The world of Podcasts is growing massively. Whether you are an avid reader, a Netflix chiller, or dare I say a conversationalist — podcasts can longer be ignored.
What You Can Learn From The Podcasts In This List
- Where to find cheap flights, destinations, and accommodation.
- Ways to maximize your trips for enjoyment and not just for Instagram posts.
- How long-term travelers manage to do what they do
- How to be a successful digital nomad
The Trip Doctor Podcast
The Trip Doctor has nothing to do with medicine and everything to do with designing travel experiences and learning to be an intelligent traveler. The show is hosted by Evan Jordan, a tourism professor (I didn’t even know this job existed) at Arizona State University. Evan practices what he preaches: intelligent travel. He’s one of the most informed people in the niche and tackles topics such as “travel and sustainability” and “environmental impacts”. Podcast guests range from wine experts, volunteer tourists, and digital nomads.
Episodes To Listen To:
—Why some destinations captivate and others do not
—People First Tourism
JUMP With Traveling Jackie
For budget-conscious travelers
Formerly known as The Budget-Minded Traveler podcast, this show by Traveling Jackie recently hit over a million downloads. She’s obviously doing something right. With over 100 episodes, despite not having a fixed niche (apart from travel and adventure), this podcast has something for everyone. It’s one of my favorite podcasts in any genre.
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. Avid walkers should check out the episode on long-distance hikes, a topic I’m passionate about.
Episodes To Listen To:
—JUMP 106: How to Plan a Trip to Patagonia
—JUMP 118: Hut to Hut Long-Distance Hikes Around the World
Zero To Travel
For passionate digital nomads
Zero To Travel is a popular show with digital nomads that’s been going since 2013. The host, Jason Moore, is a digital nomad so many of the episodes focus on the topic of digital nomadism and budget travel. But out of hundreds of podcasts, there is literally something for everyone.
Get tips on traveling with kids, budget travel, touring in camper vans, holistic migrating, finding cheap flights, finding the cheapest places, and language learning.
Episodes to listen to:
—Potpourri Prat (Lifestyle Business, Experimenting and Travel Fears) with Matt Giovanisci
—Up and Coming Destinations: The Republic of Georgia
The Escape Hour
For passionate travel fans
Joy 94.9 Radio’s Escape Hour focuses on food and travel around the world. The Melbourne-based community radio station is an independent voice for the LGBTIQ community and enjoys over half a million listeners in Melbourne alone. The Escape Hour is efficiently presented and includes expert guests. Topics range from Filipino food, Melbourne’s hidden secrets, Traveling With Your Cats, and Wine, Food and Travel In Georgia. One of the best podcasts for foodie travelers.
Episodes to listen to:
—Melbourne Food Experiences
—Central & South America Travel Destinations
[tcm id=”3″]
Rick Steves
A Classic Travel Guru
It’s hard to talk about travel for long, especially European trips without mentioning Rick Steves, a man who has been helping people learn about travel since 1976. Steves has produced many respected guide books and tv shows, as well as writing columns, blogs, and delivering a weekly radio show.
Travel with Rick Steves is a podcast and radio show that explores a wide range of topics: hiking in Europe, 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 best travel writers and adventurers such as Pico Iyer, Michael Scott Moore, Robert Reid, and the founder of Atlas Obscura.
One of the best podcasts for practical advice on travel, as well as inspiration from the most traveled people in the world.
Episodes to listen to:
—Program 576: Budget Travelers; Beginner’s Guide to Japan; Ireland Today
The Radio Vagabond
For passionate business travelers
Palle Bo is a Danish broadcaster and entrepreneur who sold everything he had to begin a new life as a location independent business world traveler. He’s a public speaker, author, and owner of a production and consultant business.
You can expect the highest of 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.
Episodes to listen to:
#138 – Is Sri Lanka safe to visit?
133 – Harry Mitsidis has been everywhere
The Rough Guide To Everywhere
For passionate travel fans
The travel book company Rough Guides is back after a break of about six months. The Rough Guide to Everywhere is an interview podcast and destination guide. Host Aimee White gives background information on the countries and cities discussed when not talking to explorers and about adventures.
This show touches on topics that are hard to find elsewhere. Ever been to South Georgia? I don’t mean the US State or the country of Georgia in the Caucasus mountains. Do you know what DNA travel is? Did you know there’s a human story to the Galapagos islands? If your curiosity is peaked, check out the show on iTunes, Soundcloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episodes to listen to:
—Is the secret to your perfect trip hidden in your genes?
—Rough Guides Podcast: Best spots on Earth
Misfits And Rejects
Connecting the go-getters from the Old to the New School
Misfits and Rejects is a lifestyle design podcast featuring expatriates, travelers, entrepreneurs, and adventurers. Chapin Kreuter, your affable host says that he always wanted to capture the stories of people doing fascinating things from the old school all the way to the new school. He’s particularly interested in the digital nomad movement.
“I was going to do it in a book form and write a screenplay, or write a movie about it. But I just started putting a microphone in front of people I found interesting. And Misfits and Rejects was born”, says Chapin in an Interview about his surfing business and travels.
“These guys are definitely at the forefront of some kind of frontier. Especially the older guard. I was inspired to get started when I’d visit a small fishing village in Nicaragua and meet an American guy who’s been there for 30 years with no other gringos. ‘What’s your story dude?’ And that became Episode Four – Dale Dagger. Dale shipwrecked in Nicaragua and didn’t have enough money to go anywhere. So he’s been there for over 30 years”.
Episodes to listen to:
—Episode 126: Susan Jangannath Lost Her Job As A Technical Writer And Started Writing About Her Treks Through The Himalayas And Spain.
—Episode 143: Self Mastery Through Mountaineering with Gavin Lang
Women Who Travel By Condé Nast Traveler
Not just for the ladies
Interviews with inspiring women ranging from cruise ship captains, traveling chefs, and writers. The Women Who Travel podcast touches on a wide range of fascinating topics. This is a show for anyone interested in the world and its people.
Guys, it’s okay to listen. In fact, I would highly recommend it.
Episodes to listen to:
—The Not-So-Glamourous Side of Solo Travel
—The Women Owning Adventure Travel Right Now
Amateur Traveler
*** TOP CHOICE *** For those who want the best things to see and do in a destination.
My go-to show for learning about a country or city. By all accounts, it’s also listened to by millions around the world.
When I visited Budapest the first time, I listened to an episode that took the form of an interview with Jennifer Dombrowski from Luxe Adventure Traveller. This really helped me get a feel for the city and an understanding of the best things to do.
Presenter Chris Christensen started Amateur Traveler back in 2005. That officially makes it one of the longest-running podcasts in any genre. The aim of the podcast is to provide the best information for travel planning for the average American who enjoys 1-2 weeks of vacation every year. Episodes focus on finding the information that you can use to maximize your time.
Episodes to listen to:
AT#607 – Budapest, Hungary
AT#581 – Kyiv, Ukraine
Break Into Travel Writing
For bloggers and writers.
Interested in travel writing? Specifically, how to make money from your writing? Then check out this goldmine of information. The Break Into Travel show is for anyone interested in writing for websites, creating your own travel blog, and working with companies and Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO)
Some episodes are just travelogues of press trips and sponsored trips. I don’t find these particularly interesting but they might be useful to people who are considering working with companies for free and paid trips.
The other episodes, however, are insightful and packed with tips for beginner travel bloggers.
Alexa, the website creator, also has a travel writer’s academy, membership of which gets you access to exclusive podcast episodes
Episodes to listen to:
—BITW 132: Pinterest for Travel Bloggers with Melissa Megginson from Tailwind
—BITW 123: How to Make Multiple Streams of Online Income as a Digital Nomad with Ricky Shetty
Abroaders
For travel hackers and frequent flyers.
If you’re interested in accumulating Airmiles and airline points, listen to the Abroaders Podcast, a regular audio show of the Abroaders community. Abroaders is a membership business that shows people how to travel hack and use Air Miles properly.
I’m one of the few bloggers in the travel-related niche that doesn’t talk much about Air Miles. It’s a topic that hundreds of other bloggers have covered. And I’m not a US citizen so my options for traveling with points are limited (and my ability to talk about this topic are even more limited).
If getting free travel from air miles and points is your thing, this is a good place to get the latest news.
Episodes to listen to:
AP 226 – How to Book A Free Flight Before You Earn Enough Points
AP 216 – Hacking Expat Life with Mikkel Thorup
The Dish
For foodies
The Dish is a podcast that looks at cuisines, iconic dishes and cooking from around the world. The weekly podcast offers tips on what to eat in different parts of the world. Episodes cover topics like the cultural history of Cuban cuisine, the story of real Italian tortellini, what to eat in Thailand, and Mayan food history.
It’s a mish-mash of cooking and history and is well worth listening to if food is one of your motivations for travel but you want to understand the culture and backstory behind famous world dishes.
Episodes to listen to:
—S2E7 Bali (Indonesia): What to eat. Satay, Nasi Kanpur and more!
—S2E2 What To Eat Greek Island Hopping (Our Sun Fun You Voyage)
Podcast Tips For Listeners
I love reading but also enjoy podcasts (I listen to shows daily) as an alternative way to consume content. But I don’t believe they are interchangeable. It’s rare that a podcast transcript makes for a good article and vice versa. They are different mediums and the delivery is unique. But that’s a good thing. Podcasts feel more informal. That level of spontaneous content is heard through the voices of the episode.
Types of shows:
- Destination shows like the Amateur Traveler are great for introducing people to a location.
- For travel bloggers and industry professionals, Zero To Travel is a great way to learn about other travelers and people in the industry.
- Shows like Women Who Travel are great for learning about people’s journeys and life-stories.
How to listen to podcasts:
Try using multiple podcast apps like Stitcher, Castbox, and Google’s own podcast app. With these three podcast listening apps, you can find almost every show.
Download your favorite episodes and listen to them on airplane mode while flying. It’s a great way to be entertained and learn during long periods of downtime.
Here are just some of the apps for podcast listeners
- Google Play Music
- Stitcher
- Google Podcasts
- Apple Podcasts
- Castbox
- Downcast
- Spotify
- Castro
- Overcast
- Player FM
And don’t forget that you can usually hear shows through embedded players on the show creator’s website.
Where to find podcasts:
A great resource for discovering new shows is Listen Notes. The site lets you set up personalized “listen to alerts” so you’ll get an email every time a new episode or show drops with your target keywords.
You can also set up Google alerts for mentions of podcast episodes or shows with the keywords you want to track.
Keep It Sintra Wherever Your Travels Take You
My intention with this blog is to provide an alternative outlook that may spark your interest or confirm your feeling that being a digital nomad is possible for you. If this reaches even one person and it gives them the knowledge needed to take the first step, then it makes it all worth it.
If you are enjoying my content, simply subscribe to get curated content delivered straight to your inbox. You are appreciated and as always… Keep it Sintra.
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.