Can you imagine that we didn't used to talk about overtourism? It's really only a decade since this word entered common usage but it seems we hear about it constantly now. In this episode I chat with two guests who have great perspectives to add on this issue, and I also share some tips on how we can deal with overtourism as travellers.

First up, I chat with Christine Newell, who spent a year living in Seoul, South Korea, before it became a big deal on the international tourist radar. She talks about how it has changed over the past two decades and gives examples of mitigation efforts like curfews keeping tourists out of particularly affected areas.

I then speak with Bex Thomas, who started giving serious thought to issues like overtourism and economic leakage in tourism some years back when she and her friend made an effort to book locally to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. She highlights how being more mindful about our tourist time and dollars can also lead to a better travelling experience - win-win!

Finally, some tips on how we can deal with overtourism to both make our own trips better and impact the places we visit positively instead of negatively - drawing on my own experiences and a great blog post from Erin Hynes.

Links:

• Christine Newell - https://www.christinenewell.com/
• Christine’s book Five Seasons in Seoul - https://amzn.to/4hHQmhb 
• Bex Thomas - Sabbatical Stories Podcast  - https://bexthomas.com/podcast/ 
• Community Back Pocket - https://communitybackpocket.com/ 
• Erin’s post on overtourism - https://pinatravels.org/avoid-contributing-to-overtourism/
• Erin’s post on economic leakage - https://pinatravels.org/what-is-economic-leakage-in-tourism/
• Episode 378 Seoul Trip Report - https://notaballerina.com/378 
• 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/379

*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.

I last saw South Korea's fabulous capital Seoul way back in 2002, so when my 15-year-old son spotted a great flight price in November I was very keen to take him there! This podcast episode reports back on our week in Seoul, and I even persuaded my son to come on and chat about our trip, too. 

I'm a big believer in being a thoughtful traveller in all phases of a trip, so in this episode I start off explaining the three things I did to prepare for our trip (at short notice - we booked a fortnight before we left) - and they do not involve planning a day-by-day itinerary. My son Ruben and I then chat about some of our favourite parts of the trip, including the best day out, most delicious meal and our most fun shopping experiences. I give us a rating on the thoughtful travel scorecard and then finish up by explaining our budget - for once I had all the figures to hand and several people had asked me. Listen and tell me if you think our budget was appropriate or not!

Links: 

• Korea travel reading list - https://amzn.to/45Oxn0l
• Ruben’s YouTube channel of Pro Clubs (FIFA) gaming, Reginald Ramen - https://www.youtube.com/@ReginaldRamen  
• The best moments of my trip to South Korea were not on my itinerary - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/p/the-best-moments-of-my-trip-to-south 
• PLK Travel for DMZ Tour - https://www.plktravel.com 
• My Seoul Map - https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1s8N441QUJAOnjRQUMH0X9D6H6unt6cU&usp=sharing
• 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/378

*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.

How often do we go somewhere with a preconceived idea and find it hard to really see other perspectives ... well, speaking for myself, pretty often! In this episode I share three stories which highlight ways to learn about and understand different perspectives - but are also just great stories on their own.

First up, Kiliii Yuyan tells me about his experiences in Palau, and shares a fascinating story from Palauan culture which is vital to helping their coral reefs recover from algal blooms in a way I wish other reefs could. Next, Jamie Burr explains some of the results of his research into Chinese attitudes to carbon offsets - quite honestly, a perspective I'd never considered, and an interesting one indeed! Finally, Monisha Rajesh shares two examples of overlooked, alternative perspectives, one from her travels in Tibet, and another from a fellow tourist in North Korea.

Links:

• Killii Yuyan’s website - https://kiliii.com/ 
• Kiliii’s new book - Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet - https://amzn.to/3YcpYUx
• Jamie Burr - https://jamieburr.com/ 
• Monisha’s website https://monisharajesh.com/ 
• Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train - https://amzn.to/4mm4UEN 
• 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/377

*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.

This special episode is the audio of the Facebook Livestream of the December 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, chatting about book "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner - https://amzn.to/47KtLea 

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 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.

The end of 2025 is imminent and it's time to look back on our discussions and travels and then get ready for a thoughtful and fun 2026! In this episode I'll tell you which episodes were the most downloaded during 2025 and share some other podcast highlights.

And then it'll be crystal ball time: what will 2026 bring us? Listeners have weighed in with some of their concrete travel plans as well as some ideas that they're not quite sure about yet; and because 2026 will be the 10th anniversary of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I'll let you know about some exciting plans I have for celebrating this milestone.

Thanks to all my wonderful listeners and community members of thoughtful travellers - both for listening to episodes every week and for all your discussions and feedback. I'm so lucky to have you all! Happy New Year and wishing you all safe and thoughtful travels in 2026.

Links:

• Get podcast merch - https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-thoughtful-travel-podcast
• Substack subscription - listener and community special of 50% off Substack https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=00e800ba or https://www.notaballerina.com/half 
• Hannah Kent's book Always Home, Always Homesick - https://amzn.to/49xigL6 
• Event link for our February 2026 book club with Hannah Kent - https://www.facebook.com/events/884742791192736 
• Book Club info also available at https://thoughtfultravellersbookclub.substack.com/
• RISE Travel Institute's Experiential Journey https://www.risetravelinstitute.org/rise-experiential-journey
• Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning Podcast - https://uktravelplanning.com/ 
• Barefoot Backpacker - Travel Tales from Beyond the Brochure - https://barefoot-backpacker.com/category/podcast/ 
• Michael Jensen - Brent and Michael are Going Places -https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.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/376

*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.

Chris Christensen had the foresight to start a travel podcast before almost anyone had even heard of podcasts - way back in 2005. The Amateur Traveler podcast is still going strong - and is approaching its one thousandth episode. 

Chris and I chatted about the evolution of podcasting in general and the Amateur Traveler specifically, his approach to life now that he has retired from his 'day job' to the podcast, and what he thinks it means to be a thoughtful traveller.

Links:

• Amateur Traveler - https://amateurtraveler.com/ 
• Chris's previous appearances back in Episode 40 - https://notaballerina.com/40 and Episode 32 - https://notaballerina.com/32 
• 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/375

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I learnt that past guest Renae Ninneman runs a business providing cultural intelligence assessments and intercultural training I was immediately fascinated. And when Renae offered to guide me through a CQ - cultural intelligence - assessment complete with a debrief, and was happy to record it so I could share some on the podcast, I was thrilled!

Cultural differences have captivated me particularly strongly since I began teaching in Japan in 2001, when I had a perfect opportunity to learn many of the nuances of cultural differences in my conversational lessons with students. 

In this episode, Renae discusses the results of my CQ assessment and we also talk about what to do with this knowledge - taking it beyond just a point of interest to help with communication in all kinds of situations, including when meeting people of different cultures on your travels.

Links:

• Renae Ninneman - Beyond Tourism: Cultural Travel and Training - https://www.goingbeyondtourism.com/  
• Renae on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goingbeyondtourism 
• Renae on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@beyond_tourism 
• 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/374

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travelling to observe animals in the wild is a huge reason that we move around the world. The best case scenario is that we can see them without disturbing their environments or habits, perhaps take some photos, and head home. The worst case scenario is that something goes wrong and these animals become dangerous to humans! In this episode - spoiler alert, everyone survives, animals included! - we have some great stories of animal encounters in the wild.

We start with Satyajit Das, author of "Wild Quests" about his experiences with ecotourism and animal encounters, and he takes us back a couple of decades to a visit to Venezuela looking for green anacondas.

Next up, Ameliya Safaris owner Suyash Keshari tells us his signature "campfire story", the one he scares his safari guests with frequently - and it's about a particularly close tiger encounter in India that you wouldn't want to relive!

Finally, Neil Laird, author and documentary producer, has a story to tell about a time when filming a TV series in the United States, when a non-nature-loving family had a close encounter with a bear.

Links:

• Satyajit Das - author of Wild Quests - Journeys into Ecotourism and the Future for Animals - https://amzn.to/4eMWpP9 
• Suyash Keshari, Ameliya Safaris - https://ameliyasafaris.com/  
• 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/373

*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.

One of my favourite outings in Bangkok last month was heading north to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic city of Ayutthaya for a day, together with my friend Vincie. Since we are both deeply into contemplating thoughtful travel - Vincie is the founder of RISE Travel Institute - we decided to record a chat about our experiences in Ayutthaya through a "thoughtful travel lens". We report the good and the bad and our conversation ranges from sustainabilty practices through tourist education and on to wildlife protection as well, and we also have a lot of fun reminiscing - so hope you enjoy this conversation too.

Links:

• Ep 368 Bangkok Trip Diary and Thoughtful Travel Scorecard - notaballerina.com/368
• RISE Travel Institute - risetravelinstitute.org 
• Retouch Ayutthaya app - https://www.retouchayutthaya.com/ 
• Ep 252 RISE Capstone project: Elephants Are Many Shades of Grey - notaballerina.com/252 
• 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/372

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new year is coming at us fast: 2026, here we come! At this time of year the reports and articles about travel trends are rife, and I like to look through them all and see what might be happening in tourism and whether or not I like it (by which I mean, of course, does it fit with a thoughtful travel ethos?).

In this episode, I take you through some of the key trends identified by numerous players in the travel industry and also figure out which destinations are being predicted most often as being 2026 hotspots. I also chat with some experts, starting with Brett Mitchell, Managing Director of Intrepid Travel for Australia and New Zealand, who describes key trends Intrepid has identified and discusses their annual "Not Hot" list. I then chat with Melanie Fish, Vice President of Global PR for the Expedia Group, who explains how their "Unpack 26" study has included a new feature this year which I particularly like.

Links:

• Intrepid Travel's Not Hot List 2026 - https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/newsroom/releases/2026-not-hot-list 
• Unpack 26 from Expedia - https://www.expedia.co.uk/unpack26/
• Hilton 2026 trends report - https://stories.hilton.com/2026-trends
• Booking.com 2026 trends report https://news.booking.com/the-era-of-you-bookingcom-predicts-the-top-trends-defining-travel-in-2026-with-individuality-taking-center-stage/
• Skyscanner 2026 travel trends - https://www.skyscanner.com.au/travel-trends
• Priceline 2026 travel trends - https://www.priceline.com/partner/pcln-promotions-2026-travel-trends-report-pr
• Explore Worldwide 2026 travel trends - https://www.exploreworldwide.com.au/travel-trends-2026
• Trafalgar 2026 travel trends - https://www.trafalgar.com/real-word/2026-travel-trends/
• Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2026 - https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel 
• Contiki top 2026 travel destinations - https://www.contiki.com/six-two/article/top-travel-destinations-in-2026/
• Virtuoso best destinations 2026 - https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/articles/the-best-travel-destinations-2026
• Forbes 26 best trips for 2026 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2025/08/21/the-26-best-trips-for-2026-according-to-travel-experts/
• 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/371

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this final episode of the Van Life Diaries: Europe 1985, we return to England, drive through Scotland and Wales, and catch a ferry to Ireland. Then it's back to London, a farewell to our beloved campervan, on to Singapore for a few days and finally we end up back home in Perth, Australia, after six months away. What a strange feeling!

This is the sixth part of a monthly, six-episode series celebrating the fact that exactly 40 years ago this year, my family and I spent six months in a striped motorhome travelling around Europe. I was nine years old and yes, this trip had an enormous impact on my life - I'm sure you wouldn't be listening to this podcast today if Van Life 1985 hadn't taken place! Throughout the series, I'll include chats recorded with my Dad this year, extracts from my late Mum's travel diary from 1985, and of course my own memories and thoughts. 

A big thanks to Context Travel for sponsoring this series, and an even bigger thanks to my Dad for agreeing to be part of it.

Links:

• Context Travel - https://bit.ly/contexttravel - use the code THOUGHTFULTRAVEL to get 15% off any online booking. Context Travel operate walking tours in cities around the world, and have interesting and qualified subject-matter experts leading your walk
• Listen to Part 1 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 348 - https://notaballerina.com/348 
• Listen to Part 2 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 351 - https://notaballerina.com/351 
• Listen to Part 3 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 355 - https://notaballerina.com/355 
• Listen to Part 4 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 359 - https://notaballerina.com/359 
• Listen to Part 5 of Van Life Diaries: Episode 364 - https://notaballerina.com/364 
• 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/370 

Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.