The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Ever travelled to somewhere that other people told you was dangerous? Or decided not to go, for precisely that reason? Episode 192 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast contemplates the idea of dangerous places, whether we should travel to them and how we can make a considered decision. My first guest is Tracey Croke who has a great theory on this topic - she calls it her "pie chart of reality" and it'...

As I've learnt by listening over the years to one of our guests, one in five travellers have a disability. That's a high percentage and I guess that means there's a good number of my listeners who travel with a disability, or have a family member or friend in their travelling group with a disability. This is important stuff! In Episode 191 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I chat with three people...

Episode 190 - time for a special episode! As Western Australian life starts to become somewhat normal again after a period of Covid-19 isolation, I decided it was time to record some thoughts about what life has been like here in Perth during the global pandemic. I talk about how extraordinarily lucky we have been here, and how for once, I've actually appreciated how isolated Perth, Western Austra...

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the March/April 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, On the Plain of Snakes by Paul Theroux. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub,  and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Gro...

Meeting local people when you travel is one of the surest ways I know to be a more thoughtful traveller - and to have a lot of fun, too! In Episode 189 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I talk to three travellers who discovered fascinating ways to interact with locals on their travels - and of course, they all found it really rewarding. First up, I chat with Tracey Croke who told me that the surest...

Nobody wants to get sick on a trip, but especially if you're a frequent or long-term traveller, it's nearly inevitable. Like many mishaps when we travel, much of the time the story of how you dealt with being ill in a foreign country turns into an anecdote you regularly retell - and that's the case for the three guests on Episode 188 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. First up, I chat with Christin...

There are lots of interesting stories in travel but if your travels are connected to some personal connections to history, that sure makes it even more interesting! In Episode 187 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'm lucky to chat with two travellers who some really interesting connections to history. First up, I talk to Flip Byrnes who - unbeknownst to her until she was an adult - is the great-g...

Things go wrong fairly frequently when I travel - and I'm sure I'm not alone. Mostly these mishaps are minor and they make an otherwise ordinary day much more memorable. In Episode 186 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three guests who've had some kind of mishaps or things go wrong on their trips - but all with happy endings! First up, I chat with Catherine Marshall who, despite always...

Slow travel is a concept hitting all the "travel trends" lists recently, and I think (and hope) that travel post-Covid will include a lot more slow travel, too. The idea of spending more time in fewer places isn't appealing if you want to tick off a list of sightseeing hotspots, but if you try a slower pace and realise all of the benefits it can bring - getting to know a place better, meeting more...

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the February 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, discussing The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub,  and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Traveller...

Many people (including me!) dream of going to Antarctica, but only a small number ever get there. One thing's for sure: I've never met someone who's come back from Antarctica and found their trip a bit "meh". It's always an awe-inspiring experience, and the three guests I chat to in Episode 184 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast attest to that. First up, I chat with Suzanne Moore, who travelled to A...

So, here's a big question for you: can we justifying travelling in the era of climate change? It's a question that's been on my mind for quite a while now, and I've found two amazing travel journalists to help me ponder it more deeply. Episode 183 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast features Louise Southerden and Catherine Marshall and their very articulate thoughts on whether or not we can, in the f...

Travel can change us in so many positive ways - that's one of the main reasons I keep doing it! In Episode 182 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I chat with three guests about some of the many and varied ways that travel has continued to their ongoing learning and personal development. First up, I chat with Kiki Wong. She started out on an academic path to becoming a doctor but stepped off this tra...

I used to be a staunch anti-group-travel kind of gal. I went literally decades without even a thought of joining a group tour! But in Episode 181 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I admit the error of my ways and chat with three guests who've all had truly unique and wonderful small group travel experiences. First up, I speak to Suzanne Moore, a local Perth writer who spent a week last year walking...

Normally a podcast anniversary is a purely joyous occasion - I've been putting out The Thoughtful Travel Podcast consistently for four whole years now! - but in the times of Covid-19 it's certainly a bittersweet time to be talking about anything connected to travel. I debated long and hard about how to celebrate and then realised that, stuck as I am at home, it was finally time to take a deep dive...

January 2020 was a horrible time for Australia - 186,000 square kilometres of Australia burnt in bushfires (that's an area half the size of Germany); 34 people lost their lives and they estimate up to a billion animals perished. Yep - it was awful, and the aftermath has been awful for the tourism industry too, because many people had to cancel trips during our peak travel season. So, what to do? I...

Oftentimes you can't choose the passenger sitting next to you on a plane. This can be both good and bad! Episode 178 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast includes conversations with three different guests who all have interesting tales to tell of someone they sat next to on a flight. First up, Paul Pichugin tells the hilarious tale of ... well, a woman passenger next to him, and I don't want to give t...

African travel seems to have been constantly on my radar lately - I guess it's nearly time for me to go and explore more of that continent? For now, at least, it'll be through Episode 177 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast because I've chatted with three guests lately who had intriguing tales to tell of Africa. First up, I chat with Rick Antonson. He has a delightfully unique reason for choosing to...

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the January 2020 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, discussing The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://notaballerina.com/bookclub,  and you can keep up with all the thoughts about our current books in the Thoughtful Travellers Faceboo...

We sometimes see people doing glamorous jobs and travelling the world and think: wow, they have a great life! It's those kind of people who are in Episode 176 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast: I have a travel journalist, a guidebook writer and a guitarist who have all had the opportunity to travel widely and for long periods of time as part of their work. All of them are grateful for the travel an...

If you've ever wondered what it's really like to head out for days or even months and just keep walking, Episode 175 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast will give you many insights into hiking and walking experiences on your travels. I start off speaking with Laura Waters, who spent five months tramping from the top of New Zealand to the bottom. As you can imagine this is no easy feat at all (but the...

Travelling teaches us a lot - there's nothing like having a big range of different inputs in a short time to wake up your brain! Episode 174 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast includes chats with three travellers who've learnt some solid life lessons during their travels. I start off by chatting with Nicci O'Mara about a sad but important life-changing moment that happened to her in Africa a couple...

There's a bit of a myth out there that we travellers are brave, confident people who never get anxious. From my own life and knowing many other travel-loving friends who also have experienced anxiety, I can promise you this is wrong. Episode 173 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast includes two very special conversations with women who divulge some of their very personal experiences with anxiety and i...

Wanting to help others when we travel is a common theme amongst experienced travellers, because we've all realised how lucky we are and how unlucky many people around the world are. In Episode 172 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I'm not giving you all the answers on how to solve the world's problems but I do want to bring you stories from three travellers who've helped others in three different w...

It's one thing to travel to a foreign country, but to completely migrate and move to another country is another level of experience entirely! In Episode 171 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast I'm chatting with three guests who've made the big move: one to Mexico, one to Japan, and one from Brazil to Australia. We've got half the world covered! First up, I talk with Queen D Michele who retired from h...