The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Before I travelled to Denmark a couple of months back, I recorded Episode 140 with all my thoughts ahead of that trip. In particular, I wanted to be a more intentionally thoughtful traveller on that trip and in this special Episode 150 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I'm following up on how that all went. It turns out - quick spoiler - that being more intentional really helped me to have an even better experience in Copenhagen and rural Denmark. But you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out why! A special bonus in this special episode is that my son, now Mr9, has made a return visit - the last time he was here, he was only Mr6! He answers some questions asked by the lovely members of the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group - thanks everyone! Links: My pre-Denmark thoughts in Episode 140 - https://notaballerina.com/140  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 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/150 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We who get to travel the world are a very privileged lot - right? If we're going to be good, thoughtful travellers, I think that considering issues of class and privilege when we travel is an important part of it. In Episode 149 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I talk with three guests who articulate some really interesting thoughts on this topic and I'm so pleased to bring them to you, and hope they give everyone some food for thought. First up, I speak with Ella Loeffler, a recently graduated ecologist who has been spending time volunteering on a sea turtle project in Malaysia. She might be young, but she has given this topic a lot of thought already and it was great to hear how she has handled it so far. I then chat to Nate Hake, a former lawyer who now travels the world as a digital nomad and has written about issues like passport privilege in the past. Finally, I talk to Chris Haag who actually proposed this whole topic in the first place. Chris is cycling the Americas from north to south and when we spoke, he was in Mexico, a destination which had given him cause to think a lot about class and privilege issues. Links: Adopt a sea turtle nest program where Ella’s volunteering - Lang Tengah - http://www.langtengahturtlewatch.org/adoptions/ Nate at Travel Lemming - https://travellemming.com/  Nate's post about linguistic privilege - https://travellemming.com/travel-privilege-english/ Chris'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/149  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Solo travelling is one of those things that you might fear before you try it: but if you take the plunge you will find that the life of a solo traveller is insanely rewarding. In Episode 148 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I talk to three people who have done a lot of solo travel in all kinds of parts of the world and they all agree that including some solo travelling in the mix is absolutely worthwhile. My first guest is Alastair Humphreys who has done some very adventurous solo travel and finds it both soul-searching and rewarding. We talk in particular about one of his solo trips walking across India. Next up I chat with Justin Watson who, like me, thought at first that solo travel might be difficult; when he finally tried he was very glad he did. Finally, I speak with Michela Fantinel about one of her first solo travel experiences in New York City - since then she has gone on to do numerous solo trips and would thoroughly recommend it. Links: Alastair Humphreys - https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/  Alastair’s new book My Midsummer Morning - https://amzn.to/2JWNjDe  Justin - blog at Justin’s World http://www.justins.world  Michela at Rocky Travel - https://www.rockytravel.net/  Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes - https://notaballerina.com/148 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most well-known (and successful, for that matter) travel bloggers around is Matt Kepnes, also known as Nomadic Matt. Here's the thing. I actually started blogging a couple of years before Matt, and we got to know each other while freelancing for some of the same travel sites back in the day - but he's the one who went on to turn his travel blog into a very successful full-time career. I want to be jealous, but whenever I encounter Matt I'm reminded that he's just a really nice guy and along with that, we share very similar attitudes to travel. And so after thinking about it for much too long, Matt and I have finally caught up for a special episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast where we talk about all kinds of travel topics: budget travel and staying in hostels, how to be a thoughtful traveller and the wonders of solo travel. Matt also has a new book out, "Ten Years a Nomad" and of course that rates a mention too! Links: Matt’s site Nomadic Matt - https://www.nomadicmatt.com Matt’s new book “Ten Years a Nomad” - https://amzn.to/30rqYEo  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/147 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not all too many years ago that I would have thought Iran was definitely off the visit list, but in recent years it has become quite a popular destination amongst travellers I know. Episode 146 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is, in fact, devoted fully to Iran because I've had so many guests tell me about their good experiences there that I just had to create an entire episode to be able to share some of their stories. First up I chat with Brett Seychell of Social Cycles who first visited Iran on his two-year cycling journey from London to Melbourne. He loved it so much that he has now been half a dozen times and runs tours there! Next I speak with photographer Dale Neill who has also taken a tour group to Iran in recent years. Dale reiterates the common theme of this episode, that Iran is probably the single friendliest country he's ever visited. Finally, I hear from Joanne Karcz who was recently in Iran for a month and had so many good stories to tell about the country and especially the kindness of the people. Links: Brett from Social Cycles - https://www.social-cycles.com  Dale Neill - http://www.daleneill.com.au and the Fremantle International Portrait Prize -  https://fipp.org.au  Joanne’s site Travel with Joanne - https://www.travelwithjoanne.com/    More from Joanne on Iran in Episode 141 - https://www.notaballerina.com/141 Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/146  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's becoming increasingly popular to make volunteering a part of a trip abroad, but it's also becoming increasingly known that not all volunteer programs are created equal. It's sometimes hard to be sure if you're helping or hindering, and difficult to be sure you're helping to create lasting change.  In Episode 145 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three travellers who've taken part in various volunteer programs in recent years. We talk about how to find a good volunteer program and their own examples are really worth hearing about. First up, I talk to Ella who is currently volunteering in Malaysia at an organisation protecting endangered sea turtles. She has an ecology degree and describes the great work that is happening there, along with some thoughts on how to find a good way to volunteer abroad. Next I chat with Meagan who lives in southern California. In the last few years she's become involved with regular volunteer work just a couple of hours' drive away in Mexico. Finally, Eva explains the trip she took to the Philippines last year and how the money collected from travellers in the group was used to help a local community.  Links: Overview of the problems of orphanage tourism - https://www.savethechildren.org.au/Our-Stories/Orphanage-tourism  Adopt a sea turtle nest program where Ella’s volunteering - Lang Tengah - http://www.langtengahturtlewatch.org/adoptions/  Meagan Hurst of Malas With a Mission - http://malaswithamission.com/  Eva’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com Giveback Giveaway which Eva mentioned - https://givebackgiveaway.com/  Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/145 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel and life intersect in all kinds of ways and Episode 144 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a collection of stories about when grief intersects with travel. I'm so grateful to all the guests for sharing these pretty personal stories, because I know they will be interesting and even useful for many who listen. First up I speak with Justin Watson who shares a story of a very special trip to the United States with a good friend; then Dean O'Shea talks about an important trip he took his brother on not long after their father passed away.  Finally, I chat with Kate Manser who started a project called "You Might Die Tomorrow" after the sudden, unrelated deaths of three young people she knew. She hopes to help people use activities like travelling to help them live life to the full - hopefully without having tragedy around them first. Links: Justin’s blog at Justin’s World - http://www.justins.world Dean’s site Unbelievable Adventures - https://www.unbelievableadventures.co.uk/  Kate Manser’s site You Might Die Tomorrow - https://www.youmightdietomorrow.com/  https://notaballerina.com/133 - the first part of Dean’s story https://notaballerina.com/99 - Pam’s story of the Nepal earthquake  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/144 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So are you a helpful traveller or a harmful traveller when you're on the road? I think we'd all like to think we're more the former, but there's always more we can do. For this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I have a very special guest, Aussie broadcaster and journalist Jan Fran, who recently went overseas with adventure apparel brand Kathmandu to find out firsthand from the locals what's happening in our travel hotspots and how we can do better. They’ve produced three videos called Helpful or Harmful? featuring Bali, Nepal and Australia. I was a bit fangirly nervous before I got to interview Jan Fran but she was a delight to chat to and I loved finding out more about some of the behind the scenes experiences she had in Bali and Nepal to make these videos. Hope you enjoy this chat, too! Links: Helpful or Harmful Travel - https://www.kathmandu.com.au/helpful-or-harmful  More about Jan Fran - http://www.janfran.net Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/143 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often fear getting lost when we travel ... but in reality, it usually either means we discover something we otherwise wouldn't have, and/or it becomes a funny story we repeat regularly later on! In Episode 142 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three travellers who all believe that getting lost is fun (or at least it is most of the time!). First up, Lucas Peters explains his strategy of getting deliberately lost - it's more sensible than it sounds, I promise! Next up I chat with Michela Fantinel who has had some wonderful experiences getting lost while driving in Australia, for example - although as a good Australian I must warn you all to make sure you take water and petrol with you if you're driving about in the Australian outback - it's one of those places where getting lost can actually end up being a bad thing. (Michela is fine!) Finally, I talk to Erin Holmes about some of the various times she's got lost while travelling.  Links: Travel Journal School - www.traveljournalschool.com  Lucas Peters - http://www.lucasmpeters.com/  Michela at Rocky Travel - https://www.rockytravel.net/  Erin Holmes at Explore With Erin - http://explorewitherin.com/    Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/142 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you don't get to really meet the people of a country, have you really been there? Some of my first significant travel moments involved a lot of immersion with local people - from a school language trip aged 14, staying with three different families across Germany without a fellow Aussie friend in the home with me, to living and teaching English in Japan, meeting dozens of new Japanese people every day. I guess that's meant I learnt fast just how much more you can learn about a place when you take as many chances as possible to chat to locals, so it's really ingrained in all my travels now. And it turns out I'm not alone, of course. The three guests on Episode 141 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast value a good chat with a local as much as I do. First up I speak to Seng Mah, who describes a recent experience in India where he got more involved in an Indian wrestling hall than one would expect - but it was a great experience! Next I chat with Kim Yuhl who is slow travelling around the world as a digital nomad these days, and we discussed her experiences in developing a community during her stay in Guatemala City. Finally, Joanne Karcz tells me about a number of interesting interactions she had with Iranian women on her recent trip to Iran, the kinds of conversations you don't have unless you actively seek them out. Links: Travel Journal School is running again - traveljournalschool.com - the next course for two weeks in June is “Start a personal travel blog” Seng Mah at Venture Photography - https://www.venturephotography.com.au Kim’s site Nomading About - https://www.nomadingabout.com Nomading About Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_pZyS0KMSY6orTWAsSEAA  Joanne’s site Travel with Joanne - https://www.travelwithjoanne.com/    Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers -  https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/141 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.