Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast

03/09/2022

S04 of Alpaca My Bags is officially wrapped!!!! 

Alpaca pals, it's been a great season. Kattie & I had so much fun making the last 10 episodes, and we 're grateful for everything we learned from our wonderful guests, too. While we're sad that the season is wrapped, we are excited to take some down time and then get started on S05!

We have tons of exciting ideas for our next season, and we're already working on getting those ideas in motion. We might be a bit quieter than usual on IG while we work on S05, but don't worry, we will be back with new episodes in August 2022! As always, our DMs are open to everyone so if you'd like to reach us in the coming months, just shoot us a message.

Ok, we wanna know. What did you think of this season? What was your fav episode? Least fav? What would you like us to cover in S05?

Let us know in the comments!

03/06/2022

Alpaca My Bags is in The Toronto Star today!

Sharing how Erin started thinking about responsible tourism, & eventually started the podcast.

Plus, she shares some local travel tips for Torontonians!

Want to create local-travel experiences of your own? Here’s Erin Hynes’ favourite responsible-tourism companies.

02/11/2022

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!! 💕✨️

Kattie here, popping in to celebrate this incredible, wonderful human and let the world know that they should too!

Hope you have the best day you hilarious, thoughtful, and lovely Aquarius QUEEN 👸

AND to blatantly capitalize on her special day, make sure you leave a 5 star review on our podcast to give her the best birthday gift!

01/26/2022

In the 1960s & 1970s young people from the UK, Europe, America and elsewhere, hopped on bus services or into their own converted vehicles, to travel from Europe to South Asia.

One of those people was Kathryn (Katie) Lang-Slattery. Katie traveled the overland route with her husband Tom for almost exactly two years, from September 1971, to September 1973. On a budget of $10 a day, Tom and Katie drove 39,000 miles across four continents ...in a world before the internet or cell phones. Nowadays, the route they drove from Europe to South Asia is known as the "Hippie Trail." Swipe through for pics of Katie & Tom!

In this week's episode, we're exploring the history of the Hippie Trail! Listen in to learn about the rise and fall of this famous overland route.

We chat with two people who traveled the route themselves - Katie Lang-Slattery, and John de Figueiredo, & we find out whether the people traveling the trailwere actually hippies. Listen on your fav podcast platform!

01/10/2022

A huge thanks to Kara from for writing this review of Alpaca My Bags! We're so honoured to know that we're one of your favs ❤️

As always, thank you so much for all your support, alpaca pals!

If you'd like to review us, you can submit one to Apple Podcasts, or rate us on Spotify ✍️ And, if you submit one this month, you'll automatically be entered into our ongoing contest to win a collection of travel resources!

01/06/2022

It’s GIVEAWAY TIME alpaca pals!

To wrap up the year, we’re giving one lucky alpaca pal a collection of our favourite travel resources. The winner of this giveaway will receive copies of:

✅Affording Travel - by

✅Overland Digital Nomadism - by

✅ABC Travel Greenbook - by

✅Sustainable Travel - by

These resources are all by experts in the travel space that we’ve learned from & admire, and some of these folks have even been guests on the podcast!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is follow us, and write a quick review of Alpaca My Bags podcast. You can leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Facebook or the platform of your choice. Simply screenshot the review you’ve submitted and send us that screenshot via DM to enter!

For unlimited extra entries, you can:

* Share this post to your stories (be sure to tag us!)
* Tag a friend in the comments of this post

Please note that unfortunately, only people based in North America can enter. A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on January 16. We’ll get in touch with that winner by DM, and send the books over by email. Please note this giveaway is in no way affiliated with Instagram.

01/05/2022

Here in Ontario, omicron has driven up the case numbers dramatically. We're back into a partial lockdown & we're back to stressing about safety.

We wanted to share this quote as a reminder to ourselves and to all of you alpaca pals, that it's ok to feel afraid, stressed, and sad right now. We're right there with you.

To hear Talia from & Erin chat about mental health & travel, you can go back to episode 58.

If any of you want to chat or vent - out DMs are always open ❤️

01/03/2022

Happy New Year, alpaca pals! We're wishing all of you the best in 2022 ❤️

If you haven't already listened, be sure to check your podcast feed for our bonus end of 2021 episode! In it, Kattie & I share a bit about how 2021 went for us, 2022 plans, I share some stories from my trip to Portugal, and we talk a bit about YOU!

We're so grateful for all of you. The community & friends we've found through making this podcast is truly the most rewarding part. We're excited to keep creating in 2022!

12/20/2021

In our latest episode, we talk about the ins and outs of traveling with friends with pals Zac & Lauren. Give it a listen for some fun stories and helpful tips.

Listen to Alpaca My Bags on your fav podcast platform, and be sure to leave is a quick rating, too!

12/15/2021

Travel with friends is fun, but at times it can also be a ✨bumpy ride✨

When spending 24/7 with another human while traveling a new place, there's bound to be some tough days and stressful decisions. This can create relationship strains that we don't encounter when we're at home.

In the latest episode of Alpaca My Bags, best pals Zac & Lauren share with us what they've learned about traveling as friends!

Listen to the latest episode of Alpaca My Bags on your fav podcast app!

11/24/2021

Plenty of people head to places like India to do some soul searching...

There's nothing wrong with a little soul search, it's important to look inward. But it is really something can can't be done at home, maybe with a little therapy?

Sometimes soul searching can go wrong. “India Syndrome,” a psychosis said to effect Westerners seeking spiritual enlightenment in India, has been cited as the cause behind the disappearance and deaths of travellers in India.

But is "India Syndrome" real? Or is there more to it? 🤔

In our latest episode, we unpack India syndrome with Caroline Slaughter .

Check it out via the link in our bio!