The Best Travel Podcasts For Anyone Longing To Hit The Road Again
Travel has changed. Probably for a long, long time. We don’t know exactly how yet, but a seismic shift is both undeniable and inevitable. Listening to the folks who actually travel for a living is a good way to get a handle on what travel will look like and what travel will mean in a post-CVOID-19 reality.
That’s where travel podcasts come into play. We’ve gathered a list of 30 (!) travel podcasts we vouch for below. This list isn’t comprehensive, but it’s one hell of a start — offering POVs from people all over the world. So let’s cut this preamble short and dive in.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover!
TRAVEL WITH MEANING
What It’s About:
Mike Schibel’s Travel with Meaning is a well-structured podcast about travel. The aim is to bring people together to speak to their strengths in the world of travel. It’s absolutely wanderlust-inducing but also offers real information about making travel a bigger part of your life.
Where To Start:
UPROXX Life’s own Editorial Director, Steve Bramucci, was on a recent episode and though the audio is a little choppy, it’s a great place to start. You’ll get a chance to learn about Bramucci’s travel history before he and Schibel dive into what they see travel looking like in the near and far future.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
JET SET LISETTE
What It’s About:
Jet Set Lisette is hosted by Lisette Austin. Austin looks at travel through a unique lens with guests that touch on every level and mode of travel. The main thrust of the show is about racking up points to save on travel or travel for free with real-world advice from Austin and guests.
Where To Start:
Dive in at episode 38 with a friend of UPROXX and TV travel star Rachel Rudwall. Rudwall breaks down what it’s like working in travel media while still trying to travel with a sense of meaning.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
TALKING POINTS PODCAST
What It’s About:
Brian Kelly, aka The Points Guy, hosts the massively useful Talking Points. Kelly talks with travel business types, influencers, and travelers to compile all the tricks of the trade to help you compile travel points and dollars to score upgrades and freebies across the board. This is a very useful place to learn how to grocery runs or gas station fill-ups can turn into travel down the road.
Where To Start:
“Battle of the hotels: Points and Miles experts help you decide where to invest your loyalty” is where to start. One, this episode will give you a feel for the show’s vibe. Two, it’s a great repository of information regarding how to get into the points game.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
CHRONICLES ABROAD
What It’s About:
Chronicles Abroad follows two friends as they live life, travel, and talk to folks about both. The show has a fairly unique format. Many of the episodes are minisodes with the hosts checking in and dropping some advice or wisdom in less than ten minutes. Then there are closer to hour-long episodes about travel, living abroad, and all that comes with it.
Where To Start:
Episode 153 welcomes guest Brighde Reed who owns and operates World Vegan Travel. The episode covers Reed leaving Australia to see the world and creating a travel company that caters to vegan travelers looking for vegan experiences wherever they go.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
GET LOST PODCAST
What It’s About:
The Get Lost Podcast from travel writer and all-around bon vivant Joe Sills is an easy and enticing listen — no, I’m not just saying that because I was on the podcast talking about sailing across the Indian Ocean. Sills is a great interviewer who draws stories out of his guests that always make for fun listens.
Where To Start:
Season two, episode four of the show simply titled “Iraq” is a great introductory episode. Travel writer Rebecca Holland drops by to talk about visiting Kurdistan in northern Iraq. It’s an illuminating listen from start to finish.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
THE TRAVEL DIARIES
What It’s About:
Holly Rubenstein’s The Travel Diaries is one the most listened to travel podcasts out there. And with good reason, this is a well put-together and intriguing podcast. The show offers a chance to look at travel from a non-U.S. perspective, which is one huge advantage. Rubenstein also has a seriously deep roaster of guests from actors to explorers to the biggest names in the travel industry.
Where To Start:
The episodes are broken up into “long hauls” and “short hauls.” The former is closer to an hour in the length while the latter is closer to 20 minutes. Our advice, start with the “short haul” like actor Dev Patel’s episode. It’s a great way to get a taste for the show and hear some short-form travel storytelling.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
ARMCHAIR EXPLORER
What It’s About:
Host Aaron Millar’s Armchair Explorer is a classic traveler interview show with storytelling and high-level production values. Millar is an award-winning traveler and host of National Geographic in the U.K., which again offers a unique, non-U.S.-based look at the travel world.
Where To Start:
“John Herrington Astronaut: Space Walk on board the International Space Station” is the place to start. The episode tells the story of a spacewalk from an astronaut’s perspective filtered through the broader idea of travel.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
ON SHE GOES
What It’s About:
On She Goes has a direct aim. The podcast and digital travel platform are there to help women of color travel more and more confidently. The series focuses on talking with women of color and parsing how they travel and why to provide context for others looking to hit the road.
Where To Start:
Season four, episode five “Arrive, Adjust, Adapt” is a great jumping-off point. The storytelling episode welcomes artist and designer Raveena Bhalara and visual food artist Allison Jacks to talk about coming out to people overseas and living their truths every day no matter where they are.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
THE BIG TRAVEL PODCAST
What It’s About:
The Big Travel Podcast is hosted by British travel journalist and filmmaker Lisa Francesca. The show takes on almost a talk show feel with two people simply chatting about travel, what it means, and telling interesting stories from all over the world. Making it one the easiest listens on this list.
Where To Start:
Jump in when fellow travel podcaster and author Oliver Gee drops by to in episode 95 to talk about Paris, East Africa, and American road trips. The episode is a fun listen all around, especially when the two discuss American regional accents and travel in the U.S. from foreign POV.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
THE TRIP
What It’s About:
Road & Kingdom’s The Trip comes from Anthony Bourdain’s old travel, food, and drink publication. Bourdain’s partner on the project, Nathan Thornburgh, carries of the torch that he and Bourdain began and interviews artists, travelers, chefs, bartenders, writers, and more on this engaging podcast.
Where To Start:
Full disclosure, several episodes are behind a paywall at Luminary. Of the free episodes available, we’d recommend listening to “Episode 37: Growing Up in the Camps.” The episode welcomes Los Angelino Yukio Iwamasa who spent his childhood interred in a WWII Japanese-American internment camp. The episode becomes a first-hand testimony of those dark years and how they reflect America to this day.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
THE OFFBEAT LIFE
What It’s About:
Debbie Arcangeles’s very popular The Offbeat Life podcast cover travel in a very specific way. Arcangeles takes you behind the curtain to see how travel influencers, content creators, and writers make a living out of travel. Most episodes are in-depth interviews covering how that travel-content-creator got started and found success. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look that also offers real tips for doing it yourself.
Where To Start:
“How to create inclusion and diversity in the tourism industry with Dr. Kiona” is a good first episode. “Dr. Kiona” joins Arcangeles to talk about how colonialism is still a huge part of travel and travel influencing and how to shift the focus to locals and allow them to define their narratives.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
OVERHEARD AT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
What It’s About:
Hosts Peter Gwin and Amy Briggs bring a very fun and novel concept to podcasting with Overheard at National Geographic. The idea is the hosts pick up threads of stories heard around the NatGeo offices and bring on a guest to talk about these takes of adventure. It’s a great behind-the-curtain look at NatGeo, alongside wonderfully rendered storytelling focused on travel big and small.
Where To Start:
Season two, episode three “The Hidden Cost of the Perfect Selfie” looks at wildlife tourism and the darkness behind it. National Geographic writer Natasha Daly joins the hosts to take a sobering look at how animals are abused, largely, just for photo ops around the world.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify
WOMEN ON THE ROAD
What It’s About:
Women On The Road (part of the She Explores network) takes a deep look at what it’s like living the #vanlife for solo female travelers. The show manages to cut to the bone on real issues of travel that transcend the experience. You’ll learn valuable lessons about life as a vanlifer that are easily translated to all travel for all travelers.
Where To Start:
Jump in with Indigenous influencer Karen Ramos’ episode #fakevanlife. Ramos explains how she started her travel life, getting rid of creature comforts, travel as a privilege, and safety on the road.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
TRAVEL WITH RICK STEVES
What It’s About:
Travel with Rick Steves is the gold-standard of travel advice in podcast form. The vagabond’s easygoing demeanor and diverse, mega-deep knowledge of travel will get you excited about hitting the road. Known mostly for his guidebooks on Europe, Steves’ podcast covers the entire world via interviews with experts and locals. The podcast has high production quality and Rick Steves’ notoriety allows him the opportunity to get big names on the show to talk about their travel adventures.
Where To Start:
Any episode is going to be enlightening. We like “Curry Nation; Young China” wherein Steves welcomes on guests to talk about the immigrant food movement in Britain and, then, about how China is changing and the tourism industry along with it. It’s a fascinating place to get a taste of Steves’ engaging style.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, CastBox
SHE EXPLORES
What It’s About:
We’ve already talked about the brilliance of She Explores in our Best Adventure Podcasts round-up and it deserves mentioning again here. She Explores has a knack for telling amazing stories of adventure and travels through guests who take a unique and refreshing view on the travel experience with a focus on spending time outdoors.
Where To Start:
There are nearly 100 episodes and every single one is a worthy starting point. For our money, jump in on episode 89, Lost & Found. The episode welcomes guest Lydia Sturgis who recounts when she got lost in Montana’s backcountry. Then helicopter nurse Krista Elkins gives tips for preventing getting lost in the woods and what to do if that does occur. It’s essential listening for any adventure traveler.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
THE LONELY HOUR
What It’s About:
Host Julia Bainbridge’s The Lonely Hour isn’t your classic travel podcast but it’s an essential one. Bainbridge welcomes guests to positively talk about loneliness in all its forms and how it can manifest most while traveling solo around the world. This is a must-listen for those thinking about moving abroad, traveling around the world, or just taking a solo vacation for a week or two.
Where To Start:
Start with episode 17, The Expat: Reid Whitten. This installment takes an honest look at how moving abroad can start off enthralling and then take a turn when the distance between you and your friends and family set in.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
ZERO TO TRAVEL
What It’s About:
Jason Moore wants to give you the tools to not only travel more but to live on the road. Zero To Travel covers topics that are bread and butter for the young traveler. Where Moore lands a cut above the rest are his deep dives into the realities and practicalities of actually moving abroad, finding a job, and starting a new life. His pod is about far more than just taking a trip here and there. While the podcast certainly does have plenty of travel guides, Moore takes focuses on bringing in guests who are making a living out of travel.
Where To Start:
A great place to dive in amongst the 300 free episodes on iTunes is Should I Go Location Independent? It’s a fantastic guide to finding a job while traveling.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
AMATEUR TRAVELER
What It’s About:
Chris Christensen is the Amateur Traveler (though that title is a definite misnomer these days — he’s got over 600 episodes to choose from). Each pod is formatted as a simple location guide, with Christensen bringing in an expert on each location to give an in-depth interview about getting to a place and how best to experience it. It’s like an entire Lonely Planet guidebook in 20-40 minutes.
Where To Start:
With well over 600 episodes to choose from, picking a single one is really up to you and your tastes. A favorite of ours is about getting to and around Greenland. If that’s not of interest right now, scroll through and find your dream destination then start there.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
THE SEASON PASS
What It’s About:
Theme parks are serious tourist destinations. They combine travel and entertainment. What could be better than that? The Season Pass is hosted by three guys who love theme parks. In fact, they love them so much that they obsess over all aspects — from the rides to the temporary installations to the tricks of the trade.
Where To Start:
Hosts Doug, Brent, and Robert geek out on rides and attractions for an hour or two on every podcast with a big list of recurring guest hosts. There is a very deep archive here for nearly 400 episodes. A great place to start is with the hosts’ personal experience as kids going to Disneyland, paired with a history of the park.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
TRAVEL TALES
What It’s About:
Mike Siegel is a comedian by day and a travel junkie by night. There are a lot of comedy podcasts out there. So Siegel decided to focus his in on more than just cracking wise when he created Travel Tales. Siegel hits the road and talks to locals while experiencing a place. The show becomes a travel companion piece where you feel like you’re on the road with your best pal.
Where To Start: A great place to dive into the show is comedian Tom Rhodes episode about being an L.A. stand up and working comedy clubs in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. It’s the comedy grind meets intense international travel and the perfect example of Siege’s engaging style.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
EXTRA PACK OF PEANUTS
What It’s About:
Extra Pack of Peanuts is hosted by travel experts Travis and Heather Sherry. The couple focuses heavily on using credit card rewards and frequent flyer miles to optimize major discounts for travel. That is, get you on the road without breaking the bank. There’s an enthusiasm here that’s enrapturing and will inspire you to take that leap into travel.
Where To Start:
Dive right in and listen to Travis’ interview with Bo Cordle — who went all-in on his dream to sail around the world. From there, you’ll find hundreds of episodes that’ll both inspire and give you practical information.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, CastBox
TRAVEL TODAY WITH PETER GREENBERG
What It’s About:
Travel Today with Peter Greenberg has been a standard-bearer for all things travel for as long as we can remember. Greenberg is able to take a bit of pre-internet radio talent and infuse it with amazingly pertinent travel information for any kind of traveler. Given the radio show aspects, Greenberg also covers travel news and insider tips that many of us are simply too green to have experienced. The man is a professional with a lifetime of travel behind him. You’ll come away from his show smarter with every listen.
Where To Start:
Greenberg has been talking about travel for so long that finding an enticing episode is simply a matter of scrolling through his massive archives and starting with the travel experience that jumps out at you.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, CastBox
JUMP
What It’s About:
JUMP (formerly The Budget Minded Traveler), hosted by Jackie Nourse, is an epic travel podcast. Overall, the show is just that: Practical and real. That makes it a must-listen for itchy travelers waiting to strike out on the open road.
Where To Start:
There are 100 free episodes available right now. You can choose from in-depth interviews with travel experts, experiential tales, travel tips, and guides. We like How to Plan a Trip to Patagonia as a starting point to get the vibe of the show.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
LOCATION INDIE
What It’s About:
Location Indie is a unique travel podcast that focuses on living abroad as a digital nomad. Jason Moore and Travis Sherry live and work abroad and have created a platform to help all of us who dream of living that dream. Their show is a step-by-step guide to making your vagabond fantasies into realities.
Where To Start:
This is probably the only one of the list that we’d recommend starting with episode one and just working your way through. Think of it as getting a full-on degree about living and working abroad in the 21st century.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, CastBox
DEVIATE WITH ROLF POTTS
What It’s About:
Rolf Potts is one of the most esteemed travel writers of his generation. Since his 2003 book, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel, Potts has been the voice to follow in the world of travel (the story “Storming ‘The Beach‘” is legit legendary in backpacker circles). Potts has parlayed that into a dynamite podcast that trades in travel but dips into art, music, politics, and the joys of life from those who follow their hearts.
The podcast inspires you to experience life fully, venture out of your comfort zone, and rethink your notions of success.
Where To Start:
While digging through the archives is a blast, we’d recommend something a little more recent. Backpacker, Go Home: How Tourism Is Ruining Everything (or Not) is a great place to get a handle on Potts’ style and voice while also learning about what’s really going on with overtourism around the world.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
THE THOUGHTFUL TRAVEL PODCAST
What It’s About:
Amanda Kendle’s The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is an intimate look at someone who’s devoted their life to living abroad and traveling. Kendle’s prowess is in her accessibility as a travel buddy behind the mic. You feel Kendle’s ease with travel which makes her the perfect travel guide to help you in the road.
Where To Start:
With well over 100 episodes, you have a lot of choices. We recommend hitting episode 149 – Class and Privilege When We Travel. It’s a great place to get into Kendle’s headspace and get a feel for the flow of the show and guests.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
THE ROUGH GUIDE TO EVERYWHERE (Inactive)
What It’s About:
Rough Guides has been throwing down get-to-the-point travel guides since 1981. Their guides are renowned for cutting the bone and teaching weary travelers how to survive out there on their own terms. Their foray into podcasting has been a great example of providing deep-tissue information about travel from the people out there living the life on the road.
Where To Start:
There are a lot of great episodes to choose from here. Our recommendation is to start with something present to the now. Responsible Photography takes a look a what rules, if any, we should be following when we’re taking photos (and selfies) while we’re on the road.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
WHERETRAVELER PODCAST (Inactive)
What It’s About:
WhereTraveler is one of the most trusted names in travel guides. The online and print publication gives in-depth guidance to over 100 cities around the world and has a reach that’s deep for average and intrepid travelers. The WhereTraveler podcast takes their expertise and applies it to an audio format with killer guests that cover everything from food festivals to staying fit on the road.
Where To Start: A great place to start is Pebble Beach Food and Wine Festival Chefs Episode. Host Teresa Rodriguez interviews her favorite chefs at the fest and gets their tips on where to eat in their home towns. It’s a classic episode that’s full of great information and laughs.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox
ANDY STEVES TRAVEL PODCAST (On Hiatus)
What It’s About:
Andy Steves stepped out of the travel-shadow of his famous father Rick Steves (see above) and started WSA Europe (Weekend Student Adventure). His company helps students studying abroad in Europe make the most of their time in every way on every weekend. Andy Steves Travel Podcast doesn’t just focus on weekend adventures, it’s a comprehensive look at the world of travel and each episode features at least one wanderluster ready to share their experience.
Where To Start: Jump in with Cagefighting in Peru with Rollie Peterkin. It’s a rollicking chat about living in Peru and finding a crew in a new place. You can also check out our very own travel editor Steve Bramucci on Unlocking Adventure Travel with Steve Bramucci from season one.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, CastBox
ONE MORE ROAD FOR THE BEER (On Hiatus)
What It’s About:
Travel is about the destination. Beer guide author Joe Stange joins forces with me, UPROXX travel, food, and drink writer Zach Johnston, to talk about the great beer cities of Europe. One More Road For The Beer looks at an iconic European city through the travel and beer lens. They talk beer styles and then take you on a walk around the city to the best beer bars, hidden food spots, and beer-centric hotels to spend the night sleeping all of that beer off.
Where To Start:
Start with episode one, The Best Places To Drink Beer In Brussels. Stange co-authored CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide To Belgium, so you know it’s going to be the best of the best that makes his cut.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, CastBox