This is the third 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.

In this episode, we move on from Italy to Switzerland, where much of our fun involves mountain and snow. Growing up in Western Australia, none of us had any experience with snow, and we were all thrilled to play in the summer snow we found in alpine Switzerland. You need to listen to find out what we wore during these snowy adventures! We then spent time in Austria, and thanks to my Mum's diary we know we had some good times there too - curiously, neither my Dad nor I remember it well. Travel memories are strange!

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
• 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/355

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When you're given an intriguing invitation or an interesting opportunity on your travels, do you say yes?

I try to whenever possible, and that's led to some very memorable experiences - and the same is true of the three guests in this episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast.

First up, Carl Klein explains what happened when he was invited to tag along with a family he'd got to know in northern Colombia, as part of a very important day.

I then chat with Tracy Collins about her brave "yes" moment, which led to a lifetime of fun and friendship.

Finally, Chiara Barbera explains that although her cousin tried to put her off agreeing to a particular offer in Italy, saying "yes" led to quite the epiphany and a major passion and goal in life.

Links:

• Carl Klein - Lost Canyon Imports - https://www.lostcanyonimports.com/
• Tracy Collins - UK Travel Planning https://uktravelplanning.com and Global Travel Planning at https://globaltravelplanning.com
• Chiara’s Assaggio platform - https://experience-assaggio.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/354

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's a bus, train or subway, using any kind of public transport or transit system when you're travelling can be very eye-opening (and a lot of fun!). In my opinion it's a much better way to get to know a place you're visiting, and of course it's also usually the most budget-friendly way of getting around, another bonus.

In this episode you'll hear from four guests who have stories to share about their use of public transport across the world. Ros Belford has some lovely stories about bus drivers in Italy; Martha Waslen talks about the famous subway of New York and the nearly equally well-known trains of Tokyo; Scott Antcliffe compares his experience of public transport in the UK with recent travels in Singapore and Berlin; and Megan Frye gives a good explanation of some of the reasons why public transport helps you get to know a city, and even a country.

Links:

• Ros Belford - https://rosbelford.com
• Ros’s book Children of the Volcano - https://amzn.to/4dq2vpz
• Martha’s DayAway platform - https://mydayaway.com
• Scott Antcliffe’s website - https://www.scottantcliffephoto.co.uk/
• Scott’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/scottantcliffephoto/
• Megan Frye - https://www.meganfrye.com/
• BlaBlaCar - https://www.blablacar.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/353

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 June 2025 meeting of the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, speaking with author Ash Bhardwaj about his book "Why We Travel".

If you'd like to join the Thoughtful Travellers Book Club, all the info is 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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no single definition of mindful travel, but in this episode we talk about various ideas: from travel where we intentionally take time to practice mindfulness like on a yoga or meditation retreat, through the kinds of trips where we are really paying attention to what's happening around us, and even some specific ways we could travel that encourage mindfulness.

First up, I chat with frequent solo traveller Chelsea Gruber, who has had numerous trips where she specifically aims to be mindful, such as yoga retreats. I then speak with Christine Newell about some experiences she's had about really being present on travels, with a great example from some time she spent in Japan. Finally, Louis Hall describes how he discovered that travelling with a horse forces mindfulness in a very positive way, something that he's found quite life-changing.

Links:

• Chelsea Gruber - https://www.chelseasolotravels.com/
• Chelsea's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chelseasolotravels/
• Christine Newell - https://www.christinenewell.com/
• Christine’s book Five Seasons in Seoul - https://amzn.to/4hHQmhb
• Louis Hall - https://www.louisdhall.com/
• Louis’ book In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, a Journey to the End of the Land - https://amzn.to/3FP0J52
• Louis’ charity The Big Hoof - https://www.thebighoof.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/352

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the second 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.

In this episode, we drive briefly through Spain, which none of us really remember (sorry, Spain, I do love you now!). We then had some fun times in Italy, with vivid memories of climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and quite the adventure getting mixed up with the local police in the small town of Potenza. We spend a few weeks thoroughly enjoying Greece before diverting back through Italy, Venice in particular, en route to our next country.

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
• 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/351

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It rarely takes much experience of travel to collect an experience of someone you meet while travelling being surprisingly kind. While we're often trained to think the worst, countless tales from travellers tell of strangers helping out and showing kindness in myriad ways - it's one of the most heartening parts of seeing the world, I think!

In Episode 350, I chat with four travellers who have stories of kindness to share. The first happened some decades back in Sudan, when Patrick Nash was welcomed into a Dinka village and given a special treat. Next, Ros Belford explains what happened when she found herself stuck in an Italian train station at midnight with her two toddlers and no taxis. Jonny Wright, a frequent hitchhiker, tells me just how often the vulnerability of hitchhiking is met not with the danger we often worry about but acts of thoughtful kindness. Finally, Chris Magnuson talks about how another wonderful act of kindness almost meant he missed his flight!

Links:

• Patrick Nash - https://www.patricknash.co.uk/
• Patrick’s book Shots Across the Water: Tales of a Journey Through Africa - https://amzn.to/4cMl0UQ
• Ros Belford - https://rosbelford.com
• Ros’s book Children of the Volcano - https://amzn.to/4dq2vpz
• Jonny Wright on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/goandfindoutpod/
• Jonny's podcast Go And Find Out - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/go-and-find-out/id1807777446
• Chris’s website - https://www.streetviewvagabond.com/
• Streetview Vagabond on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/streetviewvagabond/
• Ep 242 Meeting Kind Strangers - https://notaballerina.com/242
• Ep 76 The Kindness of Strangers When You Travel - https://notaballerina.com/76
• Ep 88 Random Acts of Travel Kindness - https://notaballerina.com/88
• 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/350

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all take hundreds of photos on our travels these days, but I was keen to chat with Nicole Smith, founder of Flytographer, about how their network of photographers take this to the next level in many popular travel spots around the world. Nicole is an avid traveller who caught the travel bug young, and after a very unfortunate photographic "accident" on a long trip through Asia, she realised just how important having photos to job our memories can be.

Nicole and I chatted about what it means to be a thoughtful traveller, the benefits of meeting up with local people in the places we visit, and more about how special our photographic travel memories can be.

Links:

• Flytographer - https://www.flytographer.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/349

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.