The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

The statistics tell us so: more and more of us want to give back and do good when we travel. This is heartening, right? Now we just have to start figuring out the best ways to contribute to the places we visit, in genuinely useful ways - and some of these are described in this episode. First up, I chat with Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout who gives a good overview of giving back, and shares his wisdom from a tour operator perspective. I wish every tour operator thought like Roger! Next, I speak to Meg Jerrard and Mar Pages, two hardworking women I've known for many years, who now run small group tours under their Solo Female Travelers Club brand. Through this work, they've been giving back in Tanzania, and explain the story of Glory Thobias, who runs the Tanzanian Women Guides Foundation and trains female porters and guides to work in the lucrative tourism industry at Mount Kilimanjaro. Finally, I talk to Peter Baines, founder of Hands Across the Water, a company offering cycling tours of Thailand with a very important giving back purpose, aided by compulsory fundraising for the tour participants. It's a great model that's proven vital for helping some at-risk groups of children in Thailand. Links: Roger Smith - Echidna Walkabout - https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/  Meg Jerrard and Mar Pages - Solo Female Travelers Club - https://www.solofemaletravelers.club/  Glory’s Tanzanian Women Guides Foundation -https://tanzaniawomenguidesfoundation.org/ Peter Baines - Hands Across the Water - https://www.handsacrossthewater.org.au/  The Perils of Giving Back - JoAnna Haugen - https://rootedstorytelling.com/social-impact/tourism-travel-giving-back/  Carolyn Beasley’s Australian Geographic article on Travel for Good - https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/2023/08/travel-for-good/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/312 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Micah Kamohoali'i when I was in Sydney for SXSW recently, and I knew immediately we would need a LONG chat! This discussion was a pleasure from start to finish: we start off discussing how Micah found himself working in the tourism industry, and what tourism in Hawai'i has been like over the years: with ups and downs of how responsible it was (and wasn't) and the different kinds of tourists they were attracting. In a wide-ranging discussion which moves us via snakes in the grass to pounding bark for cloth, and incredibly then to the story of Micah being invited to take part in New York Fashion Week, whatever we talk about, Micah's clear love of Hawai'i and Hawaiian culture shines through and we finish up by hearing about his proudest moments from a splendid (and ongoing!) career. Links: Merrie Monarch festival https://www.merriemonarch.com/  House of Kamohoali’i documentaries: London https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/11/house-kamohoalii-london/ Paris https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/05/10/house-kamohoalii-paris-2/ Milan https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/26/house-kamohoalii-milan-3/ Thoughtful Travel to Hawaii - Island Wisdom by Kainoa Daines and Annie Daly - Episode 285 - https://notaballerina.com/285 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/311 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm not alone in finding Japanese museums about earthquakes and tsunamis interesting and impactful; I know my friend Catherine who travelled with me in Tohoku last month is the same. This episode will test out whether it's just the two of us, or if more of you share this feeling - a yearning to understand more about these kinds of disasters, to get to know more about the human stories behind them, and a keen desire to share in the "hope tourism" equation of the scenario. In this episode, I talk about three parts of my recent trip to Japan that fit under this idea of "hope tourism" - and not "dark tourism". As well as visiting the "Kaze no Denwa", we spent many hours at two new museums in northern Japan: the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, Fukushima. We both found these visits so impactful, and I'm still mulling over a lot of what I saw and learnt there to this day. Links: “Really Long Distance” - This American Life episode about the Wind Phone - https://www.thisamericanlife.org/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go-2016/act-one  Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum - https://iwate-tsunami-memorial.jp/en/visit.html The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum - https://www.fipo.or.jp/lore/en  Hope Tourism - https://www.hopetourism.jp/en/  Walk Japan - our hike - Episode 308 - https://notaballerina.com/308  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/310 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here it is! This is the live recording of our panel at South By South West (SXSW) Sydney, from October 2023, on the topic “Why We Need Travel More Than Travel Needs Us”. It was such a thrill to be on the podcast stage at SXSW with Catherine Marshall, Susanne Etti and Justin Watson, three fabulous guests who had so many interesting stories and opinions to offer for this tricky topic.  We start off with everyone sharing a story about what travel means to them, then dive deeper into topics like wildlife tourism, overtourism, and how we can travel better. This episode was recorded live at SXSW Sydney 2023. Links: Catherine Marshall - Instagram - https://instagram.com/zizzyballord Susanne Etti - Intrepid Travel - https://www.intrepidtravel.com/ Justin Watson - Justin’s World blog - https://justins.world/  SXSW Sydney - https://sxswsydney.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/309 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many, many ways to see Japan, but I think I've just experienced my favourite: on foot. In late September/early October 2023, I undertook a six-day trip with Walk Japan, on the Self-Guided Basho Wayfarer walk around Sendai. And it was brilliant! In this episode, I give an overview of the content and logistics of this trip, which essentially includes hiking various segments of the route that haiku poet Matsuo Basho took in the 1700s, as he describes in his book "Narrow Road to the Deep North". It had all the elements of a trip that I need to really love it: incredible scenery, interesting sightseeing spots, truly delicious food, some great interactions with locals, and all with one of my best friends. What more could a girl ask for? Most of this episode is a chat I recorded with my travel companion, Catherine Marshall, about our highlights from the trip. We cover our favourite hiking, food, train, and accommodation moments, along with our most unexpected highlights.  Links: Walk Japan main website - https://walkjapan.com/ Self-Guided Basho Wayfarer walk - https://walkjapan.com/tour/self-guided-basho-wayfarer  Cape to Cape Track Episode 276 - https://notaballerina.com/276  Catherine Marshall on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zizzyballord  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/308 Disclaimer stuff: I was hosted for this trip, which means Walk Japan covered my travel costs. However, my opinions, as always, are all my own, honest truth.Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a strange phenomenon, but podcast episodes full of stories of things going wrong on our travels are always popular! For Episode 307, I've got two stories of strange goings-on while my guests are at sea. Enjoy?! First up, Antonio Cala tells the story of that time he and his wife needed to be rescued by the Jamaican coastguard. Fortunately, we know they lived to tell the tale, but let's just say life on their catamaran in the Caribbean was not all plain sailing. I then chat with Imogen Lepere, who has a story to share from her very first press trip, aboard a boat in Indonesia on which she and her photographer boyfriend became the only passengers after everyone else cancelled after a tsunami the day before it set sail. Things only got stranger after that!  Links: Antonio Cala - Adventure Fix - https://www.adventurefix.co/  Imogen Lepere - https://www.imogenleperewriter.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/307 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we want to be mindful of our carbon footprint when we travel, a good way to do this is to consider more carefully the kinds of places where we choose to stay - like focusing on eco-accommodation. This is a part of my travel I definitely haven't given enough thought to in the past, and this episode has inspired me with stories about all kinds of accommodation options which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. First up, I chat with Dara Brewton who spent a month in Chiang Mai, Thailand, recently. By chance, almost, she ended up choosing some eco-friendly accommodation which has the added bonus of also looking adorable! I then speak with Fran and Andrew Robinson, who are owners of certified eco-friendly chalets near Busselton, Western Australia - since they also have their own trees (thousands of them!), they actually personally offset more carbon than their business produces. Finally, travel writer Nina Karnikowski gives a couple of great examples of sustainable accommodations options that she has enjoyed, in Nepal and in Australia. Links: Dara Brewton - https://travelness.com/  Leafy Greens - https://www.facebook.com/leafygreensCM  Fran and Andrew Robinson from Tree Chalets - https://www.treechalets.com.au  Nina Karnikowski - https://ninakarnikowski.com/   Happy House Nepal - http://www.happyhousenepal.com/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/306 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel experiences should be accessible to everyone - I strongly believe that's an important part of the whole thoughtful travel ethos. As part of the Year of Accessible Tourism in Queensland, I've put together this episode about accessible travel on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia - it's full of great stories of people doing better, and I hope you enjoy it! First up, I chat with Daniel Watkins, world champion wake boarder turned owner of the Gold Coast Wake Park and Gold Coast Aqua Park. Daniel tells me all about their recent trial of all-abilities sessions and how important it is to him to make access to these experiences available to everyone going forward. I then speak with Mike Brigg of iFly Gold Coast, a skydiver and instructor who loves helping people discover what it feels like to fly. He has some really interesting stories to tell of the experiences of people with disabilities at iFly. Finally, Anna Carroll from HOTA Home of the Arts explains what they have done as a multi-arts facility to really be an inclusive and accessible venue for people to experience all manner of arts and creative experiences. Thanks so much to Julie Jones of Travel Without Limits magazine and Destination Gold Coast for their help in making this episode possible. Links: Destination Gold Coast - https://www.destinationgoldcoast.com/  Gold Coast Wake Park and Aqua Park - https://gcwakepark.com.au/  iFly Gold Coast - https://ifly.com.au/locations/gold-coast  HOTA Home of the Arts - https://hota.com.au/  Travel Without Limits Magazine - https://travelwithoutlimits.com.au/  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/305 With thanks to Destination Gold Coast for sponsoring this episode.Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bangkok is a city which rewards many repeat visits and my recent trip there proved it! Putting together Episode 304 was a special chance for me to chat with several friends, old and new, who I had the joy of travelling with on our recent trip to Thailand.  In this episode, I start of chatting with Paddy Jenkins about our mutually favourite part of this Bangkok trip - visiting the Portuguese quarter or Kudijin (Kudichin). Diving deeper into the history of Bangkok here and learning about the Portuguese influence was so interesting (and side note, also delicious!). Next up, I speak with Bonnie Grima about another fun part of our Bangkok days, exploring some of its most famous temples, Wat Arun and Wat Pho. This time, we had with us master guide Suree, and she helped us know more of the extra-interesting details about these temples, both historical and modern. For Jules Park, a committed foodie, our evening in Chinatown was an especially memorable part of our Bangkok stay and we had a good chat about the atmosphere and some of the special treats we got to eat. Finally, I have included a part of an interview I recorded with our guide Suree while we were sitting in the cafe of the delightful Baan Kudichin museum in the Portuguese quarter. She gives me another good Bangkok tip, but we mostly chat about Thai culture and why Thai people often seem so content. Links: Thai Talk with Paddy - https://www.youtube.com/ThaiTalkwithPaddy/ Bonita Grima - https://www.bonitamaygrima.com/ Jules Park - @amazingsydney life - https://www.instagram.com/amazingsydneylife/  Talat Noi in Bangkok -  https://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/talat-noi Amazing Thailand - https://amazingthailand.com.au/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/304 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thank you internet: you've made many things possible, two of them being podcasts, and working as a digital nomad. In this episode on digital nomading, I've got three guests who all bring quite different perspectives on digital nomad life, and I hope it sparks some thinking! First up, I chat with Will Hatton, aka The Broke Backpacker, who's spent many years wandering the world, making money in various ways online, including through his well-known blog. He describes his digital entrepreneurship trajectory and also gives some tips for prospective nomads. I then speak with Dara Brewton, who has been working as a freelancer for about five years and recently started doing some digital nomad stints, like a month working out of Chiang Mai in Thailand during her son's summer school vacation. Finally, I talk to Chris Christou of the End of Tourism podcast. Chris has lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, for about eight years now, and it's a real digital nomad hotspot - this has caused Chris to have a deeper think about digital nomad life than most and the results are super-interesting. Links: Taiwanese listeners! Find me on Instagram https://instagram.com/amandakendle  Will Hatton - The Broke Backpacker - https://www.thebrokebackpacker.com/ Dara Brewton - https://travelness.com/  Chris Christou - The End of Tourism podcast - https://theendoftourism.com/  Episode 134 on Location Independent Work - notaballerina.com/134  Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/303 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.