15 Best Travel Podcasts 2026: Top Shows for Backpackers, Digital Nomads & Responsible Travellers

to the Winging It Travel Podcast, your weekly ticket to the world. Dropping every Monday and hosted by me, James Hammond, proudly part of the Voy Escape Network. This is a travel podcast that throws out the itinerary and dove straight into the raw, real and unpredictable essence of global exploration. Chasing moments over milestones, those spontaneous encounters, immersive sounds and unforgettable stories. Whether I'm hiking up volcanoes in Guatemala,

or camping under the stars in British Columbia.

met incredible people, seen breath taking places and collected unforgettable stories. I now get to share them with you, alongside some of the most diverse and well travelled guests from around the world. Expect engaging conversations that bring fresh perspectives and inspiring travel tales. There are also raw, reflective solo episodes where I share personal insights, practical tips and honest stories from the road. This is a podcast for travellers, dreamers, backpackers and anyone who's ever thought, what if I just went for it and travelled? If you're looking for stories to tell, tips to share,

and experiences to inspire, then you're in the right place. There's so much travel content coming your way, it might just spark that trip you've been dreaming about for years. You can find Winging It and more fantastic travel podcasts from around the world at voyescape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Over the last few years, the travel podcast world has exploded. There are more storytellers, more digital nomads, more adventurers.

and more generally brilliant shows than ever before. There's also loads of shows with famous people. I don't really include them, so I don't see them as proper travel podcasts really. They're just famous people who are not the type of you'd meet on the road anyway. So there so many options out there. It can be hard to know which ones to choose. So in this episode, I'm sharing my handpicked list. There are shows that consistently deliver great stories, practical advice, honest perspectives, and that feeling of being transported somewhere new, whether you're into budget travel, cultural deep dives.

long form interviews, solo travel reflections, or just want an audio escape for your commute. And to add, these are travel podcasts, which are current and have released an episode in the last two months of this podcast episode. I'll break down why each podcast stands out, who is perfect for and where to start if you're new to it. And if you want the full written list, expanded notes and links to every show, I'll have a companion blog post on winginittravelpodcast.com. Let's get into it. Okay. Number 15 is the Globetrotters podcast.

Hosts and Chelsea do a great job here of interviewing some fantastic guests. I actually see this podcast a bit like my own, putting more from the early days when I was interviewing a lot of guests every week. This show feels broad and adventurous, stories from all over the world, reflections from different types of travelers and practical tips for those wanting to explore without just doing the tourist checklist. And I love their podcast style and also some top level guests in the travel industry as well. So if you want that classic storytelling, tips and tricks, guest type.

podcast, then this is the one to check out the Globetrotters podcast. Number 14 is a of mine, Miyuki Suguchi's Japan Experts Effortless Planning and Immersive Travel. Miyuki is a Japanese native and comes from a place of traveling Japan with her or her travel tour group and explaining the best things to see and do in Japan. It's a deep dive into traveling there responsibly, giving listeners immersive cultural insights, advice on planning, budget.

pro tips to make the trip smoother and more authentic and of course ways in which Miyuki can help you travel in Japan. What I really like about Miyuki is she's a self-proclaimed introvert. So if you're introverted and you're not sure how to plan a trip in Japan, which can be super overwhelming and difficult, she is there on hand with advice to help you plan your trip. So be sure to check out Miyuki's podcast as well. Worth it. And to finish, Miyuki has been a guest on Wiggin' It. If you head to episode 108, you'll hear us talk about Japan.

what she offers in terms of tours, her podcast and any information about any of those subjects. So check out episode 108. Number 13 is the Thoughtful Travel Podcast by Amanda Kendall. The angle is clear here. Meaningful, intentional travel, responsible travel, acknowledging privileges, passable privileges, making conscious decisions, exploring ethically, authentically and choosing experiences that actually matter in the place you're traveling in. Amanda does a great job.

Talking about this through guests and also her own experiences. If you're looking for that podcast where you're thinking, am I doing the right thing? Was that the right experience to book? Is this the right company to book with? Amanda has it all covered. Honestly, there's so many episodes on her podcast. I think she's past 300 now. So a very consistent podcaster, always up there in the charts and recommended as a travel podcast. And Amanda is such a lovely person too. So if you're looking for that responsible travel podcast, the Thoughtful Travel Podcast is one to go to.

Number 12 is the travel mug podcast and Megan and Jen, who are the hosts of that. This is a fellow Canadian travel podcast. So I've got to include them. I love their style, very casual, laid back. They grab a mug of tea or coffee and talk about a travel subject or interview a person like myself who has been on their podcast. And it's more narrative focused. So the stories, personal reflections and cultural insights that feel like you're chatting with a friend over a cuppa who's just back from a trip.

Obviously they delve into lots of stories and different types of guests. So lots of countries are covered areas around the world, different types of travel, like road tripping, budget travel, mid-level travel, luxury travel, could be buses, backpacking, all the above. And I like it because I'm a chill person. Winging It has a chill vibe, laid back. You can say and do what you want and reason. And I feel like Travel Mug podcast is a bit like mine, but they also have a great vibe between those two. So Megan and Jenna, great. They're always supportive of Winging It and I really like their podcast.

and go Canadian travel podcasts. Number 11 is Speaking of Travel with Marilyn Ball. This is a radio style type podcast. So Marilyn is out in Asheville in USA and she interviews travel insiders, experts, explorers, storytellers, giving you behind the scenes look at the industry and the personal narratives you don't always hear on big travel shows. And what I like about it, as I've been a guest on this podcast too, is the way it's structured out. Very regular like, so a 10 minute section, a break.

10 minute section. And that's because it is born out of the local radio station. And she turns that into a travel podcast. So pretty cool structure. Marilyn's great as traveled loads, loves travel, loves speaking about different places around the world. Very intriguing. Loves to hear your stories, what you've got to say, any tips you can give and also inspire her to go and travel around the world. So I love Marilyn. She's doing a great job over there and she's always welcome onto this podcast too. And I can't wait to discuss more, hopefully on her podcast in the future.

So go Marilyn. And that is speaking of travel. Number 10 is the Travel Squad podcast. And that's with Kim, Brittany and Jamal. This one is conversational, friendly, energetic, not too PC and the kind of show where friends talk for like travel advice, destination picks, personal travel stories and a relaxed and informal style. They're big on vacation because they are full time workers, but they travel lot on vacation. So if you want that.

kind of style where it's not just about quitting your job or backpacking for years. This is like a real life, probably more European, American based style where you just have four to six weeks vacation time a year. And it's about how to maximize that by going around the world. So these guys are funny, great vibe. They have a laugh. It's all about having fun on the travel podcast, but I like everything they discuss. They're very consistent travel podcast performers. They're very consistent in their episodes. They tackle all different kinds of travel styles.

but mostly based on their own experiences. So if you want that cool friend vibe, this is the one to hang out to on your commute to work. So Traveler Squad podcast, check it out. Number nine is Women Who Travel, Lail Arakoglu. I love this podcast because this highlights women's experiences. So stories, career paths, challenges, and a transformative power of travel all through a female-led lens, and it's sponsored by Condé Nast Traveler. And these guys really do focus on the female perspective, which is needed because

As with most industries, if you like, it is very male dominant. think travel historically has been male dominant. There's always been male explorers and male travelers in the past, but now obviously women are catching up, which is great. And I try to have a mix. I try to do half and half of my podcast. It's great to see a podcast that is dedicated to women experiences. So this is a top one. If you're looking for that unique perspective and you don't care for like a male like me chatting shit all the time, this is a good one to check out. So women who travel by lair. Number eight.

It's a classic. It's travel with Rick Steves. So Rick hosts this podcast, sharing deep insights into European destinations, uncovering cultural history, giving you travel context so you don't just see a place, but you understand it. I Rick Steves is a very, very consistent travel podcaster, always near the top of every list. And the amount of content he produces is absolutely incredible. And I think he has offshoots of this travel Rick Steves where he delves into other parts of the world. Obviously originally he started in Europe.

I'm really interested in his hippie trail podcast that he did as well. So I've been delving into that recently, which has kind of inspired me to maybe do one of my own or even another podcast show. So watch this space. Rick Steves is known by everyone in the travel industry. So if you are unsure where to start from anywhere in terms of travel podcasts, I think Rick Steves is a very safe bet. Delving into maybe some recent ones or some old ones, you're going to learn something about Europe or other destinations around the world.

And of course, love that vibe of Rick, very chill, laid back and gives great advice. So if you want some inspiration, Rick is your guy. Hey there, I'm just going to pause right here halfway through my list to give a shout out to my network, the Voyascape network. This is a network that collates travel podcasts into one place. We have so many different types of travel podcasts. Some of them are on this list, some are not. But if you go to the website, voyascape.com, a plethora of travel inspiration is there and travel tips. And we range from anything from backpacking

to luxury travel, to points and miles, to responsible travel, to recommendations, stories from travellers, and a wealth of knowledge around the world from all of our hosts. So tune in to voicecape.com, check out the travel podcasts, and let's get back to this list. Number seven is Beach Travel Wine podcast by Leanne and Lyle. These Australians make me laugh. Classic banter with those guys. A laid back chat on a sunny patio, conversations about coastal destinations, wine culture.

and lifestyle travel that's more about the vibe rather than the itinerary. These guys love traveling in Spain and Western Europe, which is absolutely cool. They're based out of Brisbane, just north of Brisbane in Australia. And as we speak today, I might be in Brisbane, Australia, so hopefully I get to catch them for wine or coffee. I don't really drink wine, but I love their style. Very laid back, having a laugh. And I think they play, it's an interesting crowd in the travel podcast community. Maybe an older crowd, more of their generation.

and maybe for people who are kind of coming towards the end of their career or work life. So maybe looking to go and chill out in awesome places around the world. I do love listening and watching their Spain content. Every time I see a reel or listen to a podcast episode of theirs, it brings up a new place in Portugal or Spain or Western Europe that I just have to go and visit. So I've got a full list of places that I had no idea where to visit, but these guys have actually inspired me to go and check those places out. So Beach Travel and Wine, as you can imagine from the title, it's very laid back.

They are dotted around the world. think as we speak today, Adam is in New Zealand, Alan is in the Philippines or at least in Southeast Asia. And they share honest travel stories, planning advice, the ups and downs of long-term or spontaneous travel. They delve into budget advice as well, hostile life. And on a recent episode, they even talk about winning an award, which is great for them because they're quite new. But that did lead to them getting blocked on Spotify too. They're on YouTube as well, so can watch their podcasts. And I think they're doing great things.

Tripology number five is traveling 10 by David Brody and Tim Johnson if you want No messing about 10 to 15 minute episodes when it gets straight to the crux of the subject and they talk about travel inspiration cool hotels restaurants festivals Travel tips all in a quick easy hit then this is the podcast for you No messing about it'll take obviously 15 minutes max and these guys are so well traveled

that you're going to get a real decent amount of advice in their episodes. think Tim has traveled to over 150 countries and David has touched in 60. So between them, they covered a lot of the world. And as you may or may not know, David and Tim own the VoyEscape network, which I'm part of. So this is not a biased entry. I just love the fact that someone can fit in all the travel stuff you need to know in 10 to 15 minutes. So head to voyescape.com to check out that podcast, or you can just head to any podcast app to check that one out.

So travel in 10. Number four is the Culture Cult Travel Show by Marie Walker. Hosted by Marie, this is a wild, no-holds-barred podcast where she dives into crazy, weird and little-known stories from every country. So think about untold histories, outrageous travel adventures and cultural oddities that you've never heard before. What I really like about this podcast is not specifically about people's travel experiences. Marie will concentrate on a country or place around the world.

do some amazing research into the history and come up with a storyline that combines the history, but also the guests from their trips. So I've been a guest on that podcast twice now, the latest one being El Salvador. So I talked about that. So when she has a country in mind, she thinks, right, I'm going to have a storyline and who's actually traveled there, who's got some funny stories. It's kind of wild. There's lots of swearing, lots of cussing, no real rules. It makes me laugh. It's a kind of a mix between a comedy history travel podcast show.

And it mixes all those three elements to give you a great experience because what ultimately happens is despite the cussing and the funny stories and the hilarious laughter, you do actually learn something crucial about a new country every week or every season. So I would highly recommend the Culture Cult Travel Show. It's one of my recommended shows on Spotify. Check out Marie's podcast. She's doing great things. And she's also got another podcast out called Your Media. It's all about being a digital nomad and making your own business work whilst on the road. So a couple of cool shows there.

Check it out. Right. We're getting to the top three now. So number three is curious tourism. You didn't think I was gonna leave this one out, did you? The host is Erin and the producer is Katie and it's all about responsible travel. So Erin is the writer, Katie is a producer and they lead conversations on sustainable tourism, travel privilege, dark tourism, modern tourism, animal tourism and all the above and the real impact we have when we go somewhere. So if you care about travel that leaves more than just footprints, this one's for you. And they really pick their guests wisely.

Secretly, I'd love to be a guest in this podcast, but I don't hit the markers of what they're looking for, which I love because it's strict. They keep it on brand and they want to get people in who are truly experts in different fields of travel. So this is my go-to podcast when I'm feeling like, Ooh, should I be doing that? Or is that a tool company that's on the list? Or is that a bad experience that maybe I shouldn't share? Am I in the right? Am I in the wrong? This is my barometer of me traveling sustainably and responsibly.

going forward. They do regularly upload once or twice a month and also as part of the VoyageScape network too. But Erin is a fantastic blogger too. So Pina Travels is her blog. And between that and this podcast, there's so much travel content from many places around the world covering many different types of topics of in travel. You really should check out all of that content because it will make you travel better and more fairer in the future. So curious tourism, check it out. Number two, The Armchair Explorer by Erin Miller.

This hands down is the most influential travel podcast on me as a podcaster. The way that Aaron curates stories, makes them into immersive episodes, creates the best storylines, the amazing sounds. It's just absolutely up there and it inspired me to delve into that world this year. And when he came on to Winging It Travel Podcast as a guest, we spoke for nearly three hours. I think I divided it up into two podcast episodes because what a great speaker.

What a great guy. Met my person this year at an event. And the way he goes about his podcast is truly inspirational. It's the way I want my podcast to be. And what makes it so special is that immersive storytelling from real world adventurers. Does it get any better than that? Not only have you got authentic storytelling, you've got this abundance of sound that makes you feel like you're there. You're on a cinematic journey. So the sound design is absolutely top notch. The interview style memories are clear and concise.

No bumbling around straight to the point and there's big picture explorations. It's not just where to go, but what it truly feels like to be there. And that's very hard to portray on an audio medium and not YouTube. So what I love about this is when you listen to his podcast episodes, you're like, can I imagine being there what he's describing? Your imagination just goes wild. And this is why I want to create my own immersive episodes. I'm like, I want to tell you just enough to give you a story and some great tips.

I want to include some live reaction when I was there, but ultimately I want you to experience it through your ears and think, ⁓ I just want to go to that place or do that experience. This is the same for the Armchair Explorer, just a fantastic podcast. And it's one that for me is the top, top level of travel podcast for me personally. Absolutely up there. Of course, it's not going be number one, because I think you're going to probably guess what's number one. But if I was to pick another one, this is my favorite.

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