Staying Fit
One way you can plan for your next vacation is by listening to travel podcasts. You can also learn about places you might want to visit, or you can experience the destination if you’re unable to go there. We spoke to travel experts to find out which podcasts are worth listening to, especially if you are stuck waiting at the airport. We then spoke to the podcasters to learn more about their shows. The podcasts can be found on most major platforms. Here are the ones the experts recommend.
iHeartMedia, Inc./Darley Newman / Mikalai Manyshau/Getty
Travels with Darley
Host: Darley Newman
Traveler type: Travel like a local
First episode: November 2023
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Each episode of the Travels with Darley podcast is based on Darley Newman’s TV series that focuses on how to travel like a local around the world. “I’m writing [the podcast] almost like it’s a book in a way, in which you are going to the location but you can really visualize it,” she says. “You’re experiencing the adventure in the journey, and there are practical travel tips or travel hacks within them.” She creates an immersive feeling by including real-time background sounds. “We’re white water rafting and you’re in the boat, you’re hearing the water or you’re hearing the guy yelling at you,” she says.
LisaNiver.com / Mikalai Manyshau/Getty
Make Your Own Map
Host: Lisa Niver
Traveler type: Brave traveler
First episode: December 2022
Niver’s Make Your Own Map podcast focuses on how to step outside of your comfort zone. Niver began the podcast after she turned in the manuscript for her memoir, Brave-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents, and Feeling Fearless After Fifty. “The focus of my podcast is the journey, which means different things in each episode,” she says. “When listening to my podcast, people will learn about the place or the person and get tips for how they can evolve as a traveler.”
World Footprints LLC / Mikalai Manyshau/Getty
World Footprints
Hosts: Tonya and Ian Fitzpatrick
Traveler type: Conscientious traveler
First episode: 2009
The husband and wife team of Tonya and Ian Fitzpatrick host the World Footprints podcast. Previously, they held jobs as lawyers; Tonya was also a White House appointee at the Department of Education. They bring their background of education and social justice to their episodes about travel. Originally, they had a show on terrestrial radio, then moved to a podcast format to have more freedom over what they produced. “We love to tell the stories that nobody else is telling,” says Tonya Fitzpatrick. There are “so many gifts that travel offers us and we try to showcase those.”
