Travel can be contagious.
Just seeing someone’s color-rich Instagram feed from a visit to Morocco or listening to them talk about a life-changing trip to Iceland can inspire some serious wanderlust.
If you don’t have a lot of time, podcasts are a great way to learn something new or get lost in a really compelling story. They’re the perfect bite-sized morsels of entertainment and education for when you’re running on the treadmill at the gym, doing the dishes or driving to the grocery store. Though you may already follow some travel bloggers or inspirational Instagram tags, travel podcasts should be on your radar, too. (If you’re new to podcasts, you can typically listen to them online via the host’s website or by downloading them onto your phone with a number of apps, including the Apple Podcast app).
Here are five travel podcasts that will make you want to make plans for your next trip immediately.
Women Who Travel
Whether we like to admit it or not, there are still some big differences between men and women when it comes to travel. The podcast “Women Who Travel” from Conde Nast Traveler explores this theme with 30- to 50-minute episodes that touch on everything from motherhood to bad airport habits to the pros and cons of solo female travel.
Hosts Lale Arikoglu and Meredith Carey, who are editors at Conde Nast Traveler, also interview prominent travel movers and shakers like PBS’s Samantha Brown and lesser-known gurus like Georgia Dean, who visited 23 countries in 54 days in a turboprop plane with her dad.
Travel with Rick Steves
OK, let’s be real for a minute: Rick Steves is a legend when it comes to travel. From his shows on PBS to his guidebooks, Steves really knows his stuff. But did you know he has a radio show/podcast? “Travel with Rick Steves” is a one-hour show in which Steves interviews experts and tackles listeners’ questions about everything from traveling on a budget to hidden gems in various parts of the world. “I feel as though I’m taking a vacation while listening to these podcasts … thank you for the opportunity to take ‘mental vacations’ all without packing a suitcase,” one reviewer wrote. Steves also offers podcast-style audio walking tours for tons of locations around the world, which let you easily tour a new city at your own pace.
Zero to Travel
Jason Moore caught the travel bug 20 years ago, when he took a two month trip to Europe after graduating from college. He had $20,000 in student loans, no job, no car and was living with his mom. Since then, he’s been hacking the system to travel full time — and sharing his tips and resources with the world via his website and podcast. He discusses big-picture issues like the role that technology is playing in travel and medical tourism.
But the podcast also features conversations with really interesting people — journalists, remote workers, full-time van dwellers and more. The episodes vary wildly in length so you’ll want to sift through them, depending on how much time you have to listen. “This podcast helped me book my first travel adventure,” one reviewer wrote. “(It’s) perfect for anyone wanting to get out into the world and do some real traveling.”
Get Outta Here!
Legacy media brand Associated Press has been bringing you the news since 1846. And since 2017, they’ve also been producing the “Get Outta Here!” travel podcast, which covers newsy tidbits like new rides at Disney and the new TWA hotel in New York, as well as travel trends and safety tips. The episodes are short, usually between 15 and 25 minutes, so you can easily listen to them on your morning commute or while walking the dog. Regular listeners enjoy the professionalism of the interviews and the wide variety of topics they cover. Plus, since it’s from the Associated Press, you can be sure you’re getting top-notch travel facts and information from experienced journalists and editors.
Budget-Minded Traveler
You don’t necessarily have to be on a strict budget to learn from “Budget-Minded Traveler,” hosted by Jackie Nourse, who says she became addicted to travel after spending a year abroad in college in Costa Rica. She also discusses tons of other aspects of traveling, such as couch surfing, laundry, travel insurance, safety and trip planning.
Of course, there are lots of straight-up inspirational episode featuring conversations with nomads who have given up their 9-to-5 jobs to travel the world. Nourse will have you itching to hit the road in no time. “I’m so ready for my next trip I can almost taste it,” one listener wrote.
