The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Amanda Kendle
The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

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.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    333 Overtourism

    Overtourism is a buzz word of late, but not a good one. We've all read about the cities and regions being overrun by tourists, who might be damaging natural or historical sights, or making an area unaffordable for its original residents to stay in. In this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I speak with three guests with an interest in overtourism and ask for their thoughts. First up, I speak with Dylan Thuras of Atlas Obscura. Dylan's whole website and podcast are based around encouraging people to learn about, and visit, less popular, more obscure places, so he's been thinking about overtourism and its opposite, undertourism, for many years. I then chat with Jamie Burr, who specialises in marketing for responsible tourism businesses, and therefore also has a significant interest in overtourism and how we might deal with it. Finally, Chris Christou from The End of Tourism podcast talks about some future alternatives for tourism, speaking from the example of his home of Oaxaca in Mexico, that may be one way to mitigate the problems of overtourism.    Links: Dylan Thuras  - Atlas Obscura podcast https://www.atlasobscura.com/podcast Jamie Burr - https://jamieburr.com/  Chris Christou - The End of Tourism podcast -  https://www.theendoftourism.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/333 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    24 min
  2. 4 JAN

    331 Working with Animals in Tourism

    Learning more about being a responsible traveller when it comes to seeing or interacting with animals on my trips is one of the biggest learning curves running this podcast has given me over the past decade. In this episode, I hear from three professionals working at the intersection of animals and tourism, in three different but equally fascinating roles. First up, I chat with Nora Livingstone of Animal Experience International, about a trip she took to Sierra Leone to visit a dog rescue centre that was looking for volunteers. Then, I speak with John Roberts, director of Sustainability and Conservation for the Minor Hotels group, and he describes the particular case of looking after hornbills at their Avani resort on Koh Lanta, Thailand. Finally, Suzanne Milthorpe of World Animal Protection Australia explains the sad sight that awaited her on a visit to a so-called turtle rescue venue in Bali, Indonesia. From all of these stories, there is plenty for us to take away and help in our considerations for future trips so that we can be thoughtful when it comes to how we include animals in our travels. Links: Nora Livingstone from Animal Experience International - https://www.animalexperienceinternational.com John Roberts - Group Director of Sustainability and Conservation, Minor Hotels -https://www.minorhotels.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/331 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    23 min
  3. 17/12/2024

    330 Travel Trends and Resolutions for 2025

    2024 is reaching an end, and I'm honestly looking forward to getting on with 2025! This year was a bit of a bust: the sudden loss of my Mum tainted most of the year with various repercussions, and even this podcast suffered from some neglect! But with a shiny new year ahead, I'm happy to look back on what travel I did manage in 2024, as well as talk about what seem to be the most likely travel trends for 2025. I also asked listeners about their resolutions for 2025 and I'm glad to include a wonderful selection of ideas - most especially because all of my listeners are so thoughtful! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to being back in your ears every week in 2025. Happy travels! Links: Julie - Have Wheelchair Will Travel - https://havewheelchairwilltravel.net Michael - Brent and Michael Are Going Places - https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com Carolyn - Holidays to Switzerland - https://holidaystoswitzerland.com/podcast/ Barefoot Backpacker - Travel Tales From Beyond the Brochure - https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/ Conde Nast’s Best Places to Go in 2025 - https://www.cntraveler.com/story/best-places-to-go-in-2025 AFAR’s list of Where to Go in 2025 - https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-in-2025  CNBC’s article on Travel Trends in 2025 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/20/travel-trend-in-2025-places-that-are-lesser-known-and-less-crowded.html  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/330 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    19 min
  4. 10/12/2024

    329 Museums and Ethical Issues

    Like many parts of travel, in recent years I've started to rethink some aspects of museum that I just took for granted in my early years of travel. In this episode, I chat with three guests on a variety of aspects of the ethics of museums, which all gave me great food for thought. First up, I spoke with Chris Christou, who articulates some of the key ethical issues many museums face, especially those that are focused on archaeological artefacts - some of which might not have been acquired in the most ethical of ways! Next, Dylan Thuras of Atlas Obscura tells me about his particular interest in medical museums, and some of the questions surrounding these, and includes an interesting example of a museum he visited in Mexico. Artist Carol McQuaid highlights a recent art gallery scandal involving MONA in Tasmania, Australia, which she had the opportunity to visit recently. While chatting galleries, I was reminded of my recent experience at the Manchester Art Gallery in England, which has recently had a significant rethink of how they run their displays. Links: Chris Christou - The End of Tourism podcast - https://www.theendoftourism.com/  Dylan Thuras  - Atlas Obscura podcast https://www.atlasobscura.com/podcast Atlas Obscura article about the Mummies of Guanajuato - https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-las-momias-de-guanajuato  Carol McQuaid - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/   Carol’s World Voyage Sketchbook - https://www.theillustratedvagabond.com/shop/p/illustrated-vagabonds-world-voyage-sketchbook-pre-sale  Catherine’s article about the Ladies Lounge in Mona - https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/mona-ladies-lounge-high-tea-inside-the-secretive-new-womenonly-experience-20220530-h243zx.html    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/329 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 min
  5. 03/12/2024

    328 Hong Kong Trip Report 2024

    Almost 40 years after my first trip to Hong Kong, I returned in November with my teenager son. Back as a nine-year-old, Hong Kong was the very first place I'd been to outside of Western Australia, so it made quite the impression.  This time, I was there to visit friends who've recently moved there, and to do some extra sightseeing while they were at work. In this trip report episode, I'm going to let you know what my highlight was (hint: it could happen anywhere in the world!), explain the sightseeing we did and something intriguing I learnt about, and also tell you all about my brief foray into China, a country I've long wanted to visit, and now want to see even more of, please! I then have a Disney-related confession to make, and some ethical pondering about visiting Hong Kong.  I'd love to hear about your own Hong Kong experiences as I'm keen to return and deepen my knowledge of this fascinating place, so let me know your thoughts! Links: Indelible City by Louisa Lim - https://amzn.to/4ihZp9p  Lots of my pics on Insta - https://instagram.com/amandakendle  Indigenous cultures of Hong Kong - https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/lifestyle/features/article/3073367/hks-indigenous-people-and-other-tribes-helped-create  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/328 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 min
  6. 26/11/2024

    327 Rare Encounters With Nature on Your Travels

    A huge reason many people travel is to get away from city life and into nature. In Episode 327 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast we don't just get into nature - we hear about some really rare and unique encounters with the natural world. First up, I chat with Satyajit Das, a veteran of many intriguing wildlife encounters on his travels, who explains how lucky he was in coming across the small cats of South and Central America: ocelots, margays and onchillas. Next, Paul Christie explains something of the history of the sakura or cherry blossom in Japan, and leaves me with the surprising fact that you don't necessarily have to be in Japan in springtime to see the beautiful cherry trees bloom. Finally, Iris Villarreal tells the story of her experience with a nomadic Kazakh ethnic minority in western Mongolia, and in particular, how they train and use eagles for hunting. Links: Satyajit Das - author of Wild Quests - Journeys into Ecotourism and the Future for Animals - https://amzn.to/4eMWpP9  Paul Christie, CEO of Walk Japan - https://walkjapan.com/  Iris Villarreal - https://www.instagram.com/outventurenow  'Cherry' Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan's Blossoms by Naoko Abe - https://amzn.to/4cR2Z6I  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/327 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    24 min
4.8
out of 5
44 Ratings

About

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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