The best travel journalism has the ability to transport you to a new place, whether or not you’ve actually visited. These six podcasts offer a mix of evocative travelogues, practical tips and expert recommendations for destinations across the globe. They’re worth the listen, whether you’re jetting off or staying put this summer.
This daily show tells short stories about awe-inspiring, but often overlooked, places. Most episodes run just 15 to 20 minutes long, but deliver immersive explorations of places and phenomena that may not appear in your average travel guides, including geographical oddities, offbeat architecture and sculptures, and historically significant sites. Hosted by Dylan Thuras, who co-founded the travel platform Atlas Obscura, the podcast features a rotating group of reporters who bring each location to life. One recent episode focused on The Barbican in London, a sprawling and singular complex that combines a residential development with Europe’s largest performing arts center. Alongside the history and cultural significance of the complex, the episode unpacks its importance as the kind of “third place” that’s becoming more and more scarce.
Starter episode: “The Last Wild Apple Groves”
This series has been on the air in some form for more than 20 years, originally debuting as a syndicated radio show in 2005. A typical episode will feature two or three conversations between the veteran travel writer Rick Steves and local experts who might be tour guides, historians, reporters, or expatriates who’ve made a life abroad. Although the show deals mainly with European destinations, Steves is big on encouraging travelers to step out of their comfort zones, and his advice emphasizes living like a local as much as possible by avoiding tourist traps, taking public transportation and approaching culture shock with curiosity rather than discomfort.
Starter episode: “Bite of Rome; Heart of London; Spirit of Portugal”
Each episode of “Amateur Traveler” is like a guidebook in audio form, offering advice, tips and cultural insights on a specific place. Chris Christensen, a travel journalist, interviews local experts, historians and fellow travelers to get their recommendations and suggested itineraries. Some episodes focus on popular urban destinations like Paris, Dublin and New York — and how to find hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path recommendations — while others offer primers on how to travel to far-flung destinations like the remote, ecologically unique Yemeni island, Socotra. The show just released its 1000th episode, which gives an indication of how extensive its archive is — whatever place you’re curious about, there’s almost guaranteed to be an installment to match.
