is an even more voracious reader and is very devoted to reading books set in a destination before she travels there. (A woman after my own heart!) Finally, Alastair Humphreys and I talk about how reading books about people's travel experiences can actually give you an experience and perspective it's impossible for you to get otherwise, and we also talk about some of the travel books he's written and how knowing his travel experiences will become a book can influence his experience. Links: Kendall Simmon’s site https://www.kendallsimmons.com/  Lesley West of Better Link business consultancy - https://betterlinkgroup.edu.au/   Alastair Humphreys - https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/  Alastair’s new book My Midsummer Morning - https://amzn.to/2JWNjDe Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/153 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Because travel has changed my life in so many varied ways, I know that it's transformative; when I talk to three other people who believe this, like for this Episode 152 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'm even more sure about how transformative travel can be. If you're able to rearrange your budget to get travelling then go and do it! In this episode I start off speaking with Dean O'Shea who runs a business devising trips for mostly corporate professionals with the hope that they'll be transformational - and it sounds like it's working. Dean gives me a couple of examples of people he's already helped to have some major life transformations as a result of particular travel experiences. I then chat with Nate Hake who used to be a trial lawyer in the United States. These days he's travelling the world - he was about to head to Tblisi, Georgia when we spoke - and his own life has been substantially transformed through his travel experiences. As an Aussie I'm proud to say there were Australians involved in this transformation, too! Finally, I talk with Fiona Galloway who uses the tag line "transformative travel" to describe the tours she runs. She's passionate about the power of travel to transform lives in so many ways. Links: Dean’s site Unbelievable Adventures - https://www.unbelievableadventures.co.uk/  Nate at Travel Lemming - https://travellemming.com/ Fiona’s site Wild Awake - https://www.wildawaketravel.com  Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/152  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scuba travel has never been high on my wishlist but after talking to my three guests on Episode 151 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast about their diving trips all around the world, I'm beginning to think otherwise! Scuba diving holidays are special - and my first guest Ella Loeffler should know as in the short few years since she first learnt scuba diving, she's tried it out in quite a number of places around the world. Liveaboard diving sounds especially good to me - kind of like a separate trip within a trip where you get to hang out with like minded travellers and locals. After Ella I chat with Deborah Dickson-Smith who loves diving so much she bought a scuba diving travel agency! She's got a long list of great dive experiences but also some wishlist ideas to experience the best scuba diving in the world sometime. Finally, I talk with Talon Windwalker, who has done work as a dive instructor and has done many special diving trips with his daughter. He also emphasises the many-faceted benefits of combining scuba diving with travelling: seeing new (underwater) landscapes, getting to know another side of local cultures and creating incredible memories. Links: Easy Travel Speak free lesson -  https://www.nomadingabout.com/free-easy-travel-speak-lesson/ Use discount code AMANDA for 40% off Easy Travel Speak - https://www.nomadingabout.com/easy-travel-speak Adopt a sea turtle nest program where Ella’s volunteering - Lang Tengah - http://www.langtengahturtlewatch.org/adoptions/ Deborah’s site Dive PlanIt, a dive travel agency - https://diveplanit.com/  Talon’s blog - http://1dad1kid.com/  Talon on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/onedad1kid/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/151 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.