2024 is reaching an end, and I'm honestly looking forward to getting on with 2025! This year was a bit... more

Like many parts of travel, in recent years I've started to rethink some aspects of museum that I just took... more

Almost 40 years after my first trip to Hong Kong, I returned in November with my teenager son. Back as... more

A huge reason many people travel is to get away from city life and into nature. In Episode 327 of... more

This episode is a joyful collaboration with Tracy of the UK Travel Podcast. When one of your best friends invites... more

If you think of Australia, you're bound to imagine a few stereotypes of what life here is like: sun and... more

Meeting new people is one of my favourite parts of travelling, and when these chance encounters turn into long-term friendships,... more

Learning other languages can be really hard - especially if you're sitting in your home country trying to learn from... more

Although I never studied abroad myself I have no doubt at all that I would have loved every minute of... more

For travellers like us, knowing a tourism business we are about to use is properly thoughtful, taking into account the... more

This is an episode I never imagined I'd need to make; family lore was that my mum June would live... more

Staying in someone’s home is the ultimate in starting to understand the local way of life when you travel, and... more

When I was first introduced to Gevorg Babayan and his company LikeLocal.io, which matches travellers with local experiences, I knew... more

Tales of things going wrong - or almost - are always popular, and I think if you throw in the... more

I am absolutely convinced that taking kids travelling is one of the best things you can do for them, and... more

Connecting with local people when we travel is a true joy for me - whether it's just a quick conversation... more

If you decided to escape the corporate world, would you buy up a plot of land in an isolated part... more

It's common knowledge that train travel beats air travel in the sustainability stakes, but in recent months I've put this... more

The statistics tell us so: more and more of us want to give back and do good when we travel.... more

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Micah Kamohoali'i when I was in Sydney for SXSW recently, and I knew... more

I'm not alone in finding Japanese museums about earthquakes and tsunamis interesting and impactful; I know my friend Catherine who... more

Here it is! This is the live recording of our panel at South By South West (SXSW) Sydney, from October... more

There are many, many ways to see Japan, but I think I've just experienced my favourite: on foot. In late... more

It's a strange phenomenon, but podcast episodes full of stories of things going wrong on our travels are always popular!... more

If we want to be mindful of our carbon footprint when we travel, a good way to do this is... more

Travel experiences should be accessible to everyone - I strongly believe that's an important part of the whole thoughtful travel... more

Bangkok is a city which rewards many repeat visits and my recent trip there proved it! Putting together Episode 304... more

Thank you internet: you've made many things possible, two of them being podcasts, and working as a digital nomad. In... more

Ah, finally, I've made it to Chiang Rai! I've wanted to visit this most northern part of Thailand my whole... more

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the August 2023 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book... more

Community-based tourism experiences are one of my favourite things to seek out when I travel, and this episode is a... more

Thailand was calling, and I had to go! Three and a half years after my last pre-Covid adventure abroad, I... more

Travelling in some kind of van - a campervan, a caravan, an RV, a motorhome - is a unique and... more

There are so many ways we can try to do better when we travel, and looking for tours or activities... more

City names like Mosul, Karbala and Basra - and of course the capital Baghdad - are familiar to us all,... more

Making connections - either brief or lasting - with local people when you travel can often be the highlight of... more

Travelling overnight in a train is, I think, a very special experience. I've slept peacefully on overnight trains in Russia,... more

Raynor Winn, bestselling author, one of my personal heroes, all-round amazingly nice person - is the guest on this deep... more

Many of us like to “do good” when we travel, and getting involved in some kind of citizen science program... more

Getting animal experiences right when we travel is something we can all try hard to do - checking ahead of... more

There is, apparently, no end to the appetite of both me and my listeners to hear stories about things going... more

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the March 2023 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book... more

Happy 7th birthday to The Thoughtful Travel Podcast! This is a special episode with a few interesting tidbits about the... more

What really goes on behind the scenes of travel writers, content creators and podcasters, and their counterparts in the tourism... more

It'd be great if any time we took ourselves travelling and volunteered somewhere that it was a purely good act.... more

I don't think I'm the kind of traveller who's going to board a five-thousand-passenger cruise ship any time soon. But... more

One of my very favourite cities anywhere is Melbourne, Australia. It's a city I seriously considering moving to when I... more

I've always wanted to get to Hawai'i some day - but now I know why I haven't made it yet.... more

We know that having expectations can often set us up for disappointment - and many thoughtful travellers will also know... more

It's the season for Antarctic travel - but should we really encourage Antarctic tourism? That's the question I had in... more

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the 2022 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club,... more

Friendships made while travelling are some of the best friendships of all, right? I think the kind of person we... more

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the December 2021 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book... more

We all see the headlines about how travelling is bad for the earth - and yet I know my podcast... more

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the October 2021 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book... more

I'm one lucky gal. Work and being (suddenly!) the parent of a high school kid has kept me from too... more

For many kinds of travellers who belong to some kind of minority - even large minorities! - the experience of... more

What happens if you just say yes? When we travel, there are times that an interaction with a local person... more

A human connection - whether it’s brief and in passing, or deeper and more lasting, is a wonderful side product... more

The Cape to Cape Track has loomed iconically in my mind for many years, although its location down in the... more