The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

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
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Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/395



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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/
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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.

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.

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.

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 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.