There's no doubt that the popularity of podcasts has exploded in recent years. As it turns out, podcasts about travel work really well on this relatively new medium. Learn about destinations and hear stories about exotic travel from professional and amateur travellers. Hear how people manage to take trips all over the world on a regular basis. Get advice on taking great photographs. Discover the tricks that real people use to find cheap flights, destinations and accommodation. While blogging is still a great way to communicate ideas, tell stories, and teach people, there's something personal about listening to someone's voice.
Here's my list of the best travel podcasts you should subscribe to today. Get inspired by these fun and fascinating shows and episodes for travel addicts.
Destination Eat Drink
Foodies who travel will love this show dedicated to learning about the food of the world and the people that work and live in the food industry.
The show hosts interview people in the most important culinary cities of the world about topics like wine & cheese, coffee, chocolate, meza, pizza, cooking on hot stones, and giant steaks. Travel to Porto in Portugal, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Rome in Italy, the Sonoma Valley, the Camino de Santiago, the Republic of Georgia, and New Zealand.
Yummy!
Personal Landscapes
If you love to travel and are interested in reading about the experiences of others, or if you're a writer yourself looking for some inspiration, then this podcast by Ryan Murdock is just what you need. The depth of Ryan's knowledge of notable authors in the genre is impressive. And he seems to have read all the travel books.
Interviews cover topics like travel writing, geopolitics, and anthropology. Check out Personal Landscapes if you're looking for a podcast that will inspire you to read more genuine travel books (and fewer blogs like this 😁)!
Here are just some of the fascinating conversations Ryan has with the world's most interesting writers:
- Dervla Murphy - 5 decades of travel by bicycle and on foot. One of the world's most pioneering female travelers.
- David Eimer - China travel now and then. Border regions and the ethnic minorities of the world's most populated country.
- Jeremy Seal - Contemporary Turkey's hospitality, cultural divides, and the legacy of the 1960 military coup.
The Trip
A wonderful podcast from the creators of the equally impressive Roads & Kingdoms blog. Discover how creative people live, travel, eat & drink around the world.
The full title of the show is "The Trip: Drinking with Exceptional People Around the World". So you know what you're getting. What's better than conversation with smart, cool, and funny people over drinks? Nothing (change my mind, I dare you!).
The title is cool, the concept is exciting, and the episodes are endlessly fascinating. The Trip began life as a collaboration with Anthony Bourdain, one of the world's greatest travelers and foodies. Sadly, Bourdain is lo longer with us, but the show lives on in his spirit. Episodes stay true to Tony's suggestion that "food, culture, people and landscape are all absolutely inseparable."
Host Nathan Thornburgh is, like Bourdain, a fan of slow travel. Listeners can experience a deep dive into sparkling winemaking in Catalan, Tijuana's creative revolution, the art and wine of Porto, LGBTQ rights in Kenya, the food and charms of Chiang Mai, and a discussion on wet markets with high-profile foodies from around the world.
The Travel Diaries
The Travel Diaries podcast has become one of my favorite travel-related shows thanks to host Holly Rubenstein's engaging questions and the incredibly diverse range of guests. Everyone from the founder of Abercrombie & Kent, to actor Hugh Bonneville, to Sustainable Travel Expert, Juliet Kinsman discuss lives of travel and offer great tips for listeners.
Holly talks to travel professionals and fellow travel addicts about affordable adventures, luxury travel, the offbeat life, and big questions about our impact on the world.
Low Season Traveller Insider Guides
Traveling in the off-season (or the low-season) is the wonderful topic of this new magazine and podcast. If you're interested in learning about travel to destinations when they're not overrun with tourists, this is for you. It certainly piqued my interest. Packed with plenty of ideas and inspiration for travellers looking to avoid crowds, save money, and see a different side of popular (and not so popular) destinations.
Particularly interesting are the episodes about travel in Albania, Kerala (India), Sri Lanka, and Greece in the off-season.
And check out the free magazine download for more great ideas and travel motivation.
The Big Travel Podcast
Host Lisa Francesca Nand talks to some of my heroes (and yours too) in all walks of life in The Big Travel Podcast. The common thread is a love of travel. Lisa is an excellent interviewer and always seems to have a slew of great questions to ask. All delivered with bubbly enthusiasm.
Lisa talks to Kash Bhattacharya, also known as The Budget Traveller about his love of hostels. Comedian and all-round excellent person, Bill Bailey describes his love of travel and adventures around the world. Cosmopolitan Travel Editor Amanda Statham makes us jealous with tales of Costa Rican safaris and New York Rooftop hotel bars.
Armchair Explorer
Host Aaron Millar interviews some of the most adventurous people in travel on this bi-weekly show. Tune in to the Armchair Explorer to listen to the adventures of people who have trekked the Balkans, climbed all 7 highest peaks, and walked the Amazon river.
Deviate with Rolf Potts
Rolf Potts is one of the OGs of the travel writing and travel blogging world. He's the author of the book Vagabonding, the seminal book on long-term world traveling in the modern age. Many consider Vagabonding to be the inspiration for Tim Ferriss' Four Hour Workweek (Ferriss cites Potts in his book and even bought the rights to Vagabonding)
This show is all about deeper travel, slow travel, life lessons, nostaglia, travelling solo, and travel writing.
Rolf is the kind of guy that you could listen to monologue for hours about the world. And you get plenty of that with this show, but you also get introduced or reacquainted with some of the most interesting people in travel.
Travel Writing World
As a wannabe travel writer, this podcast gets me fired up. But this show is not just for writing nerds-it's a show for everybody. If you love to travel beyond the tourist humdrum, click subscribe on this show. Travel Writing World is all about meaningful travel and the incredible people that document our fascinating world.
Host Jeremy Bassetti talks to many of the world's most respected writers about their travel experiences, their most memorable journeys, and their work. Listen to inspirational interviews with Paul Theroux (my personal favorite author), Tim Hannigan (author of "The Travel Writing Tribe"), Stephen Fabes (a doctor who wrote about his six years cycling the globe), Steve McCurry (iconic travel photographer), and Pico Iyer (one of the world's greatest living travel writers).
True Travel Podcast
The True Travel Podcast, hosted by journalist Laura Sanders, features a new topic every other week ranging from international music tours and long-distance Amazon treks, to travelling flight-free and tips for planning a trip to Greece. Laura is a great host with wonderful questions and fantastic rapport with her guests.
The School Of Travels
For adventure seekers and those looking to take their business on the road, the School of Travels podcast is a valuable resource. Host Becky Gillespie's passion for travel is evident in every episode as she interviews guests at various stages of their travel journey.
Discover the lessons people with different perspectives, travel experiences, and career stages can teach about work, life, and travel.
There's a wide range of topics covered in this show, from cryptocurrencies to language learning, to investing in real estate overseas.
Zero To Travel
Zero To Travel is a long-running (in podcast terms) show that serves digital nomads, long-term travellers, and adventure seekers. The topics covered are broad but always of interest to travellers. Host Jason Moore talks to people around the world who have made travel their life or business.
Get advice on traveling with kids, living the nomadic lifestyle, budget travel, touring in camper vans, holistic , finding cheap flights, practical tips on family travel, finding the cheapest places, and language learning.
Amateur Traveler
For those who want the best things to see and do in a destination.My go-to show for learning about cities (and countries) is The Amateur Traveler.
When I visited Budapest the first time, I listened to an episode which took the form of an interview with Jennifer Dombrowski from Luxe Adventure Traveller. This really helped me get a feel for the city.
Host Chris Christensen started the travel podcast back in 2005. That officially makes it one of the longest-running podcasts in any genre. The aim of the podcast is to provide high-quality travel information for the average American who enjoys 1-2 weeks of vacation every year. Episodes focus on finding the information that you can use to maximise your time. The interviews are often the most interesting shows. People talk about their travel experiences and travel adventures, but also share plenty of tips and tricks and practical information.
One of the best podcasts for practical advice on travel, as well as travel tales, and inspiration from a well-travelled broadcaster.
One of the best podcasts for practical advice on travel, as well as travel tales, and inspiration from a well-travelled writer and broadcaster. The back catalogue is huge but with a quick search, you are bound to find inspiration in every episode. The latest shows are also a great source of travel news. Explore the world with one of the original travel bloggers and podcasters.
It's a pretty relaxed-paced podcast with no specific time format so I usually listen at 1.5x speed 😉
The Radio Vagabond
Palle Bo is a Danish broadcaster, digital nomad podcaster, and entrepreneur who sold everything he had to begin a new life as a location-independent business world traveller. He's a public speaker, an author, and the owner of a production and consulting business.
You can expect the highest quality recording and production on the podcast episodes. Being a professional podcast producer means that Bo has the tools and skills available to him to produce expertly edited and engaging episodes.
Just don't listen at 1.5x speed or you'll upset Palle.
This Week in Travel
A podcast by one of the world's most experienced travel bloggers and photographers Gary Arndt and co-host Jen Leo. Promoted as a roundup show, this week in travel also does straight interviews and explores topics as diverse as as the top 100 things to do in Alaska, the world's most extreme travelers, travel writing, Disneylang, The Galapagos Islands, and hiking America's scenic trails.
Passport
A wonderful podcast, Passport blends interviews with narrative and storytelling. Stories about fascinating people and incredible places that you might not know. An original podcast for inquisitive travellers.
A podcast of this caliber clearly requires a lot of preparation and research from hosts Neil Innes and Andrés Bartos. As a huge fan of Portuguese wine, I found the episode on the women that helped define the wine region of Douro in Portugal a fantastic listen.
Counting Countries
This is a show all about interesting travel people and less-frequented destinations. While the topic of counting countries (visiting places just to get a stamp or say you where there) doesn't interest me in the slightest, I admire the passion setting goals and achieving them in the travel world. Host Ric Gazarian talks to people who have visited some of the most interesting cities and countries in the world, many of whom are on a quest of visiting all 193 soverign countries in the world.
Atlas Obscura
The Atlas Obscura show accompanies the website of the same name all about weird and wonderful places and people of this world. This isn't your average travel podcast. If you're interested in the esoteric, the unusual, and the downright hillarious aspects of travel, this is the show for you. While you won't learn about the top 10 bars in Paris, you will find out about the largest pothole in the world, the desert of Badain Jaran in China, the Library of Mistakes, Hitler's Toilet, and Mike the Headless Chicken.
Podcasting is mainstream, folks. Google is now indexing Podcasts in the search results. Here's why podcasts are great for consuming travel-related content: Get trip reports, insider guides, and inspiration for long-haul flights, bus journeys, and airports. For those with little time to read or those that prefer the spoken word to the written word, podcasts are great for communicating ideas and as a medium for entertainment.
Extra Pack of Peanuts
The Extra Pack of Peanuts podcast is a long-running show by Travis and Heather with a range of formats (interviews, travelogues, best of xyz, and food). It's popular with fans of travel hacks and people interested in specific destinations or types of regional foods. Travis also runs the Indie
Rick Steves
It's hard to talk about travel for long, especially European trips without mentioning Rick Steves, a travel writer whose travel stories have inspired people since 1976. Steves has produced many respected guide books and tv shows, as well as writing columns, blogs, and delivering a weekly radio show. He's been on the road since before half the readers of this post were born.
Travel with Rick Steves is a podcast and radio show that explores a wide range of topics: hiking in Europe, cultural day trips, road trips, cycling the silk road, eating in Sicily, and surfing in Polynesia. Rick Steves' trip reports span decades but he also interviews some of the world's top travel writers and adventurers such as Pico Iyer, Michael Scott Moore, Robert Reid, and the founder of Atlas Obscura.
JUMP with Traveling Jackie
Formerly known as The Budget Minded Traveler podcast, this show by host Jackie Nourse recently hit over a million downloads. She's obviously doing something right.
Jackie talks about everything from budget travel to photography to sponsorships and life. It's a thoughtful travel podcast that will inspire you.
One episode gets technical on the camera kit and camera packing tips of professional adventure photographers. In another episode, Jackie interviews fellow Irishman and polyglot Benny Lewis about the best ways to learn languages for travel. Keen walkers should check out the episode on long-distance hikes, a topic I'm passionate about.
Bonus podcast mention
Unpacked Travel - my short-lived (for now) podcast about people doing interesting travel-related businesses. Interviews with people who make money in travel. Let me know what you think? Want to appear on the show? Hit me up
