How to Find the Real Italy: Small Villages, Big Connections with Elizabeth Heath of Villaggio Tours

From the Mat to the World: Soul Nourishing Adventure Travel with The Travel Yogi

What if your next trip left you feeling more energized than when you left home — nourished instead of depleted, present instead of checked out? That's not a fantasy. That's exactly what today's guest designs for travelers all over the world. Kilty is a yoga educator from Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi who traded a career in civil and environmental engineering for a life on the mat — and eventually, a life on the road. She now works with The Travel Yogi, the original yoga adventure travel company, helping design and lead immersive small-group journeys that weave together movement, culture, nature, and meaningful human connection. Whether she's guiding a group through Sri Lanka, Iceland, or the remote glaciers of Greenland, Kilty's approach is the same: the adventure comes first, and the yoga holds it all together. Guest Bio Kilty Inafuku is a yoga educator from Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi who believes that what happens on the mat is practice for how we show up in everyday life. She studied Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA before leaving the engineering world to pursue yoga as a career and lifestyle, training with Jay Co and Jason Crandell. Kilty teaches vinyasa-based yoga and works with The Travel Yogi, helping scout new destinations, build itineraries, and lead transformational small-group travel experiences around the world. In 2025 she added Greenland to her growing list of extraordinary destinations — and calls it one of the most profound places she's ever been. Host Bio Karen Cleveland is the creator and host of Travel That Touches Your Soul. She is a safari host, spiritual teacher, and animal communicator devoted to helping people reconnect with what matters most through meaningful travel. Her work centers on connection with animals, land, culture, and inner truth, and the quiet inner knowing that says, this is the kind of life I came here to live. Episode Topics and Timestamps 1. Travel that energizes instead of depletes — and the company making it happen (00:00) 2. Welcome and introduction — Karen introduces Kilty Inafuku and The Travel Yogi (00:18) 3. From engineering to the mat — how Kilty left UCLA and never looked back (01:00) 4. How yoga on the road differs from yoga at home — and why self-reflection is the common thread (04:00) 5. The Travel Yogi difference: adventure first, yoga as the grounding thread (05:31) 6. All levels welcome — what vinyasa means and how teachers adapt for every body (07:17) 7. Small groups, local guides, and why it feels like a friend showing you their home (09:27) 8. The personalized trip app — packing lists, gratuity guides, fun phrases, and more (13:00) 9. Upcoming trips: Sri Lanka in March and Iceland in October (08:20) 10. Greenland — glaciers, silence, and a native culture that reminded Kilty of home in Hawaiʻi (14:40) 11. Galapagos — where the animals walk right up to you (17:27) 12. How each destination shapes the itinerary: slow food in Italy, perfume-making in France, rafting in Patagonia (18:37) 13. Traveling responsibly — local guides, boutique hotels, and doing good where they can (20:37) 14. Where to find The Travel Yogi and upcoming trips (21:21) The Travel Yogi https://www.thetravelyogi.com [https://www.thetravelyogi.com] Instagram & Facebook: @thetravelyogi Join our email community to receive notice of upcoming trips, new podcasts, and find out the "Top Travels of 2026 to Soothe Your Soul" https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels [https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels] or https://soulful.travel [https://soulful.travel] Be sure to Subscribe and review the podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls [https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls] iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/ [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/] Facebook: Karen https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland [https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland] Travel that Touches Your Soul https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/ [https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/] Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel [https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel]

Pickleball, Purpose & Travel With Heart: How Melinda Alcosser Is Changing Lives Around the World

What happens when you combine one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with a deep commitment to community, connection, and conscious travel? You get something unlike anything you've seen before. Today's guest has taken pickleball far beyond the court — into schools in the Dominican Republic and headed all around the world. Melinda helps heart-centered people and communities design travel experiences that support their journey of connecting, honoring, caring for self, one another, and this sacred home we call Earth. From pickleball adventures and women's retreats to regenerative family travel and youth-focused journeys, everything Melinda creates is infused with what she calls "with heart" — the belief that travel, at its best, is an act of love. Guest Bio Melinda Alcosser is a travel designer, educator, and the founder of With Heart Travel and the Carpe Dinkum pickleball travel series. With a background spanning 14 years running an experientially-based middle school, humanitarian work, and travel coaching, Melinda brings a rare depth of purpose to everything she creates. She designs immersive group experiences for women, families, and pickleball players of all levels — weaving community giveback, personal growth, and genuine cultural connection into every itinerary. She is also a certified experience designer through the Transformational Travel Council and is building With Heart Incorporated, a nonprofit arm dedicated to making travel accessible to all. When she's not on the road, she's dreaming up the next way pickleball can change a life. Host Bio Karen Cleveland is the creator and host of Travel That Touches Your Soul. She is a safari and wildlife tour host, spiritual teacher, and animal communicator devoted to helping people reconnect with what matters most through meaningful travel. Her work centers on connection with animals, land, culture, and inner truth, and the quiet inner knowing that says, this is the kind of life I came here to live. Episode Topics and Timestamps 1. Pickleball travel with a purpose — and the photo that says it all (00:00) 2. Welcome and introduction — Karen introduces Melinda Alcosser (00:10) 3. The "with heart" experience — visiting a Dominican Republic school and why it became the trip highlight (01:12) 4. How Melinda's pickleball trips work — all levels welcome, coaches included (07:36) 5. The Dream Team Pickleball Academy in Uganda and the Carpe Dinkum Giving Club (09:00) 6. The origins of pickleball — and why Melinda's husband may have been there at the very beginning (12:00) 7. Three buckets: pickleball travel, women's retreats, and youth & family journeys (18:04) 8. The Transformational Travel Council and why regenerative travel changes everything (19:00) 9. Awaken Your Spirit at Sea — January 2026 aboard the Royal Clipper in the Grenadines (22:00) 10. With Heart Incorporated — Melinda's vision to make travel accessible for everyone (24:04) 11. Where to find Melinda and upcoming trips (24:47) Upcoming Trips 🏓 Carpe Dink’em Pickleball in Cancún — December 3–8, 2026 https://all-travel.com/pickelball-cancun-dec-2026/ [https://all-travel.com/pickelball-cancun-dec-2026/] ⛵ Awaken Your Spirit at Sea aboard Royal Clipper — January 9–16, 2026 https://app.tern.travel/trips/2559333/landing_page/edit [https://app.tern.travel/trips/2559333/landing_page/edit] With Heart Travel https://www.withhearttravel.com [https://app.tern.travel/trips/vbThGRhpq-QdwM5zGycWdw/itineraries/cFrFYRVxdjXhuaI47BChCg] Travel and Pickleball https://www.travelandpickleball.com [https://www.travelandpickleball.com] Join our email community to receive notice of upcoming trips, new podcasts, and find out the "Top Travels of 2026 to Soothe Your Soul" https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels [https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels] or https://soulful.travel [https://soulful.travel] Be sure to Subscribe and review the podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls [https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls] iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/ [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/] Facebook: Karen https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland [https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland] Travel that Touches Your Soul https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/ [https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/] Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel [https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel]

How to Find the Real Italy: Small Villages, Big Connections with Elizabeth Heath of Villaggio Tours

Have you ever seen photos or videos of tiny Italian villages — the laughter, the food, the friendship — and wondered how to find that for yourself? Today's guest did exactly that, and she now lives it every day. Elizabeth Heath moved from Florida to a hilltop village of 200 people in Umbria, Italy, and after 15 years immersed in the culture, she created Villaggio Tours — small-group immersive experiences where strangers become friends, grandmothers teach you to make pasta, and going-away dinners end in happy tears. Welcome to Travel That Touches Your Soul podcast and video channel, where I bring you the people and places around the world to help you connect with something greater than yourself and fulfill your heart's desires. I'm Karen Cleveland, and today's guest is Elizabeth Heath. Elizabeth founded Villaggio Tours with a mission to connect travelers with the authentic rhythms of rural Italian life — the harvests, the feasts, the folklore, and the families. She lives in Allerona, Umbria with her husband Paolo, a traditional stone mason, in a restored 13th-century home that now serves as Six Keys Guest House, the home base for all her tours. Guest Bio Elizabeth Heath is the founder of Villaggio Tours and co-owner of Six Keys Guest House in Allerona, a medieval hill town of roughly 200 residents in Umbria, Italy. Originally from Florida, Elizabeth came to Italy to pursue a PhD in anthropology and archeology, fell in love with the land and the people — including her husband Paolo, born and raised in Allerona — and never left. After 15+ years immersed in rural Italian life, she now leads intimate small-group tours that weave together food, harvest traditions, history, and genuine human connection. Her tours include cooking classes in a real Italian grandmother's kitchen, truffle hunts on private reserves, olive and grape harvests, visits to a 17th-century noble family's palazzo, and day trips to some of Umbria's most dramatic and lesser-known sites. When guests leave crying, she knows she's done her job. Host Bio Karen Cleveland is the creator and host of Travel That Touches Your Soul. She is a safari host, spiritual teacher, and animal communicator devoted to helping people reconnect with what matters most through meaningful travel. Her work centers on connection with animals, land, culture, and inner truth, and the quiet inner knowing that says, this is the kind of life I came here to live. Episode Topics and Timestamps 1. Those Italian village photos — and how to actually live that experience (00:00) 2. Welcome and introduction — Karen introduces Elizabeth Heath and Villaggio Tours (00:43) 3. From Florida to Umbria — archeological digs, a summer in Orvieto, and meeting Paolo (01:32) 4. Life in Allerona — a medieval hill town of 200 inside a curtain wall from the 1100s (02:27) 5. Why field archeology is a young person's game — and how Elizabeth still shares her passion (03:20) 6. The going-away dinner — family, friends, food, and why guests cry when they leave (04:00) 7. Paolo, the family, and the difference between performing Italian culture and living it (05:23) 8. Harvesting grapes with a friend — and how everything begins and ends with food (07:11) 9. Olive oil from tree to mill to table — and what an olive oil tasting actually teaches you (08:00) 10. The first Villaggio Tours group — launched with one Facebook post in 2023 (09:00) 11. Truffle hunting on a private reserve with trained dogs at dawn (09:51) 12. The cooking class — fresh pasta, ravioli, and lunch with wine in a grandmother's kitchen (10:59) 13. Six Keys Guest House — the 13th-century home Paolo restored stone by stone (11:41) 14. Dining in a nobleman's palazzo that's been in the same family since the 1600s (13:21) 15. The ethnobotanical hike — edible plants, abandoned farmhouses, and ruins on a Vatican map (15:57) 16. Civita di Bagnoregio — the dying city with a population of five (18:25) 17. One-day cooking class options for travelers already in the Orvieto area (20:12) 18. Upcoming tours — April springtime, May folk festival, September island + countryside, fall harvest, Venice (23:31) 19. Where to find Villaggio Tours and Six Keys Guest House (26:00) Villaggio Tours https://www.villaggiotours.com [https://www.villaggiotours.com] Six Keys Guest House https://www.sixkeysumbria.com [https://www.sixkeysumbria.com] Join our email community to receive notice of upcoming trips, new podcasts, and find out the "Top Travels of 2026 to Soothe Your Soul" https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels [https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels] or https://soulful.travel [https://soulful.travel] Be sure to Subscribe and review the podcast! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls [https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls] iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/ [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/] Facebook: Karen https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland [https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland] Travel that Touches Your Soul https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/ [https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/] Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel [https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel]

The Secret to Happiness: What Finland Taught Us

The Secret to Happiness: What Finland Taught Us What is the secret to happiness? My guest today went searching for that answer in the United Nations' happiest country in the world — no, not Disneyland, but Finland — and not only found the answer, but also went through her own personal soul-touching moments and transformations in the process. Welcome to Travel That Touches Your Soul podcast and video channel, where I bring you the people and places around the world to help you connect with something greater than yourself and fulfill your heart's desires. I'm Karen Cleveland, and today's guest is Doni Belau. Doni founded the women-only tour company Girls' Guide to the World in 2009 with a mission to empower women of all ages to explore the world. She has led thousands of women across 80 countries on journeys that blend cultural immersion, personal growth, and sisterhood. Her story is one of transformation — including how travel shaped her purpose, and how she now creates journeys that touch women's souls in return. Guest Bio Doni Belau founded the women-only tour company Girls' Guide to the World in 2009 with a mission to empower women of all ages to explore the world. Girls' Guide to the World now offers 85 tours to 51 countries. As an intrepid traveler who has explored over 80 countries herself, Doni has used her destination knowledge to curate a diverse portfolio of trips catering to a wide range of interests, from cultural immersion and culinary tours to active adventures and wellness retreats. Each itinerary is thoughtfully crafted to spark curiosity, foster authentic connection, and create lasting memories. Doni's diverse experiences, from television production to humanitarian work in South Africa, have fueled her passion for creating transformative journeys that blend personal growth with the joy of exploration. With over 15 years of experience in the travel industry, Doni's in-depth understanding of destinations, travel trends, and evolving consumer desires ensures that each tour offered prioritizes connection, personal growth, and unforgettable experiences. When not leading trips, she divides her time between France, New Orleans, and a sailboat named Relish — a testament to her adventurous spirit. Host Bio Karen Cleveland is the creator and host of Travel That Touches Your Soul. She is a safari and wildlife trip host, spiritual teacher, and animal communicator devoted to helping people reconnect with what matters most through meaningful travel. Her work centers on connection with animals, land, culture, and inner truth, and the quiet inner knowing that says, this is the kind of life I came here to live. Episode Topics and Timestamps • What is the secret to happiness? The question that launched a journey to Finland (00:00) • Welcome and introduction — Karen introduces Doni Belau and Girls' Guide to the World (00:20) • The Arctic Snow Hotel in Rovaniemi — ice bars, ice sculptures, and -13°F nights (01:20) • Two Finland trips — one chasing Northern Lights, one chasing happiness (05:00) • Reindeer rides, husky mushing, and why these dogs live for this (06:29) • The boat sauna in Tromsø — hamam, cold plunge, and hot tub in the snow (10:55) • Northern Lights magic — why your phone camera sees them better than your eyes (12:10) • The summer happiness research trip — meeting the nine Nordic Queens (13:48) • The countryside farmstead — ancient rye bread, matriarchal tradition, and the old ways (15:00) • The group dynamic — solo travelers, sisterhood, and "meet as strangers, depart as friends" (17:27) • Free education through PhD and nearly 50% female government representation (21:00) • The sauna and cold plunge — what Finland has known for centuries that we're only learning now (24:00) • Trust in government — the factor that silenced the whole room (28:07) • What Doni brought home — why travel truly eliminates prejudice (33:40) • Upcoming trips — Finland, Italy's Dolomites, Sicily, Galapagos, Madagascar, Molokai, and more (36:32) • How to find Girls' Guide to the World and join The Traveling Sisterhood (39:43) Girls' Guide to the World website https://www.girlsguidetotheworld.com/ [https://www.girlsguidetotheworld.com/] Email info@girlsguidetotheworld.com [info@girlsguidetotheworld.com] Join our email community to receive notice of upcoming trips, new podcasts, and find out the "Top Travels of 2026 to Soothe Your Soul" https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels [https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels] or https://soulful.travel [https://soulful.travel] Be sure to Subscribe and review the podcasts! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls [https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls] iHeart https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/ [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/] Facebook: Karen https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland [https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland] Travel that Touches Your Soul https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/ [https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/] Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel [https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel]

No One Dines Alone: Culinary Travel with Global Palate Adventures

Cooking classes, markets, vineyards, and the kind of stories you can taste. Are you the kind of traveler who learns a culture through markets, meals, and what locals are sipping at the next table. Then this episode is for you. Karen Cleveland sits down with Susan Reinke, Founder and Director of Global Palate Adventures, to talk about travel that revolves around food, wine, and the people behind it all. Susan shares stories from intimate cooking experiences, from a home kitchen up five flights of stairs in Parma, to a high intensity professional kitchen in San Sebastián, and even a Barcelona cooking day that turned into a citywide adventure during a strike. Along the way, you’ll hear how her “no one dines alone” approach creates real community, why one cooking class per trip is often the perfect amount, and what’s coming up next, including Charleston, Japan, Portugal, and South Africa with wine country and safari. Guest Bio Susan Reinke is the Founder and Director of Global Palate Adventures, a small group travel company for food and wine lovers who want to understand culture through what people grow, cook, and share at the table. She launched Global Palate Adventures in 2015 as a natural extension of her career in foodservice and agriculture marketing through her company, Food Marketing Resources, where she works with agriculture organizations to increase their foodservice business. Over the years, Susan has traveled extensively across the U.S. and abroad, taking cooking classes in kitchens from Spain to Thailand, wandering local markets, meeting producers, and collecting the kinds of stories that only show up when you slow down and listen. Her trips attract curious travelers, chefs, marketers, and passionate food people, plus plenty of solo travelers who quickly become part of the group. Her motto says it all. No one dines alone. Host Bio Karen Cleveland is the creator and host of Travel That Touches Your Soul. She is a safari host, spiritual teacher, and animal communicator devoted to helping people reconnect with what matters most through meaningful travel. Her work centers on connection with animals, land, culture, and inner truth, and the quiet inner knowing that says, this is the kind of life I came here to live. Episode Topics and Timestamps • A question for every obsessed foodie. Markets, meals, and culture (00:00) • Susan’s origin story. From food marketing to Global Palate Adventures (00:13) • Kitchen adventures around the world. Parma apartments and pro kitchens (01:22) • The market to kitchen flow. Ingredients first, then cooking together (02:20) • Barcelona pivot story. A strike, a long walk, and bonding over fish prep (03:13) • How the Bordeaux class worked with language barriers and translation (04:28) • How much moving around is ideal. Fewer hotels, more depth (05:17) • Who comes on these trips. Chefs, food people, curious travelers, and solos (06:12) • Why South Africa. Wine country plus safari, plus penguins (07:00) • Repeat destinations and demand. Sicily, Portugal, and why people return (08:25) • Portugal food stories. Seafood, tinned fish, and legendary custard pastries (09:14) • Shock foods. Crickets in Oaxaca and durian in Thailand (10:58) • Why farmers matter. Muddy boots, real stories, and respecting the work (17:05) • What Susan wants guests to take home. Culture, memory, and new friends (18:49) • Upcoming trips. Charleston, Japan, Portugal waitlist, South Africa (20:54) • Japan preview. Markets, street food, and seeing it made right in front of you (22:02) • Where to find Susan and how to vote on future destinations (24:28) Global Palate Adventures website https://globalpalateadventures.com/about/ Quarterly newsletter for trip announcements https://globalpalateadventures.com/about/ Join our email community to receive notice of upcoming trips, new podcasts, and find out the "Top Travels of 2026 to Soothe Your Soul" https://mailchi.mp/soulful/travels or https://soulful.travel Be sure to Subscribe and review the podcasts! Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/travel-that-touches-your-soul/id1865822112 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IMDYh43NAVhKXXfoUUNls iHeart https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1333-travel-that-touches-your-315490361/ Facebook: Karen https://www.facebook.com/karentcleveland Travel that Touches Your Soul https://www.facebook.com/RevKarenCleveland/ Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/safarisandsacredjourneys/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel [https://www.youtube.com/@soulfultravelchannel] Mentioned in this episode: Where the Journey Continues This is a short pause in the journey. A moment to remind you that the conversation does not end when the episode does. If something you heard on the show stirred your curiosity or touched something deeper, the website is where those threads continue to unfold. At SoulfulTravel.travel, you will find upcoming episodes you may not have heard yet, along with past conversations worth returning to. You will also discover soulful journeys and tours being led by trusted colleagues. Experiences rooted in connection, respect for place, and meaningful encounters with people, land, and wildlife. If you are traveling with me to experience wildlife, you may not know that I am also an animal communicator. I teach animal communication classes that invite you into a deeper way of listening and relating with animals. These classes are open to everyone. You do not need to be traveling to participate. The website is also where you will find details about upcoming classes, future journeys, show notes, and special giveaways mentioned on the podcast and video channel. If something in you feels called to explore a little further, this is a gentle place to begin. Thank you for listening. Thank you for watching. I look forward to connecting with you again, when the moment is right.