Travel Storytelling · Cultural Connection · Backpacking

Travel is often inspired by a desire for adventure. But over time, it can become something deeper: a way to build connection, expand empathy, and better understand ourselves and others.

In this episode of Conversations for Curious Travelers, I’m joined by James Hammond, creator and host of the Winging It Travel Podcast, the Roaming with Hammo YouTube channel, and a member of the Voyascape Network. Drawing from his experiences traveling through 70+ countries, James reflects on how his journey has evolved — from adventure-driven travel toward a more connection-centered approach.

Together, we explore what it means to slow down, stay open, and travel without rigid expectations. James shares powerful stories from his time trekking in Nepal, moments of awe and humility, and how staying curious has helped him form meaningful connections across cultures. We also discuss storytelling, content creation, and why presence and flexibility often lead to the most memorable travel experiences.

This conversation offers inspiration, perspective, and practical ideas for anyone who wants to enhance their travels.

Episode Highlights

• Lessons learned from visiting over 70 countries
• The shift from adventure-based travel to traveling for connection
• A moving story from trekking in Nepal
• How curiosity and flexibility open the door to deeper cultural connection
• Tips for traveling more thoughtfully, including walking tours and overland travel
• What storytelling has taught James about reflection and presence

Next Step

Plan a weekend trip to a place a few hours from home that you have never visited before.

Reflection

James shared an inspiring quote by Mark Twain:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.

Connect with James

Winging It Website

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Instagram

Roaming With Hammo YouTube Channel

Resources Shared in the Show

Voyascape Network

Curious Tourism

The Mad Traveler

Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life by Shigehiro Oishi

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As this year — and our first season of Conversations for Curious Travelers — comes to a close, I’m filled with gratitude for you and everyone who’s joined me on this journey. In this reflective episode, I share highlights from our inspiring guests and solo explorations, what I’ve learned through creating this show, and why I’m taking a short break before Season Two launches in January.

From awe and thoughtfulness to family connection and gratitude, this season has been full of stories that remind us how travel can teach us about the world — and ourselves.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Hear About:

• Reflections and favorite moments from our first season
• Guests who shared wisdom on awe, creativity, connection, and education
• Solo episodes on travel, gratitude, and making the most of every journey
• How the LEARN Through Travel framework continues to shape the show
• A personal update and what’s ahead in Season Two
• Ways you can stay connected and keep learning through travel

🌍 Guests Featured This Season

• Tracy Smyth — Cultivating Awe as Travelers
• Amanda Kendle — How to Travel More Thoughtfully
• Sahara Rose De Vore — Travel Coaching Insights: Changing the Travel Industry
• Jessica Grace Coleman — Planning Movie-Inspired Trips
• Sara Cole — Love Comes First: Building Connections Through Travel
• Missy Meskell — Backpacking with Kids: Lessons from the Pacific Crest Trail
• Scott Rainey — How Educational Travel Changes Lives

🌍 Solo Episodes Mentioned

• Welcome to Conversations for Curious Travelers
• Insider Museum Tips to Make Your Visits Unforgettable
• Why Travel Matters in Uncertain Times
• Travel with Gratitude: Stories, Science & Simple Practices
• Thoughtful Travel Gifts: Experiences and Ideas They’ll Remember Forever

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

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Looking for the perfect gift for the traveler in your life? In this episode of Conversations for Curious Travelers, I’m sharing meaningful, thoughtful, and practical gift ideas that go far beyond souvenirs. From once-in-a-lifetime experiences to cozy at-home touches, you’ll find inspiration for every budget and every kind of traveler.

I’ll also share a personal story about a powerful travel gift my husband gave me before a trip to France—a reminder of how the right gift can create memories that last a lifetime.

Episode Highlights

• Why the most meaningful gifts aren’t things, but experiences and connections
• Inspiring ideas for travel gifts—from National Park passes to cooking classes
• Affordable and low-cost gifts that create big impact
• Smart and sustainable travel gear ideas travelers will actually use

Next Step

Think of one traveler in your life. Reflect on what they love most about travel, or where they’re headed next. Use one of today’s ideas to choose a thoughtful gift just for them.

Reflection

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” — Simone Weil

Links & Resources

• Trip Scholars: The Secret to Meaningful Gifts for Travelers
• Trip Scholars: Travel Gear Guide
• Trip Scholars: The Best Books for Travelers (Multiple Articles)
• Trip Scholars: Cozy Hygge Travel Gifts
• Trip Scholars: Best Games for Travelers
• Trip Scholars: Language Learning Before You Travel
• TripScholars: Work Exchanges
• Trip Scholars: Everything I Offer
• My free guide: The Curious Traveler’s Guide to More Meaningful Trips
• 6 Ways to Give Better Gifts—Based on Science
• Experiential gifts and the construal of meaningful consumption episodes

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

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Travel with Gratitude · Gratitude Travel Tips · Gratitude and Travel Stories

In this special episode, I explore how gratitude transforms our travel experiences and our lives. I share personal stories from Costa Rica, practical tools , and science-backed benefits of gratitude that can help you navigate both holiday travel stress and life’s bigger challenges.

Episode Highlights:

• How gratitude can reframe even the hardest travel moments.
• Simple, science-backed practices you can use before, during, and after travel.
• The surprising ways gratitude improves health, relationships, and resilience.
• Insights from Costa Rica’s culture of Pura Vida and everyday gratitude.

Next Step:
Try shifting one I have to into an I get to every day this week.

Reflection:
“The root of joy is gratefulness...It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” -- Brother David Steindl-Rast

Links & Resources:

Trip Scholars Post: Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude for Better Travel

The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley: The Science of Gratitude

Gratitude increases empathy and reduces aggression

Gratitude helps build connections

Gratitude enhances health, brings happiness — and may even lengthen lives

Costa Rica Happy Planet Index

Costa Rica Happier Lives Institute

Costa Rica Reforestation

Costa Rica Renewable Energy

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."-- Will

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

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Movie Inspired Trips · Set Jetting & Movie Tourism · Cinematic Travel Experiences

From set-jetting to magical movie moments, travelers are discovering how films and TV shows can enhance their journeys. In this episode I sit down with Jessica Grace Coleman — author, filmmaker, podcaster, and founder of Movify Your Life — to explore how movie-inspired travel can transform not just your trips, but your life. Jessica shares how she turned her adventures into a “moviementry” and practical tips for bringing cinematic magic into everyday travel.

Episode Highlights

• What movie-inspired travel really means — from visiting film locations to designing a cinematic journey of your own
• Practical tips for set-jetting and creating itineraries based on your favorite films and TV shows
• Jessica’s story of finding confidence and transformation through solo travel
• How to use an alter ego to step outside your comfort zone while traveling
• The story behind Movify Your Life project and “moviementry” film

Next Step

Grab a piece of paper and write down your favorite travel or life memories. Look for recurring themes — people, places, or details that always light you up. When planning your next trip, intentionally weave more of those elements into your itinerary and your life.

Reflection

Jessica shared a powerful line from Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years:

Connect with Jessica

• Movify Your Life website
• Movimentary
• Podcast: Movify Your Life Show
• Free guide: Movie Star Alter Ego Starter Kit
• Instagram

Links & Resources

• The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman
• A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
• The Art of Making Memories by Meik Wiking
• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
• Are You Dave Gorman
• Films & Shows on Trip Scholars Related to Travel Destin

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

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Thoughtful Travel • Sustainable Travel • Meaningful Journeys

What does it really mean to travel thoughtfully—and how can it transform the way you experience the world? In this conversation, I sit down with Amanda Kendle, longtime travel writer, lecturer, and host of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. Amanda has been exploring and teaching about responsible, mindful journeys for decades, helping travelers discover how curiosity and connection can shape more meaningful adventures.

Episode Highlights:

• How Amanda’s early travel experiences shaped her lifelong passion for exploring thoughtfully.
• Why curiosity is one of the most powerful tools travelers can pack.
• Simple trip practices to make your journeys richer.
• How to balance joyful experiences with responsible, sustainable travel choices.
• Why mishaps and unplanned moments often become our most memorable travel stories.

Next Step

Choose one way to experiment by stepping outside your travel comfort zone. It might be leaving an afternoon unscheduled, starting a conversation with a local, or swapping one planned activity for spontaneous discovery. Thoughtful travel often begins in the unexpected.

Reflection

“You did what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better.” — Maya Angelou (via Oprah)
How can you apply this idea to your own travels? Consider one past trip where you’d now make different choices, and think about how those lessons can guide your next adventure.

Connect with Amanda Kendle

Amanda is the host and producer of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, a lecturer in media and communication at Murdoch University, and the Vice President of the Board at RISE Travel Institute. She has been a freelance travel writer and blogger for over 20 years, focusing on how we can travel in ways that benefit both travelers and the communities we visit.

• Website: Not A Ballerina
• Podcast: The Thoughtful Travel Podcast
• Substack
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Facebook
  
  

Links & Resources

• RISE Travel Institute
• Why We Travel by Ash Bhardwaj

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

Let’s stay connected:
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest

Subscribe to the Trip Scholars newsletter for travel insights, educational resources, and podcast updates.

Explore more episodes and free resources at TripScholars.com

Why travel matters • Finding connection and perspective • Resilience and joy

Do you feel overwhelmed by the state of the world? In this episode you’ll discover how travel can give you the tools to meet these challenges with empathy, curiosity, and resilience.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why travel in uncertain times isn’t an escape but a pathway to resilience
• How encounters while traveling reduce prejudice and build shared humanity
• Ways to use curiosity as an antidote to fear and division
• How travel experiences put today’s challenges into a bigger perspective
• What research shows about the happiness boost from planning a trip
• Why travel often inspires meaningful action back at home

This Week’s Small Step to Enhance Your Next Trip

Put one simple adventure on your calendar—whether it’s a day trip, museum visit, or hike. Anticipating it will lift your spirits and remind you of the hope travel can bring, even in challenging times.

Reflection

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” — Rumi

Links & Resources

North Cascades Institute

Contact Hypothesis overview

Contact Hypothesis Meta-analysis

Pew Research on Why People Changed Their Minds on Marriage Equality

Curiosity Helps Learning and Memory

World Health Statistics

Travel Brings Happiness and Lowers Stress

Maya Angelou

Jane Goodall

Eleanor Roosevelt

Rumi Jalalud-Din

Editor’s Note: The first version of this episode included an incorrect quote from President Obama. I corrected it within a few hours — but if you heard that first take, my apologies.

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

Let’s stay connected:
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Subscribe to the Trip Scholars newsletter for travel insights, educational resources, and podcast updates.

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Travel Coaching • Intentional Travel • Meaningful Journeys

What happens when travel is more than just a vacation? In this conversation, Sahara Rose De Vore, founder and CEO of the Travel Coach Network, shares how her journey from broke college student to visiting 84 countries solo led her to pioneer a new field: travel coaching.

Sahara is a TEDx speaker and global thought leader in the travel industry. She has been featured in over 200 media outlets for her expertise and was recently named one of the Most Influential Women in Travel by Travel Pulse.

In this conversation:

• Discover how Sahara went from uncertain student to global traveler and entrepreneur.
• Learn what travel coaching is—and how it differs from traditional travel planning.
• Explore why setting intentions before a trip transforms your experience.
• Find out how solo travel can unlock resilience, gratitude, and self-awareness.
• Consider whether working with a travel coach might be right for you.
• Learn what it takes to become a travel coach and build a meaningful business.

This Week’s Small Step to Enhance Your Next Trip

Before you plan your next journey, pause to ask yourself: Why do I want to take this trip? Whether it’s rest, connection, or discovery-- explore your why and try to go deeper.

Reflection

“What does travel mean to you?”
Take a moment to journal or reflect on this question. Each of us has a different relationship to travel, and by clarifying yours, you can create more meaningful journeys that align with your values and aspirations.

Connect with Sahara Rose De Vore & the Travel Coach Certification Program

The Travel Coach Network Website

Free resource: Beginner’s Guide to Travel Coaching

Travel Coach Certification Program

Travel Coach Directory

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Kind Traveler

Thanks for joining me on Conversations for Curious Travelers, a Trip Scholars podcast. I'm so glad you are here!

Please support the show— follow and leave a review—it helps more thoughtful travelers like you discover these conversations. Thank you!

Want to make your next trip even better?
Download your free guide: The Curious Traveler’s 5-Step Guide to More Meaningful Trips

Ready for personalized support?
Explore my workshops, classes, and travel coaching to get expert guidance in planning meaningful, personalized journeys at TripScholars.com

Let’s stay connected:
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest

Subscribe to the Trip Scholars newsletter for travel insights, educational resources, and podcast updates.

Explore more episodes and free resources at TripScholars.com