12 Travel Podcasts for the 50+ Traveler

I really enjoy podcasts on long walks around the neighborhood or car rides. It looks like I’m not alone because the New York Times has reported that “listeners over age 55, who were slower to adopt podcasts, are finally catching up.” If you haven’t tried listening to a podcast yet, they are usually free audio shows that are somewhere between 15 and 60 minutes long that you can listen to on your smartphone, tablet, computer, or smart speaker.

Interested?

OK, then I have three questions for you:

Do you tend to grill everyone you meet for tidbits about their last trip to find out what they enjoyed the most and what they could have done better in hindsight?
Do you get inspired to take future trips after hearing about someone else’s adventures?
Do you take long walks or drives or enjoy listening to talk radio or audiobooks?

If you answered “yes” to all three questions, you might be a perfect candidate to try a travel podcast.

Let’s get started!

A. How to Find the Best Travel Podcasts

With over 1 million podcasts and 30 million episodes available, it can be challenging to find what you want to listen to even after you’ve identified “travel” as your category. Most podcasters have a website that you can visit to stream or download their podcasts directly à la carte mode.

If you’d prefer to have more options, however, you can also stream, download, and/or subscribe to multiple podcasts on podcast websites/apps, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Overcast, iHeartRadio, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora, and PodBean.

While some of these websites/apps organize the podcasts according to specific categories, they may not have a category breakout for travel, never mind the type of travel that we might have in mind as a 50+ traveler. Therefore, to make it even easier to find a podcast that we both might like, I listened to over 50 travel podcasts this week with a discriminating ear to identify those podcasts that offer (1) practical travel tips (2) relevant for 50+ travelers (3) with reliable hosts.

1. Practical Travel Tips

As you probably know by now, I don’t like to waste time or money, so any podcast that could save me either gets my vote. For our short list of podcasts, I was particularly interested in podcasts that disseminated actual travel tips and other facts about particular locations. To make the list, I was looking for a podcast that would offer a lot more than just descriptions of the “amazing” breakfast food at hotel A or the “amazing” mountain vistas on hike B. Rather, the host would ideally demonstrate that they or their expert guest had done their homework and were prepared to describe what they experienced clearly and deliver any insightful tips at a fairly brisk pace.

2. Relevant for the 50+ Traveler

To whittle down the list of podcasts even further, I tried to include those travel podcasts that a typical 50+ traveler might be especially interested in listening to. According to AARP, Baby Boomers had planned to spend an average of $7800 in 2020 on 4 to 5 leisure trips, including bucket list international trips and cruises. Therefore, I have assumed that 50+ travelers might be looking for podcasts that could help them not only plan their future trips, especially expensive international bucket list trips, but introduce them to destinations, tours, or cruises that are not already on those lists.

To make the length of the podcast list more manageable, I also decided to focus on U.S.-based podcasts that weren’t limited to travel in particular regions or geared towards different niches or demographics. I also excluded podcasts that appeared to be focused on jet setters, RVers, backpacking digital nomads, business travelers, families, amusement parks, or the travel business (including travel blogging/writing).

3. A Reliable Host

What makes a great travel podcast even more special is not just listening to someone talk about their travels but getting to know and trust the hosts and their guests. Therefore, I have excluded from my list any podcast that was not associated with a website (1) introducing the host(s) to their audience, and (2) providing episode show notes that identified guests/sponsors. The hosts on our list include respected travel experts, agents, journalists, writers, as well as a few passionate travelers on a quest to learn and share more of their experiences.

B. A List of 12 Travel Podcasts for the 50+ Traveler

If you haven’t listened to any travel podcasts yet, the following list should give you a great place to start exploring the medium. That said, please leave me a note in the comments if I have overlooked other terrific podcasts that tick all of the same boxes.

If you’d like to use travel podcasts as an itinerary planning tool, try the Google Podcast search engine with search terms consisting of the words “travel,” “trip,” or “itinerary” followed by the specific location that you’re interested in with or without the name of a specific travel podcast. For example, for a list of relevant travel-related episodes about Rome, try searching for: travel Rome. For a podcast-specific list, try searching for: travel Rome “Travel with Rick Steves.”

Finally, in the Research section below, I have included links to lists, podcast rankings, and recommendation articles that should give you hundreds of other travel-related options all in one convenient spot.

Enjoy!

12 Travel Podcasts for the 50+ Traveler

Title	Host	Google Podcasts Description
Active Travel Adventures	Kit Parks	Active Travel Adventures curates multi-day world wide adventure travel for reasonably fit folks who prefer to hike, bike, paddle or otherwise stay active for a more immersive experience while they vacation and explore our planet and its people. ATA’s mission is to inspire and empower you to lead a bigger life through adventure travel.
Amateur Traveler	Chris Christensen	The Amateur Traveler is an online travel show that focuses primarily on travel destinations and the best places to travel to. It covers everything from knowing what to put on your Chicago dog when you go to the Windy City to swimming with whales in Tonga.
Cruise Radio	Doug Parker	Doug Parker gives weekly cruise news, ship reviews, money saving tips, answers your travel questions, and helps you make the most of your cruise vacation.
Eye on Travel Podcast with Peter Greenberg	Peter Greenberg	Peter Greenberg is America’s most recognized, honored and respected front-line travel news journalist. Peter is Travel Editor for CBS News, appearing on CBS This Morning and The CBS Evening News, among other broadcast platforms. Eye on Travel is a travel news show originating from a different location every week, featuring local experts sharing their favorite gems.
Fox World Travel Show	Rose Gray	Let’s soar together on the official Fox World Travel podcast!
Friends That Carry On	Tony Price, Jim Scott, Brian Romine, Terry Hall, Jim Read, Eric Fargo, Shelly Price, and Teresa Scott	Friends That Carry On was created by a group of friends from West Virginia who believe everyone is capable of traveling (they just don’t realize it yet) and that everyone should be traveling. They want to inspire people to get out there and #createfomo moments with their friends and family. The friends of FTCO truly believe #lifedontsuck and want to inspire that in others through travel.
The Frommer’s Travel Show	Arthur and Pauline Frommer	Since the 1957 publication of Arthur Frommer’s “Europe on $5 a Day,” the Frommer’s travel products have expanded to over 300 guidebooks, Frommers.com, and this popular radio show, affirming The Frommer’s as the most trusted name in travel.
This Week In Travel	Gary Arndt, Chris Christensen, and Jen Leo	A weekly roundtable discussion on travel news and the travel industry with leading travel writers, bloggers and podcasters.
Travel Better with Travel Leaders	Brian Hurley	Daydreaming again? It’s not that you don’t like where you are, but you’d love to be somewhere else. Let the experts at Travel Leaders help. The experts at Travel Leaders have the knowledge to put your “bucket list” vacation together for you. Stop dreaming of the “dream” vacation, and make it a reality with Travel Leaders.
Travel with Hawkeye	Mark “Hawkeye” Louis	Travel With Hawkeye features longtime Dallas morning radio host Mark “Hawkeye” Louis (96.3 KSCS) and his tales from a lifetime of travel and adventure. The podcast features a variety of celebrity guests, noted travel writers and a number of Hawkeye’s travel companions. The topics range from Henry Winkler’s tales of fly fishing in New Zealand to Hawkeye’s stories and adventures. Travel With Hawkeye not only discusses incredible destinations, travel bargains and tips, it also shares the excitement and fun of travel.
Travel with Rick Steves	Rick Steves	A weekly one-hour conversation with guest experts and callers about travel, cultures, people, and the things we find around the world that give life its extra sparkle. Rick Steves is America’s leading authority on travel to Europe and beyond. Host and writer of over a hundred public television travel shows and author of 30 best-selling guidebooks, Rick now brings his passion for exploring and understanding our world to public radio.
Well-Traveled with AAA	The Auto Club Group	Whether you’re planning your next travel adventure or just taking time out to dream of faraway places, Well-Traveled with AAA features stories and tips from travel experts from around the world. Hear the sound of howler monkeys in the Amazon, learn the secrets of Machu Picchu, or travel down the Danube. Every month you’ll experience a new destination. Well-Traveled with AAA is a production of the Auto Club Group.