The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Di Westaway is the founder of Coastrek and Wild Women on Top, and she has had the most fabulous career building up these businesses - topped off with many well-deserved accolades like an Order of Australia medal for services to women's health, fitness and charity services. It was so much fun to chat with Di about how her impulsive decision to attempt to climb South America's highest peak, Mount Aconcagua, even when she'd never done anything remotely like it before, set off a chain reaction leading to decades of fascinating travels and influencing and inspiring countless people to look after themselves more and take on new challenges. During our chat we move from the "big fail" of Mount Aconcagua through some other favourite hiking trips around the world, Di's world record for the highest handstand, a scary night on Mount Rinjani in Indonesia (and a story she said she's never told anyone publicly!!!), and through to the success of Coastrek today in getting thousands of people out there hiking the most beautiful parts of Australia and raising millions of dollars for worthwhile charities like Beyond Blue and the Fred Hollows Foundation.  Links: Coastrek - https://www.coastrek.com.au/ Wild Women on Top - https://www.wildwomenontop.com/ My blog post including the microlight flight - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/10/australias-coral-coast-stretched-comfort-zone.html  Di Westaway on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/diwestaway/ 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/363 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creativity is an important part of my life, and I have so often observed that when I'm travelling, and also on my return, my creative thinking gets a huge boost. In this episode I chat with other travellers who feel the same. First up, I talk to author Spiri Tsintziras. Spiri has written several memoirs related to her experiences and travels in Greece, and explains beautifully how being away from home impacts her creativity so positively. Next, artist Carol McQuaid describes how travelling not only allows her creativity to flourish, but also talks about how travellers who take her visual art workshops while they are travelling have the same experience. Finally, author Diane Hartman tells me about her experiences in Ireland and in particular, about a writing retreat in a beautiful part of County Cork which included all the required ingredients for maximum creativity. I also chatted with friends and colleagues from the Creative Schools program, Claire Davenhall and Joanne Marriott, about how they feel travel and creativity come together, and I've included some of their thoughts. Links: Episode 207 Writing Retreats Around the World - https://notaballerina.com/207   Episode 52 How Travel Sparks Creativity - https://notaballerina.com/52  Spiri Tsintziras - https://www.writingspirit.com.au/  Spiri’s new book Twelve Golden Gifts - https://amzn.to/4mWCqCa Carol McQuaid - The Illustrated Vagabond - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com Diane Hartman https://dianehartmanauthor.com/ Diane’s new book Getting Lost On My Way: Self Discovery on Ireland’s Backroads - https://amzn.to/45Q9Awp Claire Davenhall, visual artist - https://www.instagram.com/clairedavenhall Joanne Marriott - MOJO Creative Leadership + Culture - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannemarriott/ 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/362 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode is the audio of the livestream of the August 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking about Chris Broad's book "Abroad in Japan". If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com 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   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting to know new people is one of the fun parts of travelling, and sometimes these encounters turn into long-term and even lifelong friendships. In this episode, my guests have wonderful stories to tell about the friends they have made on a trip - I found it very uplifting! First up, Heidi Brown describes how taking solo trips to indulge her love of U2 has led to a delightful network of similarly U2-obsessed friends, who continue to meet up around the world. I then chat with Shari Leid, who carried out a fantastic project having a meal with a stranger or near stranger in all fifty US states, making some good friends along the way. Finally, Steve Hoffman ponders the difficulties inherent in making lasting friendships when we travel and gives a great example of a friend he made while spending an extended period in rural France. Links: Substack post I mentioned: Conversations that changed my perspective on life - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/conversations-that-changed-my-perspective  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  Sharri Leid - An Imperfectly Perfect Life - https://animperfectlyperfectlife.com/ Shari’s book Table for 51: Lessons Learned from Sharing Meals across America - https://amzn.to/4ls5WOQ  Steve Hoffman - https://www.sjrhoffman.com/  Steve’s book, A Season for That: Lost and Found in the Other Southern France - https://amzn.to/3DSqosP  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/361 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When my friend Tracy Collins messaged me to say hey, I'm doing a new series on the Global Travel Planning Podcast and I want to interview you first - I said yes as fast as I could. Tracy had an idea to guide me through a chat about a number of my very most special travel experiences and I knew it would be fun. In fact, I think it turned out to be such a great chat that I asked Tracy if I could share it here with all my audience too. We cover so many topics: who inspired me to travel in the first place, some of my favourite trips (taking the Trans-Siberian across Russia and my road trip in Iceland both got airtime here), why I love and keep returning to Japan, how speaking a language can help you connect more deeply with a place and where I'd really like to return to soon. And more! Hope you enjoy listening just a fraction as much as I enjoyed being interviewed - thanks Tracy! Links: Global Travel Planning - https://globaltravelplanning.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/360 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the fourth part of a monthly, six-episode series celebrating the fact that exactly 40 years ago this year, my family and I spent six months in a striped motorhome travelling around Europe. I was nine years old and yes, this trip had an enormous impact on my life - I'm sure you wouldn't be listening to this podcast today if Van Life 1985 hadn't taken place! Throughout the series, I'll include chats recorded with my Dad this year, extracts from my late Mum's travel diary from 1985, and of course my own memories and thoughts.  In this episode, we move on to spend time in Germany, a country that would become very important in my future life. We bypassed Munich, visited the Black Forest, Baden Baden and Heidelberg, and spent time staying with friends near Frankfurt, where my sister and I especially enjoyed the flying fox play equipment in a local path. Belgium featured very briefly in our trip and we then carried on to the Netherlands, enjoying a cheese market in Alkmaar and a canal cruise in Amsterdam. A big thanks to Context Travel for sponsoring this series, and an even bigger thanks to my Dad for agreeing to be part of it. Links: Context Travel - https://bit.ly/contexttravel - use the code THOUGHTFULTRAVEL to get 15% off any online booking. Context Travel operate walking tours in cities around the world, and have interesting and qualified subject-matter experts leading your walk Listen to Part 1 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 348 - https://notaballerina.com/348  Listen to Part 2 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 351 - https://notaballerina.com/351  Listen to Part 3 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 355 - https://notaballerina.com/355  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/359  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Solo travel might seem daunting, but as you'll hear from my guests today, the benefits can be amazing. While this episode features women who travel alone, the advantages they talk about are definitely relevant to anyone.  First up, Heidi Brown shares her love of solo travel and explains that she's developed a unique strategy for finding great restaurants when she's travelling alone - it's surprisingly effective and has something to do with design choices. Next, Kaila Yu travels solo frequently for work and has discovered a clever way to avoid unwanted attention as a solo female traveller. She also talks about the freedom of not having to compromise when you're on your own. Renae Ninneman then tells us about her spontaneous encounter with a fellow traveller at a music festival in South Korea - one of those benefits of travelling alone when you can be completely flexible. Finally, Chelsea Gruber shares her approach to staying safe while solo travelling, including some practical preparation tips and a system involving her mother back home.  Links: 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  Kaila Yu - https://kailayu.com/ Kaila’s memoir Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Beauty, and Feminism - https://amzn.to/40EL7ID Renae Ninneman - Beyond Tourism Cultural Travel and Training - https://www.goingbeyondtourism.com/  cultural training and cultural competence biz Chelsea Gruber - https://www.chelseasolotravels.com/  Chelsea's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chelseasolotravels/  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/358 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that one in ten jobs worldwide is in the tourism industry? I think we're all sometimes guilty of merrily going on our travels without giving much thought to the people behind the scenes that make this possible. In this episode I chat with three people in very different careers in the travel area and hear some of the behind-the-scenes of what makes tourism tick. First up, Suyash Keshari, founder of Ameliya Safaris, gives us the rundown of a typical day in the life of a safari guide. It's interesting to hear the ups and the downs of what sounds like a dream job. Next, I speak with John Roberts, who's the Group Director of Sustainability and Conservation in the Minor Hotels group. He tells me about some of the challenges and goals of implementing sustainability actions and policies across a hundreds of hotels in different parts of the world. Finally, Jamie Burr describes how he entered the tourism industry and explains his previous and current roles in marketing. His thoughts on how travel businesses can promote themselves through telling stories rather than posting trip deals are especially interesting. Links: Suyash Keshari, Ameliya Safaris - https://ameliyasafaris.com/   John Roberts, Group Director of Sustainability and Conservation, Minor Hotels -https://www.minorhotels.com/  Jamie Burr - https://jamieburr.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/357 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two of my favourite things in life are reading novels and travelling, so it's about time they appeared in a podcast episode together - especially since so many other people love this combination of joys, too! Starting with a bunch of wonderful "novel on a trip" experiences from listeners, I next hear from Carol McQuaid about the long list of novels she created to read on a round-the-world trip, along with continued reasons to read novels related to her travels.  Next, Louis Hall has a fabulous argument for why reading fiction might even be more relevant to your travels than the typical non-fiction travel narratives we often read when preparing for a trip. And finally, Jonny Wright joins me with some deep thinking on the impact of reading during our travels, both for the books we read and the places we read them in. Links: Festival of Fiction in Perth - https://festivaloffiction.com.au/  Carol Mc Quaid - The Illustrated Vagabond - Carol’s pre-trip reading list - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/blog/reading-list-jkbjz  Carol's South American Sketchbook - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/shop/p/southamericansketchbook  Louis Hall - https://www.louisdhall.com/  Louis’ book In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, a Journey to the End of the Land - https://amzn.to/3FP0J52  Jonny Wright on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goandfindoutpod/ Jonny's podcast Go And Find Out - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/go-and-find-out/id1807777446 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/356  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the third part of a monthly, six-episode series celebrating the fact that exactly 40 years ago this year, my family and I spent six months in a striped motorhome travelling around Europe. I was nine years old and yes, this trip had an enormous impact on my life - I'm sure you wouldn't be listening to this podcast today if Van Life 1985 hadn't taken place! Throughout the series, I'll include chats recorded with my Dad this year, extracts from my late Mum's travel diary from 1985, and of course my own memories and thoughts.  In this episode, we move on from Italy to Switzerland, where much of our fun involves mountain and snow. Growing up in Western Australia, none of us had any experience with snow, and we were all thrilled to play in the summer snow we found in alpine Switzerland. You need to listen to find out what we wore during these snowy adventures! We then spent time in Austria, and thanks to my Mum's diary we know we had some good times there too - curiously, neither my Dad nor I remember it well. Travel memories are strange! A big thanks to Context Travel for sponsoring this series, and an even bigger thanks to my Dad for agreeing to be part of it. Links: Context Travel - https://bit.ly/contexttravel - use the code THOUGHTFULTRAVEL to get 15% off any online booking. Context Travel operate walking tours in cities around the world, and have interesting and qualified subject-matter experts leading your walk Listen to Part 1 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 348 - https://notaballerina.com/348  Listen to Part 2 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 351 - https://notaballerina.com/351  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/355  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you're given an intriguing invitation or an interesting opportunity on your travels, do you say yes? I try to whenever possible, and that's led to some very memorable experiences - and the same is true of the three guests in this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast.  First up, Carl Klein explains what happened when he was invited to tag along with a family he'd got to know in northern Colombia, as part of a very important day. I then chat with Tracy Collins about her brave "yes" moment, which led to a lifetime of fun and friendship. Finally, Chiara Barbera explains that although her cousin tried to put her off agreeing to a particular offer in Italy, saying "yes" led to quite the epiphany and a major passion and goal in life. Links: Carl Klein - Lost Canyon Imports -  https://www.lostcanyonimports.com/  Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning https://uktravelplanning.com and Global Travel Planning at https://globaltravelplanning.com  Chiara’s Assaggio platform - https://experience-assaggio.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/354 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's a bus, train or subway, using any kind of public transport or transit system when you're travelling can be very eye-opening (and a lot of fun!). In my opinion it's a much better way to get to know a place you're visiting, and of course it's also usually the most budget-friendly way of getting around, another bonus. In this episode you'll hear from four guests who have stories to share about their use of public transport across the world. Ros Belford has some lovely stories about bus drivers in Italy; Martha Waslen talks about the famous subway of New York and the nearly equally well-known trains of Tokyo; Scott Antcliffe compares his experience of public transport in the UK with recent travels in Singapore and Berlin; and Megan Frye gives a good explanation of some of the reasons why public transport helps you get to know a city, and even a country. Links: Ros Belford - https://rosbelford.com Ros’s book Children of the Volcano - https://amzn.to/4dq2vpz Martha’s DayAway platform - https://mydayaway.com Scott Antcliffe’s website - https://www.scottantcliffephoto.co.uk/  Scott’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scottantcliffephoto/  Megan Frye - https://www.meganfrye.com/ BlaBlaCar - https://www.blablacar.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/353  Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the June 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking with author Ash Bhardwaj about his book "Why We Travel". 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 Group at https://facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers   Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no single definition of mindful travel, but in this episode we talk about various ideas: from travel where we intentionally take time to practice mindfulness like on a yoga or meditation retreat, through the kinds of trips where we are really paying attention to what's happening around us, and even some specific ways we could travel that encourage mindfulness. First up, I chat with frequent solo traveller Chelsea Gruber, who has had numerous trips where she specifically aims to be mindful, such as yoga retreats. I then speak with Christine Newell about some experiences she's had about really being present on travels, with a great example from some time she spent in Japan. Finally, Louis Hall describes how he discovered that travelling with a horse forces mindfulness in a very positive way, something that he's found quite life-changing. Links: Chelsea Gruber - https://www.chelseasolotravels.com/  Chelsea's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chelseasolotravels/  Christine Newell - https://www.christinenewell.com/ Christine’s book Five Seasons in Seoul - https://amzn.to/4hHQmhb  Louis Hall - https://www.louisdhall.com/  Louis’ book In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, a Journey to the End of the Land - https://amzn.to/3FP0J52  Louis’ charity The Big Hoof - https://www.thebighoof.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/352 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second part of a monthly, six-episode series celebrating the fact that exactly 40 years ago this year, my family and I spent six months in a striped motorhome travelling around Europe. I was nine years old and yes, this trip had an enormous impact on my life - I'm sure you wouldn't be listening to this podcast today if Van Life 1985 hadn't taken place! Throughout the series, I'll include chats recorded with my Dad this year, extracts from my late Mum's travel diary from 1985, and of course my own memories and thoughts.  In this episode, we drive briefly through Spain, which none of us really remember (sorry, Spain, I do love you now!). We then had some fun times in Italy, with vivid memories of climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and quite the adventure getting mixed up with the local police in the small town of Potenza. We spend a few weeks thoroughly enjoying Greece before diverting back through Italy, Venice in particular, en route to our next country. A big thanks to Context Travel for sponsoring this series, and an even bigger thanks to my Dad for agreeing to be part of it. Links: Context Travel - https://bit.ly/contexttravel - use the code THOUGHTFULTRAVEL to get 15% off any online booking. Context Travel operate walking tours in cities around the world, and have interesting and qualified subject-matter experts leading your walk Listen to Part 1 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 348 - https://notaballerina.com/348  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/351 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It rarely takes much experience of travel to collect an experience of someone you meet while travelling being surprisingly kind. While we're often trained to think the worst, countless tales from travellers tell of strangers helping out and showing kindness in myriad ways - it's one of the most heartening parts of seeing the world, I think! In Episode 350, I chat with four travellers who have stories of kindness to share. The first happened some decades back in Sudan, when Patrick Nash was welcomed into a Dinka village and given a special treat. Next, Ros Belford explains what happened when she found herself stuck in an Italian train station at midnight with her two toddlers and no taxis. Jonny Wright, a frequent hitchhiker, tells me just how often the vulnerability of hitchhiking is met not with the danger we often worry about but acts of thoughtful kindness. Finally, Chris Magnuson talks about how another wonderful act of kindness almost meant he missed his flight! Links: Patrick Nash - https://www.patricknash.co.uk/  Patrick’s book Shots Across the Water: Tales of a Journey Through Africa - https://amzn.to/4cMl0UQ  Ros Belford - https://rosbelford.com Ros’s book Children of the Volcano - https://amzn.to/4dq2vpz Jonny Wright on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goandfindoutpod/ Jonny's podcast Go And Find Out - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/go-and-find-out/id1807777446 Chris’s website - https://www.streetviewvagabond.com/  Streetview Vagabond on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/streetviewvagabond/  Ep 242 Meeting Kind Strangers - https://notaballerina.com/242  Ep 76 The Kindness of Strangers When You Travel - https://notaballerina.com/76  Ep 88 Random Acts of Travel Kindness - https://notaballerina.com/88  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/350 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all take hundreds of photos on our travels these days, but I was keen to chat with Nicole Smith, founder of Flytographer, about how their network of photographers take this to the next level in many popular travel spots around the world. Nicole is an avid traveller who caught the travel bug young, and after a very unfortunate photographic "accident" on a long trip through Asia, she realised just how important having photos to job our memories can be. Nicole and I chatted about what it means to be a thoughtful traveller, the benefits of meeting up with local people in the places we visit, and more about how special our photographic travel memories can be. Links: Flytographer - https://www.flytographer.com/ Win a $100 Flytographer voucher - https://forms.gle/zUsK9byTtER9XbLD8  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/349 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the first of a monthly, six-episode series celebrating the fact that exactly 40 years ago this year, my family and I spent six months in a striped motorhome travelling around Europe. I was nine years old and yes, this trip had an enormous impact on my life - I'm sure you wouldn't be listening to this podcast today if Van Life 1985 hadn't taken place! Throughout the series, I'll include chats recorded with my Dad this year, extracts from my late Mum's travel diary from 1985, and of course my own memories and thoughts.  In this episode, our journey starts in Hong Kong, where you might be surprised at what my Dad remembers most; we then fly into London, where it's all systems go to equip us for the months of travelling ahead, including the important purchase of a motorhome (or a campervan as we called it). We take a hovercraft across the Channel to France, see Paris, and have a very special experience in coastal Biarritz.  A big thanks to Context Travel for sponsoring this series, and an even bigger thanks to my Dad for agreeing to be part of it. Links: Context Travel - https://contexttravel.com - use the code THOUGHTFULTRAVEL to get 15% off any online booking. Context Travel operate walking tours in cities around the world, and have interesting and qualified subject-matter experts leading your walk 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/348 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travelling on foot is the ultimate slow travel and you can have some amazing experiences when incorporating a walk, hike or run into your travel plans. In this episode I start by chatting with Chelsea Gruber, a big fan of solo travel who's had quite a few active adventures on her trips and when we spoke was in training to run the Paris marathon. I then chat with Patrick Nash who spent time some decades back travelling through many parts of Africa, and his story centres on a long walk through the Congo, or what was then Zaire. Finally, Amy Willis shares some of her active travels, starting off with her experience on the Rim to Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon, and then going on to tell me about a recent experience running in northern Kenya. Links: Chelsea Gruber - https://www.chelseasolotravels.com/  Chelsea's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chelseasolotravels/  Patrick Nash - https://www.patricknash.co.uk/  Patrick’s book Shots Across the Water: Tales of a Journey Through Africa - https://amzn.to/4cMl0UQ  Amy Willis from Ker & Downey https://kerdowney.com/ Amy's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amynwillis/  Ep 253 Walking the World https://notaballerina.com/253  Ep 175 Walking and Hiking Travels https://notaballerina.com/175  Ep 308 My trip report from hiking the Basho Trail with Walk Japan in 2023 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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com  Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/347 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us want to make more sustainable and ethical choices when we travel, but it's not always easy to do! Avoiding plastic straws and disposable shopping bags is one thing, but how can we choose our accommodation in a way that does more good, or think about our carbon footprint and change our travel habits? In this episode, I start by chatting with two travel writers who have come to the realisation that the constant jet-setting often required by that job is something they don't want to partake in, and have found other ways to work. Nina Karnikowski and Megan Frye both have great suggestions and information that can help all of us travel a bit "better", too. One of the specific ways we can travel more ethically is related to animal and wildlife attractions - a very common activity for travellers - so to round out this episode, Suzanne Milthorpe from World Animal Protection Australia has some useful tips about how we can make better decisions about the sanctuaries or rescue places we visit. Links: Nina Karnikowski - https://ninakarnikowski.com/   Nina’s book, The Mindful Traveller - https://amzn.to/3EzeAf8  Megan Frye - https://www.meganfrye.com/ Suzanne Milthorpe - Head of Campaigns, World Animal Protection Australia - https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.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 Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com  Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/346 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.