The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Amanda Kendle

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast with Amanda Kendle is a show for travel lovers. Each episode is packed with travel stories from fellow travel addicts on topics like using foreign languages, meeting the locals, getting lost and what we learn from our travels.

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426 episodes
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Episodes426

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Yesterday · 22 min
399 Impacts of Childhood Travel
For those of us with the great fortune of being taken travelling in our childhood, I'm certain that there are many ways this impacts our lives - changing our mindset and exposing us to so many new ideas, cultures, languages and people. In this episode, three guests concur: starting with James Wild, who tells the story of his first safari in Africa as a teenager. Tim Geisler then shares the experiences of his childhood growing up across several countries, and the long-lasting impact of these moves. Finally, Theodora Chatzipavlidis explains her gratitude to her parents for taking she and her four siblings travelling frequently and muses on the effect this has had on her career and life choices. Links: James Ward - Rewild Safaris - https://rewildsafaris.com/ Tim Geisler - Nautilus Sailing - https://www.nautilussailing.com/ Theodora Chatzipavlidis’s app Velout - https://www.velout.app Episode 94 How Travel Changes Kids - notaballerina.com/94 Episode 275 Kids Are Shaped By Travel - notaballerina.com/275 Van Life Diaries series - notaballerina.com/vanlife Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/399 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Friday · 42 min
Book Club 26: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
This special episode is the audio of the livestream of the July 2026 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting about book "Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck - https://amzn.to/4sGQFOu If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, sign up for our updates at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/ You can also read more about it at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub, and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 28 · 22 min
398 Conservation and Tourism
We all want the places we visit to exist for longer than our lifetime (and hopefully MUCH longer) - right? Conservation in the travel space can mean a bunch of things, and the three guests in this episode each have a story to share about their own connections between conservation and tourism. First up, I chat with James Ward of Rewild Safaris, who has had many years of experiencing planning and running safari trips that have a conservation focus. Next, writer Joshua Zukas has a tale to tell of a recent conservation meets tourism success in Vietnam. Finally, Russell True speaks to the issue of historical and cultural heritage when he talks about the preservation of dude ranches in the United States. Links: Episode 298 on Conservation Travel - https://notaballerina.com/298 James Ward - Rewild Safaris - https://rewildsafaris.com/ Joshua Zukas - https://www.joshuazukas.com/ Russell True - True Ranch Collection - https://trueranchcollection.com/ Ranch Preservation Foundation - https://www.ranchpreservationfoundation.org/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/398 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 21 · 22 min
397 Travel Dramas Always Teach Us Something
Things inevitably go wrong when we travel - some big, some small, occasionally some trip-ending, but most travel dramas seem to end up being great stories we tell later and moments that also teach us something - about how we travel, about our personalities, about the world! First up in this episode I speak with Lindsey Danis, who explains what happened on a spontaneous hiking trip in Florida when somehow, the trail markers seemed to disappear. Next, Theodora Chatzipavlidis has a story to share about the moment she walked into a bargain-priced Airbnb in Mexico and got both more and less than she bargained for. Finally, Ethan Kavanagh takes us through his trip to England and Ireland where things started going wrong shortly after getting on the plane, but he managed to navigate it all with good humour - and some learnings! Links: Lindsey Danis - (Out) On the Road - https://lindseydanis.com/outontheroad/ and https://amzn.to/4vIK334 Lindsey's LGBTQ travel blog Queer Adventurers https://www.queeradventurers.com Theodora Chatzipavlidis’s app Velout - https://www.velout.app Ethan Kavanagh - The Perth Tourist - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-perth-tourist/id1823861279 Ethan's NoisePilot Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/noisepilotau/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/397 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 15 · 22 min
396 Spending A Year Abroad
If you have the opportunity to spend an extended time travelling - like an entire year - I say, grab it! In this episode I chat with three people who’ve had the good fortune to stay away from home for a year, for very different reasons and in many varied parts of the world - what they have in common is that these experiences were very impactful and meaningful. I chat first with Riana Ann-Canning who explained the first time she spent an extended period living abroad, on a youth mobility visa in the Czech Republic. Next, Amy Willis describes a fascinating year on a digital nomad program which saw her move countries each month. Finally, Jonty Crane tells me about his year spent volunteering in the little-touristed nation of Timor-Leste. Links: Riana Ang-Canning - https://teaspoonofadventure.com/ Amy Willis from Ker & Downey https://kerdowney.com/ Amy's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amynwillis/ Jonty Crane - https://jontytravels.com/ Exploring Timor - https://www.exploringtimor.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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/396 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 10 · 26 min
395 Cultural Deep Dives
Learning more about a place when we travel there is something that always gives me a thrill, and in this episode we take a cultural deep dive into three very different aspects of culture across the world. I first chat with Silvia Gentile Polese who shares a story from her first trip to Bali, which started with a simple question about yoga but led to an unforgettable cultural experience. Next, I speak with Laura Pakenham about the work she does in the Irish language media and the impact of helping to keep up this minority language, and where it's led her to travel, too. Finally, Alda Sigmundsdottir tells me what she learnt when diving deeper into her own Icelandic heritage, peeling back some history in the culture of Iceland I'd not heard about. Links: Silvia Gentile Polese - https://thegoodobserverblog.co.uk/ 7 day slow travel itinerary for Bali - https://thegoodobserverblog.co.uk/7-day-slow-travel-itinerary-for-bali/ Laura Pakenham on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/laurajpakenham/ Laura’s book "Irish: History and culture through language" - https://amzn.to/3ST7Z6b Alda Sigmundsdóttir - https://aldasigmunds.com/ Alda's books about Iceland - https://amzn.to/4s8cXYC Alda's new book The Shape of Silence, coming soon Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/395 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 1 · 24 min
394 Unusual Accommodation
Where do you sleep when a trip takes you away from a standard hotel room? This episode features some of the more unusual kinds of places we can stay on our travels - some brilliant, but some pretty uncomfortable! I chat first with Tim Geisler, a bit of a master of unconventional accommodation, who shares some tales of sleeping in rough spots as well as beautiful ones. Next, James Ward, who leads conservation-focused safaris, talks about scouting remote stays and why comfort isn't always the most important part. My final guest is Russell True, who shares insights from a career spent in a style of accommodation I confess I knew very little about — you'll have to listen to find out what it is! Links: Tim Geisler - Nautilus Sailing - https://www.nautilussailing.com/ James Ward - Rewild Safaris - https://rewildsafaris.com/ Russell True - True Ranch Collection - https://trueranchcollection.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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/394 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 26 · 26 min
393 Taiwan: Chats with Locals
Taiwan is starting to gain more attention as a fascinating place to visit: it's a great blend of delicious food, interesting history and culture, beautiful landscapes and above all, welcoming people! In this Chats with Locals episode, I talk with three people who live in Taiwan and ask them what they like about living there, what Taiwanese people are really like, and their favourite traditions in Taiwan. Their stories are a mix of practical tips and intriguing insights and also remind me that Taiwan is a place I really want to return to - soon! The Chats with Locals series, sponsored by Slowly, a global penpal app, is something I've been wanting to do for ages: some of the best moments of our trips come from speaking with local people, learning about what's the same or different where they live compared to us, and getting the unexpected stories that you don't know about. A huge thank you to my three guests Janet, Jacky and Eddy for so openly and warmly sharing information about their home of Taiwan. Links: Thanks to sponsor, Slowly - download Slowly to start building genuine friendships today -available for free on the App Store and Google Play - https://notaballerina.com/slowly Eddy’s Cantina, his Mexican restaurant in Taipei - https://www.eddyscantina.com/ Eddy's YouTube and podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@Eddylive Jacky Tao - Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association - https://www.tmitrail.org.tw/en/about Bibbulmun Track Foundation - https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/ Is Taiwan a Country or Not? https://theconversation.com/is-taiwan-a-country-or-not-213638 Taiwan Reading List - https://amzn.to/3S4KEhC including "Taiwan Travelogue" Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/393 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 8 · 22 min
392 What You'd Tell Your Younger Travelling Self
If you could go back in time and tap on the shoulder of your younger self as you backpack around the world, what would you say? I've been pondering this question and asked several other experienced travellers to tell me their thoughts on it too, and the results are pretty interesting! In this episode I start off chatting with Josh Zukas, a travel writer now based in Vietnam, who had advice for his younger self that I very much agree with. Next up, sailor Tim Geisler of Nautilus Sailing reminded me of advice I'd actually received from a wise friend in my early twenties, just before I began travelling, that really impacted my travels positively. Finally, Tom Sykes talks about advice to his younger self with the focus of travelling with anxiety, and this led us to a very thoughtful conversation! Links: Joshua Zukas - https://www.joshuazukas.com/ Tim Geisler - Nautilus Sailing - https://www.nautilussailing.com/ Tom Sykes - https://tomgsykes.co.uk/ Tom’s book - The Years of Travelling Anxiously - https://amzn.to/4cyr2L1 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/392 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 17 · 45 min
Book Club 25: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods
This special episode is the audio of the live-streamed May 2026 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting about "The Venice Hotel", a novel with very thoughtful travel themes, with author Tess Woods - https://amzn.to/4ug8Cou If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, sign up for our updates at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/ You can also read more about it at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub, and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 2 · 22 min
391 Enviable Travel Jobs
It's easy to be a little envious of anyone who gets to travel to interesting places as part of their work, but when the work itself is also truly fascinating, then I think it's fair that we can all be rather jealous! Nonetheless I loved chatting with these four guests about the experiences their careers have afforded them around the globe. First up, Tudor Morgan explains how his lifelong love of the polar regions has translated into a range of rewarding work opportunities. Next, Kerstin Pilz tells of a very special job that she did during her academic career, on The Scholar Ship. Cade Martin then explains how his initial work in photography came about via a National Geographic project, and finally, Neil Laird describes the making of his graduate school film in Egypt, which led to a lifetime of travelling the world making documentaries. Links: Tudor Morgan of HX Expeditions - https://www.travelhx.com/en-au/ Kerstin Pilz - https://kerstinpilz.com/ Kerstin Pilz’s book “Loving my lying, dying, cheating husband” - https://amzn.to/422vCdn Cade Martin - https://www.cademartin.com/ Wheelchair Mafia short film on rescue dogs in Thailand - https://www.cademartin.com/exploration-wheelchair-mafia Neil Laird - https://neillaird.com Neil’s Prime Time Travelers novels - https://amzn.to/48jqoNB Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/391 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 25 · 25 min
390 How to be a Good Volunteer Abroad
The world of volunteer tourism is a tricky one. Getting the balance right between enabling people to volunteer in another country, and meeting the needs of the places they volunteer at, isn't easy, and the guests in this episode have many thoughts about what can go wrong and what are better ways to go about volunteering abroad. I first chat with Kim Krowne and Edward Lyimo, who in fact first met when Kim went to Tanzania to volunteer at a program where Edward was involved. After that, I speak with Jonty Crane who has recently done long volunteer stints with his wife in Timor Leste and Fiji, organised through New Zealand's Volunteer Service Abroad program. Finally, I discuss giving back on your travels with Bianca Rappaport, who has a long-term digital nomad has found many varied ways to donate her time or expertise in many different parts of the world. Links: Edward Lyimo and Kim Krowne - Pristine Trails - https://pristinetrails.com/ Jonty Crane - https://jontytravels.com/ Exploring Timor - https://www.exploringtimor.com/ Bianca Rappaport - Wanderwell Club - https://www.instagram.com/wanderwellclub/ Give Back Guide - https://giveback.guide/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/390 Long term volunteer programs: NZ: Volunteer Service Abroad Australia: AVI (Australian Volunteers International) US: Peace Corps Canada: VCP (Volunteer Cooperation Program) Germany: GIZ (Deutsch Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) UK: VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) Japan: JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) South Korea: KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 15 · 22 min
389 How Travel Transforms Our Thinking
The more I travel (and the older I get!), the more I realise how little I know, and how wrong I've been about so many things! In this episode, I chat with three guests about various ways their travel experiences have transformed their thinking and perspective, and the general consensus is that everything's more complicated than we first think. I speak with Nikki Padilla Rivera about her experiences in Vietnam and Cuba, two very different work trips that introduced her to local knowledge and culture in varying ways and smashed her preconceived ideas about these places. Next, my discussion with Tom Sykes harks back to our younger years of travelling and how we now reconsider our old thoughts and attitudes, and in general how much travel teaches us about the nuances of the world, politics, culture and more. Finally, I round out the episode with a story from James Ward about a perspective shift in his daughters after he took them to Zambia. Links: Nikki Padilla Rivera of She Shapes History NYC - https://sheshapeshistory.com/nyc Tom Sykes - https://tomgsykes.co.uk/ Tom’s book The Years of Travelling Anxiously - https://amzn.to/4cbKPPC James Ward - https://jameswardphotography.com/ James’ Rewild Safaris - https://rewildsafaris.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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/389 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 4 · 31 min
388 Iceland: Chats with Locals
Iceland is a place many travellers dream of visiting; if, like me, you've been lucky enough to see Iceland, you probably desperately want to return. In this Chats with Locals episode, I talk with three Icelanders about their country: why they like living there, what Icelanders are really like, and all about their favourite Icelandic traditions. I also ask them what surprises visitors to Iceland, why they think it's such a popular place for travellers, and what important information we need to know before we go. The Chats with Locals series, sponsored by Slowly, a global penpal app, is something I've been wanting to do for ages: some of the best moments of our trips come from speaking with local people, learning about what's the same or different where they live compared to us, and getting the unexpected stories that you don't know about (for me in this episode, it's about the fame of cats in Reykjavik - there's an intriguing reason!). Since Iceland is one of my all-time favourite places, it seemed a great place to begin! A huge thank you to my three guests Ragnhildur, Alda and Halli for so openly and warmly sharing information about their home country, Iceland. Links: Thanks to sponsor, Slowly - download Slowly to start building genuine friendships today -available for free on the App Store and Google Play - https://notaballerina.com/slowly Ragnhildur Jóhanns, artist - https://www.instagram.com/ragnhildur_johanns/ Ragnhildur's shop The Heart of Reykjavik - https://www.hjartareykjavikur.com/ and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theheartofreykjavik/ Alda Sigmundsdóttir - https://aldasigmunds.com/ Alda's books about Iceland - https://amzn.to/4s8cXYC Alda's new book The Shape of Silence, coming soon Haraldur (Halli) Thorleifsson - https://www.haraldurthorleifsson.com Halli's Ramp Up - https://www.rampup.team Iceland reading list on Amazon https://amzn.to/4dpAyR3 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/388 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 24 · 31 min
387 Ten Years of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast
A decade ago to the day - 25th March 2016 - I launched the first episodes of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. Somehow, I have just kept interviewing great people about their thoughts on travel, put together episodes almost every week, and magically, I've now been running this podcast for a full ten years! To celebrate, I've compiled some of my very favourite snippets of stories my guests have told me over the years. I've got the sad stories, the hilarious stories, and the ones that gave me advice I've both ignored and also followed! A huge thanks to every listener and every guest over this decade - I appreciate you all so much, because without guests and listeners, this would be a very boring podcast indeed. Here's to another decade! Links: James Mwenda in Episode 246 - Deep Dive Interview https://notaballerina.com/246 Dean O’Shea in Episode 133 - The Big Trips That Changed Everything https://notaballerina.com/133 Nicci O’Mara in Episode 174 - Life Lessons from Travel https://notaballerina.com/174 Matt Eakin in Episode 78 - Border Crossings https://notaballerina.com/78 Bex Thomas and Angela Correll in Episode 344 - Learning Languages and Making Mistakes https://notaballerina.com/344 Stephen Henson in Episode 1 - Food in a Foreign Language https://notaballerina.com/01 Tim Tricker in Episode 224 - Big Purchases on Your Travels https://notaballerina.com/224 Narelle Wilson in Episode 128 - Travel Planning and Research https://notaballerina.com/128 David Soto Jr in Episode 13 - Slow Travel https://notaballerina.com/13 Heidi Brown in Episode 358 - Solo Travel for Women https://notaballerina.com/358 Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/387 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 18 · 21 min
386 It Could’ve Been Much Worse: Surviving Travel Dramas
Some travellers have a much keener sense of adventure and embracing physical risk on their travels, and others just stumble into a travel drama they didn't anticipate; we have all kinds on this episode about things going wrong! First up, Tudor Morgan, a veteran of many Antarctic stays and current Antarctic Ambassador for HX Expeditions, calmly explains a near-disaster he experienced some years back when working for British Antarctic Survey. Patrick Nash then explains a tricky border crossing from the 1980s between then Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), and the Central African Republic. Over the years, I have heard a number of harrowing border crossing tales from my guests and this is up there with the best of them! Finally, I chat with Shannon O'Brien about an accident she was involved in while travelling in Myanmar. To go with the theme of this episode it could, of course, have been so much worse - though it was already pretty bad, I reckon! Links: Tudor Morgan of HX Expeditions - https://www.travelhx.com/en-au/ Patrick Nash - https://www.patricknash.co.uk/ Patrick’s book Shots Across the Water: Tales of a Journey Through Africa - https://amzn.to/4cMl0UQ Shannon O’Brien - https://www.shannon-obrien.com/ Shannon’s memoir Stray - https://amzn.to/4bQdiKT Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/386 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 8 · 20 min
385 Women in History and Travel - International Women’s Day 2026
It's International Women's Day again and I've got a different focus this year: some of the ways history and travel is not the same for women! When we travel, especially on our own, we can be confronted with cultural differences and people's opinions in a starker way than others, and I loved hearing more about this from listeners who contributed to a chat on this in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group. History is also not the same for women - and women are often omitted from the history we learn about a place when we travel there. I chat with Nikki Padilla Rivera of She Shapes History about how this happens and what this fabulous Australian-born tour company is doing about it. Links: 2025 International Women’s Day Episode 340 - https://notaballerina.com/340 She Shapes History walking tours and more - https://sheshapeshistory.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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/385 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 1 · 54 min
Book Club 24: Always Home, Always Homesick by Hannah Kent
This special episode is the audio of the live-streamed February 2026 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting with author Hannah Kent about her book "Always Home, Always Homesick" - https://amzn.to/3Kxcb7M If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, sign up for our updates at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/ You can also read more about it at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub, and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
February 26 · 24 min
384 Travel With All Your Senses
We often focus on the visual when we travel ... after all, travellers go sightseeing, not "sound-hearing" or "taste-tasting"! But when we look back on our travel memories, it's often a smell, taste, sound or feel that actually has the most long-lasting impact. In this episode we hear from three travellers about their own experiences with non-visual senses, starting off with travel writer Tom Sykes, who also emphasises why this is important for writer as well. I then chat with Hannah Ballint about some of her fondest travel memories, which often involves sound and smell, across Vietnam, the United States and Australia. Finally, Ethan Kavanagh takes us through some of his highlights of a trip to Ireland with a focus on the feel and taste, too. Links: Tom Sykes - https://tomgsykes.co.uk/ Tom’s new book (coming March 2026) - The Years of Travelling Anxiously - https://amzn.to/4cyr2L1 Tom’s book recommendation, Sven Lindqvist’s Exterminate All The Brutes - https://amzn.to/4u1LAlo Hannah Balint - https://www.hannahbalintcoaching.com Ethan Kavanagh - The Perth Tourist - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-perth-tourist/id1823861279 Ethan on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/noisepilotau/ Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/384 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program - NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
February 19 · 24 min
383 Small Connections, Big Memories
One of the most memorable parts of travel is the people that we meet - not just the friends we make or the people we stay with but also the incidental encounters along the way. Speaking with people on our travels is one of the ways we learn the most about the places we're visiting and it's amazing how long these people stay in our minds, even when we don't know their names. In this episode I share some of my own small but memorable encounters, as well as including stories from four guests. Eryn Gordon starts us off with a tale from Thailand, where the people are stereotypically friendly and she proves it to be true. Amy Willis then shares a place she goes where it's easy to make a connection with the local people wherever you are. Nomad Bianca Rappaport explains how she's managed to both make and maintain connections during her years of housesitting in many places around the world, and finally Heidi Brown highlights one of the big benefits of repeated visits to a beloved place. Links: Eryn Gordon’s website Earth to Editorial - https://earthtoeditorial.com/ Eryn's TEDx Talk on “What it means to be a good traveler” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps Amy Willis from Ker & Downey https://kerdowney.com/ Amy's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amynwillis/ Bianca Rappaport Website: https://wanderwell.club/ Bianca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderwellclub - Heidi Brown - https://www.heidikristinbrown.com/ Heidi’s memoir The Map I Draw: A Memoir of Travel as a Passport to Self - https://amzn.to/44Mky6T Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/383 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.