Scott explains that Thailand is one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. It consistently ranks high in magazine and traveler’s polls, and its capital Bangkok is regularly rated as the top city in the world for tourists, often beating out better known international capitals such as Paris and London. Scott asks, “What makes Thailand such a magical and popular travel destination?” and proposes that they discuss that today.
Episode 26: Responsible Tourism with Bodhi Garrett
- June 15, 2015
- Tagged as: andaman discoveries, Asia Podcast, Baan Talay Nok, Bodhi Garrett, Mokken Experience, responsible tourism, Responsible Tourism Thailand, Responsible Travel, Responsible Travel Thailand, Scott Coates, Talk Travel Asia, Thailand Podcast, Travel Podcast, Trevor Ranges, WeHelpNepal
To kick off this week’s episode of Talk Travel Asia podcast, Trevor talks about a time in the recent past when ‘ecotourism’ was the big travel buzzword. Though no one really knew exactly what it meant, it was thought to represent travel that was ‘green’ or perhaps sustainable; that is to say, low impact on the environment, perhaps. Eventually, the label seemed to become used to describe anything that occurred outdoors.
When living or traveling in Asia, it seems that there is always something exotic or wild waiting right around the corner – and actually occurring on a weekly, if not daily basis. On Episode 13: Tantalizing Travel Tales, we shared the following tales of adventure from around the region: Continue reading
It seems that vegetarianism is getting more popular by the year and some vegetarians wonder if they’ll be able to stick to their non-meat diets while traveling in Asia. The good news is that it’s very easy to enjoy incredible food throughout much of the region as a vegetarian. You’ll want to learn a few key local words to ensure cooks understand you are a vegetarian, but once you get those down you’re set. On this episode of Talk Travel Asia, Scott and Trevor talk with Adam Platt-Hepworth about living and traveling in Asia as a vegetarian.
Scott explains that planning any honeymoon (which of course must be perfect from start to finish with no fights) is no easy task anywhere in the world, let alone in a region so different from home that the chances of unexpected things happening is high. Isolating what you ‘really’ want to do, how you want to spend your time, what the budget is, hitting the ‘must see’ spots, while also experiencing a host of other things, and ensuring there’s a balance for both of you is no easy feat. This is your first trip as a married couple and you don’t want it to be anything less than perfect. So how do you do it? First off – it won’t be perfect.
Before getting to their guests, Scott and Trevor talk a bit about how and when travel became a part of their professional lives, including a few of the challenges of taking that initial plunge, as well as some of the joys of living a traveling lifestyle as a full time profession. They then talk about travel with a significant other as their guests are both professional travelers and a pair of traveling companions.
Scott kicks off this episode explaining that he and Trevor are often asked by friends, family, friends of friends, and friends of friends of some guy they met one time at a bar, “What should we do while in Bangkok?” He explains that Bangkok is a city of 10 million people and it’s arguably one of the most dynamic, exotic, and action-packed cities on the planet. How you should spend a few days there is a hugely subjective question, one with a myriad of answers, but that they have a few suggestions to make the most of your time in the City of Angels. Today they’re going to share with you some of their favorite things to do, places to visit, how to get to them, best spots for a drink and tasty food, and ensure that you don’t waste your time in Bangkok.
Scott starts the episode talking about how paddling is something that he has always enjoyed doing when at a beach where there are kayaks for rent. Typically he’s only ridden on simple sit-on-top varieties and usually has only done so for an hour or so. He enjoys it because it’s very inexpensive –typically about $5US/hr in Thailand, it’s good exercise, and it gets you up close and personal with the area.
Episode 19: Favorite Foods of Asia
- February 16, 2015
- Tagged as: Bangkok Restaurants, naughty nuris, Ngon restaurant, Phnom Penh restaurants, rusty keyhole kampot, Scott Coates, Sovanna BBQ, Sovanna Restaurant, Talk Travel Asia, Trevor Ranges, Vietnam Restaurants, where to eat bali, where to eat in Bangkok, where to eat in Cambodia, where to eat in Laos, where to eat in Vietnam
This week’s episode explores one of the greatest aspects of diversity in Asia: the wide range of food available both across the region and within each individual country. Every foodie and every local seems to have a favorite dish and knows the best place to get it: Scott and Trevor are no exception, and in Episode 19 of Talk Travel Asia they talk about some of their Favorite Foods of Asia and fill you in on the restaurants that they think serve the best!