The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Travel can change your life! It sounds like a cliched salesy headline but it's my experience that it's true, and the guests in this episode would agree. I start off chatting with Mike Clapper who had a career epiphany - and set up a now successful new business - off the back of a particular moment in Iceland. Lindsey Danis explains how she and her partner made a huge life change after contemplating what they loved so much about their honeymoon in Thailand. Finally, Tudor Morgan describes some of the ways his work is focused on travellers who are often experiencing this while on expedition trips he leads.

Links:

• Mike Clapper - Able2Global - https://able2global.com/
• Lindsey Danis - (Out) On the Road - https://amzn.to/4vIK334
• Lindsey's blog Queer Adventurers https://www.queeradventurers.com/
• Tudor Morgan of HX Expeditions - https://www.travelhx.com/en-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/405

*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.

Some of those academic references:

Bennett, M. (2012). An exploration of transformational learning in adults as a result of adventure travel experiences [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. Pepperdine Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/319/digitalcommons.pepperdine

Magrizos, S., Kostopoulos, I., & Powers, L. (2021). Volunteer tourism as a transformative experience: A mixed methods empirical study. Journal of Travel Research, 60(4), 878–895. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520913630

Pung, J. M., & Del Chiappa, G. (2020). An exploratory and qualitative study on the meaning of transformative tourism and its facilitators and inhibitors. European Journal of Tourism Research, 24, Article 2404. https://doi.org/10.54055/ejtr.v24i.406

Tovar, L. A., & Misischia, C. (2018). Experiential learning: Transformation and discovery through travel study programs. Research in Higher Education Journal, 35, 1–15. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1194438.pdffiles.eric.ed

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This special episode is the audio of the livestream of the October 2026 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting about the book "Travels with Nala" by Dean Nicholson.

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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I had the joy of visiting Egypt in September 2026, and spending ten days seeing Cairo and cruising the Nile, visiting historical highlights including Dendera, Luxor, Kom Omob, Esna and Aswan. I'll be sharing my experiences across several episodes but to start with, I've got an overview of the trip plus a chat with my friend and travel companion Catherine Marshall. Although choosing favourites was extremely hard, we discuss some of our best meals, sightseeing spots, learnings, surprises and shopping moments of our time in Egypt.

Links:

• Catherine Marshall on Instagram - http://instagram.com/zizzyballord
• Catherine’s course the Art of Travel Writing https://artoftravelwriting.thinkific.com/products/courses/aotwn
• 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: http://notaballerina.com/404

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With high tourist numbers in some popular places making travel less enjoyable, it only makes sense that there's an increased interest in off season travel. Choosing a shoulder or off peak time to travel makes sense for so many reasons to me, and it's often when you'll have the much better experiences all round!

Last year, my son and I enjoyed an off season trip to Seoul, South Korea so thoroughly that we're trying the same time of year for a Tokyo visit soon. In this episode, I talk with three people who also have been converted to the off season way. First up, Riana Ann-Canning describes a trip to France in chilly (or was it?!) February which exceeded all expectations; Mathi Thayanan then explains the benefits of visiting Sri Lanka at non-peak times of year; finally, Theodora Chatzipavlidis tells me how she accidentally discovered how much she likes travelling in the off season when she ended up touring parts of Europe during the ultimate off season of Covid!

Links:

• Riana Ang-Canning - https://teaspoonofadventure.com/
• Mathi Thayanan’s business in Sri Lanka, The Curious Experience - https://thecuriousexperience.com/
• Theodora Chatzipavlidis’s app Velout - https://www.velout.app/
• Episode 378 Seoul Trip Report: Spontaneous Budget Travel to South Korea http://notaballerina.com/378https://www.notaballerina.com/2026/01/seoul-trip-report-spontaneous-budget-travel-south-korea-episode-378-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
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• Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/403

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Ireland and the Irish - we all have a story to tell, right? In this episode I get the insider stories from Ireland - both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - from three brilliant guests who all agreed to answer questions about why they love living there, their favourite traditions, what surprises visitors and what we as travellers need to know before we go. What I loved most about speaking with these Ireland locals is the variety of their answers - I thought I knew a lot about this part of the world but there's so much more to learn. A huge thanks to Laura, Tony and Colin for being part of this special Chats with Locals episode.

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
• Laura Pakenham on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/laurajpakenham/
• Laura’s book "Irish: History and culture through language" - https://amzn.to/3ST7Z6b
• Colin Johnston’s website https://racingdaydreams.com/
• And huge thanks to Tony O’Sullivan
• 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/402

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About one in ten jobs across the globe are in the travel industry, but from the hundreds of conversations I've had over the years, I've learnt that the paths to working in tourism and travel are many and varied!

In this episode I chat with four people who've found their way into this industry through very different ways.

First up, Russell True describes how he ended up having a lifetime career in the dude ranch accommodation and experience industry; then I speak with Mathi Thayanan who now runs his own travel company in Sri Lanka but didn't always plan to do this. Jana Marie Bald then explains her career path from agricultural science to tourism (not what I'd expected!) and finally, Aabiskar Thapa describes how from growing up near Pokhara, Nepal and seeing tourists on the trail, he took a circuitous route to ending up working in travel himself.

Links:

• Russell True of the True Ranch Collection - https://trueranchcollection.com/
• Mathi’s business in Sri Lanka, The Curious Experience - https://thecuriousexperience.com/
• Jana’s app Ørth - https://www.oerth.life/
• Sharing Seeds in Nepal - https://linktr.ee/sharing.seeds
• 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: http://notaballerina.com/401

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Episode 400 ... what?! Back in 2016, I certainly didn't imagine I'd reach Episode 400, and yet, here we are. It seemed something to celebrate so I asked my dear friend Sasha Wasley along to ask me 40 questions for 400 episodes (aren't you all lucky I didn't opt for 400 questions?!).

Some of the topics I especially enjoyed discussing with Sasha were my long trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway, some of the changes in the way I travel since I started the podcast over a decade ago, and my not-so-thoughtful (perhaps?) love of Disneyland. She even asked me which episode I think all listeners should skip! It was a great chat covering a whole variety of thoughtful travel topics and we laughed a lot, too. Enjoy!

Links:

• Sasha Wasley’s website - https://sashawasley.com/
• Sasha's newest novel - The Society of Literary Marauders - https://amzn.to/4wWEejX
• Sasha's books for younger readers, under Ash Harrier - https://ashharrier.com/
• Ten Year Anniversary episode - http://notaballerina.com/387
• Paul Theroux interview in Episode 214 - http://notaballerina.com/214
• Other interviews with me - Episode 90 notaballerina.com/90, Episode 100 notaballerina.com/100 and Episode 240 notaballerina.com/240
• 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: http://notaballerina.com/400

*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/

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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 - http://notaballerina.com/94
• Episode 275 Kids Are Shaped By Travel - http://notaballerina.com/275
• Van Life Diaries series - http://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: http://notaballerina.com/399

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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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: http://notaballerina.com/398

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

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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/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: http://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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: http://notaballerina.com/396

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

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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: http://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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: http://notaballerina.com/394

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

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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/

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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: http://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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: http://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 https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: http://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)

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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: http://notaballerina.com/389

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Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.