The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Do you love to haggle at the local markets when you travel to get down to the cheapest possible price or are you happier when there's a fixed price and no bargaining needs to take place? We talk about bargaining (and tipping) on your travels in Episode 91 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast and it's a great mix of ideas.   First up I chat with Matt and Marilyn from the Words with Winos podcast and they reminisce about some of the bargaining they had to do when they were travelling throughout south-east Asia. Next up, ESL teacher Clare Harris and I discuss some of her experiences with money and the differences in value depending on where you come from, and discover that just like me, Clare would prefer a fixed price sale any time!   Finally, I chat with Luke Mackin of Wild Sumatra who, after living for some years in rural Indonesia, has a particularly unique perspective. I really liked what Luke had to say and it's definitely reinforced my opinion that learning to bargain better is not on my list of things to do.   Links:   Our sponsor Travel Journal School at traveljournalschool.com Marilyn and Matt’s site Words with Winos - http://wordswithwinos.com 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 Luke’s Wild Sumatra site and blog - http://wildsumatra.com   Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina    Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/91 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s two years since I launched The Thoughtful Travel Podcast for my fortieth birthday. (Because why not do something crazy like launch a podcast for your fortieth?!) For the two-year anniversary, I decided to turn the tables and instead of getting other people’s stories, I asked my Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group to ask me the questions! They came up with many and varied questions and I had a lot of fun answering them - and I got my friend Kristy who featured in the very first episode of the podcast to interview me. Hope you enjoy it! Links: Thanks to Kristy Morton for interviewing me My post about my love for green tea - https://www.notaballerina.com/2014/11/really-like-green-tea-lessons-japan-meeting-locals.html My "18 for 2018" list - http://www.amandakendle.com/18-things-2018/ Thoughts on privilege - https://www.notaballerina.com/2012/05/two-egyptians-and-my-privilege-to.html Mina Mahrous, the Egyptian blogger - http://www.somedayillbethere.com/2012/04/no-not-everyone-can-travel-a-bubble-burster/ Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/90   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Housesitting works for both sides of the travel equation but in Episode 89 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I talk to four travellers who have used housesitting as a great way to get free accommodation and to see parts of the world they wouldn't otherwise see. Pam Lynch has been house-sitting for about eight months now around Perth, Western Australia - spoiler alert, she's my housesitter! - and chats to me about all of the reasons she loves this lifestyle and intends to continue it for some time to come. I then chat with Becky Livingston who spent over two years wandering the globe doing many various housesits, some in particularly gorgeous locations too. She does touch on some of the perils of housesitting though, particularly the risks involved of being responsible for people's beloved pets ... Finally, I talk to Matt and Marilyn from Words with Winos about their recent housesitting experience in Italy. Links: Our great sponsor Career China Pam Lynch’s site Travelling Bag Pam’s new book, How the Hell Did I Get Here? Becky’s Facebook community Joyful Mourning Becky’s website Matt and Marilyn's site Words with Winos Words with Winos podcast Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/89 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I always think it's a shame we preach about "stranger danger" when in reality 99.9% of strangers are just people waiting to be kind to us - and Episode 88 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast reinforces my thoughts because I have three guests who've had delightful experiences with random acts of travel kindness from the people they've met when they've been travelling. First up, I chat with Matt Eakin - if you've heard Matt speak before you know his stories are always rippers! - and this time, Matt tells me about what happened when he decided to check out the Muslim festival of Estema on his trip to Bangladesh. Let's just say that the kind and interested strangers numbered literally into the thousands! Next I chat with Cheri Shanti who recalls some of her favourite small acts of kindness from strangers when she's been travelling, in places from Thailand to North America - including a time when she was suddenly very ill. Finally, Joanne Karcz has spent time walking on the Camino and has some really beautiful moments of random travel kindness to tell me about. Links: Our great sponsor Career China - https://careerchina.com/ Matt’s site Himalayan Schoolies - https://himalayanschoolies.com/ Cheri’s site The Breath of Cuba http://www.thebreathofcuba.com  Joanne’s site Travel with Joanne https://www.travelwithjoanne.com/    Previous episode about the kindness of strangers: https://www.notaballerina.com/2017/11/kindness-strangers-travels-episode-76-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina    Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/88 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I just love the variety of stories I've got to share in this episode about travelling with your parents as an adult, because everyone has ended up having a great time for all different reasons. The very first guest is my delightful friend Jo of Lifestyle Fifty. When she told me she had a story about her mother coming with them on her honeymoon, I knew I had to hear more, and as always, Jo's story doesn't disappoint.   Following the honeymoon story I chat with Kati who recently travelled with her parents in the Northern Territory here in Australia. It's an interesting story about the compromises you might need to make to deal with the different preferred travelling styles of your family members and I thought Kati did a great job of this.   Finally, I speak with Eva who has really made a habit of travelling with her parents in recent years - starting a truly delightful family tradition. I hope my son is listening to that one!   Links: Our great sponsor Career China - https://www.careerchina.com/ Jo’s website Lifestyle Fifty - http://lifestylefifty.com/ Jo’s travel blog Zigazag - http://zigazag.com/ Kati at Queensland and Beyond - http://www.queenslandandbeyond.com Eva’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina    Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/87 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of my very favourite topics in the world is talking (for hours) about why travelling is good for you and all the self development and educational benefits of travelling. Happily, a lot of the guests on The Thoughtful Travel Podcast feel the same way, and in Episode 86 I chat with three women who all agree the benefits of travelling the world are many and varied. First up, I chat with Pam Lynch, who had travelled a lot with her family but really took things to the next level a few years ago when she started travelling solo. She's in no doubt of the importance of travelling in life and describes how much stepping out of her usual comfort zone has impacted her self development. Next, I talk with Anna Kwiecinska about that feeling you get when you just need to travel to a certain place, without any particularly concrete reason that you can explain - but inevitably, you end up discovering a lot about yourself by doing so. Why people travel is an endlessly fascinating question to me and what Anna articulated here is something I've been trying to explain for years! Finally, psychologist Kristen Truempy talks to me about the fear and growth process in the context of her own regular travel experiences. She says something eminently sensible about travel and your comfort zone but you'll have to listen to find out exactly what! Links: Our great sponsor Career China - https://www.careerchina.com/ Pam Lynch’s site Travelling Bag - http://travellingbag.com.au Pam’s new book, How the Hell Did I Get Here? - http://amzn.to/2Gs4QzJ  Anna Kwiecinska’s main website - https://www.annakwiecinska.com  Paul Bowles books - http://bit.ly/PaulBowlesBooks  Brilliant Blogging retreat in Bali - http://www.villanilayabalibeach.com/art-and-yoga-retreats/art-and-yoga-retreats-at-villa-nilaya-in-2018/amanda-kendle/  Kristen’s The Positive Psychology Podcast - http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen First trips episode I mention https://www.notaballerina.com/2017/09/first-trips-episode-65-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html   Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina    Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/86   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm immensely curious on how culture affects child development - if you have kind of international kids who relate to more than one culture, how does this change the way they grow up? I know from experience that even the simple act of travelling to a foreign country changes how kids think and in Episode 85 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I speak with a number of parents who've really brought up their children to be multicultural kids. I start off chatting to Elizabeth and Jeff Newcamp who have been living with their three young sons in the Netherlands for the past couple of years. They talk about how to fit in and what it's like when your young kids learn the local language faster than you do! I then hear a great story from Jo Castro who had a serial ex-pat life with her husband and two kids before settling relatively recently in Western Australia. Her anecdote really speaks to what being international kids must feel like (and it also made me giggle, so make sure you listen). Finally, I talk to Christine Knight, an Australian whose daughter was born in New York City, where they lived for the first few years of her life before returning home to Sydney. It's interesting to hear how important this second nationality is not just to Christine and her husband but to their daughter, too.     Links: Big thanks to our sponsor this week and last, BoyEatsWorld.com.au Kids tips for travelling with parents - https://boyeatsworld.com.au/15-tips-for-travelling-with-parents/ He said, she said, Bali by kids - https://boyeatsworld.com.au/he-said-she-said-bali-by-kids/  Elizabeth and Jeff’s site Dutch Dutch Goose - http://www.dutchdutchgoose.com/ Zwarte Piet/Black Pete “History of Europe’s Most Controversial Christmas Character” - https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/black-pete-christmas-zwarte-piet-dutch/ Episode 70, Growing up in different cultures - https://www.notaballerina.com/2017/10/children-different-cultures-episode-70-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html  Jo’s website Lifestyle Fifty - http://lifestylefifty.com/  Jo’s travel blog Zigazag - http://zigazag.com/  Christine’s website Adventure Baby  Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina    Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/85 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like going on adventures abroad in nature? Then you will love listening to the stories my three guests have to tell in Episode 84 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. I was so lucky to be able to chat with them about these amazing stories of the kinds of things not many people get to experience.   First up, I spoke with Eva Westerling, a German travel-lover who has had all kinds of incredible adventures abroad, not least of which includes climbing up an active, erupting volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu.   Another way to watch the power of nature came the way of Linda Schlencker, thanks to a lot of patience watching and waiting in Africa, and Linda’s story in this episode is about natural travels at their best - seeing something in the animal kingdom that not many people get to see.   Finally, I was chatting with Kristen Truempy about overseas adventure travel and when we got onto the top of risks involved with adventures abroad she brought up this story of her trip to Morocco.   Links: Thanks to our sponsor, Boy Eats World - https://boyeatsworld.com.au Aleney’s post about a recent ski adventure in Hokkaido - https://boyeatsworld.com.au/japow-wow-skiing-hoshino-resorts-tomamu-with-kids/   Aleney’s post about Osaka (and okonomiyaki) - https://boyeatsworld.com.au/kids-osaka-and-okonomiyaki-recipe/   Eva’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com   Linda’s site Self Drive Adventures - http://www.selfdriveadventures.com/   Kristen’s The Positive Psychology Podcast - http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/84  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teaching English as a second language can be anywhere from a fascinating lifelong career to a short stint while travelling, and in Episode 83 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three teachers who have taught both offline and online around the world.   First up, I talk to Cassandra Le about her two years of experience as an assistant English teacher in Spain. She learnt a lot about the English language itself, about how Spanish is different, and above all that an English teacher needs patience! I also chat briefly with Matt Treglia who began teaching English face-to-face in Korea but now teaches online and is location independent.   Finally, I chat with long-time English teacher and writer of some excellent text books and readers for English learners here in Australia, Clare Harris, who has a whole host of useful tips for people who may be considering teaching English somewhere in the world.   Links: Cassandra’s blog, The Quirky Pineapple -  http://www.thequirkypineapple.com Matt’s site Words with Winos - http://wordswithwinos.com Interview with Matt on The Offbeat Life - https://www.theoffbeatlife.com/episodes/makemoneyteachingenglishonline/ 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  MOOC on “Exploring the World of English Language Teaching” - https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/explore-elt/3  Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina    Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/83 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you love to do - other than travel - in your spare time? While my listeners and readers have a love of travel in common, they have a huge range of other hobbies and this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about combining hobbies with travel in various ways.   To kick it off I chat with Kelly Dunning who wrote a great post on her Global Goose blog about the importance of finding ways to keep up a hobby or two if you’re travelling long term - something I very much concur with. It’s easy to think that travelling “is it” but if you’re away for more than a month or so I think it’s important to keep in touch with other activities you really enjoy.   I then chat with Anna Kwiecinska who has made a business out of encouraging people to take their hobbies on holidays! She runs a retreat in Bali which offers art, yoga and soon blogging retreats, so this is focused very much on encouraging people to really indulge in their hobbies and interests and take them more seriously - or at least to really intensively enjoy them for a time, and travel as well!   Finally, I talk to Colin Clapp who has recently started leading a nomadic life with his partner and their young daughter. Even though time and finances might not enable them to really properly pursue a hobby right now, I was impressed with the thought he’s put into finding the right hobby, realising that it’s something important for him and his family.   Links: Thanks to sponsor Glamping Hub - https://glampinghub.com Kelly Dunning at Global Goose - https://global-goose.com Kelly’s post on keeping up hobbies when you’re travelling - https://global-goose.com/hobbies-long-term-travel/ Anna Kwiecinska’s main website - https://www.annakwiecinska.com Brilliant Blogging retreat in Bali - http://www.villanilayabalibeach.com/art-and-yoga-retreats/art-and-yoga-retreats-at-villa-nilaya-in-2018/amanda-kendle/ Colin’s site Parenting, Passports and Profits - https://parentingpassportsandprofits.com/ Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/82 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.