Embarking on a journey through sound, travel podcasts offer a unique way to explore the world from the comfort of your home or during your daily commute. They also provide a wealth of information about corners of the world that travelers are looking to explore.
These audio adventures transport listeners to far-flung destinations, providing insider tips, cultural insights, and wanderlust-inducing stories. Whether you’re planning your next trip or simply dreaming of distant lands, the right travel podcast can be your ticket to global exploration.
From budget backpackers to luxury seekers, solo adventurers to family vacationers, there’s a show tailored to every interest and travel style. In this curated list, I’ll introduce you to some of the best travel podcasts that promise to inform, inspire, and entertain. These shows not only share practical advice but also dive into the transformative power of travel, connecting listeners with the heart and soul of destinations around the globe. Here are some of the top travel podcasts you should give your listening time to.
Layovers
“Layovers – Air Travel Podcast” is a stunningly great show dedicated to the world of aviation and air travel. Hosted by seasoned travelers and aviation enthusiasts, the podcast dives into the latest news, trends, and stories from the airline industry. Each episode offers insightful discussions on various aspects of air travel, from airport experiences and airline reviews to the intricacies of aviation technology and industry developments.
Not Lost
Writer Brendan discovers an opportunity to chase his ambition: a travel-centric broadcast where he explores locations by dining with unfamiliar hosts. A companion accompanies him to each locale as they indulge in libations, revelry, and cuisine from Canada to Mexico’s capital, often gaining self-awareness alongside cultural knowledge. This audio journey offers both a charming getaway and a perceptive examination of individuals—both residents and tourists—attempting to comprehend an ever-evolving global landscape.
City of the Rails
Writer Danelle Morton pursues her train-hopping daughter, diving into America’s railway subculture. She encounters railroad workers, security personnel, and wanderers, each sharing unique perspectives on rail life. As Morton explores the nation’s tracks, she uncovers the profound impact of railroads on society, from technological innovations to labor movements. This ten-part series intertwines a personal quest with America’s railway heritage, as Morton seeks to understand her daughter’s choices and reconnect with her.
You Should Have Been There
Listen to You Should Have Been There
The Independent’s globetrotting journalist Simon Calder and ex-BBC content creator Mick Webb explore the realm of wanderlust and revel in voyagers’ adventures.
Abroad in Japan
Solo documentarian Chris Broad presents his acclaimed YouTube series Abroad In Japan as an audio show. Joined by radio personality Pete Donaldson, they offer listeners a glimpse into daily life in the world’s most distinctive nation. From exquisite gastronomy to compact sleeping quarters, contemporary happenings, and suggestions for making the most of your visit, they cover it all.
Field Trip
Lillian Cunningham, a journalist for The Washington Post, explores the complex history and challenging prospects of U.S. protected wilderness areas. Traversing five renowned natural settings, she wanders beyond designated paths and official boundaries to uncover pressing narratives unfolding in these locales. Throughout her expedition, she encounters individuals striving to ensure these preserves adapt and endure for future generations.
Greetings From Somewhere
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An innovative spin on the journey exploration genre, reimagined through the lens of contemporary audio storytelling techniques.
The Big Travel Podcast
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The Big Travel Podcast uncovers life-shaping voyages from an eclectic mix of guests. From humble beginnings to grand expeditions, it features tales from celebrities, writers, athletes, and everyday adventurers. Through these narratives, the show explores travel’s power to inspire, amuse, move, and motivate us to keep exploring the world.
Travel with Rick Steves
Listen to Travel with Rick Steves
A biweekly 60-minute dialogue featuring seasoned globetrotters and audience participants, diving into journeys, societies, individuals, and the global wonders that add zest to our existence. Rick Steves, the United States’ preeminent specialist on European and international travel, steers the discussion. As the creator and presenter of numerous public TV travelogues and the author of many top-selling travel guides, Rick now shares his enthusiasm for global discovery and comprehension through the medium of public radio.
2 Beers Till Takeoff
Listen to 2 Beers Till Takeoff
Grab a refreshing beverage and join intrepid explorer Phil and his fascinating companions as they recount off-the-beaten-path escapades you won’t find in typical tourist manuals. From sacred sites at dawn to pulsating nightclubs after dark, Phil and his global network of friends candidly discuss their nomadic lifestyles and share jaw-dropping tales.
Amateur Traveler Travel Podcast
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For nearly two decades, Amateur Traveler has been showcasing a unique locale each episode. The show explores global destinations, focusing on journeys rich in cultural experiences. Expand your understanding of our diverse planet through these weekly discussions.
80 Days: An Exploration Podcast
Listen to 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast
80 Days is an audio series devoted to uncovering lesser-known nations, regions, outposts, and urban centers across the globe. We blend historical insights, geographical facts, and casual conversation. In each installment, we touch down in a fresh destination and dive into its past, landscape, societal norms, athletic pursuits, spiritual practices, economic drivers, leisure activities, and musical traditions.
Wonders of the World
Listen to Wonders of the World
Caroline Vahrenkamp, a self-proclaimed travel enthusiast, hosts a podcast exploring 200 global landmarks. The series examines human history through iconic sites, from ancient wonders to natural marvels. Each biweekly episode dives into a location’s past, its builders, and practical travel tips, aiming to foster cultural understanding while entertaining listeners.
Zero To Travel Podcast
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Acclaimed by major publications as a top-tier travel audio show, the Zero To Travel Podcast boasts over 12 million downloads. It offers transformative insights and actionable guidance for globetrotters of all levels, from novices to seasoned wanderers, empowering listeners to explore the world on their own terms.
The Travel Diaries
In The Travel Diaries, reporter Holly Rubenstein engages notable figures in discussions about their global escapades. Guests recount seven key travel moments, from childhood memories to dream destinations. This weekly show transports listeners to distant lands through personal narratives of exploration and discovery.
Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast
Listen to Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast
Ryan Davis and Kiernan Schmitt, two lifelong adventure enthusiasts, host the Out of Office podcast. This audio series explores travel in all its forms, from nearby excursions to far-flung journeys. Each episode, the duo examines a single subject—spanning from pragmatic to whimsical, consequential to lighthearted—offering guidance on how listeners can embark on their own global discoveries.
Untold Italy Travel Podcast
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The Untold Italy podcast offers expert guidance for Italian travel planning. Host Katy Clarke and guests share insider tips on popular sites, hidden treasures, transportation, cuisine, and culture. Learn to craft a personalized Italian journey matching your dreams and style. The show aims to inspire unforgettable experiences and repeated visits to this captivating country. Subscribe for regular doses of Italian travel inspiration.
Rails, Ales & Old Towns: A Europe Travel Podcast
Listen to Rails, Ales & Old Towns: A Europe Travel Podcast
Join European travel enthusiast Scott Hartbeck for a virtual expedition across the continent. With two decades of exploration under his belt, Scott shares curated insights on cuisine, libations, and activities in both famed and overlooked locales. Featuring local connoisseurs and fellow wanderers, this show offers practical guidance and wanderlust-inducing tales, celebrating the unique charm of European adventures.
The Atlas Obscura Podcast
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In this podcast, Atlas Obscura co-creator Dylan Thuras and a network of correspondents uncover extraordinary and peculiar locations across the globe. From Monday to Thursday, listeners are transported to a unique marvel in concise episodes lasting under a quarter-hour. Throughout each journey, the audience encounters intriguing individuals and discovers their captivating narratives, all while exploring some of Earth’s most remarkable and obscure destinations.
Far From Home
Peabody-winning journalist Scott Gurian hosts an engrossing audio travelogue, transporting listeners to exotic locales through vivid storytelling. From epic road trips across Eurasia to exploring Chernobyl’s ruins, experiencing Iran as an American, and partaking in Peruvian shamanic rituals, this podcast offers immersive glimpses into diverse cultures and far-flung destinations.
Counting Countries
An elite group of globetrotters, numbering fewer than the individuals who have ventured beyond Earth’s atmosphere, comprises this exceptionally selective association. The United Nations recognizes 193 independent countries worldwide. This unique audio series presents narratives from the determined wanderers who have devoted their lives to the extraordinary mission of setting foot in every single one of these nations.
Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase!
Listen to Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase!
Embark on global adventures with Cabin Crew Member Betty! This aviation and wanderlust-themed audio show features humorous anecdotes from both airborne escapades and terrestrial explorations worldwide.
Vanishing Postcards
Vanishing Postcards is an immersive audio documentary series that takes listeners on a cross-country journey, venturing off the major highways to uncover obscure hangouts, enduring customs, and often-imperiled legacies.
Extra Pack of Peanuts
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Hosted by seasoned entrepreneur and globetrotter Travis Sherry, the EPOP Travel Podcast offers a modern take on travel expertise. Featuring interviews with renowned adventurers, the show imparts practical guidance on maximizing your journeys while minimizing costs – from frequent flyer strategies to efficient packing to budgeting tips. As a “Rick Steves for the new generation,” Sherry provides comprehensive know-how to help listeners explore more while spending less.
JUMP with Traveling Jackie
Listen to JUMP with Traveling Jackie
Welcome to JUMP Podcast, your gateway to thrilling new experiences. Host Jackie Nourse, also known as Traveling Jackie, blends guest narratives, solo reflections, and unfiltered personal accounts to investigate travel, adventure, and lifestyle in ways that aim to energize and empower listeners. Let this show serve as a wellspring of practical travel guidance and motivational spirit, remembering that ultimately, it is you who must take the leap.
The Thoughtful Travel Podcast
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The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, hosted by Amanda Kendle, caters to wanderlust enthusiasts. Each episode brims with firsthand travel accounts from fellow adventurers, exploring topics such as language immersion, local interactions, getting disoriented, and the lessons gleaned from our journeys.
Armchair Explorer
This audio series features the globe’s most renowned explorers recounting their most captivating stories from the field. Edited in a documentary style and set to musical scores and cinematic soundscapes, each episode delivers an immersive narrative experience for the listener.
Wanderlust: Off the Page
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This program transports you through the sights, sounds, and sensations of the world’s most captivating locales, as showcased in our Wanderlust magazine.
Travel Goals Podcast
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Seeking smarter, more affordable, and purposeful travel? The Travel Goals Podcast, hosted by seasoned journalist Portia Jones, shares expert insights and actionable tips to help you achieve your wanderlust ambitions. Through on-site destination episodes and interviews with industry leaders, the show imparts the latest trends, hacks, and insider intel to elevate your adventures, wherever they may take you.
Alice in Wanderland
Adopting a deliberate pace unlocks deeper learning, according to intrepid adventurer Alice Morrison as she explores ancient pathways and modern life across Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The First Mile
The First Mile, hosted by seasoned travel journalists Ash Bhardwaj and Pip Stewart, is an immersive audio series unveiling untold adventure narratives. The duo explores topics ranging from the ethics of cultural tourism to documenting journeys to forging careers in travel, engaging renowned globetrotters who share their first steps into the world of exploration.
Where to Go
Seeking inspiration for your next journey? Where to Go, produced by the team behind acclaimed DK Eyewitness travel guides, delivers insider destination insights every two weeks. Hear from local experts on the places they call home – what makes them extraordinary and the must-see attractions. The show also features special guests sharing their favorite locales and quick travel tips.
The Rough Guide to Everywhere
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The Rough Guide to Everywhere provides a platform for untold travel narratives. In this series, the team chats with global adventurers who have remarkable stories to share, while also featuring dispatches from Rough Guides writers out in the field.
Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast
Listen to Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast
Join travel writer Erin Hynes, podcast producer Kattie Laur, and their guests as they investigate the factors that enable more ethical, sustainable, and beneficial travel and tourism practices. Through thoughtful discussions, they aim to uncover what it truly means to make travel better for both people and the planet.
Travel That Matters
Acclaimed by Men’s Journal as one of the top 10 podcasts of 2022, Travel That Matters dives into the world’s most remarkable travel experiences and destinations. Award-winning editor, writer, and luxury travel expert Bruce Wallin hosts the series, engaging his remarkable guests in sharing their inspiring, transformative journeys and cultural explorations.
Whiskey and a Map: True Stories of Adventure
Listen to Whiskey and a Map: True Stories of Adventure
Dive into first-hand accounts of extraordinary journeys from those who have lived them. This adventure-focused podcast offers intimate conversations with intrepid global explorers, transporting listeners to far-flung rainforests, towering mountain ranges, sunken maritime vessels, and forgotten corners of the world. Many a thrilling expedition has begun with a map and a dram of whiskey.
Destination: Eat Drink
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Destination Eat Drink invites audiences on a global culinary quest, showcasing mouthwatering cuisines and captivating libations from the world’s renowned food hubs. Join this delectable adventure as the program explores the globe, sampling tantalizing dishes and refreshing beverages one plate and glass at a time.
Do you know of another Travel podcast that you think should be on this list? Let me know.
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