The 10 best travel podcasts every adventurer should tune into
Listen up as we bring you our top of the pods round-up
More and more people are listening to and loving podcasts – they're a great hands-free way to listen to the stuff you like whenever you want. Here are some of our favourites in the world of travel and there’s something for everyone, from linguists and food-obsessives to ramblers and budding astronauts. Prepare for a serious case of wanderlust…
For inspiration: The Rough Guide to Everywhere
Hosted by Rough Guide editors, hear stories from around the world that you don’t get in the guidebooks. There are some gloriously vivid tales that get right into the heart of a place – everything from architecture in Malta to voodoo in Haiti – plus chats about emerging trends (DNA travel anyone?) and issues such as solo female travel. A new, upcoming series will include stories on ecotourism and responsible photography.
For travel industry insider info: Skift
You may be well-travelled but what do you know about the travel industry itself? Impress your friends with your in-the-know knowledge on why low-cost airlines are finding it difficult to crack the long-haul market, how Airbnb is disrupting the hotel industry, what we can do about overtourism and more. The Skift podcast, from the global travel industry intelligence company of the same name, gets the lowdown from the experts.
For lovers of food and drink… and all things weird: The Trip
Host Nathan Thornburgh was often joined by business partner and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain on this podcast until Bourdain’s untimely passing last year and, listening to it, it’s easy to understand why it appealed to him. The Trip takes a cheeky, irreverent look at travel and life. Many, but not all, of the episodes are food and drink related. Alongside an episode about coffee made in Thailand, you might hear about Japanese love hotels. As we said, weird, but in a good way!
The Rough Guide to Everywhere; Skift; The Trip
For walkers around the UK: Ramblings
National treasure Clare Balding has spent many years hosting Ramblings, where she gets together with interesting people for a favourite stroll, during which fascinating stories and beautiful landscapes emerge. There’s the author who writes about the healing effects of nature, the ex-head of the British marines on one of his regular routes in Dartmoor and a group of graduates following the Speyside Way in memory of a friend who died.
For learning a language on the go: Language Pod 101
Learning languages the way we did at school can seem quite a chore. This series, with 34 different languages to choose from, keeps things light. Whether you’re picking up some French or Filipino, it’s less a dry lesson in grammar and more conversational banter, with lots of tips on culture and lifestyle along the way.
For a comprehensive guide to England: Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places
Respected names such as Professor Robert Winston, architect and TV presenter George Clarke and author Monica Ali choose their favourite places from a selection nominated by the general public. It’s about the destinations that have shaped the country and includes lesser-known attractions too.
In the Science & Discovery section, find out about the Royal Observatory in Greenwich alongside the more under-the-radar Brown-Firth Research Laboratories (the birthplace of stainless steel) in Sheffield. You’ll finish an episode inspired for your next trip and armed with brilliant background knowledge.
Ramblings; Language Pod 101; England: Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places
For aspiring full-time travellers: Travel Couple
Imagine giving up your job, packing your bags and spending the foreseeable travelling around the world with your loved one? Or, finding a job you can do on the move? Pointless fantasy? Not for these couples. Each week a different couple talks about where they’ve been and how they’ve made it work. The vast majority blog, vlog or, indeed, podcast as they travel. Three’s not a crowd here.
For families in need of excitement: Discovery Adventures
This award-winning series is a collection of mystery dramas featuring young Sam as he sets off solving puzzles around the UK. It combines fact and fiction with the aim of inspiring families to get off the beaten track. Well-known actors are behind the voices and there are cameos from the likes of adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and newsreader Kate Silverton.
For the armchair traveller: Stanfords Travel Podcast
Every year, lauded London travel bookshop Stanfords hosts the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival where adventurers, explorers and travel writers regale audiences with their tall tales. Those beguiling interviews have been collated in one handy place onto this podcast.
You might not fancy doing everything they’re doing – Sir Chris Bonington talks climbing lofty peaks while Levison Wood describes passing through war zones while walking the length of the Nile – but you’ll get a vicarious pleasure from their exploits.
And many of them are perfectly doable for the average tourist – learn about the best wild swimming spots in the UK or the joys of slow travel.
Travel Couple; Discovery Adventures; Stanfords Travel Podcast
For future space travellers: The Habitat
Whoever travels to Mars first will be stuck with other astronauts for years on end so NASA decided, as a social experiment, to enlist six strangers to live in a pod in a remote, Mars-like environment in Hawaii for a year.
A true story, there are romances and arguments as the docuseries unfolds – and the listener also gets to know a bit about space travel along the way. Fascinating stuff!
The Habitat
Lead image: Sunset Paper/Shutterstock
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