15 Best Travel Podcasts for Travel Tips and Inspiration

There’s a lot to know about travel, from finding the best-priced plane tickets to packing like a pro to optimizing every vacation day. But with busy schedules, it can be hard to find time to stay updated on the ins and outs of everything. That’s where podcasts come in. With the help of a good travel podcast, you can nail down those travel hacks, discover your next destination, or daydream about future trips, whether you tune in while doing household chores, driving in the car, or even during an evening jog.

In addition to providing helpful tips and advice, these travel podcasts will transport you away from your current reality to a world of exploration and adventure. You’ll hear from people who quit their jobs to explore the world full-time and other inspiring individuals who are breaking barriers and stereotypes when it comes to travel. We’ve done the research and found the best travel podcasts, so all you have to do is subscribe and get ready to be inspired.

Lost Cultures: Living Legacies

Travel + Leisure’s podcast, Lost Cultures: Living Legacies, explores what happens to a place when the cultures within it change over time. This season, we’re spotlighting destinations that have experienced significant cultural shifts, and how people are preserving their time-honored traditions to ensure their culture lives on for generations to come. Through conversations with archeologists, academics, artists, and local members of the communities, we recount the evolution of enduring cultures, including the Ainu in Japan, the Maya in Mexico, the Tongva in California, the Nubians in Egypt, and more. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

The Travel Diaries

Join journalist Holly Rubenstein every week for a new episode of The Travel Diaries, an interview series podcast that highlights a special guest and their unique adventures around the globe. In each episode, guests also share more about their favorite travel destinations to inspire your wanderlust, too.

Out Travel the System

Planning a complicated trip? Booking a short weekend jaunt? Either way, let host Nisreene Atassi help you navigate it all in Expedia’s podcast, Out Travel the System, which offers tips and tricks for all aspects of travel. And we mean all — each episode dives deep into a topic, from the intersection of travel and astrology to the best time to book a vacation.

Not Lost

Head out with journalist Brendan Francis Newnam as he explores the world and hopes to get invited to strangers’ homes for dinner in each location in the podcast Not Lost. What makes this series so special is it not only looks at visitors who love to travel to new destinations, but it also spotlights the locals who make those places so special.

Extra Pack of Peanuts

Buying plane tickets with miles, never checking a bag, and yes, squirreling away an extra pack of peanuts is part of traveling on a budget. If you love to save a buck (and really, who doesn’t?), tune into Extra Pack of Peanuts, where Travis Sherry interviews nomads, bloggers, and entrepreneurs who will inspire you to set out on your own affordable adventures.

Wild Ideas Worth Living

This REI podcast is hosted by journalist Shelby Stanger and features conversations with people who opted to take the path less traveled and managed to bring their wildest ideas, goals, and passions to life. On Wild Ideas Worth Living, you’ll hear from athletes like Alex Honnold, environmentalists like Helen Lowman, and everyone in between.

Zero to Travel

In this podcast, Jason Moore and his interviewees dig into the big questions surrounding travel — why we do it, how we can do it better — and some of the feelings it can bring up. In each episode, listeners will hear actionable advice to help them travel better and smarter.

Amateur Traveler

If you have a specific destination in mind, this is the podcast for you. In each episode, host Chris Christensen will guide you through a destination, providing a one-week itinerary of what to see, do, and eat. Thanks to the podcast’s longevity (it started in 2005), Amateur Traveler has mor ethan 600 episodes and destinations waiting to be discovered.

Travel With Rick Steves

Rick Steves is often thought to be the godfather of travel. The American travel writer, author, and television personality has extensively covered worldwide travel, encouraging devotees to explore less touristy destinations in order to experience a country’s true culture. In this weekly podcast, Rick chats with guest experts and callers about culture, people, and all things travel.

Jump

Looking for a hefty dose of inspiration? Well, that’s Jackie Nourse’s specialty. The active, adventure-loving host is all about motivating her listeners to get out and see the world. You’ll get plenty of travel advice and are practically guaranteed to finish each episode inspired — and one step closer to taking the leap.

Indie Travel Podcast

This podcast is all about giving listeners boots-on-the-ground advice and information. From how to choose your next travel destination to what to pack in your carry-on, your hosts, Craig and Linda, have you covered.

The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

There’s nothing like a well-told travel story. Tuning into The Thoughtful Travel Podcast feels like sitting in a room of well-traveled friends as they recount their funniest and hairiest travel stories. Host Amanda Kendle interviews her fellow travel addicts about their experiences and digs up some of their best stories.

Flight of Fancy

Travel journalist Ben Groundwater guides listeners through the world of travel in his podcast Flight of Fancy. In each episode, he interviews travel professionals and offers helpful tips, like how to travel without ruining the world and what to do when something goes wrong.

The Offbeat Life

If you’ve ever fantasized about leaving your nine-to-five and living life on the road, you’ll probably want to listen to this podcast. Host Debbie Arcangeles keeps listeners inspired with interviews with other travelers who’ve figured out how to make a living while traveling the world.

Armchair Explorer

Let travel writer Aaron Millar tell you a story with the Armchair Explorer podcast. Every episode is told in documentary style, set to music, and complete with cinematic effects to truly immerse the listener in the travel experience. Expect action and thrills in every episode.