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/
• 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.