The Thoughtful Travel Podcast Amanda Kendle

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Micah Kamohoali'i when I was in Sydney for SXSW recently, and I knew immediately we would need a LONG chat! This discussion was a pleasure from start to finish: we start off discussing how Micah found himself working in the tourism industry, and what tourism in Hawai'i has been like over the years: with ups and downs of how responsible it was (and wasn't) and the different kinds of tourists they were attracting.

In a wide-ranging discussion which moves us via snakes in the grass to pounding bark for cloth, and incredibly then to the story of Micah being invited to take part in New York Fashion Week, whatever we talk about, Micah's clear love of Hawai'i and Hawaiian culture shines through and we finish up by hearing about his proudest moments from a splendid (and ongoing!) career.

Links:


Merrie Monarch festival https://www.merriemonarch.com/ 

House of Kamohoali’i documentaries:


London https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/11/house-kamohoalii-london/
Paris https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/05/10/house-kamohoalii-paris-2/
Milan https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/video/2023/04/26/house-kamohoalii-milan-3/
Thoughtful Travel to Hawaii - Island Wisdom by Kainoa Daines and Annie Daly - Episode 285 - https://notaballerina.com/285
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/311
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I'm not alone in finding Japanese museums about earthquakes and tsunamis interesting and impactful; I know my friend Catherine who travelled with me in Tohoku last month is the same. This episode will test out whether it's just the two of us, or if more of you share this feeling - a yearning to understand more about these kinds of disasters, to get to know more about the human stories behind them, and a keen desire to share in the "hope tourism" equation of the scenario.

In this episode, I talk about three parts of my recent trip to Japan that fit under this idea of "hope tourism" - and not "dark tourism". As well as visiting the "Kaze no Denwa", we spent many hours at two new museums in northern Japan: the Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, and the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum in Futaba, Fukushima. We both found these visits so impactful, and I'm still mulling over a lot of what I saw and learnt there to this day.

Links:


“Really Long Distance” - This American Life episode about the Wind Phone - https://www.thisamericanlife.org/597/one-last-thing-before-i-go-2016/act-one 
Iwate Tsunami Memorial Museum - https://iwate-tsunami-memorial.jp/en/visit.html
The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum - https://www.fipo.or.jp/lore/en 
Hope Tourism - https://www.hopetourism.jp/en/ 
Walk Japan - our hike - Episode 308 - 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
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/310
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here it is! This is the live recording of our panel at South By South West (SXSW) Sydney, from October 2023, on the topic “Why We Need Travel More Than Travel Needs Us”.

It was such a thrill to be on the podcast stage at SXSW with Catherine Marshall, Susanne Etti and Justin Watson, three fabulous guests who had so many interesting stories and opinions to offer for this tricky topic. 

We start off with everyone sharing a story about what travel means to them, then dive deeper into topics like wildlife tourism, overtourism, and how we can travel better.

This episode was recorded live at SXSW Sydney 2023.

Links:


Catherine Marshall - Instagram - https://instagram.com/zizzyballord
Susanne Etti - Intrepid Travel - https://www.intrepidtravel.com/
Justin Watson - Justin’s World blog - https://justins.world/ 
SXSW Sydney - https://sxswsydney.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
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/309
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are many, many ways to see Japan, but I think I've just experienced my favourite: on foot. In late September/early October 2023, I undertook a six-day trip with Walk Japan, on the Self-Guided Basho Wayfarer walk around Sendai. And it was brilliant!

In this episode, I give an overview of the content and logistics of this trip, which essentially includes hiking various segments of the route that haiku poet Matsuo Basho took in the 1700s, as he describes in his book "Narrow Road to the Deep North". It had all the elements of a trip that I need to really love it: incredible scenery, interesting sightseeing spots, truly delicious food, some great interactions with locals, and all with one of my best friends. What more could a girl ask for?

Most of this episode is a chat I recorded with my travel companion, Catherine Marshall, about our highlights from the trip. We cover our favourite hiking, food, train, and accommodation moments, along with our most unexpected highlights. 

Links:


Walk Japan main website - https://walkjapan.com/
Self-Guided Basho Wayfarer walk - https://walkjapan.com/tour/self-guided-basho-wayfarer 
Cape to Cape Track Episode 276 - https://notaballerina.com/276 
Catherine Marshall on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zizzyballord 
Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/308

Disclaimer stuff: I was hosted for this trip, which means Walk Japan covered my travel costs. However, my opinions, as always, are all my own, honest truth.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's a strange phenomenon, but podcast episodes full of stories of things going wrong on our travels are always popular! For Episode 307, I've got two stories of strange goings-on while my guests are at sea. Enjoy?!

First up, Antonio Cala tells the story of that time he and his wife needed to be rescued by the Jamaican coastguard. Fortunately, we know they lived to tell the tale, but let's just say life on their catamaran in the Caribbean was not all plain sailing.

I then chat with Imogen Lepere, who has a story to share from her very first press trip, aboard a boat in Indonesia on which she and her photographer boyfriend became the only passengers after everyone else cancelled after a tsunami the day before it set sail. Things only got stranger after that! 

Links:


Antonio Cala - Adventure Fix - https://www.adventurefix.co/ 
Imogen Lepere - https://www.imogenleperewriter.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
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/307
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If we want to be mindful of our carbon footprint when we travel, a good way to do this is to consider more carefully the kinds of places where we choose to stay - like focusing on eco-accommodation. This is a part of my travel I definitely haven't given enough thought to in the past, and this episode has inspired me with stories about all kinds of accommodation options which are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

First up, I chat with Dara Brewton who spent a month in Chiang Mai, Thailand, recently. By chance, almost, she ended up choosing some eco-friendly accommodation which has the added bonus of also looking adorable!

I then speak with Fran and Andrew Robinson, who are owners of certified eco-friendly chalets near Busselton, Western Australia - since they also have their own trees (thousands of them!), they actually personally offset more carbon than their business produces.

Finally, travel writer Nina Karnikowski gives a couple of great examples of sustainable accommodations options that she has enjoyed, in Nepal and in Australia.

Links:


Dara Brewton - https://travelness.com/ 
Leafy Greens - https://www.facebook.com/leafygreensCM 
Fran and Andrew Robinson from Tree Chalets - https://www.treechalets.com.au 
Nina Karnikowski - https://ninakarnikowski.com/  
Happy House Nepal - http://www.happyhousenepal.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
Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/306
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.