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. 4d ago

    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.

  2. Jul 1

    394 Unusual Accommodation

    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: https://notaballerina.com/394 Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Jun 26

    393 Taiwan: Chats with Locals

    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/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Jun 8

    392 What You'd Tell Your Younger Travelling Self

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

  5. May 17

    Book Club 25: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

    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 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.

  6. May 2

    391 Enviable Travel Jobs

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

  7. Apr 25

    390 How to be a Good Volunteer Abroad

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

  8. Apr 15

    389 How Travel Transforms Our Thinking

    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: https://notaballerina.com/389   *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 (421)

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