The 15 Best Travel Podcasts
The best travel podcasts can be hard to find. Despite being a trillion-dollar industry, enjoyed by billions of people around the globe, in the world of podcasts travel doesn’t even get its own category. Dig deep in Society & Culture and you might find a couple of gems, but you might also shovel through a lot of dirt.
Fear not, podcast fans. We’ve got our own category here and that’s important. Because travel podcasts, at their best, are more than just information. They’re inspiration. They’re a window into extraordinary lives. They encompass nature, ecology, conservation, adventure and extreme sports. The best travel podcasts inspire us to see the world through different eyes, they bring us closer, they bring wonder to our ears.
And we need that now more than ever. When the world closes the door, open your mind. When it cancels your flights, find another way to soar. Every adventure begins in the imagination. Here are 15 of the best travel podcasts to fire yours up.
The Trail Less Traveled
This show documents the stories and lives of some of the world’s most remote cultures through a mixture of in-field recordings, on location interviews and local music. Host Mandela von Eeden, a professional whitewater guide, embeds herself in the destinations she visits for months at a time, becoming a valued member of their community before she even picks up a microphone. The result is heartfelt, personal stories told friend-to-friend. This is the essence of what slow, meaningful travel is all about, and Mandela gives you a front row seat. Check out Aboriginal artist Jandamarra Cadd’s episode for a great introduction to the show.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
The Adventure Sports Podcast
Want to know what it’s like to bike across South America? Row across the Atlantic? No problem. With more than 600 episodes, think of this like the ultimate resource for any adventure you could imagine; and many that you probably couldn’t (bladepacking anyone? You’ll have to look it up: ep.595). But it’s more than that too. Host Mason Gravely pushes his guests beyond the adrenaline and bravado to what adventure really means, and how it can enhance our lives, even if we’re just stuck in the office, dreaming of that next big trip. Episode 601, featuring legendary rock climber Tommy Caldwell talking about his ascent of the Dawn Wall in Yosemite, is an epic introduction to the show.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Wander Woman
Bog walking and beer bathing in Estonia, swimming with Manta Rays in the Maldives and a chat with superstar of nature writing, Robert McFarlan, all in a single episode. This is more than a podcast; this is an audio magazine. Host Phoebe Smith is a British travel writing superstar and produces this show with the same creativity and care she applied ass editor of the award-winning travel mag Wanderlust. Expect off-the-beaten track destinations, interviews with travel celebrities, gear reviews, top tips and more. That bog walking episode, by the way, is called ‘Have You Ever Been Enchanted?’ Start there, because the answer is an emphatic yes, you will be.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Zero To Travel
Ready to quit the career ladder and hit the road? This is the show for you. Host Jason Moore has created a fantastic resource of over 300 episodes to help you make the transition from cubicle jockey to digital nomad. Geared towards long-term travel, and life-changing escapes, expect the inside scoop on everything from hacking flights to working abroad. Mostly though it’s about living life on your terms, and to the full, filling your days with as much travel and adventure as you desire. The ‘Transition to Travel: Before and After’ episode about how a round-the-world trip changed one couple’s life forever is a great place to start.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Wild Ideas Worth Living (Presented by REI)
Adventure journalist Shelby Stanger gets amazing guests: climbing superstar Alex Honnold (of Free Solo fame), Wild author Cheryl Strayed (whose best-selling book was turned into a film starring Reese Witherspoon) are two great examples. But what sets this show apart is that it goes beyond the celebrity to touch upon deeper themes: facing your fears, learning to unplug, mindfulness, letting go. As the title suggests, this isn’t just about wild stories, it’s about being inspired by people who brought their wild ideas to life; and it’s about making your wild dreams come true too. Check out the 2019 recap episode for a quick hit of everything that makes this show unique.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
BBC Earth
Immersive soundscapes and incredible storytelling from the crew behind the BBC Earth documentary series, which brought you the likes of Blue Planet and Planet Earth (both starring everyone’s hero, David Attenborough). Each episode features behind the scenes content, and untold stories, from the perspectives of the producers, camera crew and scientists that actually make the show. It’s intimate, inspiring and just about as close as you can get to the real thing. Start at the first episode, ‘Beginnings’: chimpanzees in Senegal, a hilarious bird impression and a story about bees from a military veteran that’ll bring tears to your eyes.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Beach Too Sandy, Water too Wet
Irreverent and hilarious: Siblings Alex and Christine Schiefer read actual one-star reviews, mined from the internet, in a dramatic and comedic style. It’s like the audio love child of Trip Advisor and a Chris Rock takedown. The pair are excellent company, the real-life reviews outrageous and the results laugh-out-loud funny. But there’s a (semi) serious side too. In the anonymity of the internet, people are quick to troll – often unfairly, and at the expense of small businesses and service workers. Alex and Christine are like the Judge Dredd of unjustified complaints. Leave your next worst review at your peril. Episode 41 about psychics in Albuquerque, New Mexico is hard to beat (though you think they would have seen that coming).
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
The Travel Diaries
British travel journalist Holly Rubenstein asks her celebrity guest to describe the eight travel chapters of their lives, uncovering the seminal travel experiences that have shaped who they are today. From their earliest childhood travel memory, to the place where they learnt the most about themselves, and what’s at the top of their bucket list. It’s like Desert Island Discs of travel podcasts (and if you’re not familiar with that legendary show, check it out here). If you listen to just one episode, make it explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes’, from climbing Mount Everest to having to saw off his own frostbitten fingertips during a crossing of the Arctic, it’ll have you on the edge of your seat.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Travel Writing World
Insightful and in-depth interviews with some of the world’s best travel writers. This show stands out because of its emphasis on books and long form literature, which aims to inspire people to cultivate meaning from multi-cultural experiences, whether that’s through their own travels, or just with the written word. Highlights include interviews with stars like Pico Ayer and Paul Theroux, but host Jeremy Bassetti’s pick of the bunch is Indian travel writer Rajat Ubhaykar’s episode, in which he tells the story of hitchhiking through Hindustan. A window into a world, few of us would otherwise see.
Deviate with Rolf Potts
Rolf Potts rose to popularity in the early 2000s with his book Vagabonding, which inspired a generation of people to hit the road not just for a vacation, but because travel, he argued, has the power to change you for the better. This well-loved show carries on that conversation, exploring how adventure can deepen one’s life in countless nuanced ways. But this is more than just a travel show. As the name implies, expect to deviate from the usual subjects into unknown and interesting new avenues, just like any good journey should. Check out the episode with comedian Ari Shaffir about independent travel, and all of the possibilities it can offer to someone who is willing to take things slow.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Overheard at National Geographic
It wouldn’t be a ‘best of’ travel list without National Geographic. Each episode uses one of the ‘curiously delightful conversations’ that might be overheard at the organization’s headquarters as its basis to transport listeners around the globe. From exploring long lost Mayan caves and scuba diving in a pyramid to discovering zombie mice and listening to the songs of humpback whales, you’ll meet the explorers, photographers and scientists who are pushing back the veil of our world. Check out Season Two’s second episode, The Alien Underground, for a fascinating glimpse into a crystal cave that may just hold one of the clues for life elsewhere in the universe.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
The Wild with Chris Morgan
Exploring the complicated relationship between nature and human society, every episode of this inspiring show immerses you in the wonder of the natural world. Ecologist host Chris Morgan is knowledgeable, passionate and great company. The stories are detailed and fascinating; and the quality of the in-field recordings makes it feel like you’re really there. Highlights include tracking cougars in the wild, discovering polar bears in the arctic and learning what it feels like to look an Orca in the eye (spoiler alert: it’s terrifying, and profound). Chris’ favorite episode is called ‘Finding Peace in the Silence’. “We live in a noisy human world,” He says. “This episode is a journey back to nature, the place we are all from.”
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Dirtbag Diaries
Launched in 2007, the Dirtbag Diaries is not only one of the longest running adventure podcasts out there, it’s consistently one of the best too. Dedicated to telling stories about some of the wildest places, and people, on the planet, it’s often humorous, occasionally bizarre (donkey racing anyone?) and always inspiring. Featuring a combination of listener written, and read, short essays, and longer form pieces, the magic of the show is how personal, and intimate, each story is – like listening to that perfect campfire tale. Check out the Under Donkey episode to find out what happens when you “combine a love of sport, hard work, a 10-foot lead rope, and a dash of crazy.”
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
The Big Travel Podcast
Hosted by British journalist Lisa Francesca Nand, The Big Travel Podcast explores life-stories through the lens of travel. She has great guests, many well known, but the real star is Lisa herself. It’s like hanging out with one of your best friends – if one of your best friends was funny, intelligent and had a rolodex of some of the coolest people on the planet to invite over for tea. Start with one of Lisa’ favorites, episode 57 with BBC foreign correspondent John Simpson talking about his 50 year career, including incredible stories from Iraq, Afghanistan, Tiananmen Square, and watching the Berlin Wall fall.
Listen: Apple / Spotify / Stitcher
Armchair Explorer
Last, but hopefully not least: my show. The premise is ‘the world’s greatest adventurers tell their best story from the road’. Each episode is cut documentary style, and set to music and cinematic effects to create an immersive storytelling experience. No long-winded interviews, just straight to heart of the action. Highlights include, best-selling authors paddling 2,000-miles down the Yukon River, Grammy-nominated musicians recording an around-the-world album, Olympic skiers in the backcountry of Alaska, even an astronaut, taking us for a walk onboard the International Space Station. If you love adventure, inspiring real-life stories and immersing yourself in the wonder of the outdoors, come and hang out. We’ll get on well.
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