The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Slow travel is a real buzz word these days but many travellers have been using slow travel principles for decades - because travelling slowly is a fantastic way to see the world and really get to know it well. In Episode 13 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, Amanda talks to three different travellers who have all embraced slow travel in their own way. First up is Tim Leffel, who prefers smaller towns and villages over big cities because it’s easier to travel slowly in a place where you can get to know the locals. Amanda also speaks to Candace Rardon, who as a freelance artist and writer is able to really practice slow travel, and she does it both on a daily basis by sitting still somewhere for a few hours to sketch, and planning her trips so she stays places for weeks or months. The final guest today is David Soto Jr who is currently in the middle of his own slow trip in a van around the United States. When Amanda spoke to him he was sitting in his van on an airforce base with his dog Rusty looking on; since then he’s been exploring some of America’s most beautiful spots at a very leisurely pace. Links: Tim Leffel - http://timleffel.com Candace Rose Rardon at The Great Affair http://www.candaceroserardon.com Candace’s book: Beneath the Lantern’s Glow - http://bit.ly/LanternsGlow David Soto Jr. at The Primitive You - https://theprimitiveyou.com David (and his dog) on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theprimitivedave/ Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/13   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cultural differences make our travels so much more interesting (if somewhat complicated at times!). In Episode 12 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, we talk about culture clash, and the differences we discover when we travel abroad.Stephen Henson has spent many years travelling back and forth to China, as well as doing business there, and has many tales to tell - today’s stories about the value of luxury and the importance of appearances in modern-day China are fascinating.Amanda then speaks to Adam Beck of Bilingual Monkeys about his experiences both on arrival in Japan some twenty years ago, and more recently when he has the experience of reverse culture shock when he visits his home country. Finally, she chats with fellow Australian Mike Campbell, who is spending a year housesitting his way around the United States with his family. He’s particularly shocked by one particular cultural difference between the US and Australia and Amanda finds she definitely agrees!   Links:   Journeys with Stephen - http://journeyswithstephen.com Adam Beck at Bilingual Monkeys - http://bilingualmonkeys.com/ Adam’s new book, Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability - http://bilingualmonkeys.com/maximize-your-childs-bilingual-ability-book/ Mike Campbell’s Live Immediately - www.liveimmediately.com Live Immediately on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/liveimmediately/ Washing the dishes Australian style - http://www.notaballerina.com/2011/05/washing-dishes-australian-style.html Follow-up post with more on washing the dishes in Australia - http://www.notaballerina.com/2014/10/unexpected-cultural-differences-how-do-you-wash-your-dishes-your-country.html Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/12   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 11, Amanda is celebrating the magic of getting lost on our travels. Back in Episode 2 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast she talked about the terror of getting lost, but this time round everyone’s getting lost stories are way less scary and are usually just plain fun. First up in this episode Amanda speaks with Dianne Bortoletto, a Perth-based travel blogger, and they spill the beans on a slightly embarrassing but very funny incident when they both got kind of lost while in Bangkok for a conference.One of Amanda's most popular guests, Kiliii Fish, returns in this episode with yet another fascinating story, this time about his attempts to find an Ecuadorian indigenous basket maker and how he was pretty much lost most of the way. And finally, Joe Baur of the wonderful Without A Path podcast returns with his very sensible idea about intentionally getting lost. Amanda realised while talking to Joe that she's done the same thing herself on occasion and that intentionally going somewhere unknown and without a map or plan can be a great way to explore a new city or country.   Links: Dianne Bortoletto of Travelletto http://travelletto.com Kiliii Fish http://www.kiliii.com/ Kiliii on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kiliiifish/ Joe Baur http://joebaur.com Joe’s Without A Path podcast http://withoutapath.com Episode 2: The Terror of Getting Lost https://notaballerina.com/02 Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/11   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's always a bit sad to hear someone say they didn’t want to travel somewhere because they were worried about not being able to get by in a foreign language. Struggling to communicate can be half the fun of a trip (at least in retrospect!) and we can learn so much from cultures with different languages and customs. Today Amanda has gathered together some tips and tricks from a number of travellers who have experience both in learning languages and in getting by in languages they don’t know. We start off with the highly multilingual Leyla Giray Alyanak, who has an incredibly useful language tip, and then move onto another clever linguist, Kerstin Pilz, who reminds us that it’s not just the words in another country but the more subtle cultural differences too which are important for good communication. Finally, Amanda chats with David Soto Jr., a very interesting man who’s currently living in a van with his dog and travelling around North America. He recalls one of his first experiences in trying to speak Italian and hits upon a fun trick that can really help us loosen up and do better at coping in another language! Links: Leyla Giray Alayanak at Women on the Road http://www.women-on-the-road.com Kerstin Pilz at Travelpilz http://travelpilz.com David Soto Jr. at The Primitive You https://theprimitiveyou.com Previous episode on languages: Food in a Foreign Language http://notaballerina.com/01 Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/10   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 9 of Amanda returns to the frightening parts of travel, because a lot of the time the story’s in the scary bits. What’s scary to one person might not worry someone else, but if something creates fear for you while you’re travelling, it’s probably something you’ll remember long after your trip is over.Jean of Traveling Honeybird has a great story to tell about scary moments on a horseback trek though the mountains of Mongolia, and some tips and tricks to get through those frightening experiences. She and Amanda also swap tales of their fears of driving (or being driven) in cars without seatbelts at high speed!Amanda also talks with Candace Rose Rardon again, this time about a particularly scary moment she had on a trek through Turkey. It was one of those incidents where nothing bad ended up happening, but it could have ended up quite differently. On this side though, it makes a great story.Links:  Jean at Traveling Honeybird http://www.travelinghoneybird.com Candace Rose Rardon at The Great Affair http://www.candaceroserardon.com Candace’s book: Beneath the Lantern’s Glow http://bit.ly/LanternsGlow An Innocent Abroad - Lonely Planet anthology featuring Candace’s story http://bit.ly/InnocAbroad Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/09   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 8 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast Amanda talks to parents about travelling with their kids, and then turns the tables and talks to some kids about travelling.First up is Mike Campbell, a fellow Aussie who’s currently spending a year house-sitting his way across the United States with his family. He’s learnt a lot about the differences between travelling as a couple and travelling with a four-year-old daughter. Amanda's second guest is Tim Leffel who talks about his teenage daughter’s experience of living abroad in Mexico. After talking to these dads, Amanda decided she needed to talk to some kids, too, and had a chat with her own six-year-old and his eight and ten year old cousins, all of whom have been lucky enough to travel pretty extensively for their young age.    Links:   Mike Cambell’s Live Immediately www.liveimmediately.com Live Immediately on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/liveimmediately/ Tim Leffel http://timleffel.com 5 things my daughter is getting out of living abroad - Tim Leffel https://www.notaballerina.com/2014/11/guest-post-5-things-daughter-getting-living-abroad-whether-likes-not.html Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/08   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 7 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is all about making unexpected friendships when you travel. Getting to know local people is one of my favourite parts of travelling, and my two guests have had some great experiences doing just that in various parts of the world.First up is Bethaney Davies from Flashpacker Family, who has two really interesting stories to tell about friendships she established with local people in Vietnam and Myanmar. Her tale of meeting the monk in Myanmar (who, yes, is on Facebook) is one of my favourite stories ever! My second guest is Jeff Sandquist of the Intentionally Wandering podcast. He tells of how his experiences couchsurfing on his solo road trip around the United States helped him make two new friends who he’s still in touch with.   Links: Bethaney at Flashpacker Family http://flashpackerfamily.com Jeff at Intentionally Wandering http://www.intentionallywandering.com Jeff’s Intentionally Wandering podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/intentionally-wandering/id1002563000?mt=2 Couchsurfing (try it yourself!) https://www.couchsurfing.com My story of meeting Mohammed in Egypt http://www.notaballerina.com/2012/05/two-egyptians-and-my-privilege-to.html Can you help me find my friend Yuko? http://www.notaballerina.com/2013/03/where-is-yuko-long-lost-japanese-friend.html Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/07  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether good or bad, facing surprises is usually part of travel. In Episode 6 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I’m talking to two other travellers about the surprises they’ve encountered on their travels.   First up is Candace Rardon, someone I was super-excited to interview and have known online for some years. Candace is a sketch artist, writer, photographer and all-round travel genius and a deep thinker on travel as well. She shares several stories of surprises she’s had when her expectations have been shattered on her travels - and how this always turns out for the best.   Next I talk to Jeff Sandquist of the Intentionally Wandering podcast. He philosophically talks about how surprised he has been by the impact of travel on his life and how the lessons from travel have been drawn back into this everyday life at home, too.   Links: Candace Rose Rardon at The Great Affair http://www.candaceroserardon.com Candace’s book on Amazon Beneath the Lantern's Glow: Sketches and Stories from Southeast Asia and Japan http://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Lanterns-Glow-Sketches-Southeast/dp/1490503641 Jeff Sandquist at Intentionally Wandering http://www.intentionallywandering.com Jeff’s Intentionally Wandering podcast on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/intentionally-wandering/id1002563000?mt=2 Camel race in Tunisia http://www.notaballerina.com/2011/12/dont-back-camel-in-tunisias-sahara.html Not finished with Iceland http://www.notaballerina.com/2015/10/why-im-not-finished-with-iceland-yet.html Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/06   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 5 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is partly about fear, and partly about confidence. I think they go hand in hand when it comes to travelling! I’ve certainly experienced my share of fears about travelling and I know I’m not alone.My first guest today is Leyla Giray Alyanak of Women on the Road, and although she’s one of the people I think of as a guru in the solo travel for women area, she confesses that she has a bunch of fears related to travel, and I think that’s important for all of us to realise - we can be scared, but we can still travel. Following Leyla, I share a great chat with Bethaney Davies of Flashpacker Family, who tells me all about the first time she travelled on her own. Let’s just say it started with a week of tears in her hotel room but got far better than that.   Links:    Leyla at Women on the Road http://www.women-on-the-road.com Episode 2 feature Leyla’s stories about getting lost http://www.notaballerina.com/2016/03/thoughtful-travel-podcast-episode-2-terror-getting-lost.html Bethaney at Flashpacker Family http://flashpackerfamily.com Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/05 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 4 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast starts the conversation about the thorny issue of cultural stereotypes - and how travelling and meeting people of all different cultures can really help you smash through stereotypes and learn that people really are all the same.The first guest in this episode is Canadian travel blogger turned Peruvian resident Nora Dunn of The Professional Hobo, and she has an interesting tale to tell about meeting some indigenous Australians at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. Nora is followed by another extract from my fabulous chat with Kiliii Fish, who has worked extensively with indigenous people across the world and has so much of interest to say on the subject.Finally, I chatted with Joe Baur of the Without A Path podcast about other stereotypical views people have, particularly when it comes to labelling a country and its people as either safe or dangerous. All of these guests will leave you something to think about, I’m sure!   Links:  Nora Dunn - The Professional Hobo http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com Nora’s post about visiting me! http://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/travel-tips-resources/tales-of-trains-journey-destination/ Dear Nora column  https://www.creditwalk.ca/category/dear-nora/ Kiliii Fish http://www.kiliii.com/ Kiliii on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kiliiifish/ Joe Baur http://joebaur.com Without A Path podcast http://withoutapath.com Joe’s recent episode on American stereotypes http://joebaur.com/2016/03/08/travel-stereotypes-what-to-pack/ Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/04  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.