Podcasts about Elephant Nature Park

Send us a Text Message.Can exploiting animals for entertainment ever be justified? Join our conversation with Wichapayat Piromsan, a leading animal rights activist in Thailand, who brings to light the critical issue of animal welfare in the country. We start by celebrating the vibrant culture and culinary diversity of Thailand, particularly Bangkok, where Wich shares her personal experiences and the unique blend of flavours influenced by neighbouring cuisines.Transitioning to the heart of the matter, Wich provides a harrowing account of the exploitation of elephants and other animals for tourism and entertainment. She highlights the dire conditions at places like Chatuchak Weekend Market and the tragic fire that claimed the lives of many animals, emphasizing the pressing need for stricter animal welfare standards. We also delve into the complex relationship between Buddhism's teachings on non-violence and the prevalent meat consumption in Thailand, exploring the societal and economic challenges in promoting broader animal welfare.Our discussion doesn't stop there; we turn our focus to sustainable solutions. Learn about Madre Brava's mission to combat climate change and enhance public health through a plant-based diet. Wich shares her journey towards veganism, influenced by childhood experiences and pivotal moments. We also provide guidance on ethical tourism, recommending reputable sanctuaries like Elephant Nature Park and Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. Wrap up with tips for tourists wishing to support animal welfare while enjoying Thailand, and stay connected with the Curious Vedant podcast for more eye-opening episodes.Follow my Facebook page to get updates on upcoming episodes. https://www.facebook.com/curiousvedanth/To listen to earlier episodes, visit curiousvedanth.comTo listen at leisure on your phone and get notified about future episodes, subscribe by searching for 'Curious Vedanth' wherever you get podcasts, such as Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, etc.

On this episode, my guests are Jesse Mann (editor-director) and Tyson Sadler (director), the brains behind the documentary The Last Tourist. Jesse is both a picture editor and director whose professional work has spanned commercial, tv and film projects. The Last Tourist is her second feature film as editor. Her first film, as both editor and director, Material Success, screened internationally and won the Audience Choice at the Canadian Film Festival and Best Film at the Canadian Film Festival (2012). Most recently, she both directed and edited the online horror mini-series “The Confinement” (2021). She is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and an associate member of the Canadian Cinema Editors. Jesse has an B.F.A. from Ryerson University's School of Image Arts.Tyson Sadler is an explorer, traveller and award-winning filmmaker. He has directed video content and documentaries for The New York Times, Associated Press, and The Huffington Post. His films have been screened at festivals around the world including Tribeca Film Festival, South by Southwest, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival. An early pioneer i virtual reality documentary, he has worked tirelessly to use cutting edge technology to tell stories that build empathy around causes such as climate change, forced migration, and human rights.Show Notes:The Film's InceptionIndustry PolarityRegulating TravelAddressing the Root ProblemsGreenwashing Animal and Child Welfare TourismHow the Wealth Gap Increased During COVIDWhat was Left on the Cutting Room FloorHomework:WATCH THE FILM HEREThe Last Tourist Film Website | Instagram | FacebookThe Last Tourist TrailerJesse Mann's Website | InstagramTyson Sadler's Website | InstagramTranscript:Chris: Welcome Jesse and Tyson to the End of Tourism Podcast. Jesse: Thanks Chris for having us. Tyson: Thanks for having us. Chris: Thank you so much for joining me today to talk about your documentary film, The Last Tourist. So, it was released in 2022 to great reception.And as you might imagine, many of my listeners have pointed me in its direction. And after watching the film, I found myself really grateful that people finally approached these themes in the medium of documentary filmmaking and with what seemed to be a budget to do justice to what those themes confront. And so first I'd like to ask you two how The Last Tourist got started and what the inspiration behind the film's creation was and how did you decide to write a treatment for it? Tyson: Ultimately, you know, I think the inspiration for The Last Tourist came from a combination of personal shared experience and a shared passion for travel and particularly responsible travel.You know, in early 2018, I was approached [00:01:00] by the executive producers to write a treatment, for a short film around responsible tourism in the country of Peru. And through, you know, some follow up conversations, we sort of quickly realized that we had an opportunity because, a large scale documentary, on the subject of responsible tourism just didn't exist yet. I mean, we have wonderful films out there which challenge our conversations with our relationship with climate change and our relationship with our food source like An Inconvenient Truth or like Food Inc., but we didn't at that time yet have a documentary which really challenged our perceptions of the global impact of the travel and tourism industry and so over conversations with with our team and the producers we quickly realized that we had a unique opportunity to make "An Inconvenient Truth" for the travel industry and in early 2018, we seized on that opportunity to explore the positive and negative impacts of tourism on destinations.Jesse: And I think just to add to what Tyson was saying, I think originally [00:02:00] it started off as a short project and yourself and the executive producers who brought us together kind of pushed for it to become the large scale project that had ended up being filmed in 15 different countries or 16 with 400 hours of footage.So, sometimes you don't know, especially myself as a co-writer and editor, when you come on to a project, in the initial stages, you think, "Oh, you know, this is wonderful. It sounds like a great project." I had been an avid traveler, lived in a few different countries over 20 years and I thought, yeah, this is a story that needs to be told, but I will say in no way in the beginning, did I ever think it was going to be, and I think Tyson didn't either, was it going to be such a huge project. And you comment, Chris, on the expansiveness of the subject and the different kind of facets of the tourism [00:03:00] industry we were able to look at.And really I have to say that I'm happy that we got to touch on all those points and to the chagrin of my personal sleep and Tyson's as well, but it started off small, I have to say that, and it grew into something tremendous that I think we're very proud of.Tyson: It really was a natural progression of our desire to raise awareness about responsible tourism and its consequences. We had our world premiere, honestly, I think it was about two years ago now at the Vancouver International Film Festival, two years ago. And a little over two years ago, a little over two years ago.And the film is still doing a festival run. Just last weekend, Jesse was at the the Innsbruck Film Festival and it's still been getting a wonderful response, great conversations around it. And we're streaming on platforms around the world, you know, Crave in Canada, Hulu in the U.S., Amazon Prime in other countries. I was just in French Polynesia and was able to find our film on Amazon Prime, which was really delightful [00:04:00] to see that. Jesse: Yeah, it makes us happy as filmmakers to know that the story that we spent a lot of time trying to create in a way that we thought would connect with audiences worldwide is actually getting out there. And so it's really nice to be speaking to you on your podcast as well and kind of extend that out to potentially more people who haven't seen the film or some who just want to talk more about the topics. Chris: And I wanted to ask you two, given the fact that the film was released, you know, still very much in a pandemic during the, the COVID 19 times what the reactions were given the fact that tourism had ground to a halt in that time you know, I received a lot of Mail regarding your film, like, ah, you have to check this out.You have to watch this, right? And so a lot of people really excited about the project, about the film. But then I guess I'm also curious about[00:05:00] if there was much of an industry backlash in regards to the degree of sincerity perhaps around which the film exhibited these kind of deep and sometimes dire consequences that visit themselves on places and people in the name of tourism.Tyson: Yeah. I think the reactions to the film have been in my experience, almost entirely positive. But people don't come to me with criticism, they come to me with congratulations, but I think there's a lot of individuals in the tourism industry and sponsors that have really welcomed our film, The Last Tourist, as a necessary and eye opening piece of work.It sparked a lot of interesting conversations and prompted the industry to, in many ways, I think, reevaluate some of their practices. You Jesse: If we back it up to when we were just when we were meeting with all of the different professionals that we interviewed across the different facets of the tourism industry, I mean, when you and I were writing the story, there were so [00:06:00] many different conflicting opinions on how to solve one issue that we still come across that sometimes when we meet those industry experts outside of, let's say, film audiences.Because When we were writing it, we had to kind of decide which side of the coin we were going to follow through our story with, and whether it's a topic of let's say regulation, that was a topic that Tyson and I had a lot of conversations about when we were making the film because the industry in itself is kind of very polarized in terms of regulation.There's some strong proponents within the tourism industry who want regulation. And then there's some who are very against it. And Tyson and I had a lot of conversations about that. And I think we still do when we meet certain industry professionals out there and I think that's a really important topic as well.[00:07:00] Now that you are bringing up, post covid and the pandemic where we saw kind of what happens when things are shut down. You know, we see both the positive and the negative. I mean we mentioned it in the film, but almost every single person that we interviewed in our film lost their means of income during that time. Gone.And at the same time, the world experienced kind of you know, a refuge from, you know, airplane emissions and damage to destinations. And, you know, these were calculable things like we could see that this was a definite impact. So, I think there's these kind of topics and these conversations are where we see a lot of polarity.And I think that we tried our best to focus on the people and the developing nations in our story. But, there are a lot [00:08:00] of stories that were left on the cutting room floor and so it is good to discuss them after in a podcast like this. I know that's kind of a long winded interjection, but I do believe that we do have some polarity for sure Tyson and I have come across, but just not in terms of what Tyson is talking about, in terms of not not so much with the audiences It is more a bit in the industry. Tyson: I'll share an observation. During the process of creating this film, we interviewed literally dozens of travel experts, you know from academics to tour operators across the industry.It's universally recognized that responsible tourism and sustainable tourism is a good thing. But then when we dive a little bit deeper I found a very fractured kind of industry because everybody believes that they know how to do responsible tourism, right. And everybody else, often, isn't executing responsible tourism correctly.And so, on a foundational level, sure, we all believe in responsible tourism, but I think, the approach at how we get there isn't universally accepted, throughout the industry, and I think [00:09:00] that that's, on a basic level, we kind of explore those themes in the film as well as we interview people who kind of take different approaches to how to engage responsibly with tourists and host communities.Jesse: And we had to make some hard decisions, obviously based on the research that was coming in on what side we wanted to promote in the story. But sometimes I think it's fair to say, Tyson, if you agree with me that we did try to leave it a bit more open for audiences to try to make their own decision based on what we had learned, because it's not always an easy answer for every situation.It's quite nuanced, I think. Tyson: Absolutely. Chris: And you mentioned Jesse, regulation. In terms of the people you interviewed and your research, generally speaking, what does that look like, or what might that look like in particular locales or within the industry?Jesse: Well, I think we've seen quite a bit of it post pandemic because where we thought there was going to be [00:10:00] an ease back into traveling that has not happened. All the reports are coming back in that tourism is back up in droves and a lot of the same problems, if not more are back with travel again.And so we've seen places like Machu Picchu has started regulating the amount of people that are able to visit annually. Worldwide, there's different popular tourist destinations who have decided to limit the amount of tourism and tourists that come to certain destinations.You know, I think when it comes to destinations, we just have to be really careful that it doesn't become a tax that is elitist because that happens a lot with regulation across the board. You've seen it with cigarettes, you've seen it with airfare as well. You're paying a higher price for travel. And although I do believe personally and Tyson, you [00:11:00] can speak to this as well, but because we haven't discussed this recently, but when you put a strong tariff or tax on travel, I think it is important, but I think it has to be calculated so that it's not elitist because if we only have people traveling in the world who can afford it, if it becomes so unaffordable, this is totally against the core value of travel, which is to unite all people of all different socioeconomic statuses and really connect with different cultures and people, and if it's just suddenly becomes for people who can afford a really overpriced flight, I think that will completely take away the value of the core value of travel.But I do strongly believe that, and this I think is a very controversial thing to say. I do believe that things have to be regulated and there has to be something done, especially about the amount of flights that are happening on this planet. Because, you know, for instance, I don't know the statistics for Canada, but I was looking at it the other day for[00:12:00] the UK.And I think something like 70 percent of all flights in the UK are taken by 15 percent of the population, and I don't doubt that that's very similar for a lot of the Western world without knowing all the statistics specifically, so I think that that has to be really taken into consideration when putting out regulation in terms of flights or destinations and such.Chris: Yeah, I've thought about it quite a bit as well, and the elitization of travel, and this understanding that, well, we remove subsidies, for example, for air travel or other things, that we'll just have rich people flying around the world, which is more often than not the case already. Most flights are undertaken for business travel and that's a huge thing that I think most people don't know about, but instead of getting people with corporate backed funds or just rich people flying around the world, we're obviously looking for people with strong principles and good behavior to be the ones [00:13:00] traveling.But then how do you measure that? How do you quantify that in a way that honors the kinds of worlds we want to live in? And it's not just this like, oh, it's impossible. Sure. And we could take that understanding that to quantify such a thing would be next to impossible, but then it could also open up these kind of doors of imagination where in like what kind of infrastructures would we want to put in place that were not maybe Government sanctioned or not maybe top down, but actually from the bottom up, creating these kind of international or intercultural bonds and practices between people that would allow not just for the kinds of people who locals in quote unquote "destinations" want to receive to be able to travel, but then also to create the conditions whereby that kind of, for lack of a better word, behavior or principles could be deepened in the world.I mean, it'd be extremely difficult to, [00:14:00] to manage, but How would you quantify that? How would you measure that? Jesse: Yeah, and I think that's such a, such a complicated issue and I love what you're saying though. I think it's absolutely wonderful. And I do think it's possible to move in that direction.I'm not sure I have the answer for that and maybe Tyson wants to speak to it, but I also want to say that something that I think could be part of the solution is also promoting train travel as well. And I know that that kind of that stops at domestic. But at the same time, you know, I think governments should be allocating a lot of funds to push train travel to create and develop train travel and to also subsidize train travel more because it's just a wonderful way to reduce emissions and to actually continue allowing people to travel. Tyson: Yeah. There are some countries here in Europe, Jesse, and I think Europe is just far beyond a lot of the rest of the world. Canada, I think we're still living in the dark ages, you know, when it comes to long [00:15:00] distance train travel.Jesse: That's a shame. It hasn't been made a priority. Tyson: It just doesn't exist.Chris: Well, I'm curious also for you two how your own travels in your lives might have come to bear on your production or pre production and research in the film. Maybe you could tell us a little bit of how you've seen the world over the course of your life and your travels and if that came to bear at all in the making of the film.Tyson: Personally for me, I traveled extensively, for 20 years prior to embarking on this film. I worked in the travel industry. I worked for an airline for many years. I was also a journalist and I've done work for several large publications, which allowed me to travel to very, some very remote and exotic destinations around the world.This travel really exposed me to the beauty and the wonder of the world. But also the environmental and the cultural challenges that a lot of these destinations face. You know, the experiences, with travel for both work and for pleasure, I think they served as a [00:16:00] catalyst, for me just to delve deeper into this topic.And so when I was approached about directing and writing a film on this topic, I don't think there could have been a better fit. Like it just, everything just kind of fell into place and I just felt like I was really well poised because prior to that I had traveled to 70 different countries in a number of different capacities.I had personally engaged in a number of behaviors that we are critical of in the film in terms of animal interaction, you know, interaction with other cultures. And my travel through two decades was really an eye opening and learning experience for me. And what this film really is, I think for me and in many points in the film is a reflection of my past travels and things that have been illuminated in my mind in terms of what are some important aspects that we really need to address if we want to be more conscious and responsible travelers.Jesse: And I think from my end I surely [00:17:00] had not traveled to as many destinations as Tyson. But I did indulge my wanderlust in my twenties and thirties. I lived in a few different countries, Holland, South Africa, Germany, Canada. And I think that the absolute best aspect for me personally of travel is meeting the people.I absolutely love meeting people in different cultures and seeing the differences and the similarities and learning the wisdom as much as I possibly can in such a moment of my life, when I'm in a destination, if it grants me such a gift. And I think from that, I still do have such a deep, deep gratitude to my privilege and being able to travel in and meet such people.I've made such beautiful friendships over the course of 20 years and many I still keep in touch with across the various places I've lived. And I think that when you come back, [00:18:00] perhaps from living in different cultures in different countries and you come back to your home, the place you were raised in and where you were born and where you were raised culturally, and you can note the vast differences, and it's not a negative thing, but you start to pick up on the ways in which many people can see different cultures or different countries in a way that is completely disconnected from the actual truth and and this knowledge often comes with privilege.I was privileged enough to be able to travel to these destinations to meet certain people and to dissuade certain prejudices, but not everyone can. And so part of this film, I have to say, ironically, is that if you can't travel, this film is also a wonderful film to watch because it's something that you can meet these people [00:19:00] in these destinations.You know, there's so many places that I've been to also that are so many places I have not been to that were featured in the film as well. And with documentary filmmaking and making, and especially as an editor, I really do feel like I get to know these people so well, and I don't think that's just exclusive to myself.I think audiences, hopefully, if I've done it correctly, if Tyson and I have, have made the film correctly, that these people's hearts have come through in the film. And, this is something that Tyson and I really worked hard on. And I'm sorry if I'm deviating from the question a bit, but it does connect very deeply to my love of travel is is people and also my love of editing people and so it was something we worked really hard to focus on is how do we give these people a podium. They have their voice there. They're saying their truths. How do we give them a podium [00:20:00] and as the white filmmakers who are coming into different countries, how do we take a step back and really let them preach their wisdom? And so it was a balance for us really in finding the right voices, obviously speaking to the right professionals and speaking to professionals within different cultures that you see featured in the film and really making sure that their knowledge, their voice, their direction was giving us direction on how we edited and formulated the story and stories of everyone that we met in the travels of the production as well. Chris: And on that note, I'm curious for each of you, what was the most important topic or theme that came up in the film for you personally?Tyson: For me, maybe it's an echo of Jesse's sentiments there, but really it comes down to the impact on the communities that so graciously host us when we when we do travel. Travel you know has you know has an encyclopedia [00:21:00] of challenges that come with traveling responsibly unless we address the people. And I think we address this and the the film addresses this, but we can't begin to you know to start focusing on the environment unless we first focus on the communities who are there and helping them emerge from poverty. We can't begin to focus on how we can solve the problem of poaching in the African savannah unless we first address the root causes of why it's there and how it affects the host communities and how poverty affects people's decisions to be involved in this trade. Jesse: That was something that Jane Goodall was was really adamant about speaking in the film about as well Tyson: Yeah, and so to answer your question Chris, I mean ultimately it comes down to the communities and the people, the humanity of it all. First, we need to address the human aspect and then we can address the secondary aspects of what it means to be a responsible traveler.[00:22:00] Jesse: So for me, personally, the most incredible voices in the film that when they came in, I just thought, "oh, wow," were definitely Lek from Elephant Nature Park and one of our contacts in Kenya Judy Kefergona, who ended up being one of the main speakers and narrators throughout a huge portion of our film.These two women were just heroes. Like just with Judy, with the words that she was able to express for the people working in not just only the tourism industry in Kenya, but the people of Kenya who were vulnerable to unethical tourism, and then speaking to so many different subjects that were connected to so many different stories worldwide with such eloquence and such power and such knowledge [00:23:00] and encourage really, I think. She spoke about these topics. I was just enamored, just blown away and so grateful for her coming onto our film and Lek Chailart is just a modern day hero. She is the tiniest woman with the biggest heart who when I saw her story in our film against the backdrop of these beautiful giants, these elephants that she has rescued. And essentially she's an elephant whisperer in the truest sense of the word. And it's just such a magical thing to see.Listeners won't be able to understand this. I'm getting goosebumps when I just talk about her and this was the kind of thing that when Tyson and I were looking through footage and looking through stories that we were looking for, "Oh, that's the moment, ah! the moment. I got the goosebumps. That's it. It's there. And we found it in the stories, not just these two women, everyone you see featured in the story and some that were left on the cutting room floor, unfortunately there that gave us beautiful insight that we still used in crafting the story, that just wasn't able to [00:24:00] make it into the actual film for timing constraints.But really, I would have to say that these two, it's not specifically the stories, although both of them touch on really important stories, including child welfare and animal welfare, which to me, those two stories were really close to my heart. And we felt really strongly that they needed a really important part in the film.But it was really these two women who I just felt so grateful for in the film. Chris: I mean, the, the chapter on animal welfare was quite devastating for me in part because it had reminded me that in my early twenties, I had visited Thailand and I had gone to an elephant sanctuary. Not a zoo but a sanctuary, and had the opportunity to ride an elephant for a short time, and I felt really uncomfortable probably because I was on top of an elephant, just the kind of immediate awkwardness of such a thing, having never seen one in person, having never [00:25:00] experienced that before, but also kind of like, "what am I doing here?" And so, that part of the film really kind of opened up for me why I felt that perhaps existential discomfort, not just about being on top of an animal of that size, but in the context of the dynamic, you around how that was happening and why that was happening and not having the context for it so long ago.And of course, this is one of the things that we touch on in the episodes, in the interviews, in the podcast, is how can we come to understand these things when our visits are so short in these places, when we are only in a place for just a very brief time and there's really no context for the history and the culture and the political dynamics that surround these things.And then, most travelers, most tourists just end up leaving and the consequence of one's presence on the scene is kind of forgotten, at least by the tourist or traveler. Yeah, so thank you for [00:26:00] for that. Jesse: That question did come up actually at the recent screening of the film in Innsbruck at the Nature Film Festival, whereas someone in the audience asked very specifically, even though it would be great to stay at a destination for a long time, most people are, saving up for short travel when they have time off work. And they need to take this kind of tour because they can only afford this one. And what do you say to those people who want to travel better, but feel like they're kind of stuck or don't know where to go. But I would say in short, I think that touches on an issue that we have in the modern world with a lot of things. We are all overtired, overworked, and we don't have time to be ethical, we don't have time to do the research, we don't have time to investigate, if anything is against our core values, and we don't have time to and I get that, you know, it's not easy for everybody.And if you do have the [00:27:00] time and you are able to really do a deep dive then you're very privileged, because you have the time, which just means that you have the money. So we did try to give a lot of smaller tips at the end of the film in terms of how you can do smaller acts of, of kindness and of conscious traveling, to travel local, to put money into local economies to make sure that you're not requesting your sheets to be washed every day, making sure that you're traveling using reusable, to make sure that you're and I guess this goes into a little bit more of the extensive questioning is to ask the destination that you're traveling to what their policies are in connection with the locals, in connections with the environment. Unfortunately, there is a lot of greenwashing in tourism. And you know, that's in all industries right now worldwide. So it's not going to be so easy for someone who isn't an investigative [00:28:00] journalist to really find out the truth behind it all the time, but we can do our best.And there are quite a few links on the website thelasttouristfilm.com where you can see some of the different organizations that we spoke with that have lists upon lists of different collaborating companies that you can look to that can can show you places that are not greenwashing or that are working with locals, but back to the idea of taking the time and it is about taking the time, whether it's an hour even, just to take the time and do a bit of research and this especially comes back to the topic of child welfare and people who are still, en masse, volunteering worldwide to orphanages and orphanages where children have existing family members and that these orphanages have become of monetary value to developing nations [00:29:00] because they make money and it's really easy for us to pass judgment on places that do this, and it's definitely wrong, but if we as travelers are going there and saying with our travel dollars, this is something we want to invest in, then people in developing nations are going to say, this is how I make money.And it's the same with animal welfare. You pay for an animal sanctuary that you haven't done the research on. They're going to keep perpetuating that cycle. It's going to be the same with child welfare. So, if you do want to be ethical, you have to fit in a little bit of research in your travel time. And that's it. And I know it's not so easy for everybody.Tyson: Yeah, I'd like to expand a little bit on a theme that sort of both of you have talked about. Jessie, you had mentioned greenwashing. Chris, you had mentioned that you had been to an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. One of the most memorable takeaways that I had from this film is just the massive amount of greenwashing [00:30:00] and deception that exists within the industry.I came to know a lot of companies that appeared to just be normal travel companies doing the same thing that has been going on in the travel industry but marketing "green" although nothing really changes. It's just their marketing strategy that's changed. If we look at, for example, in Thailand, there are a number of places that call themselves an elephant sanctuary, an elephant retirement home, an elephant rescue center. And we can't rely on those names anymore to know that the service provider is giving us an ethical experience. We really need to ask deeper questions. It's the trend in the industry now to use this type of language, " sustainable," "responsible," "eco," all of these buzzwords.And I've just come to find these completely meaningless, in those terms. We really need to ask some deeper, more challenging questions of these experiences and the tour operators and the service providers to actually know whether what they're doing is ethical or not because it is very easy to call yourself a [00:31:00] sanctuary, when in fact, it's the complete opposite. If it truly was an elephant sanctuary, we wouldn't be able to ride the elephants, in that place and they would be providing them a life of dignity free from exploitation. And it's the same with children. Calling these places orphanages ,I think it's a misnomer. It's incorrect. You know, 70 percent of children who live in these quote unquote "orphanages" actually have at least one living parent.But it's all under the guise of trying to gain sympathy from the traveler. "Oh, come see an elephant at a retirement home. Come see a child at an orphanage." It's just a piece of marketing that doesn't reflect the truth. We have a lot of companies doing the same unethical practices they've been doing for decades.However, they've just really changed their marketing to appear more green.Chris: Yeah, it seems to be a never ending cycle where responsible isn't good enough, that now we got to be regenerative. So many of these words just end up becoming, marketing tools. Tyson: I'm hearing that word a [00:32:00] lot more these days as well. Chris: Yeah, so how do we proceed, not just with a degree of dedication towards research and, and and planning, but also deep discipline as to how these words are unfortunately, as you said, becoming kind of meaningless in their significance..I want to take a little turn with you both to ask about what happened as the film was going through post production and its release because most of the footage that you have is quote unquote pre pandemic and the COVID 19 pandemic hit, obviously, in 2020 and from what I understand your team was entering into the post production process and, of course, tourism ground to a halt almost completely, worldwide. And throughout the film, there are people that you two interview that contend with the consequences and context of tourism and look [00:33:00] to a more honorable path that it might take. But I'm curious in regards to the people that you did interview who had found a degree of success and perhaps within a more small scale, a more honorable way of doing tourism that those flights, those trains, the reception of people in their villages went from a hundred to zero, basically overnight.So much of the dire consequences of tourism revolve around or end up as exile, local people can't afford to produce food anymore in their places. And the education systems kind of move them towards getting jobs in the next city or even in other countries, and I'm curious in the context of the film and I guess the treatment that you put forward, you know, never perhaps thinking that something like this could happen. What was the fallout among the people that you interviewed in regards to their understandings of tourism and if it was [00:34:00] still this kind of for lack of a better word, golden goose or calf or sacred cow that they could rely on for the rest of their lives.What did you hear kind of in the ether as you were doing that post production? Tyson: I think it substantially expanded the wealth gap. I think during COVID the people that were hit the hardest are the people in the tourism industry that often are paid the least.Depending on what their jobs were, they were the ones who were suffering layoffs and they were the ones whose businesses couldn't afford to sustain themselves. And so I think, for the most vulnerable populations, the pandemic was absolutely devastating.People couldn't afford to put food on the table and pay rents, not just, I think, in developing countries, but even in the developed world. Airlines were laying off massive amounts of employees. Hotels were cutting staff. This was a global challenge that affected everyone. However, at that same time, we did hear stories that, you know, CEOs of major airlines were taking million dollar bonuses[00:35:00] for cutting costs. And that was an observation of mine, through that experience, you know, that the people who needed tourism the most for daily sustenance and to put bread on the table were the ones who were absolutely the most affected and the people kind of at the top of the tourism industry were still fine and they were also taking bonuses, which really bothered me just because the wealth gap just seemed to get further and further apart through that. But we do know, with the stories, that were featured in our film... there's a wonderful lodge in Ecuador, a homestay that we look at and they lost their income during that time.The elephant sanctuary in Thailand, the one that does do great work, not one that greenwashes an elephant sanctuary but they lost a lot of revenue where it was very challenging to feed the elephants and to house the elephants because they didn't have that revenue coming in to support the project. Jesse: We were hearing in in Africa, right?Some of the rangers [00:36:00] were who were placed in defense of the elephants and animals and rhinos and such were just gone. They just weren't there anymore at that time because if they're not getting paid, they can't stay there. And so poaching also went up in those areas as well.But you know, I think that in terms of what the positive was, I think a lot of people were hoping that post COVID that there was going to be hope for change, for renewal for doing things differently. And I think this was in when we were in post that this was maybe, potential to show people how things can be different by showing kind of the polar opposite and the effect and also showing how intrinsically connected people's livelihoods are to this industry and how vulnerable they are to massive change like this. I mean, the Dominican Republic that has [00:37:00] almost 90 percent of their GDP related to tourism? Tyson: Island nations are the ones who are most affected by tourism. You know, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic. The Caribbean islands specifically. I don't know if it's as high as 90%, but the vast majority of their GDP from island nations comes from the travel and tourism industry, and they were certainly hit the hardest during the pandemic. Jesse: And so I think that we can see from that, I think the hope for us during post production was, okay, you know, this is a horrific blow to the people most vulnerable in this industry, but if we can get this message out after the pandemic, perhaps this could be something that could really change. And to be fair, change is slow sometimes and I mean, it's wishful thinking that post pandemic right after that suddenly everyone was going to become ethical travelers but I see so much potential just in the discussions online the people that we're [00:38:00] meeting at different screenings, the interest that we're getting worldwide, just to have these conversations and see that there is an interest in change.And when you talk about moving change, it does often come from the people, and I think, across the world over the past few decades, we've all been seeing again, I think our power as people, as citizens, as individuals, and the power that we have to come together over certain issues that we feel need radical change and even if it is slow change, I do see the inklings of that change happening within the tourism industry and I think it's really positive.Tyson: You still have a lot of work ahead of us. Chris: Amen. I think that's really, really important and, and perhaps fits properly inside of the context of the dominant culture, at least of North America or the quote unquote West, wherein, the pandemic also produced a deepening of the [00:39:00] culture of "everything now."Suddenly it was like, "okay, well, I can't go out here, so everything has to be deliverable, and at the tip of your fingers, right? And what might come with that is this notion that, we also expect social change to happen overnight. Right? And that it might be overshadowed by this kind of dominant culture of wanting everything now and also the unwillingness to do the necessary work, which is sometimes generational.Right? Not just a week or a month or a year, but generations.In that regard, the themes of the film are extremely broad and you go into a lot of detail and depth with each. So I'm very grateful for that, but I'm also curious what might've gotten left out.What might, one day end up on a director's cut of the film. Jesse: Oh, so much. Tyson: Ask the editor. Jesse: Oh. Well, I mean, you had so many stories that you brought [00:40:00] to the table that were beautiful, beautiful stories. Forgive me. I don't remember his name and you'll remember Tyson.But one of the. Tyson: I know who you're talking about. Jesse: Oh, do you? One of the men you interviewed at the UN had a really beautiful story to tell. And then we also had a really beautiful story from Costa Rica. An animal welfare and environmental story. Oh, my goodness. There were so many stories.Tyson: We had a wonderful story from Cusco Peru with an organization that was putting the first female porters on the Inca Trail and really fighting for gender equality on the Inca Trail.Jesse: What was that company's name again, Tyson? Well, the reason why I bring it up is because it's so unique that I just think, "oh, we should definitely highlight that to listeners" because they were taking female porters and they were reorganizing the whole industry based on their [00:41:00] precedent because they were treating porters with dignity, with safe conditions, with, valuable wages and this is something that's just not done across the industry on the Inca Trail with the male porters and there was some really, really horrific footage that we came across of the way these porters were living just not too far from where the tourists were sleeping comfortably in their tents. And this is a wide practice across the industry and Miguel from this company Evolution Treks and the gallon, do you remember his full name, tyson? Tyson: Miguel Angel Gongora Jesse: from Evolution Treks, yeah, a wonderful, wonderful man who was really, really passionate about changing the industry. And we spoke with many of the female porters, and yeah, that was a story that we were really, really sad to lose that [00:42:00] story. Tyson: Yeah. Yeah. With only 90 minutes, you know, we yeah, really had to make some challenging decisions on what to be included in the film and I really feel that a 90 minute film can scratch the surface, it can spark some interest in a number of these themes, but certainly, and maybe that's next steps for us, but I certainly think that what this the subject matter, deserves is a series, you know, cause we could dive much deeper.Jesse: Tyson and I have been talking about it. Tyson: Yeah, we, we can dive much deeper into each of these subjects and create a 90 minute doc on each of them. And so, at some point in the future, we'll be making some pitches and writing some additional treatments into how we can make a six part series and expand on the themes in this film, you know, from the environment to gender inequality to animal welfare and everything deserves a lot more time, but hopefully, what we've done with this film is just been able to spark a number of conversations and inspire people to go and do some additional research [00:43:00] into how these themes impact these communities.Chris: Yeah, well, thank you both so much for that. I have a lot more questions, but maybe that'll also be saved for a sequel. Jesse: Yeah, we'd love to speak to you again, Chris, if you'd like, in the future. Chris: That'd be great. Before we finish, I'd like to ask you what might be next for you two in your respective filmmaking and writing lives?Tyson: My world currently revolves around photographing wildlife particularly large wildlife. Yeah, I've been spending a lot of time traveling recently and in the ocean. I mentioned to you, I mean, tomorrow I'm hopping on a flight and I'm heading to Norway to go photograph large marine mammals in Norway. So that's that's where my life is taking me right now is in pursuit of wildlife filmmaking and photography. Jesse: Although I wish I could, I could say similarly, I right now my life is a little bit calmer. I had a baby 20 months ago. So, I've been on an extended maternity leave [00:44:00] and I'm currently just in development of projects for the future.I finished up this project in full right before my child was born. And I still have a few projects that were finished up recently, but as of the moment I'm completely in development and yeah, I really look forward to developing something with Tyson in the future in regards to what he was talking about a series on travel and on a lot of stories that we were so passionate and so blessed to come across, but that we just didn't have the ability to give the podium to in our film, but yeah, so I'm really excited for the future and just coming from this festival that I was at recently, I'm just so invigorated with the energy of the audiences and the passion to travel better and to demand better travel from the industry and from travelers as a whole. So this just really gives me a lot of hope. Chris: Well, congratulations on your [00:45:00] motherhood. Thank you. And having a little one in your life and this work and Tyson and the opportunity to be able to travel as you do, and to try to honor the lives of those beautiful four leggeds and no leggeds and the tailed and finned ones. So finally, how can our listeners watch The Last Tourist? Are there any screenings coming up? Jesse: Definitely on the website, thelasttouristfilm.com, right when you go to the webpage, there's a whole list of all the different avenues you can watch the film.But maybe Tyson could elaborate more. Tyson: Absolutely. Yeah, you can connect with us on Instagram at Last Tourist Film, as well. We're just kind of wrapping up the fall festival season before we do some additional screenings next spring. We just wrapped up in Germany and Iceland.I think streaming is the best way to find us, in Canada we're streaming on Crave. In the United States, we're streaming on Hulu. Delta Airlines, Emirates Airlines. In other countries around the world, you can also find us, I [00:46:00] know in France, in French Polynesia, Hong Kong on Amazon Prime. And there's a number of other markets that the film will be opening in very shortly which is really exciting.It's not available everywhere, unfortunately, around the world, but if you have a desire to see it, you know, please get in touch with us and we'll do our best to make sure that you have an opportunity to see the film. You can host a private screening. There's a number of ways that you can see this film, but please let's keep the conversation going.Let's get in touch. I'd love to hear from a number of the listeners, and let's find a way that we can allow everyone to see this film. Jesse: And what's been really exciting is we've got a lot of interest from schools. So, educational screenings have been happening all across the world, and that's just been amazing.Those are the best for us, I think. And I would just say, if any of the listeners have any further questions for us, we're always open to taking questions and chatting. Personally, Tyson and I can both be reached at our Instagram. So you can I think Tyson's is @TysonSadler, and mine is [00:47:00] @JesseMann, two S's, two N's. So if you want to leave that for your listeners, they're welcome to contact us. And anyone who's listening can contact us directly that way, who want to host a screening or find out ways to watch. Chris: Absolutely. Yeah, I'll make sure that all the websites and handles are available for our listeners at theendoftourism. com. And on behalf of them on behalf of myself, I'd like to thank you both for joining me today. Your film is incredibly inspirational, necessary, and deeply important for these times and I don't doubt that our listeners think the same. So, I wish you the most beautiful paths ahead on your travels with your families.And ...We get the opportunity to speak again sometime. Tyson: Thank you, Chris. This has really been a meaningful conversation. Thank you. Jesse: Yeah. Thank you so much for giving us this space and I wish you all the same. Chris: My pleasure. Get full access to ⌘ Chris Christou ⌘ at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

EXPLORING THAILAND: FROM BUSTLING CITIES TO TRANQUIL BEACHESThailand is a country rich in culture, history and natural beauty. It offers a variety of experiences for travelers, from bustling cities to serene beaches, from ancient temples to modern skyscrapers, from spicy street food to fine dining. Bangkok is the capital and largest city of Thailand, and a hub of commerce, entertainment and culture. It is a city of contrasts, where you can find traditional markets and temples alongside modern shopping malls and skyscrapers. Bangkok is known for its vibrant nightlife, diverse cuisine and friendly people. Some of the must-see attractions in Bangkok include the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Chatuchak Weekend Market and Khao San Road. Bangkok is also a city that cares about sustainability, as it has many initiatives to reduce traffic congestion, promote public transportation, recycle waste and conserve energy. Chiang Mai is the largest city in northern Thailand, and a center of culture, education and spirituality. It is surrounded by mountains and forests, and has a cooler climate than the rest of the country. Chiang Mai is famous for its hundreds of temples, many of which date back to the 13th century. It is also a hub for arts and crafts, as well as wellness and meditation. Some of the highlights of Chiang Mai include the Old City, Doi Suthep, Elephant Nature Park, Night Bazaar and Sunday Walking Street. Chiang Mai is also a city that values sustainability, as it has many organic farms, eco-friendly hotels and social enterprises. You can visit an organic farm or a community garden to learn about sustainable agriculture, or stay at a hotel that uses solar panels or rainwater harvesting systems. You can also volunteer at an elephant sanctuary or a dog shelter to help the animals in need, or shop at a fair trade store or a handicraft market to support the local artisans.Phuket is the largest island in Thailand, and a popular destination for beach lovers. It has over 30 beaches, ranging from busy resorts to secluded coves. Phuket is also known for its water sports, nightlife and seafood. Some of the best beaches in Phuket include Patong, Kata, Karon and Kamala. Phuket is also a city that supports sustainability, as it has many projects to protect marine life, preserve coral reefs, clean up beaches and promote local culture. For example, you can join a snorkeling or diving trip to see the colorful fish and corals in the Andaman Sea, or participate in a beach cleanup or a coral restoration program to help the environment. Hua Hin is a seaside town in southern Thailand, and a favorite getaway for locals and tourists alike. It has a laid-back atmosphere, with long sandy beaches, golf courses, spas and markets. Hua Hin is also known for its royal heritage, as it is home to the summer palace of King Rama VI. Some of the attractions in Hua Hin include Hua Hin Beach, Cicada Market, Hua Hin Railway Station and Klai Kangwon Palace. Hua Hin is also a city that embraces sustainability, as it has many initiatives to reduce plastic use, promote renewable energy sources and support community development. Why wait? Book your trip now!!Support the showTripCast360 --- It's all about travel, lifestyle and entertainment.Web: TripCast360.com.Twit: https://twitter.com/TripCast360FB: https://www.facebook.com/TripCast360Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tripcast360/

In Episode 2 of the Attempt Adventure Sri Lanka Special, Michael Desrosiers, his younger brother Kyle Desrosiers, and their mother Kim Desrosiers prepare for their upcoming Sri Lanka Adventure. In this episode, the team takes care of some important logistics, begin making a packing list, and learn and perform a Sri Lankan song as the fulfilment of a promise we made to our supporters. Make a donation If you want to support us, you can donate to our official team charity, the Save Elephant Foundation and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand! this is an ethical, no-ride elephant sanctuary that rescues and rehabilitates elephants who have been abused by the cruel tourism and logging industries. If you'd like to donate to charity to support their cause (and get some merch, shout-outs, and more), you can head on over to Fundraiser for Elephant rescue and rehabilitation in Thailand (gofundme.com). *Please note that 100% of donations will go directly to charity* Teacher Nayana Special thanks to Teacher Nayana who helped us prepare for our adventure! https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/19038325/sinhala The World of Street Food Check out my food blog, TheWorldofStreetFood.com! Follow Us! You can follow our adventures in Sri Lanka on Team Mama's Boys (teammamasboys.com), and right here during Season 4 of the Attempt Adventure Podcast. You can also follow our adventures on Facebook and on YouTube.com/@attemptadventure.

Es gibt Orte, die uns verändern, die unseren Blick auf die Welt erweitern und uns dazu inspirieren, einen Unterschied zu machen. Der Alternative Wolf- und Bärenpark Schwarzwald ist einer dieser Orte. Wir waren vor Ort, um uns einen Eindruck davon zu vermitteln, wie gut es den geretteten Wölfen, Bären und Luchsen wirklich geht. Wir trafen Parkleitung und Wildtier Ökologin Sabrina Reimann und sie stellte uns einige ganz besondere Bären, Luchse und Wölfe vor, deren Geschichten uns tief berührt haben. Zudem sprechen wir darüber, warum es noch möglich ist Wildtiere in Privathaushalten zu halten, was sie zu den Wolf- & Bärensichtungen und Konflikten in Deutschland und welche Lösungsansätze es gibt. Wichtig ist ihr ein realistisches Bild von den Tieren darzustellen und nichts zu beschönigen, aber sie auch keinesfalls als Bestien darzustellen. Auch spricht sie darüber, wie der Besuch von Knossi und Sascha Huber war und was sie von Formaten wie 7 vs Wild, Surivival Squad und Co hält, bei denen es zu Wildtierinteraktionen kommt. Natürlich sprechen wir auch über die tägliche Arbeit von ihr und ihrem Team aussieht, warum eine Positivliste Sinn macht, welchen Einfluss Petfluencer und Social Media auf die Wildtierhaltung haben und wie sie es geschafft haben, so einen Park mitten im Schwarzwald zu errichten. Sie verrät uns auch, wie eine der bekanntesten Bärinnen zu ihnen kam - Jurka aka JJ4 (Mutter von "Problembär" Bruno) zu ihnen kam und warum es zu Interaktionen mit Menschen und Tieren kam. Lehnt euch zurück und hört jetzt in diese Folge rein!

Following up from last week's episode, this week we talk about what it's like to actually visit an elephant sanctuary and roam among these big fat mammals. What's that? Stop fat-shaming the elephants? It's because they're big-boned? Yea, alright.. good one. Pretty much expecting a one-species zoo, we spent half a day at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, known for being one of the most ethical elephant sanctuaries in the world.But would it be ethical? Would it even be fun? And would it be worth the bother at all? Also featured in this week's episode are our newly formed, shite-talk packed segments (entirely unrelated to elephants), “The Dumbest Among Us” and “Yoo-Hoo, What Should I Do-Hoo?”So that's what to expect. Listen in if you also like to have a mediocre laugh and judge elephants from afar. Liked this episode or have a suggestion for something we should bother doing? We'd love your review! Want to get in contact? Email: shouldibotherpod@gmail.comFollow us for more content on Instagram: @shouldibotherpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've all seen it. Someone putting up that mandatory selfie with an elephant after their “once in a lifetime trip” around South East Asia. Maybe you thought to yourself, “That's as basic as it gets”, or “Thread lightly around that trunk fu**face, you might get squished”. But you probably also wondered… What's it like to stand so close to the biggest mammal on the planet? This week, lucky to be in Thailand, we wanted to tick this activity off our “Basic Bitch Travel Checklist” and visit an Elephant Sanctuary. But this one (Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai) is a little different. It prides itself on being one of the most ethical around. That means no riding, no touching, no feeding, no washing. Just looking. Isn't that basically what a zoo is? In this episode, expect to hear all about our research and general sh*te talk about elephant sanctuaries. Essentially covering, why would anyone bother with them. You'll also hear our game of the week - “Uptown Trunk”. Tune in next week to hear if you actually should bother with them or not based on our experience and world renowned ranking system, the Should I Bother Beans. Liked this episode or have a suggestion for something we should bother doing? We'd love your review! Want to get in contact? Email: shouldibotherpod@gmail.comFollow us for more content on Instagram: @shouldibotherpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Our guest is world renowned conservationist Saengduean 'Lek' Chailert who is recognised for her unwavering commitment to the welfare and conservation of Asian elephants. Lek's work spans more than three decades and her tireless efforts have earned her many accolades, including the esteemed Legion of Honor award. Lek has been instrumental in improving the lives of hundreds of elephants in Asia through the work of the Save Elephant Foundation, which aims to educate elephant owners and promote compassion and respect towards these majestic creatures. In 2003 established Elephant Nature Park in the picturesque Chiang Mai region of Northern Thailand as a permanent home for injured, neglected and elderly elephants. https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/   She continues to raise awareness about the plight of both captive and wild Asian elephants and initiates projects dedicated to improving their well-being throughout Asia. Despite the challenges posed by a male-dominated industry steeped in tradition, Lek remains committed to advancing the welfare of elephants and spends her days at Elephant Nature Park, caring for the rescued herds of elephants and other animals who have found sanctuary there. Lek has an upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand with her captivating focumentary film "Elephant Mother", and Lek will be present at all the screenings, engaging with audiences during post-screening question and answer sessions. Session details are in the comments. "Elephant Mother" is a captivating documentary that highlights Lek's tireless efforts in championing the welfare and conservation of elephants. The film offers a unique perspective into the deep emotional bonds between elephants and the people striving to free them, shedding light on the need for conservation and protection of these majestic creatures. Film screenings of Elephant Mother start in Perth on August 27, 2023 and move across the country before heading to New Zealand.  Full screening details for can be found here: Australia - www.tinyurl.com/Elephant-Mother New Zealand – www.tinyurl.com/Elephant-Mother-NZ We discussed the documentary Love and Bananas, a film by Ashley Bell who teams up with Lek and goes on a daring mission across Thailand to rescue Noi Na, a 70-year old partially blind trekking elephant and bring her to freedom. http://loveandbananas.com/ Music we played: Colors of the Wind by Vanessa Williams.       "You don't need a bull hook to control an elephant. You can guide an elephant with love... And bananas"                   - Lek Chailert, Founder of Save Elephant Foundation  If you would like to contact the FoS team with any feedback on our shows, please email us at freedomofspecies@gmail.com Thank you for listening and supporting our show and keeping animal advocacy on the airwaves. 

Saengduean “Lek” Chailert was born and raised in Thailand, a place where Asian elephants are commonplace. After her secondary education, Lek started working in tourism, where she saw elephants endure horrific treatment—in circuses, riding parks, and other attractions most visitors to the country think of as benign.  It was then that Lek started rescuing elephants, many of them injured and elderly, and relocating them to what is now Elephant Nature Park. The sanctuary is now home to more than 100 Asian elephants rescued from captivity, and Lek has been recognized all over the world for her tireless work. Lek talks to Jay about the rampant exploitation of these animals within Thailand's tourism industry, and how social media has helped in bringing animal abuse to the world's attention. Photo Credit: Save Elephant FoundationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attempt Adventure Season 4: Sri Lanka Adventure Special!!! (Trailer) - YouTube Season 4 is going to be a little different! In March 2024, Michael will travel to Sri Lanka with his mother and younger brother to take part in the Rickshaw Run, an epic tuk-tuk race across the island. The adventure is meant to raise money for charity. The first £500 GPB raised will go to fund Cool Earth, an NGO fighting climate change. Everything raised in excess will go directly to the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, an organization that does amazing work rescuing and rehabilitating elephants from abusive logging and tourist industries in Southeast Asia. * We would like to stress that 100% of donations go directly to these two charities. We are paying our own travel and administrative expenses. If you make a donation, every penny of it will go to raising funds for these two wonderful organizations. * If you would like to make a donation, you can do so on our Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teammamasboys To make it a little more fun, we are offering some special incentives if you make a donation! All fundraising tiers will receive the rewards from each of the previous tiers as well. If you donate $10 USD or the equivalent in any currency, you will get a shout-out at the start of our Season 4 adventure special episodes in Sri Lanka! For a $15 donation, we will send you an official Team Mama's Boys team sticker. For a $25 donation, we will send you a handwritten postcard from Sri Lanka while we are on our adventure. For a $50 donation, we will print your name or the name of your organization on the back of our team T-shirt which we will wear in Sri Lanka during the Rickshaw Run. For a $100 donation, we will also send you your very own Team Mama's Boys T-shirt. In addition, we are going to be undertaking a few challenges if we meet certain fundraising benchmarks. If we raise £500, we will learn a traditional Sri Lankan song and sing it to you. If we raise £750, each of us will do something out of our comfort zone. Kyle will learn and perform a traditional dance. Kim will take a Sri Lankan martial arts class. Michael will allow Kyle and Kim to choose any street food for him that he must eat at any time throughout the challenge. If we raise £1000, Michael and Kyle will both dye their hair purple (our team color) for the duration of the Rickshaw Run. And finally, if we raise £1500, we will personally visit the Elephant Nature Park and will ask them if we can kiss an elephant on the trunk. Check out our trailer on YouTube, and be sure to follow us on AttemptAdventure.com! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg5Pzcf-Q_g

Lek Chailert, the founder of Elephant Nature Park, shares her life stories about her career.

Come and listen while Host Candace Gish interviews a variety of extraordinary women, whom are working to make the world a better place! #DivasThatCare Kristina McKean is the founder of The Elephant Project. A seasoned entrepreneur and product design specialist, Kristina has leveraged the extensive experience she gained while working for multinational clients and corporations like The Gap to create a cuddly way for the next generation of philanthropists to help action sustainable change today: The Elephant Project. Kristina has doubled down on her life- long passion for animal protection and wildlife conservation by creating this luxe line of plush stuffed elephants and donating 100% of all net proceeds to the aligned, on-the-ground non-profit organizations that directly benefit the toys' real-world counterparts. To date, Kristina and The Elephant Project have helped aid in the rescue and protection of hundreds of elephants, while fostering numerous orphaned elephants, increasing family education around the ethical and physical complexities of elephant tourism, and delighting children the world over with her adorable SaveUs™ branded collection of Kiki, Tembo (and soon, Baby Chaba) plushies. Kristina has been profiled by a multitude of local, national, and international media outlets, including The Today Show, Vogue, People, Santa Barbara Magazine, The Montecito Journal and The Santa Barbara Sentinel. Her partner non-profit organizations include The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Elephant Nature Park, and The Elephant Cooperation. She is also a proud mama of three, wife, and alumna of the University of San Diego, where she obtained her Bachelor's of Arts degree in International Relations/Spanish. https://www.theelephantproject.com/

I met Hannah (https://linktr.ee/hannah_sainty) scooping elephant poop at the Elephant Nature Park (https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/) in 2015.  We instantly hit it off and I have enjoyed watching her journey on social media since then.  Now that she is hitting her stride as a comedian, 'm thrilled to welcome her on the show to share her discomfort of finally tuning out the voice of "reason" saying she needed to do the "stable" and "sensible" "adult" thing of having a "real job" and tuning into her true calling as a creative person!  (it was oozing out anyway, so she figured she'd finally jump in....and baby, look at her now!)In this fun, entertaining and insightful episode we talk about- How even though she tried, she couldn't get away from her creative urges- Her choice to dance in the discomfort zone pretty much perminently- The terror and elation that comes with being a stand up comedian- Dealing with hecklers, nerves and  when things don't go as we'd hoped.Want more from Hannah, here's a link to all the links. https://linktr.ee/hannah_sainty

For today's twin talk we want to highlight a special organization called Elephant Nature Park. Elephant Nature Park is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in Northern Thailand where you can volunteer and visit to help. They have been involved in dozens of rescues that have created their thriving elephant herd. The park provides a natural environment for elephants, dogs, cats, buffaloes, and many other animals under their care. Volunteers and visitors contribute to the healing while learning about their lives past and present. We were fortunate enough to visit this sanctuary back in 2018 and wanted to share their mission and our experience by reading an excerpt from Shannon's travel journal during that time. If you are interested in visiting or donating here is the link where you can help their organization continue to do the work they do! Click here to help Elephant Nature Park Follow @thevogeltwins for updates on the podcast, tips on travel and more! Instagram Tiktok Pinterest Facebook Youtube Like the show? Please leave us a review here! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thevogeltwinspodcast/support

Come and listen while Host Candace Gish interviews a variety of extraordinary women, whom are working to make the world a better place! #DivasThatCare Kristina McKean is the founder of The Elephant Project and is on a mission to educate children & families about animal cruelty through her line of cuddly plush stuffed animals! Kristina has doubled down on her life-long passion for animal protection and wildlife conservation by creating this luxe line of plush stuffed animals and donating 100% of all net proceeds to the aligned, on-the-ground non-profit organizations that directly benefit the toys' real-world counterparts. To date, Kristina and The Elephant Project have helped aid in the rescue and protection of hundreds of elephants, while fostering numerous orphaned elephants, increasing family education around the ethical and physical complexities of elephant tourism, and delighting children the world over with her adorable SaveUs™ branded collection of Kiki, Tembo (and soon, Baby Chaba) plushies. Kristina has been profiled by a multitude of local, national, and international media outlets, including The Today Show, Vogue, People, Santa Barbara Magazine, The Montecito Journal and The Santa Barbara Sentinel. Her partner non-profit organizations include The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Elephant Nature Park, and The Elephant Cooperation.

Diana Munoz and Colby Steiner from Gentle Giants Non-Profit & Derrick Campana from Bionic Pets have worked together to give a new lease of life for Thai Koon, Medo and Kabu living at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. Hear their story.

Thailand has a wealth of natural beauty and majestic wildlife. In this week's episode, we share our experiences on three recent day trips to Ang Thong National Marine Park from Koh Samui, Khao Sok National Park from Surat Thani and Elephant Nature Park from Chiang Mai. Tune in to hear our highlights and the logistical mystery of a certain Mr. Nok.

In this mini-episode, we discuss the incredible Saengduean "Lek" Chailert and her work with Asian Elephant tourism. An amazing person for our first wildlife warrior episode and to finish off our episodes in Chiang Mai, Thailand!World Nomads*https://www.worldnomads.com/Turnstile/AffiliateLink?partnerCode=stmblsfri&source=link&utm_source=stmblsfri&utm_content=link&path=//www.worldnomads.com/travel-insurance/Chase Sapphire Reserved Card*https://www.referyourchasecard.com/6/LN9FIIBZZR SourcesBUILDseries Interviewhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgjVxugFGIc Green Global Travel. Interview: Lek Chailert, The Elephant Whisperer of Elephant Nature Park. Green Global Travel. https://greenglobaltravel.com/interview-lek-chailert-elephant-whisperer-elephant-nature-park/ Guerin, Kelly. Lek Chailert. Unbound Project. 2017. https://unboundproject.org/lek-chailert/ Lek Chailert. United Nations System Staff College. https://www.unssc.org/about-unssc/speakers-and-collaborators/lek-chailert/ Lewis, Kelly. The Woman Saving Thailand's Elephants. Unearth Women. 2018. https://www.unearthwomen.com/2018/12/10/the-woman-saving-thailands-elephants/ Loop Abroad. Meet Lek! Loop Abroad. https://www.loopabroad.com/lek-chailert/ Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story *https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083ZQK9VJ/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B083ZQK9VJ&linkCode=as2&tag=stumblesafari-20&linkId=7ecd325b73b5b86b89441424ccc13bca Save Elephant Foundation. Our Founder. Save Elephant Foundation. 2021. https://www.saveelephant.org/about/founder-sangduen-lek-chailert  *affiliateSupport the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/stumblesafari)

In today's episode, we take a deep dive into an ethical elephant rescue in Chiang Mai, Thailand that I have visited and recommend: Elephant Nature Park!All destination highlight episodes are places I have personally visited and recommend due to their ethical standards.World Nomads Travel Insurancehttps://www.worldnomads.com/Turnstile/AffiliateLink?partnerCode=stmblsfri&source=link&utm_source=stmblsfri&utm_content=link&path=//www.worldnomads.com/travel-insurance/Chase Sapphire Reserved Credit Card https://www.referyourchasecard.com/6/LN9FIIBZZR Loop Abroad https://www.loopabroad.com(use Stacia Mintner as a reference to get $100 off your admission)SourcesBuckley, Carol. Elephant Foot Care and Mahout training provided by Elephant Aid International: Summary of Services Provided. Outcomes and Recommendations. Elephant Aid International. 2011. Letter. https://www.elephantaidinternational.org/pdf/ENP_Report2011.pdf Garcia, Luisa. Meet Thailand's elephant whisperer. CBS News. 2016. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-sangduen-lek-chailert-thailands-elephant-whisperer/ Sacha & Jmayel. 15 Quick Facts on Chiang Mai. 8 Miles from Home. 2012. Blog. https://8milesfromhome.com/15-facts-on-chiang-mai/ The Elephant Nature Park. About Us. https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/about/about-us/ The Elephant Nature Park. FAQ. https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/enp/faq-s Ynoei. 15 Interesting Facts About Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand). Chiang Mai Traveller. 2017. https://www.chiangmaitraveller.com/15-interesting-facts-about-chiang-mai/ Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/stumblesafari)

Should we be riding elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand? Here's what science and research say about the effects of tourists riding elephants and elephant tourism in Chiang Mai.World Nomads Travel Insurancehttps://www.worldnomads.com/Turnstile/AffiliateLink?partnerCode=stmblsfri&source=link&utm_source=stmblsfri&utm_content=link&path=//www.worldnomads.com/travel-insurance/Chase Sapphire Preferred Cardhttps://www.referyourchasecard.com/6/LN9FIIBZZRSourcesBansiddhi et al. Changing trends in elephant camp management in northern Thailand and implications for welfare. Zoological Science. 23 November 2018. https://peerj.com/articles/5996/?td=fb&fbclid=IwAR1_5Dvow1vFsAnJdnNAtEPyiPcqJJvN230njEBMrN1kd7TDS6Ko8pH7XZ0&utm_source=TrendMD&utm_campaign=PeerJ_TrendMD_0&utm_medium=TrendMD Cohn, Jeffrey P. Do Elephants Belong in Zoos? BioScience V56 #9. 1 September 2006. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/56/9/714/262884  Facts About Elephants. Elephant Nature Park. https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/about/facts-about-elephants/. Laws et al. The Elephant Tourism Business. CAB International. Print. 2021. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XTELEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA64&dq=impacts+of+elephant+riding&ots=DbEkQrd2Rv&sig=ewESubVhoPDcOsBJRBM_Cm2Kyjc#v=onepage&q=impacts%20of%20elephant%20riding&f=false Laws, Scott, & Koldowski. The Routledge Handbook of Tourism. Routledge. Print. 2019. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351025102-7/impacts-elephant-tourism-thailand-eric-laws-noel-scott-john-koldowski  Not Riding! Useful Information. Green Elephant Sanctuary Park Phuket.https://www.green-elephantsanctuarypark.com/not-riding/ Rizzolo & Bradshaw. Wild Animals and Leisure. Routledge. Print. 2018. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315457413-7/human-leisure-elephant-breakdown-jessica-bell-rizzolo-gay-bradshaw  Seaworld Parks & Entertainment. All About Elephants.https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/  WWF. Top 10 Facts About Elephants. World Wildlife Fund. https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/elephants Support the show (https://buymeacoffee.com/stumblesafari)

Cam Sherry is a 40 year old husband and father of two energetic boys. Cam works in the liquor industry and was a national track and field representative in his younger years. Cam describes his journey to veganism as a slower one, because little seeds were planted along the way. Cam's wife Hannah is a veterinarian and after she spent time with piglets, Hannah declared to Cam that they were no longer eating pigs.  Cam and Hannah volunteered at Free the Bears Sanctuary in Cambodia for their honeymoon and later Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. Elephant Nature Park was a vegan sanctuary and the couple found themselves enjoying all of the food during their stay. After returning home, they decided to become vegetarian and six months later, Cam conducted his own research to determine the difference between vegetarians and vegans. Cam felt compelled to go vegan after learning about the dairy and egg industries, even though it went against everything he knew about nutrition. Cam has been vegan for six years and has been involved in a range of animal rights initiatives such as vigils, street outreach and silent protests. Cam now focuses on using his social media platform to share vegan food, children's recipes and nutrition, which sparks interest and plants seeds in the minds of non vegans. In this episode, Cam also talks about the importance of patience when trying to educate non vegans, vegan alcohol and holidaying with a difference.https://www.instagram.com/cssherry/

Kanchan Singh, Founder and CEO of Crumbs & Whiskers, joins Melissa on the mic for our Everyday Woman series. In 2014, Kanchan visited an elephant sanctuary in Thailand that helped reignite her lifelong passion of animal welfare. Upon returning to the states, Kanchan quit her corporate job and opened a kitten and cat cafe called Crumbs & Whiskers, to help reduce euthanasia in shelters. Much to her surprise, Crumbs & Whiskers was a massive hit that attracted an overwhelming amount of public interest, including celebrities and news stations. The more successful her business became, the more her mental health suffered and the impact of her childhood trauma came to the surface.If this episode resonates with you, share it with your friends on social media and tag @mimosasisterhood. If you're looking for ways to support this show, check out my new support feature!SHOW NOTESIn this episode, we talk about:Growing up in India and discovering a passion for animal welfare at a very young age Volunteering at animal shelters and discovering the dark side of non-profits Dreams of becoming a social entrepreneur with a business model that helped the community Traveling to Thailand and visiting an elephant sanctuary and a cat cafe Returning to the states and opening a cat cafe business at 24 years oldThe trial and error of being a young solopreneur with minimal support from friends, family, and the general publicManaging an increase of success alongside a decrease in mental health Seeking support through therapy and uncovering severe memories of childhood trauma Reconnecting with artistry and discovering healing through poetry Launching a book, Dear Me, I Love You!The meaning of SisterhoodRESOURCES:Follow Kanchan on InstagramFollow Crumbs & Whiskers on InstagramCheck out the Crumbs & Whiskers websitePre-order Kanchan's book Dear Me, I Love You! on her websiteRead about Kanchan's hero, Lek Chailert, the founder of Elephant Nature Park in Thailand Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/mimosasisterhoodpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Darrick Thomson – Cofounder of “Save Elephant Foundation” based at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. A former firefighter from Toronto who met his wife and fellow conservationist Lek Chailert and moved to Thailand dedicating him self to the protection of captive and wild animals. Darrick is also overseeing the rehabilitation of “Kaavan, the world's loneliest elephant” rescued from Islamabad zoo and the subject of a Smithsonian Channel program. www.saveelephant.org

En Asia, a los elefantes les aguarda a menudo una vida plagada de sufrimiento. La tailandesa Lek Chailert fundó una reserva natural, donde los paquidermos gozan de una nueva vida en libertad.

Elefanten fristen in Asien oft ein elendes Dasein. Die Elefantenretterin Lek Chailert hat im Norden Thailands eine Auffangstation für ehemalige Arbeitselefanten aufgebaut. Dort können die Tiere ein neues Leben genießen.

Thailand's work elephants often lead a miserable existence. Animal welfare activist Lek Chailert has set up a sanctuary for rescued elephants in northern Thailand. There the animals can enjoy their retirement.

In this episode, we will be looking into all the amazing work that animal sanctuaries do, with guests such as Wenda Shehata, founder of Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary in East Sussex, UK, Poonam Doshi, founder of Lola's Sanctuary in West Sussex, UK, and Chris Williams, volunteer for Elephant Nature Park in Northern Thailand. We will be exploring the inspiring stories and experiences of three very different animal sanctuaries who all share similar values.

Episode 4: In this episode I am talking with Kathleen Kastner about her time as a yoga studio owner (16 years in Kansas City, MO), her transition to a vegan lifestyle in 2002, and how this led to her passionate advocacy for animals and her work with The Humane Society of the United States. Kathleen now lives in Encinitas, CA and leads international retreats with her husband, Wade Mortenson. Kathleen will be teaching an ONLINE “Vegan Cooking” Workshop with Yoga of Kindness on Tuesday, June  16, from 6pm-7:30pm (CST). All proceeds from this Workshop will go to the Elephant Nature Park in Northern Thailand. Please join us!Learn more about Kathleen:https://www.kathleenkastner.com/bio/ Kathleen’s Vegan Cooking Show on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC299Ew8_-TCs7yf1Y_FRCGA Learn more about the online “Vegan Cooking” Workshop:https://www.yogaofkindness.com/events/online-workshop-with-kathleen-kastner-title Learn more about the Elephant Nature Park:https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ Documentaries:Love & BananasThe Game ChangersA Prayer for CompassionWhat the HealthForks Over KnivesEarthlingsVegucated Books:Diet for a New America, by John Robbins.Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer Favorite Vegan Cookbook and Web Site:The Oh She Glows Cookbook, by Angela Liddonwww.ohsheglows.com. 

*PLEASE LEAVE US A REVIEW IN iTUNES/YOUR PODCAST APP!* Last summer I spent a month budget traveling & backpacking Thailand with one of my closest friends, Anne, whom I met during my year living in South America. Having no idea the amount of adventure, friendship, education, and pure beauty that we would find in Thailand, we set off with hardly any plans in mind besides spending a week at Elephant Nature Park. That week was filled with scooping the largest poop that I've ever seen in my life, creating a run-club with our new backpacker friends and local ENP guides despite the scorching heat, and watching humans and elephants interacting in such trusting and magnificent ways. That week was one of the most incredible and shocking of my life. Learn why it was so memorable & learn about hot spots to visit while backpacking Thailand in this new Will Work For Food Episode! Elephant Nature Park: https://www.elephantnaturepark.org Anne's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anne_glad/ Love And Bananas Film: http://loveandbananas.com/#trailer The Travel Blog: UnrulyTravel.com Unruly Travellers Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/unrulytravellers/ Contact: CalenOtto@gmail.com

On episode 62 of The VedgeTalk Podcast, we chat with Seyka Mejeur, from forgoodnessseyks.com. We're chatting all things vegan travel today, also Seyka's personal journey to veganism and helping restaurants add more plant based food to their menus. In this conversation we covered: - Seyka's life growing up, with ribs and steak as her favorite foods. - Experiencing a serious eating disorder. - Why Seyka and her husband Brian decided to travel the world. - The hardest places to eat vegan. - The best places they found for vegan food. - Chiang Mai and The Elephant Nature Park! + MORE You can find Seyka on IG @forgoodnessseyks, go and say hi, let her know what you thought of our chat today and we'll catch you next week for another episode!

Emily is a dope travelling nomad who stands firmly for animal rights. She speaks into the importance of connection and doing great things for the world and contributing in a way that requires deep dedication.She is a total wanderlusting rockstar and is another beautiful human working hard to make a difference in the world. She’s an empowered and connected woman who creates majestic feminine art!Check her out on Instagram:@mcgiggle312@feminetic.art~~~If you are enjoying what’s coming out of these episodes, be sure to follow me, Jenn, your host, on Instagram @jenn.ago and the podcast @yourdiscovery_ !! Catch ya on the flip side!~~~00:00 Intro by Jenn01:14 Start interview01:53 Who is Emily?04:45 First question: What is the unimportance or importance of having a purpose?07:05 Help yourself first08:50 Second question: How can you give purpose to your life?09:10 Animal rights, conservation, sustainability12:15 Third question: How do you find your purpose?12:30 When do you “need” a purpose?14:40 Connecting with friends and family is purpose as well18:05 Fourth question: What is your purpose?19:20 Does a concrete answer exist?20:12 Experience at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand22:10 Making an impact amplifies self-care24:30 Reference to On Being Podcast with Elizabeth Gilbert25:03 Following curiosities (E. Gilbert)26:00 Reference to a story about Richard Ford written in Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert31:30 Fifth question: What would you give up in order to satisfy your purpose?36:00 As we grow, we could become more enlightened and empowered36:40 One last word to share37:20 “I trust myself and I am always learning”38:10 Boob sweat and jokes38:30 Where you can reach Emily39:40 Outro by Jenn

From frolicking with elephants at Elephant Nature Park to learning the art of Thai cuisine in Northern Thailand, there are so many fantastic day trips from Chiang Mai. Today on the podcast, Kat and Chris break down which day trips to put on your Chiang Mai bucket list.  Show notes on https://worldwidehoneymoon.com/wwh-podcast

Hannah Emde ist approbierte Tierärztin mit einem eigenen Tierschutzverein. Und das aus Leidenschaft - das merkt man. Sie ist die Hälfte des Jahres im Dschungel unterwegs, um dort u.a. ihr berufliches Feld der Tiermedizin mit dem Verlust der Biologischen Vielfalt zu verbinden. Sie sagt selbst, dass das nicht nur ein Beruf für sie ist – sondern vielmehr ihr Leben. Und diese persönliche Faszination trägt sie auf der Zunge, wenn sie von ihren Projekten und Erfahrungen berichtet. Deswegen kann man ihr nicht nur gut zuhören, sondern auch einiges von ihr lernen. Der Nepada Wildlife e.V. setzt sich für den Natur- und Artenschutz ein und sensibilisiert für den Verlust der biologischen Vielfalt. Über Umweltbildung und das Prinzip der Nachhaltigkeit zeigen sie Lösungswege auf und schaffen ein Bewusstsein für Natur, Tiere und Vielfalt. Und das in den unterschiedlichsten Ländern der Welt. Nepada ist die Kurzform für Nebelparder (Clouded Leopard), Hannahs absolutes Lieblingstier und der Anfang von allem: Der Sunda-Nebelparder (Neofelis diardi) kommt nur auf Sumatra und Borneo vor und gilt als sehr gefährdet. Viel Spaß beim Reinhören! ⠀ -- Links zur Folge -- - Artikel zum Thema "Hässliches Gemüse": bit.ly/haessliches-gemuese (2013 war das & es war doch nur ein vierwöchiger Testlauf) - Angesprochenes Hörbuch "10 Milliarden" von Patrick: https://spoti.fi/2Z7pkuL - Angesprochene Auffangstation für Elefanten in Thailand (Nähe Chiang Mai): bit.ly/Elephant_Nature_Park & http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ ⠀ -- Weitere Links zu Nepada -- - Nepada Wildlife auf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nepadawildlife - Nepada Wildlife auf Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nepadawildlife - Webseite von Nepada Wildlife: https://www.nepadawild.life/ ------ Vorschläge für Gäste & Feedback immer gerne an moin@hamburgpodcast.de ❤️ Folgt uns hier & auf Instagram: instagram.com/hamburgpodcast Bild via ThisIsJulia Photography

After seeing elephants being abused in Thailand, Kristina was given the motivation to start The Elephant Project in order to help raise funds for elephants and create awareness for the well being of the species. Kristina now donates 100% of the net profit from her sales of stuffed elephant toys to organizations globally that rescue and care for injured, abused and orphaned elephants.Some of the organizations that Kristina contributes to are; the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya, elephants in Burma, and the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

If any of you are into fashion in film and tv you will love today’s guest! Today Toks chats with Jennifer May Nickel. They talk elephants, architecture and doing what you love.   To follow Toks and/ or the podcast on social media head to @ToksOlagundoye on Twitter and/ or @tolykay on Instagram and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ToksOlagundoye or check out her website at www.ToksOlagundoye.com   To follow head to @JenniferMayDesigns on Instagram    To donate to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and find out what they do please go to https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/asp/orphans.asp  and please follow them at @DSWT on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thedswt/   To donate to Elephant Nature Park or to find out what they do or how to visit them go to https://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ and follow them at @ElephantNaturePark on Instagram and @ElephantNatureP on Twitter and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheElephantNaturePark/   To check out what I Stand With My Pack does, to donate, to foster or to adopt please go to https://istandwithmypack.org/donate/ and follow them at  Instagram: @istandwithmypack Twitter: @iswmp and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/IStandWithMyPack/   To follow the incredible, fierce and gorgeous Aleksandra Schiffer please go to   @TheAnimalBabe on Instagram    To help victims of the Woolsey Fire please go to the notes for either of our previous two episodes.   Thanks so much for listening!

I didn't start off being all thoughtful about travel and I also know I still have so much to learn - and that'll continue to need to learn - about many of the ways we can approach our travelling in a more thoughtful way. But in this special episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, Episode 110, I've put together a list of ten thoughts I've been thinking about thoughtful travel in the past little while. You'll have to listen to find out what these ten thoughts are but let me preface them by saying that some of them are deep and meaningful things I've thought about a lot; some are topics I have only scratched the surface on and know I need to learn a heap more about; and some are simple things that I ponder when I travel. Thanks to the members of the wonderful Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group, I also include a chat about some of the thoughts they've been having about travelling lately, too. I love hearing from the group members and also learning a lot from them.  Links: The Peace Tourism Credo - http://peacetourism.org/credo/  Episode 33 on Volunteer Tourism in which Diana Edelman talks about her experiences with Elephant Nature Park in Thailand - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/11/volunteer-travel-to-help-you-and-the-world-episode-33-of-the-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/110

SUPER podcast chats with Sarah Findlay, LA-based publicist and host of the 'Our Deepest Secrets Revealed' podcast. We chat about: ‘Our Deepest Secrets Revealed’ podcast. A podcast designed help people heal their wounds so they can develop a healthy sense of self-love. We talk intimately about love, sex, dating and relationships. Over 1,000 downloads in 2 months. 2 episodes we cover. Orgasms - The Female Perspective. What’s happening to relationships? Why are so many adults single? Marriage break-up, journey to LA + PR Career. Anth3m is the management company and working with Austin Cook (PGA), Brice Butler (NFL) and Jared Cook (NFL). Working with Shelly Long (Cheers). Travel. Solo trip to the Himalayas – plan was to have a beer NYE looking at Mt Everest… however I got altitude sickness so didn’t feel like the beer. With the elephants in the Thai jungle. Volunteer program with Elephant Nature Park. Desire to work with Leo DiCaprio - publicity role on a film and involvement in Climate Change. The power of vulnerability. The differences between American and Australia way of doing business. “There is a difference between being alive and living.”  “structure but also build in fluidity as well”.   Connect with Sarah Findlay (‘Our Deepest Secrets Revealed’ podcast): Twitter Facebook https://ourdeepestsecretsrevealed.podbean.com/ Download Our Deepest Secrets Revealed, a podcast designed help people heal their wounds so they can develop a healthy sense of self-love. We talk intimately about love, sex, dating and relationships.   You can listen via iTunes, GooglePlay Music, Stitcher, and TuneIn.   Dawn ‘Til Dusk PR: http://dawntilduskpr.com/   Hit Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet up on social media here: Twitter https://twitter.com/hotndelicious Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hotndelicious/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/craftbeerlovin/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HotnDelicious Hot & Delicious YouTube - Ballistyx Snowboard Show, interviews & more. https://www.youtube.com/user/HotnDeliciousRecords 'Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet’ entertainment, travel, photography & lifestyle blog: http://hotndelicious.com/   For social media strategy, content/photography & influencer business enquiries contact: info@hotndelicious.com

After three years, we finally made it to Chiang Mai, the hot destination for digital nomads and freelance barbers, apparently. But that’s not why we visited. We here to walk with Elephants on the Twilight Tour from the Elephant Nature Park. We spend the last part of the day with a small herd elephants --  three adults and a couple of juveniles. Rambunctious ones, at that! This was a no-hook, no-ride experience, which was all about our small group feeding, tossing water on, walking with, getting ran over by (true story), and then feeding again these elephants. Very, very cool. Thanks to Bret Love from Green Global Travel for making the recommendation of a great way to spend the day with elephants in Thailand that won’t crush your soul. Got a question for us? (https://goo.gl/zb4JGN) .

Actress, philanthropist, animal advocate and one of our Vibration Nation, Carolyn Hennesy, joins Sheena to discuss: her emotional and life-changing trips to Lek Chailert's "Elephant Nature Park", the emotional state of the nation, the struggle of darkness verses light within humanity, the importance of animals, and our furry companions, in our lives, enriching women in theatre and more. Thank you, Carolyn, for being our first guest, for always working to raise the vibration and for continually asking, "What can I do to make the world a better place?". We appreciate your accomplishments, efforts and your humanity. - Sheena Metal, Founder "I Am Raising the Vibration of the Nation (and the World)"

You might just be able to get the best of both worlds by travelling around the world and helping people by volunteering. It’s not always that simple, but in Episode 33 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast Amanda talks with three guests who have volunteered across several continents with a huge variety of organisations. First up, she chats with Serena Star-Leonard who started off a project to create videos of great projects in a school in the slums in northern Colombia - in a place where most taxi drivers refused to take them. Working with animals instead of kids, Amanda then talks to Diana Edelman who spent several years helping out at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, a place that now gratefully accepts volunteers for short or long stints and does amazing work helping elephants. Finally, Amanda moves to agriculture with Audrey Wanders and her discussion of WWOOFing around the world and her experience of volunteering on organic farms, and wanting to do more. Links: Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group Serena Star-Leonard’s Retire in 12 Months project Travel Kids Club D Travels Round Elephant Nature Park Diana’s post - The Truth About Riding Elephants in Thailand Surin Elephant Round up post from Bounding Over Our Steps  Audrey Wanders WWOOF main website Join our Facebook group Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook

Host Kevin Willett is joined by Stephanie Anastasi. Stephanie is raising funds for her volunteer trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand. She will spend one week volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park, working hands-on with the elephants and seeing first-hand how a successful NGO is run. The second week will be spent in the city of Chiang Mai, exploring the best cultural, adventure, and environmental activities that Chiang Mai has to offer. To help Stephanie reach her fundraising goal visit her website https://www.gofundme.com/stephanie2thailand For more information on the Friends of Kevin Networking Group go to http://friendsofkevin.com/ Audio file:  Stephanie Anastasi.mp3

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Where Else to Go podcast. In this episode, I tackle a difficult subject, animal tourism, with my friend, Diana Edelman. I first met Diana a couple of years ago at a trade show, and since then have watched her become a responsible elephant tourism expert. Where else does Diana recommend? Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, one of the true elephant sanctuaries in the world. If you like adventure, feel a commitment to making the world a better place, love animals, or want to explore more of the countryside of Thailand, Elephant Nature Park may be the perfect spot for your next vacation.

Sangduen 'Lek' Chailert comes from the small hill tribe village of Baan Lao in northern Thailand. At a young age she heard the screams of an elephant that was being forced to work in terrible conditions for the logging industry. Lek felt compelled to help it. Although she had no training she bought some medicine and soon she was being called upon to treat other local elephants. She later formed the Save Elephant Foundation to advocate for the rights of these animals in Thailand and the Elephant Nature Park, a protected area where rescued elephants receive protection and form new herds. Lek says that rebuilding an elephant's trust in humans can be a challenge - 'they never forget' - but she's found a novel technique: singing them lullabies. Saba Douglas-Hamilton was born in Kenya where her father worked as a prominent elephant conservationist. In fact she says she was 'baptised in elephant's breath' as her mother introduced her to wild elephants when she was a baby. Today she works for the charity her family started, Save the Elephants, which researches their behaviour and works with local people to promote human-elephant co-existence. She once feared for her life when she woke in the night to find a wild bull elephant towering over her mattress. Unperturbed by this, she says 'I find elephants endlessly fascinating…We recognise in them, and they recognise in us, a parallel intelligence'. (L) Saba Douglas-Hamilton. Credit: Sam Gracey (R) Sangduen 'Lek' Chailert. Credit: Save Elephant Foundation