The Travel Diaries
If you only listen to this podcast for the lovely accent of the British host, Holly Rubenstein (even her name sounds delightful) then it’s worth it. Holly interviews top performers in all categories of life from chefs to celebrities and entrepreneurs to executives and everyone in between. Her interviews follow the format of delving into the seven parts of their “travel diaries.” She asks them about their first travel memory, the first place they fell in love with, the place they learned the most about themselves, a place they’d consider their least favorite destination or experience, their hidden gem, and the place a the top of their bucket lists. This one is binge-worthy for sure.
Travel With Rick Steves
You know a podcast where the host is one of the world’s leading authors of guidebooks is going to be good. What I love about Rick Steves is that his passion for the simple things in travel really comes through. There are so any aspects of a destination to appreciate and enjoy when you’re traveling, and he does a great job of exposing listeners to the diversity of different destinations. The episodes usually cover three topics or destinations so it’s great if you prefer shorter clips to keep your attention. Rick Steves Audio tours also offer guided walking tours to listen to on your own when your traveling. When I was in Paris, I listened to his Historic Paris walk while I navigated around the city center, and Rue Cler Walk which made a stroll down one of Paris’ iconic streets one of the most pleasant experiences on my trip!
Women Who Travel
It’s hard to summarize this podcast other than the fact that it’s women telling their travel stories. Sometimes there’s a theme to the episodes for a few weeks, sometimes it’s just the hostesses discussing different topics, and other times they interview other women. No matter the format, it’s always enjoyable. They not only cover destinations, but examine travel from a variety of perspectives. Some of my favorite episodes include one that dives into the wild swimming phenomenon (pardon the pun), an interview with a psychologist who discusses the effects of travel on a relationship, and several episodes focusing on slowing down during travel. The broad range of topics with the specific focus on women means there’s something for everyone.
The Washington Post: Field Trips
This was the breath of fresh air I needed when I found I had become hyper fixated on travel podcasts and everything started to sound the same. There are currently five episodes that feature a journalist who visits 5 of our national parks and views them through a more honest lens. Yes, her descriptions of these locations and in the moment sound bites transport you to these spectacular destinations, but she also examines some of the hard truths surrounding humans’ relationship with and impact on these magical, but also complex and complicated destinations.
Financial Feminist and Smart Money
Ok, ok, I know these are two podcasts and they aren’t travel related; however, the topic of finances is important to travel. Getting my money in order was one of the first steps to making more travel a reality in my life. This does not mean I suddenly made more money. I work for the public school system and lucrative is not a word used to describe these types of professions. However, when I started to understand money better and be more intentional with it, it opened up dollars I didn’t think I had before. I plan to do a full post on money and travel but for now, take a listen to see if there are financial areas you could make changes in to free up some money to dedicate to travel. Also, these podcasts include episodes on travel credit cards and travel hacks.
Adding these to my library! I love Rick Steves and have listened to the finance ones but excited to check out the others!