Podcast appearances and mentions of stuart mcdonald

Bream Bay United has entered New Zealand's premier national knock-out competition for men's football — the Chatham Cup. It's the club's first appearance in the tournament since 1986, and they will take on West Auckland club 'Colo Boys FC' in their opening match. D'Arcy Waldegrave catches up with head coach Stuart McDonald to talk about the team's return to cup football. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this insightful episode of the Low Season Traveller podcast, host Ged interviews Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish, a comprehensive online travel resource focused on Southeast Asia. Stuart shares the evolution of Travelfish from its humble beginnings in 2004 to becoming a trusted guide for independent travelers, his journey into responsible tourism through his master's degree, and his upcoming ambitious 64-day overland journey from Bali to the UK.Guest Profile: Stuart McDonald is the founder of Travelfish, an independent online travel guide focused on Southeast Asia. With nearly three decades of experience traveling in the region since 1993, Stuart has transformed from a backpacker and guidebook writer to an advocate for "less bad travel" - his term for more sustainable and responsible tourism practices. He recently completed a Master's degree in Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Beckett University in the UK.Notable Quotes"Travel fish is like an old school guidebook, like a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide or whatever. But only online." "The pandemic wasn't great for business. I went back to school, back to do my masters at Leeds in the UK in responsible tourism management, and that sort of turned me on to a lot more of the stuff around sustainable tourism and responsible travel." "A lot of the issues that we face today in tourism are not new... they were writing about them in the seventies in academia... This knowledge has sort of been sitting around for perhaps 50 years, half a century. And the industry side of things, they're only just sort of starting to think about maybe getting on board with some of these concepts in the last decade." This episode offers valuable insights into the evolution of sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia through the lens of Stuart McDonald's extensive experience. His journey from traditional guidebook writer to advocate for responsible tourism practices demonstrates how the industry is slowly shifting toward more sustainable models. Stuart's upcoming overland journey represents his commitment to "less bad travel" and provides a fascinating case study in making more responsible travel choices despite the inconveniences they may present. Listeners interested in sustainable tourism, Southeast Asia travel, or alternative modes of transportation will find this conversation both informative and inspiring.Resources Mentioned:Travelfish website: A comprehensive online travel guide for Southeast AsiaCouch Fish Newsletter: Stuart's regular updates on travel and tourism in the regionGlass: The photo-sharing platform Stuart now uses instead of InstagramSeat61: Helpful resource for train travel planningCaravanistan: Resource for travel in Central AsiaUncornered Market: Development work in Uzbekistan and Central Asia

"The term 'sustainable tourism' has been bankrupted. It's meaningless now". None of the environmental and social issues confronting tourism are new, but how do we address them more realistically? How can travellers tread more lightly and be less impactful on the places and communities they visit? What is "Less Bad Travel"? How does it differ from staple travel industry terms, such as responsible tourism? This week, Hannah is joined by Bali-based Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish and a highly experienced South East Asia travel editor, writer and trip advisor, to navigate the way forward for low-impact travel. Don't expect standard jargon or easy rhetoric. Stuart challenges the tropes we often hear, and is especially scathing about sustainable tourism certifications. Plus, we discuss the impact of AI on hotel employment, coastal development in Vietnam, The White Lotus in Thailand and responsible diving. And, Stuart sets out his plans for an epic 64-day overland trip from Jakarta to Leeds to collect his MSc in Responsible Tourism Management.

In this episode, we chat with Stuart McDonald, President and CEO of Vancouver headquartered Taseko Mines, a dynamic and growing mid-tier mining company, driven to unlock the true value of copper for a complex and changing world. The companies corporate strategy has been to grow the company sustainably and profitably by focusing on the continued operations of its foundational asset, the Gibraltar Mine in central British Columbia, and the advancement of North America's next copper mine, Florence Copper in Arizona - while also advancing its pipeline of advanced-stage development projects. Stuart is a senior corporate executive with more than 30 years of experience in mining, corporate development, financial and management roles. He shares his career and journey with us, the history of Taseko Mines, updates on projects, their ESG initiatives, and the future of copper in the coming decades. KEY TAKEAWAYS Taseko Mines is a mid-tier mining company focused on copper production, with its foundational asset being the Gibraltar mine in British Columbia and the upcoming Florence Copper project in Arizona, which is currently under construction. The Florence Copper project utilises in-situ copper recovery, which is a low-impact mining method that results in lower operating costs and a significantly reduced environmental footprint compared to traditional mining methods. Taseko prioritises environmental protection and community engagement, having developed a production test facility to demonstrate the viability of its mining method and to gain regulatory approval before scaling up to commercial production. The demand for copper is expected to grow significantly due to the global shift towards electrification and renewable energy, while the supply side faces challenges, potentially leading to a shortfall in copper availability by the mid-2030s. Taseko aims to transition from a single-mine to a two-mine company with the completion of the Florence project in late 2025, while also advancing the Yellowhead copper project through feasibility studies and permitting processes. BEST MOMENTS "I think we've got a great opportunity in the coming years to grow our business."  "The Florence Project is pretty unique in the copper world. It's an in-situ copper recovery project."  "We'll produce refined copper cathode with a carbon footprint about 80% less than a conventional copper mine."  "It's going to be a very busy time for us in the next six to 12 months."  VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail:        rob@mining-international.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ X:              https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast  Web:        http://www.mining-international.org GUEST SOCIALS https://www.tasekomines.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TasekoMines https://x.com/TasekoMines  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsydp9xsrB6KuZEwbFDsGHA https://www.instagram.com/tasekomines/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/taseko/  ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first-world to third-world countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people's experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics. 

“Influencers are forever reinforcing the same images. They’re spending no time in the actual place, other than the requisite time to take the photo. From the local community’s point of view, these kinds of tourists bring very little value.” –Stuart McDonald In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Stuart talk about why Stuart chose to make his office in West Bali, and why South Bali has developed something of a bad reputation in terms of over-tourism (2:30); the mythos of Bali, how it became a “dreamscape” in the Western consciousness, and how it has changed in recent years (6:30); why certain areas in Bali become over-touristed, and how it has recently been affected by “influencers” (18:00); how black magic and ghosts are part of the belief systems of Balinese, yet few travelers ascertain this (24:00); and how much social-media travel content leaves out essential cultural context (31:00). Stuart McDonald (@travelfishery) is the co-founder of Travelfish.org, a travel planning website covering Southeast Asia, which he launched in 2014. He has been traveling in that part of the world since 1993, and living there since 1997. Notable Links: The Vagabond’s Way, by Rolf Potts (book) Bali Hai Immigrant Song (YouTube mashup) Dutch presence in Bali (colonialist history) Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (book) Canggu (coastal village in Bali) Fly-in fly-out [FIFO] (term for temporary laborers) Digital nomads (remote workers who travel) Lonely Planet (travel guidebook publisher) Infinity pool (type of swimming pool) National Geographic (magazine) GetYourGuide (tour company) Gates of Heaven (photogenic temple in Bali) Balinese sacred textiles Kastom (Melanesian traditional culture) Kava (sedative drink in Melanesia) Listicle (article structured as a list) Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture, by Kyle Chayka (book) Externality (indirect economic cost) This episode of Deviate is also brought to you by AirTreks, an industry leader in multi-stop international travel. If you've ever planned a trip with multiple stops, you know that finding the right flights can be difficult. Between balancing travel logistics and cost, it often becomes impossible to build an itinerary that matches your travel goals.  AirTreks is a distributed travel company with employees working from all corners of the world to help with your flight planning, specializing in complex routes with up to 25 stops. The AirTreks website offers suggested pre-planned travel itineraries to help you get started, but can customize to fit your journey. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel's 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don't host a “comments” section, but we're happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

This is Part 2 of our interview with Stuart MacDonald, Asian tourism expert and founder of TravelFish.org, arguably the best single resource for traveling in Southeast Asia. In this half of the interview, Greg, Ed and Stu revisit the tricky topic of ‘overtourism,' an issue which attempts to find a balance between economic revenue from tourism, which in theory is good for local economies, and damage to the environment, which of course can in the long run make things worse for local people. Stu gives his take on how to find the right balance. The old friends then address the perennial (and perplexing) obsession with ‘high-quality tourists' by the Thai government. Stu gives new insights on the problem of ‘leakage' (which is almost as gross as it sounds) - revenue from tourism that ‘leaks' out of the local economy and into foreign investors and companies. It turns out that higher end tourism results in more of this drain, with a lower percentage of revenue actually making into the hands of local people. Backpackers for the win! Last, the guys discuss the (green) elephant in the room: the decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand and the likely effect it will have on Thai tourism. Stu discusses the likely possibility that more tourists will flock to the Kingdom to experience the new freedom to indulge, but also points out the oversaturation of the market that can turn people off, whether it's tourists or locals themselves.  Tune in to hear a true expert's insights, rather than two random guys yammering! :)  Don't forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Slow travel is a buzzword that's been kicking around a while. A “trend” in the travel industry, some might say, in the vein of ecotourism. Just as the terminology has evolved from global warming to climate change, however, more humans are increasingly considering their footprint, both on the environment and on the destinations they visit, often in an economic way. If slow travel means more than massive exhaust output of air travel – if slow travel means picking one particular destination instead of dozen and then using local means of transportation, bikes or hiking even, to explore an area more in depth, at a more leisurely pace, then I'm all for it. Today, we have a returning guest and longtime friend of the destinations he lives and works in, Stuart McDonald, to give us his understanding of and experiences with slow travel in Asia.

Stuart McDonald of LCP takes us on a brilliant canter through what's happening with life expectancy and longevity and the implications for pension provision. Link to Stuart's report, referenced in the podcast: https://www.lcp.uk.com/pensions-benefits/publications/longevity-report-2023-a-new-era-for-longevity-insights-to-tailor-your-journey/

I chat with Nicola Waller  - Head of Furniture at John Lewis  and Stuart McDonald  -  Herbert Parkinson as they reach a big birthday of 70 years manufacturing together here in the UK. They tell me how how the teams will celebrate their momentous milestone. Stuart gives the history of Herbert Parkinson and how the workplace has evolved since their partnership with John Lewis in 1953. All about the various skills within the workplace and Nicola explains why their products are unique to the high street. Also -  does it make life easier for John Lewis having their soft furnishings made in the UK and why. We talk about their own personal careers that have led them to work with John Lewis with some excellent advice for anyone wanting to become a craftsperson for somewhere like Herbert Parkinson or work on the business side in an esteemed company like Joh Lewis. John Lewis have also made some environmental pledges on re-using, re-cycling and using  even  more sustainable textiles in the upcoming years so it's good to hear what they are hoping to achieve. As always, I ask about their own home and favoured styles. Copyright: Lucy Gleeson Interiors Artwork: Karina Mansfield Music: Andy Henderson

Loam's Grower Communications Manager Dan Reid is out on farm at Canowindra, NSW with grower Stuart McDonald, who has entered into a carbon project with Loam to build soil carbon. This episode covers:Why did you decide to go into a carbon project with Loam?Why is building soil health important?What is enterprise stacking?What would you say to a farmer who wants to know more about carbon?Please send in your curly carbon questions to the team through twitter, facebook or instagram. Web www.loambio.comFacebook www.facebook.com/LoamBio/Twitter @loambioInstagram @loambio

"It just doesn't feel like a living Vietnamese town." Environmental impact, carbon emissions and artificial intelligence (AI) are three of the hottest topics in tourism. This week, Gary & Hannah welcome back Bali-based Stuart McDonald, Founder of Travelfish, to take on these vital talking points. Stuart recently travelled through Vietnam, where he tracked his carbon footprint using the Capture and Path Net Zero apps. He discusses his findings and observations while travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi by train. Stuart also discusses the contrasting challenges (and current outcomes) for tourism in Hoi An and Hue. Taking a tangential turn, we chat about AI chatbots in tourism, and the building of AI-generated content into travel products and information services. Rounding out the discussion, we address a phantom train in Cambodia (which tops the search rankings) and diving in Raja Ampat in Indonesia. And listen out for the rooster!

This week we're talking about one of the key issues of the moment, health in the UK. We're speaking to well-known actuary and LCP colleague Stuart McDonald MBE, Head of LCP's longevity and demographic insights team, who specialises in understanding and explaining health and death data. Stuart gained a high profile during Covid-19 when data interpretation of the government statistics became an essential skill and has continued this work in recent analysis of the impact of NHS waiting times on deaths, and the drivers and implications of the higher-than-usual excess deaths we've seen over the last year. Stuart has been behind front-page headlines in recent times including the 300-500 deaths per week caused by longer waiting times in A&E.

Today we are discussing the environmental crisis and the impact on the travel industry by industry expert Stuart Mcdonald of www.travelfish.org Join Tourpreneur+ for even more content: https://tourpreneur.com/plus/ Join our free tour operator community of over 5.4k members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tourpreneur      

UnHerd's Freddie Sayers is joined by Stuart McDonald to discuss the curious case of the UK's excess deaths.Read the Post here Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stuart McDonald joined Tim O'Connor on Tuesdays edition of Trots Life

I found a movie about wine that I actually like? I watched this movie in London in an underground hotel room with no windows. I was not kidnapped. I had a nice soft cupcake. Join our film club on Discord! Please recommend movies or shows to watch or just rant about the movie we talked about this week! Follow me on Instagram @fanpoweredpodcast or @messagetol A Perfect Pairing, a soft easy romance comedy, stars Victoria Justice, Adam Demos, and Samantha Tolj; directed by Stuart McDonald. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fanpoweredpodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fanpoweredpodcast/support

The prolonged closure of Bali has been a global media case study for the two-year decline of travel in South East Asia. As it slowly reopens, Gary chats to Bali-based Stuart McDonald, Founder of independent travel information company Travelfish, a prolific travel journalist and a respected voice on tourism in South East Asia. In April 2020, Stuart came onto the show (episode 13) and said: “I think we're looking at least 2 to 2.5 years from today before any kind of substantial recreational tourism restarts. Obviously, I hope I'm wrong.” He reflects on that statement and describes what has (and hasn't) changed across Bali, including popular destinations such as Canggu, Ubud and Kuta. Having taken a recent trip to Flores, Stuart discusses ongoing development in Labuan Bajo - one of Indonesia's Super Priority tourism investment destinations) - and changes under way at the Komodo National Park. He also recounts tales of diving one of Indonesia's best sites, meeting Bulgarian backpackers and speaking with elders in a beautiful remote village. Plus, why is travel insurance a bigger issue than ever before, and why did Stuart decide to return to study for an MSc in Responsible Tourism Management?

Catch up on Stuart McDonald's chat with Toby McKinnon and Jason Bonnington on Thursday Trots Life.

Gareth Hall and Dan Mielicki on RSN Central's ‘Green Light On' catch up with Stuart McDonald, who is hoping to drive Spellbound in the Group 1 Golden Girl at Albion Park. The team also speak to major players ahead of the Geelong Saturday night meeting, which include Michael Stanley, Greg Sugars and Josh Aiken.

Will Bali reopen for inbound tourism next month? This week, Gary and Hannah are delighted to welcome back Stuart McDonald, Bali-based founder of Travelfish, to talk all things travel and tourism in Bali and beyond. Bali originally planned to reopen to international tourists last September, but that was postponed. It's now aiming for July 2021, but will it happen? Much relies on two things, getting sufficient residents vaccinated and finding inbound markets that will permit their citizens to visit Bali. Stuart discusses how COVID-19 has impacted travel businesses and daily life around Bali, the outlook for domestic tourism and the current economic situation in Bali and Indonesia. He also addresses the ‘Digital Nomad Visa' and ‘Work From Bali' proposals, potential competition for visitors with Phuket and media articles about the behaviour of foreign visitors in Bali's beach towns. We also assess the challenges for reopening tourism elsewhere in South East Asia, such as Singapore, Cambodia and Laos, and the prospect of tourism adopting a more sustainable stance in future.

Technology debt: choosing the quick win with limited solutions over a better approach that takes longer. Sound familiar? WestJet’s CTO, Stuart McDonald, helps you understand why taking technology shortcuts has damaging consequences for your business. We also discuss the changes that COVID-19 ushered into the airline industry, and how taking a Canadian approach to partnerships can prevent technology silos that fragment the customer experience. 

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve the use of a vaccine for Covid 19. But some people are worried that the decision was taken too quickly - can we really know it’s safe yet? Tim Harford tackles these safety concerns. Plus, what is the best way to distribute the vaccine? How do you maximise the benefit of the first round of vaccines? Stuart McDonald, a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK works out what groups would benefit most.

Interview with Stuart McDonald, President of Taseko Mines (TSX:TKO, NYSE:TGB)

Stuart McDonald, Head of Demographic Assumptions and Methodology at Lloyds Banking Group is interviewed by David Collinson, Part of the Founding Team at the Pension Corporation on the Impact of Covid on mortality. The pandemic has caused unexpected deaths around the world but what is the greater picture for the UK when considering mortality in previous years? Actuaries are looking are various outcomes such as the healthy survivor effect which would lead to light mortality in the upcoming years. Its also crucial to keep in mind the many variations within society on the response to COVID-19 whether its direct infections or economic implications.  https://thelongevityforum.com

It's 6 months since Bali-based travel publisher and commentator Stuart McDonald joined us on the podcast in April, which seems like a distant era. This week, Gary and Hannah chat with Stuart about the outcome of Bali's reopening to domestic tourists, and its postponed attempt to reboot inbound tourism. Stuart provides some poignant and revealing insights about how the island is coping without mass tourism. We also discuss Thailand's special tourist visa, Singapore's decision to allow Australian and Vietnamese air passengers to return, and we look at what happens next for countries in ASEAN that are stubbornly refusing to open their borders. Is a vaccine the only way to revive the region's devastated tourism industry? All this, plus a soothing soundtrack of surf waves from Stuart's beachside perch.

Imagine that you run a successful and respected online travel guide that focuses on Southeast Asia's myriad of fascinating backwaters and diverse cultures.Over 15 years, travelers have used your site for tips on where to go and unusual things to see and do, including finding accommodation and places to eat that ordinarily the more high-profile guides fail to showcase.But then, coronavirus hits and travelers stop coming to the region - not only is your reason for producing content put on the backburner but the business model is under pressure.This is the story of Travelfish, run by Indonesia-based Stuart McDonald.In this week's episode of InPhocus we find out how McDonald had to quickly rethink his world of travel publishing for a readership that couldn't travel any time soon.He created Couchfish and, six months on, things aren't exactly back to pre-COVID levels but there is an interesting purpose to his endeavor that has since spawned a successful crowd-funding campaign to keep the family-run business alive.Presenting this episode of InPhocus is PhocusWire's Kevin May.

The first episode of the podcast where Stuart McDonald, Callum Smith and host Greg Friel introduce their concept of “I Was Gonnae” and how you can all get involved. https://www.iwasgonnae.co.uk Online Personal and Professional Workshops: https://iwasgonnae.co.uk/courses/ - inspirational workshops which examine and review your life barriers and belief systems currently limiting your ability to fulfil personal and professional life ambitions

Election fever is in the air...I spoke to SNP's Stuart McDonald to find out what he is doing to keep his seat in the upcoming election or will it be his last parliamentary session at Westminster as Scotland secedes from the British Union? Tune in to find out more...

We had a wonderful discussion with Stuart McDonald the Founder of one of South East Asia's oldest and best sources of information- the website Travelfish. Stuart has seen nearly every nook and cranny of South East Asia, and weathered nearly every change in the Travel Industry. But facing the hydra of Climate Change, Over-Tourism and Big Tech disrupting and destroying traditional life throughout Asia, I wanted to discuss with Stuart if this is perhaps the Travel Industry's reckoning, and we are moving on to the end of the Travel Industry, and perhaps travel as we know it. It's a fascinating chat that covers Tech, Imperialism, History and of course Travel. If you want to know more about Stuart and his project, please head to travelfish.org or follow him @travelfish on Twitter. And for more information about who we are, what we do, and the creative travel we do in Asia (which we think stands out from the herd), head to Asiaarttours.com!

A report claims that the Home Office has utterly failed on immigration detention, we speak to Stuart McDonald. A British Museum curator joins us to tell us why Edvard Munch's The Scream might not depict a man screaming after all. And is Lorraine Kelly an actress performing a version of herself? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We chat with Stuart McDonald, founder of online Asian travel website Travelfish.org, about exploring the unexplored. As a tourist destination, Asia’s getting busier by the day. More and more people have money to travel, visa restrictions are disappearing and traveling by plane is more affordable than ever. Once tranquil sites like Angkor Wat, Kyoto and others are today packed with tourists. But the good news is there are still tons of wonderful places to visit that are void of crowds. On this episode we’ll chat with Stuart McDonald, founder of online Asian travel website Travelfish.org, about why so many unexplored places remain unexplored?

On this week's show, we begin (1:20) with a conversation about the just-concluded Asian Olympics and what they mean for Vietnam, especially in terms of football and the incredible reaction to the success of the mean's team. Then (14:07), we cover Saigon's collection of museums and their generally poor quality. Why aren't their better museums in the city, and which locations would we recommend? Our interview guest (22:55) is Stuart McDonald, a co-founder of the independent travel website Travelfish. We call Stuart at his home in Indonesia to talk about travel in Southeast Asia. Check out the website here: https://www.travelfish.org/ As always, we end with Banh Mi Banter (41:43).

In this episode of Brewed in Bangkok, Siddhant meets up with co-founder of Travelfish.org, Stuart McDonald, in Bangkok.…

From a cute lil’ gazebo on the rooftop of a newly-renovated hotel in Chinatown, Greg, Ed, and Stuart from Travelfish.org jump into the complex issue of “overtourism” in Thailand. Beginning with a definition of the term (roughly when the number of tourists exceeds the capacity of the existing infrastructure to properly service them), Stuart describes the situation in a number of popular tourist destinations in Thailand. It’s a tricky subject - if one destination starts to get a bit too touristy, does this then mean that tourists (and expats in Thailand) should re-route their trips to lesser known destinations? Stuart thinks it’s a good idea, pointing out that in recent decades, tourist destinations in Thailand have actually gotten less diverse, as more regional options open up and compete for the almighty tourist dollar. The guys then discuss other possible solutions to the problem, but all three express doubts about the Thai government’s willingness to sacrifice short term tourist numbers for long term preservation of Thailand’s position in the world of tourism. What do you think? As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Before we get into the ins and outs of travel insurance with one of the most well-traveled people out there, we dive right back into the shallow end of debating whether or not Bangkok's traffic has improved. Why would it improve? Well, last month the police commissioner said that traffic police will no longer be setting up checkpoints...so, did it work? Evo weighs in (because Greg drives a car, and they get pulled over way less that motorbikes, which he's really happy about). But the real reason we're here is to talk insurance. Travel insurance, specifically, and why it's so important. Stuart McDonald, the founder of Southeast Asia's best site for independent travel - that's Travelfish.org in case you live in a cave - was kind enough to join us from his home in Bali about his experiences traveling, writing about traveling, and giving advice to people about traveling. For instance, did you know that if you ride a motorbike without a helmet and get in an accident, your insurance might be void? Why? Because you're breaking the law silly, and insurance companies loooove to find little loopholes like that. But these days it's more complicated than simply buying insurance and then heading off on an adventure. Among other things we talk about: The ubiquity of social media and how it changes how bad news is spread and how people view travel The importance of putting the effort into understanding how your insurance policy works in different countries Why travel insurance probably isn't going to cut it if you cross the line from traveler to expat Why most of these elements can be covered by simply using your noggin (to think with, not as a helmet holder) Trust us folks, you'll be hard pressed to find someone as knowledgeable as Stu on how to travel properly. He's also a father, as well, so that makes his opinion doubly valid. Don't make him come back there! Love, Loathe, or Leave Have you ever put your hand into your pocket and pulled out a fistful of dollars baht? Evo has, and he hates it! It vexes him, the nasty coinses, and he's going to tell you why! It's a good thing too, because Greg had no idea what he was talking about until Evo explained his oddly specific coin rage. We Love Our Supporters! You want bonus episodes? You can get bonus episodes! This week we talked about germs, vacation days, and what it's like to take a holiday while working at a Thai company. Here's a hint: you don't have time to go very far. You can get that full episode when you join dozens of other people who help us keep the show free of annoying by supporting us on Patreon. Please?  Thank you! Want More Bangkok Podcast In Your Life? If it’s your first time experiencing The Bangkok Podcast, you really should get our show downloading to your phone automatically every week. If you use iOS, it’s a breeze to listen via Apple Podcasts. Android users are be able get the show any number of ways. And for bonus points, leave us a review on those platforms or however you listen to the show. We’d love to hear from you! You can add our official LINE account, comment on a post or send us a message via our Facebook page, tweet to us @bangkokpodcast, or simply via the contact form on our website. You may also be interested in Greg’s tweets of snarky Bangkok goodness, and you can see way too much of Evo’s face  on Instagram. If you’re really new, the Bangkok Podcast is co-hosted by Greg Jorgensen and Evo Terra. Together the have over 20 years expat experience in Bangkok, and are self-certified experts in living in the City of Angels. (Not Los Angeles. Thailand, silly!)

http://www.tropicalmba.com/travelfish/ This week I was lucky enough to catch up with Stuart McDonald, the founder of Travelfish, which one of the most respected sites on the web for South East Asia travel information. If you peak over the shoulder of a random backpacker in Bangkok cafes, expect to see a "TravelFish" URL along with Facebook blue.

Southeast Asia is an absolutely magical place full of gorgeous beaches, amazing food, and incredible culture. Couple all that with the fact that it’s insanely cheap, and you’ve got one of the best places in the world to visit. And no one knows that better than Stuart McDonald, founder of of the amazing online guidebook Travelfish, who has been living, working, and hanging out in the region for over 20 yea

Dr Stuart McDonald "William Hunter"

Today we're joined by Stuart McDonald, President, Founder, CEO and all around big boss at Travelfish.org, one of the most respected independent travel websites. Stu gives us a fascinating look into building of a travel site from nothing, and shares with us a few inside tips on the travel industry, like how to remain anonymous when reviewing hotels, how the guidebook industry is evolving, and what 'travel' means for different people. He also talks with us about what he does when he realizes another website is ripping off his content, how Thailand may be in danger of losing its crown as Asia's top travel spot, and what part Travelfish and sites like it play in the over-touristing of a chosen site. We're also joined by Ryan White, a filmmaker who is working on a film called Mondo Banana. It sounds weird to our limited western way of thinking, but bananas actually have some pretty serious cultural and religious significance in Asia, and you'll be surprised just how far his journey has taken him into a world most of us know nothing about.