Armed baboons attack, 85 days on the Atlantic, and The Thoughtful Travel Podcast’s Amanda Kendle says dreaming about travel can keep us curious during a pandemic.
First Stop: “Baboons armed with knives, chainsaw spotted in UK safari park”
That's The New York Post headline. This is such a fantastic and ridiculous phrase.
Officials in Knowsley Safari Park in Merseyside say the animals have taken their antics to the next level and upgraded their weapons. Did tourists provide the weapons? Maybe. So we guess they got the photos they deserved.
Next Stop: This pandemic has given us a lot to think about. And since very few of us can travel right now, we're spending a lot of dreaming about that day when we can travel again.
Alicia chatted with The Thoughtful Travel Podcast host Amanda Kendle about how we can use this time to become more thoughtful travelers, even if we don't leave our own neighborhood. The conversation also touched on the complicated ethics of traveling during a pandemic and what the future of travel might look like. (We also discussed the very specific travel obsession our sons shared.)
If you like Amanda's travel philosophy and her podcast, you can also connect with her Thoughtful Travellers group on Facebook.
Which travel experiences have surprised you the most?
How will you decide when it's safe and ethical to travel?
How are you feeding your wanderlust as you stay close to home?
Mentioned in this interview: Read the book that inspired Amanda. It's called "The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest County" by Helen Russell.
Take a virtual art class from the shop that Alicia mentioned. You might also like the resources mentioned in our Social Distancing Staycation episode.
Postcard:
Mariner Juan Manuel Ballestero wanted to get from Portugal to Argentina to be with his family before his father's 90th birthday. So he hopped into his 29-foot sailboat and sailed across the Atlantic.
Whoa.
Writer Daniel Politi describes Mr. Ballestero’s epic 85-day journal in this compelling feature for The New York Times. You can read it in either English or Spanish.
Where you are traveling right now? How are you helping support tourism safely in your own town?
Where do you dream of going when this pandemic is over?