Are you wondering how to reinvigorate your clipped coronavirus wings? Exciting and motivational travel podcasts are candy for your earholes. Spread your body out somewhere comfy and put those headphones on.
This is my pick of the bunch, but there are plenty more to satisfy those wandering urges.
Extra Pack of Peanuts
Whether your travel fund is flush with moolah, or you tend to peer at numbers in the red, The Extra Pack of Peanuts is the go-to podcast for wannabe globetrotters. Quite often tongue-in-cheek, and often on the funny side, the married hosts of this show dish out invaluable tips. From knowing where to get a mouth-watering meal in Bali to what can surprise you in Greece, this is a somewhat quirky take on travel. You can fill your ears with interviews of bloggers, famous travelers, and entrepreneurs, plus gain advice on where to get the most credit card rewards to fund your wanderlust.
The Food Chain
Listen to chefs, learn about Asian street food, and glean new knowledge about food manufacturing and the chain of supply. The Food Chain is a must-listen-to podcast for anyone wishing to learn about the science and culture of what you put in your mouth. Apparently, the background music can be a bit on the intrusive side, but it's still food for thought.
Amateur Traveler
If you are looking for some vocal entertainment that requires no strenuous brain waves, switch onto Chris Christensen's podcastabout various countries and why they appeal to tourists. You can listen to chats with local characters and learn about topics such as how you can have swimming lessons with whales in Tonga, or taking a safari in Botswana. There are plenty of travel anecdotes to keep you enthralled. An award-winning podcast, it's guaranteed to take those itchy travel feet to the next level.
Travel With Rick Steves
The inimitable Rick Steves, guidebook author, television travel icon, and American travel writer comes to your rescue with a weekly travel podcast. Informative and distinctly "him," Rick Steves will introduce you to numerous guests, all of them blabbing about travel, culture, and the local people. When you want more than voices in your head, you can switch to his amazing videos.
JUMP with Traveling Jackie
Formerly "The Budget-Minded Traveler," JUMP is for the adventurers at heart, the dreamers, and those that wistfully armchair travel. From practical advice giving real tips to incredible stories of trotting around the globe, Jackie's podcast will entice you into taking a leap of faith. It's the perfect foil for hesitant souls who have no confidence in their own abilities to jump on a plane, train, or into a tuk-tuk. Inspirational with tales from real travel junkies and nomads, JUMP is easy listening, as if a friend is chatting to you.
The Big Travel Podcast
Hosted by Lisa Francesca Nand, The Big Travel Podcast shows off her exceptional talent of drawing out travel stories from various well-known guests. A travel journalist, and filmmaker, Lisa explores the lives of Paralympians, philanthropists, SAS soldiers, adventurers, and politicians, to name a few. If you love to listen to fascinating accounts of other people's wanderlust, with plenty of diverse, offbeat subjects, turn The Big Travel Podcast on.
Taste Trekkers' Find Dining Podcast
Touted as being the podcast that foodies who like to travel should be listening in to, Taste Trekkers' Find Dining will have you drooling over anything related to food. The host, Seth Resler, takes you into the world of chefs, food bloggers, and culinary experts to chat about their local dining scenes and food regions somewhere in the world. You will have the inside foodie scoop of far-flung cities, with fantastic recommendations on where to stuff your gob with delicious mouthfuls.
Armchair Explorer
Hosted by travel writer Aaron Millar, Armchair Explorer is the ultimate listening experience for everyone suffering from cabin fever during this pandemic. A self-proclaimed lover of tequila and sushi, Aaron's podcast will put you right into the travel scene. Documentary style, you will be diving in a shark cage with great whites, trekking gorilla country, or spacewalking with the first Native American astronaut, John Herrington. There are no drawn-out interviews, just sheer adventurous joy to partake of.
Zero To Travel
With more than million downloads, Zero to Travel hosted by digital nomad Jason Moore must have something unique to offer. From epic journeys such as walking across America to travel safety tips, it will definitely have you scratching those itchy feet. Passionate, explosive, and informative, Zero to Travel will give travel junkies the insight to make travel a part of life, not a bonus.
The Trail Less Traveled
The Trail Less Traveled will provide you with some of the best storytelling experiences you could possibly wish for. It's all about remote and off-the-beaten-path enclaves with unique histories and cultures. Featuring exclusive interviews, quite often from experts on the spot, the podcast is a sensory journey and music to your wanderlusting ears that at the moment are firmly pinned to your head.
Gail Palethorpe, a self proclaimed Australian gypsy, is a freelance writer, photographer and eternal traveller. Check out her website Gail Palethorpe Photography and her Shutterstock profile.
