Best travel podcasts to plug into to stoke and satiate that wanderlust in you

Representational image. (Photo: Ilyuza Mingazova via Unsplash)

The next best thing to travel, they say, is armchair travel. Time was when books nicely filled the gap between trips. Then came television and armchair travel has never been the same. With drone photography, and now virtual reality, climbing Mount Everest, trekking through the Grand Canyon, cruising to Antarctica, diving in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef and gazing at Giza’s Pyramids can be done from the comfort of the home. But once the vivid visuals fade, there’s something missing.

Podcasts have filled that vacuum with stories, inviting listeners to use their imagination and set expectations and anticipation. Like any good travel show a podcast should have the ability to take the listener to the destination, and there are some podcasts that do it better than all others. Be it description, recommendation, storytelling or just humour, here are podcasts that are bound to take the listener on a journey in more ways than one.

The Travel Diaries

Possibly the most popular travel podcast, the appeal here is presenter Holly Rubenstein’s access to some of the most famous names like Sir Michael Palin, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and actor Dev Patel. She follows a simple interview format and takes the guests through their most memorable travel experiences and stories. Through their narratives, the listener is transported to new places and adventures, especially in the hands of such adventurers as Simon Reeve and Tony Wheeler. What makes the show a huge hit (going on for eight seasons now) is that it is interspersed with insights, reflection and peeks into the life of some famous people.

Armchair Explorer

Hosted by journalist and travel writer Aaron Millar, the listener gets to travel alongside, which makes for one of the best kind of travels. Done documentary style, Miller’s commentary delivers tales of adventure in his signature matter of fact but engaging manner. He also brings on guests who are travel-hardened and explore the world with a passion that is admirable. The show has it all: fantastic immersive stories, tales from remote corners of the world and yarns that are too good to be true but are actually all true. What makes it fascinating is that he manages to rope in some of the most interesting people such as Alice Morrison, a nomad who travelled through the whole of Morocco on foot. Each episode is full of action, exciting and filled with inspiration.

You Should Have Been There

If you are looking for a bit of fun, and not just the travel kind, then You Should Have Been There is the thing. Hosted by journalist Simon Calder and BBC producer Mick Webb, this is a podcast that doesn’t shy away from exploring any and every aspect related to travel, be it practical information like layover-friendly airports or esoteric topics like psycho-geography. The banter between the hosts and the tales they narrate is delightful and the chemistry is off the charts, which makes the podcast eminently listen-worthy, even if it rambles sometimes. But what makes it entirely authentic is that both are highly respected and regarded, which brings in a lot of honesty. It’s been compared to “equivalent of sitting in a bar with a couple of fun and slightly geeky travel chums.” Which says a lot about any podcast, not just a travel podcast.

Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase

Every one of us who enjoys travelling, at some point, has envied flight attendants. Envying their ability to travel to a new city every day, to taste new food and have novel experiences. Reality may be far from this picture. Or is it? Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase is a podcast by an anonymous international flight attendant who talks about everything that comes with the job — meeting characters at 10 km above the earth to practical advice on beating jetlag. But more fascinating are her travel stories, anecdotes, vignettes, and meeting all kinds of people. She mixes it up with interviews with travellers and others of her ilk. What makes it enchanting is her disarming personality, charm and the sheer diversity of her experiences.

Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet

If you remember reading hilarious accounts of silly, moronic and astonishing complaints made by travellers, then this is the podcast for you. Helmed by Xandy and Christine Schiefer, the hosts trawl the internet to find reviews with single stars and people dissing the place or the service. And go on to read them out in dramatic voices for a truly comedic effect. For those who love humour, this is the perfect thing.

The Musafir Stories

Closer home, those looking for audio travel stories related to India, look no further than The Musafir Stories. It deals with Indian travel tales and in each episode, travellers talk of their experiences in their own words. The stories revolve around people exploring the rich heritage and diversity of the country, and aims at being entertaining, illuminating and inspiring. It also serves as a handy guide to known, little-known and unknown Indian destinations.