The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Amanda Kendle
  • 4.8 (65)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

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. 1d ago

    401 Travel-Related Careers

    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: https://notaballerina.com/401 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Aug 13

    400 Forty Questions for Four Hundred Episodes

    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 - notaballerina.com/387  Paul Theroux interview in Episode 214 - 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: https://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/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Aug 4

    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.

  4. Jul 31

    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 ProgramNotABallerina.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.

  5. Jul 28

    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.

  6. Jul 21

    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.

  7. Jul 15

    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.

  8. Jul 10

    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.

See All (428)

4.8
out of 5
65 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.

Information

You Might Also Like