The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

When you travel, something is bound to go wrong. Most of the time, whatever went wrong ends up making a good story, and that’s exactly what the three travellers in Episode 73 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast think too. In this episode, I start of chatting with Luke Mackin of Wild Sumatra, who has two equally hilarious tales about things that have gone wrong both on his travels and in his expat life in rural Indonesia.   We then move to South Africa, where Kristen Truempy had a particularly interesting experience when things went wrong with her accommodation booking. Finally, over in New York City, fellow Aussie Aggie Lim has a great story to tell about things going wrong on a simple attempt to catch a bus in the Big Apple.   Links: Luke’s Wild Sumatra site and blog Kristen’s The Positive Psychology Podcast Aggie Lim at Drawn to Explore Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers Follow me on Facebook on the Not A Ballerina page Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/73 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visiting museums when you’re somewhere new is very high on the list of many travellers. I don’t love all museums, but there are many around the world that I really truly do love. In Episode 72 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with four travellers who all have lots to say about their love of museums.   First up, I chat with Leah Smileski of Kid Bucket List who is very passionate about museums and has some really interesting news about the museums of Skopje, Macedonia. It seems like right now is the best time ever to check out their museums.   Next, I talk with Elizabeth and Jeff of Dutch Dutch Goose, who are ex-pats currently living in the Netherlands with their three young sons. We discuss just how you can help kids really love museums and they tell me about some of their favourite museums in Europe so far.   Finally, I get to reunite with a long lost student of my travel writing course, Samantha Fisher, who is about on the same level as me with her museum love. It’s interesting to talk about what makes a museum experience one that you really love and remember forever.   Links: Leah’s blog Kid Bucket List - https://kidbucketlist.com.au Skopje Museums - https://kidbucketlist.com.au/2017/09/25/skopje-with-kids/ Elizabeth and Jeff’s site Dutch Dutch Goose http://www.dutchdutchgoose.com/ Museum cards in Amsterdam - https://adaminfo.amsterdam.ticketbar.eu/en/discountcards/museum-card-tourists-/ Transport Museum in Lucerne - https://www.verkehrshaus.ch Sam’s site, coming soon, High Hopes Travel - http://highhopestravel.com/ Sam on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/highhopestravel/ Musee Rodin - http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/home 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/72 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever felt anxious about travelling, please rest assured that you are absolutely not alone! In Episode 71 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, we are talking about getting past travel anxiety, and I hope that hearing from experienced travellers who take amazing trips but still feel anxious about that regularly will help you realise that travel anxiety is way more common than you’d expect.   First up, I speak with Matt Treglia from the Words With Winos podcast about his experiences when he arrives in a new country and culture. Following Matt, my chat with Ian of the Barefoot Backpacker has some overlaps, and you might be surprised to hear how anxious Ian can be despite having travelled, on his own no less, to some really off-the-beaten-path destinations.   Finally, I chat with psychologist Kristen Truempy who as always has some wise words about anxiety and what we should do about it to help us travel more.   Links: Matt’s site Words with Winos - http://wordswithwinos.com Words with Winos podcast - http://soundcloud.com/wordswithwinos Ian’s blog The Barefoot Backpacker - http://barefoot-backpacker.com/ Ian’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/barefoot_backpacker/ Kristen’s The Positive Psychology Podcast - http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen Kristen’s audiobook Brainwash - Retrain Your Brain in 21 Days - https://gumroad.com/l/brainwash Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/71 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How does growing up as part of several different cultures change you as a person? Or growing up in many different countries? These questions fascinate me and in Episode 70 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I speak with two travellers who have experience with these particular questions.   First up, I chat with Leah Smileski who recently took her children to spend a couple of months in Macedonia, where their father was born. This was quite a challenge for Leah who doesn’t speak Macedonian, but we talked a lot about all the benefits for her kids and it was fascinating.   Secondly, I talk with Jo Castro, who’s the epitome of a wandering ex-pat - moving to rural Nepal with a newborn baby a couple of decades ago! She and her family, including two now adult children, lived in many different places around the world and she has much to say about how this has affected them, in both good ways and bad.   Links: Leah’s blog Kid Bucket List - https://kidbucketlist.com.au Jo’s website Lifestyle Fifty - http://lifestylefifty.com/ Jo’s travel blog Zigazag - http://zigazag.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/70 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Making mistakes on our travels is just par for the course, I think, and the three guests on Episode 69 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast have all made different mistakes and come out okay at the other end!   Hayden Lee agrees that mistakes generally lead to the best travel stories. He has a great tale to tell about a road trip in outback Queensland that may have included a mistake or two.   Ian of The Barefoot Backpacker has an interesting story about an entire trip which turned out to be a mistake, perhaps.   Finally, Carolyn of Holidays to Europe tells of what she describes as a rookie mistake which she made when she definitely wasn’t a rookie traveller any more … but even the best of us make mistakes, I guess!     Links: Hayden’s Travel Stories Podcast - http://travelstoriespodcast.com Travel Stories Podcast on iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/travel-stories-podcast/id1097413901?mt=2 Ian’s blog The Barefoot Backpacker - http://barefoot-backpacker.com/ Ian’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/barefoot_backpacker/ Carolyn’s site Holidays to Europe - https://www.holidaystoeurope.com.au/ Carolyn’s ebook travel guides - https://www.holidaystoeurope.com.au/home/travel-resources/travel-books-guides   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/69Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travelling solo is a fabulous experience but not everyone thinks they’re ready for it. In Episode 68 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three solo travel lovers who have various stories and experiences to tell which can give you some tips for making yourself a solo travel success.   I start off with Becky Livingston who has a lovely funny tale to tell about what happened on a plane when she was travelling solo once - and we go on to talk about some of the big benefits of solo travel.   Next, Ian from The Barefoot Backpacker talks about some of the reasons he generally prefers solo travel, and what we can learn from that.   Finally, I get to chat with Kristen Truempy, a psychologist who loves to travel and has travelled on her own a lot. She gives a really interesting perspective on some of the qualities of a person who travels solo well, and what we might think about to prepare ourselves ahead of a solo trip.   Links: Becky’s Facebook community Joyful Mourning - https://www.facebook.com/joyfulmourning101/ Becky’s website - http://blivingrock.com Ian’s blog The Barefoot Backpacker - http://barefoot-backpacker.com/ Ian’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/barefoot_backpacker/ Kristen’s The Positive Psychology Podcast - http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen Kristen’s audiobook Brainwash - Retrain Your Brain in 21 Days - https://gumroad.com/l/brainwash Episode 58: Solo Travel Freedom - https://notaballerina.com/58 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s rare an episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast focuses on just one destination, but when it’s my beautiful home state of Western Australia, I think it’s a must! In this episode I chat with three travellers who’ve explored much of WA and all found lots to love. First up, I chat with Zoë Dawes, who came out to Western Australia for a short trip last year. As a very experienced traveller, I think Zoë would have high expectations, and it turned out that she thoroughly enjoyed WA and particularly one of my favourite spots! Jo Castro of the Lifestyle Fifty blog moved to country Western Australia a few years back and I’m pleased to hear that there are also many parts of our vast state that she’s grown to love. Finally, I chatted with Nina Burakowski who runs an entire site about getting outdoors in Western Australia. She had a great list of recommended spots to visit if you’re also lucky enough to come all the way to WA. Links: Coral Coast and Ningaloo Reef - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/10/australias-coral-coast-stretched-comfort-zone.html Rottnest Island - https://www.notaballerina.com/2014/09/visit-rottnest-island-day-trip-overnight-contest.html My first trip around Australia - https://www.notaballerina.com/category/australia-in-a-van Zoë’s website The Quirky Traveller - http://www.thequirkytraveller.com  Zoë on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/quirkytraveller  Zoë on Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/quirkytraveller  Jo’s website Lifestyle Fifty - http://lifestylefifty.com/ Jo’s travel blog Zigazag - http://zigazag.com/  Nina’s blog WA Explorer http://www.westaustralianexplorer.com   Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/67    Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regular listeners already know I think it’s enormously beneficial to take your kids travelling from a young age, but in Episode 66 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three other mothers who agree with me. First up is family travel expert Sharon Gourlay of Where’s Sharon. With three kids aged between one and seven, and many, many trips with them under her belt, she’s well placed to talk about many of the reasons travelling with kids is so valuable. Brooke McAlary is my next guest and we share a very strong belief that kids learn so much from travelling, and that it shapes the way they’ll experience life. Finally, I talk with Penny Wincer, who speaks openly and beautifully about traveling with a child with special needs. Penny’s son has autism and this has changed the way she approaches travel, but it certainly hasn’t stopped her.   Links: Sharon’s travel site Where’s Sharon - http://www.wheressharon.com  Sharon’s site Digital Nomad Wannabe - https://www.digitalnomadwannabe.com/  Brooke’s Slow Your Home website - http://slowyourhome.com/  Brooke’s Slow Home Podcast - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-slow-home-podcast-with-brooke-mcalary/id985005895?mt=2  Brooke’s new book, Slow - http://amzn.to/2vboW07  Penny’s website Apples and Optimists - http://www.applesandoptimists.com  Penny on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pennywincer  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/66 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hearing about people’s first trips is fascinating and Episode 65 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about the first times some very experienced travellers ventured out of their comfort zones. First up, Alicia Nelson talks about the first trip she took without her family. A school trip to Washington DC turned out to be pretty life-changing. Sharon Gourlay of Where’s Sharon is one of the most well-travelled people I know, and yet when I spoke to her about her first trips abroad, she told me some very surprising stories! Finally, Carolyn Schonafinger joins The Thoughtful Travel Podcast for the first time and has some interesting tales to tell about her first trip abroad and also her first trip to her now beloved Europe. Links: Alicia’s site Prairie Style File - http://prairiestylefile.com  Alicia’s new book, “North Dakota Beer: A Heady History” - http://amzn.to/2rBRVUW  Sharon’s travel site Where’s Sharon - http://www.wheressharon.com  Sharon’s site Digital Nomad Wannabe - https://www.digitalnomadwannabe.com/  Carolyn’s site Holidays to Europe - https://www.holidaystoeurope.com.au/ Carolyn’s ebook travel guides - https://www.holidaystoeurope.com.au/home/travel-resources/travel-books-guides    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/65 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you travel much at all, you’re going to encounter foreign languages, and Episode 64 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about how learning languages and living in foreign countries has changed the experiences of these three travel-loving guests. First up, I chat with Yasmin Newman who’s a fellow language lover. She’s spent time in both France and Mexico with the goal of improving her French and Spanish and has much of interest to say about how effective this was. Following Yasmin, I talk to Cassandra Le who also decided that living abroad, in Spain, would be a great way to improve her Spanish language skills. My final guest today is Serena Star-Leonard. We chat about how embarrassing it is that so many people from English-speaking countries don’t speak any other languages and why that means she’s trying so hard to learn Spanish; we also talk about what kind of communication happens when you’re talking to someone with whom you don’t share a common language at all.  Links: Episode 10 - How to Cope in Another Language - https://notaballerina.com/10 Yasmin’s website - https://www.yasminnewman.com Yasmin’s new book, The Desserts of New York (And How To Eat Them All) - http://amzn.to/2shtR9u Yasmin’s first book, 7,000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines - http://amzn.to/2ucVBNB Cassandra’s blog, The Quirky Pineapple -  http://www.thequirkypineapple.com Cassandra on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tqpineapple/ Serena Star-Leonard’s Retire in 12 Months project — http://in12months.com Serena’s Five Point Five videos - http://fivepointfive.org/videos/ 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: https://notaballerina.com/64  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.