Travel Podcasts, Discovered
Award-winning podcast featuring travel documentaries recorded on location, immersive adventure stories, deep dives into cultures around the world, and inspiration for how to life to the fullest. Hailed as “inspiring storytelling” by the New York Times, and “Ear candy for listeners” by the Washington Post. Two-time Webby Nominee Best Society & Culture Podcast
100 most recent episodes displayed below
Visit website →Levison Wood is one of the world’s most well-known explorers, TV presenters and authors. Join him for a 5,000-mile journey through the heart of the Middle East, from the front lines of Iraq and Syria through the Empty Quarter desert to Yemen, the Wes
Witnessing the Northern Lights is one of the most awe-inspiring experiences on the planet, and in today’s interview episode we’re going to hear what it feels like to stand beneath them - a cascade of color raining down from the sky all around you.
I
Today we are going to travel across all seven continents, through steaming craters and frozen summits, into the heart of the world's most active volcanoes. This is a story about chasing fire.
Ricardo Kaljouw is one of only a handful of people on Ear
The Black Hills are home to more than 100 known caves - including the world's third-longest cave system at Jewel Cave National Monument with it's miles of unmapped passageways, and the complex caves systems at Wind Cave National Park, which are not m
Sometimes the wrong path is the best path. I was stumbling down the side of a steep mountain slope, pushing through thorny bushes, scratched, thirsty and utterly confused. But I was smiling. While on a week-long hike across the Ligurian hills in nort
"Humans are meant to excel. And when you start pushing that and seeing how capable we are, it's phenomenal what you can actually go and do."
-Justin Packshaw
When Justin Packshaw was trekking in Antarctica several years ago, he noticed something di
Every Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer.
In this episode, we’ll be traveling from the craziest white
There’s a moment before every journey begins — that flicker of anticipation when the map is still folded, the road still unknown, and the world feels impossibly wide.
That’s where this new season of Armchair Explorer begins.
In the coming episodes
There are many beautiful countries in Africa, but none are like Namibia.
Today we will travel from the highest sand dunes in the world to the wildest coast on the planet. We will track the last free-roaming herd of rhinos on the continent, and watch
The Black Hills Powwow is the biggest powwow in the U.S., where dancers, singers, artists, and spectators come from across North America to honor the spirit and beauty of the Great Plains Indigenous culture. The powwow comes alive through handcrafted
“There is something in us,” nature writer Jay Griffiths says, “that detests the tepid world of net curtains … the chloroform world where human nature is well schooled, tamed from childhood on, where the radiators are permanently on mild and the windo
“The medicine man sits before a pile of hot coals spread out on the compacted red earth floor of his Hogan – the traditional home of the Navajo. “This is Native American church,” he tells me, pulling shiny black arrowheads and Golden Eagle feathers f
Whether you known him as Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti, Thla'Thla, Sninik, or something else, you've heard the legends - the stories of the hairy mountain man who lives, as writer John Zada says, "in primeval nature and collective memory." And today, we'r
Botswana is the Africa in our heads, the one we see in nature documentaries, and think of when we say the word.
It is a vast and untempered land filled with one of the richest concentrations of wildlife on the continent. In a single game drive you c
Do you want to know what it's like to go kayaking with a whale?
How about climbing to the top of Crater Lake National Park to see one of the most beautiful views in America?
Well, that’s what we’re doing today. Our Bucket List episodes highlight w
Today, we’re sharing a special episode honouring a true explorer who we lost last week.
Dr. Jane Goodall was a pioneering primatologist, and conservationist best known for her groundbreaking work with wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. With no formal sci
In this episode, recorded on location, we’ll discover a side to Rocky Mountain National
Park that most people don’t even know exists. Beyond the beautiful mountains and
trails, the park is a Living Laboratory of science with about 100 scientific pr
Bhutan is the last of the great Himalayan kingdoms. Still largely untouched by outside influences, shrouded in mystery and magic, this Buddhist country, hidden for centuries on the roof of the world, is like nowhere else on the planet.
Follow Britis
"A life worth living is lived at the edges, where it is wild"
- Rick Ridgeway
Rick Ridgeway is one of the greatest mountaineers of all time. In this in-depth interview he shares the adventures that have come to define his life, and the wisdom he ha
Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer. It’s part travel hangout, part behind-th
Our Bucket List episodes showcase the greatest travel experiences on the planet. Today, we’re going to the deserts of Arabia to go stargazing with the Bedouin and learn their secrets of the stars.
This episode is about learning to see the stars thro
Today we’re sharing an episode from the Red Bull podcast: How to be Superhuman.
How To Be Superhuman is about pushing the limits of human potential, from conquering terrifying climbs and kayaking down jaw-dropping waterfalls to swimming the world’
“The first time I entered here I was 18 years old…I'd always heard about the Pendleton Roundup, it's just iconic. I was driving in thinking, I've made it, you know, I've made it”
“You can name any sport, basketball, football, whatever. [Rodeo] just
Alastair Humphreys is a legend in the world of adventure. If you haven’t heard of him, here’s a few of things he’s gotten up to over the years …
“Aged nine, he completed the 20 mile Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge, then the National 3 Peaks in 24 hours
In this series, we’re going to take you on a journey into the heart of one of the most ancient kingdoms on Earth. Located in the northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia, Alula is an oasis in the desert layered in 200,000 years of human history. But, unti
We thought we knew the Oregon Trail…
Turns out, we only knew half the story.
“The settling of the West,” says Bobbie Conner, “was the unsettling of the West for our people.”
In this episode of The Hidden Trails of Oregon, we’re exploring the past,
"There are people out there that have found incredible success in ultra-running and things by being tough as nails…and it just doesn't work for me. But what I can do is wake up in the morning and be like, oh, like I'm gonna stop for a coffee in 10 m
Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer. It’s part travel hangout, part behind-th
Follow Atlas Obscura co-founder Dylan Thuras on a quest to discover South America’s hidden wonders. From the Last Incan Bridge and the Machu Picchu of the North to the Everlasting Lightning Storm and a statue of a squid fighting a whale the size of t
"We paddled out to the first net, and there were 12 pilot whales huddled up against it, completely traumatized because they could hear the other 40 members of their pod being massacred yards away. They were screaming. I remember a little baby pilot w
It might’ve been my first rodeo, but it won’t be my last!
“It’s part action movie, part rock show blurring into the superbowl. It feels modern, but bull riding itself goes back to the bronze age. And that’s true for rodeo contests in general: bull
Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer. It’s part travel hangout, part behind-th
We’ve got something a little different but very special for you today. This episode comes from Winging It, a travel podcast hosted by my friend James Hammond, who you’ll hear from shortly. He takes us on an immersive, on-location audio adventure thro
We're back for part two of our Discover series on the less travelled, but adventure-rich state of South Australia. Our Discover Guides are deep dives into new destinations, where we interview experts to get the ‘drum’ on the places they live and love
“At home, mindfulness is an app, a tool to fight the noise. In the wild, peace and calm rule by default … Out in the open, my mind is released from the noise. It sways with the trees and flows with the rivers. It blows over snow tipped mountaintops a
G’day and good onya! Our Discover Guides are deep dives into new destinations, where we interview experts to get the ‘drum’ on the places they live and love.
Today we’re excited to share the first of two episodes exploring South Australia, a less-t
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world. Covering an area of 135,000 square miles, it is bigger than the United Kingdom, Holland and Switzerland combined. Lay it out across Europe and it would reach from London to Moscow, makin
Today, we are sharing an episode of Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, the chart-topping and Webby Award-winning podcast from our friends at Nature on PBS. Back for a brand new season, Going Wild features some of the coolest champions of nature – li
Welcome back to the Hidden Trails of Oregon! In the first episode
of our new season, host Aaron Millar heads to the eastern edge of the
state, far from the bustle of coastal cities and the craggy heights of
the cascade mountains.
We're going on loca
In this episode, we’re heading to the city of Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. They call this the place where ‘land and sea meet, and cultures converge’. Victoria is a city surrounded by wild nature on all sides, fr
Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer. It’s part travel hangout, part behind-th
Today we are taking a journey to the arctic circle, in the far north of the American continent. This is a story about climbing, and surviving, one of the tallest mountains on Earth. It’s about paddling through the most remote national park in Americ
In this episode, we’re heading deep into the wilds of Tropical North Queensland, Australia—where the oldest rainforest in the world meets the greatest reef on the planet. We’ll be connecting with an Aboriginal guide to learn indigenous perspectives o
This is your monthly guide to the world’s wildest travel stories – one adventure at a time.
Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview
"I've been guiding or working around whales now for almost over just about over a decade, and I still am in awe at all of the experiences that we have. It's just a wonder of a magnitude that people don't really get to experience anywhere else in urba
In today’s episode, we’re joined by Rob Pope, the first person in the world to complete the legendary run made famous by one of Hollywood’s most beloved characters – Forrest Gump. Yes, you heard that right. Rob took on the challenge of following Forr
Follow best-selling travel author Brian Thacker on a unique, mad-cap adventure to three of the remotest countries on Earth. Inspired by the intrepid spirit of explorers of old, Brian decided to tear up the guidebook, switch off the phone and turn up
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, a
“I came face to face with grizzly bears. I had to befriend drug lords. I saw two people shot dead. I witnessed a guy trying to kill his wife with five gunshots. I crossed the tallest mountains in the world. I had to swim rivers with horses. I was los
As soon as they walked into the barracks at Fort Sisseton, they were handed muskets - heavy Springfield 63s from the Civil war era - given a uniform and told to march.
Presenter Brian Thacker and producer Jason Paton thought they were just cover
Abdullah Zeinab’s epic Rhino Run adventure crossing South Africa and Namibia redefines what’s possible in endurance cycling. Unsupported and unforgiving, this grueling 1,700-mile ultra-cycling race put his mental strength, grit and resilience to the
“Those are my heroes, those guys paved the way for me to be able to travel through this country, free, and they're almost superhuman to me.”
- Erick Cedeño, Bicycle Nomad
In 2013, Erick Cedeño, aka. Bicycle Nomad, came across an old photogr
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview
In this episode, we dive into the soul of Ontario’s wild, tranquil landscapes alongside award-winning travel writer and photographer Alex Robinson.
From serene canoe journeys gliding through Algonquin Provincial Park to exhilarating white-water esc
St. Patrick might be the most famous of the Irish saints...but he's far from the most interesting.
In 2023, St. Brigid’s Day was decreed a National Holiday in Ireland to honor Brigid. Over the millennia, this legendary woman has evolved into a figur
In this Bucket List episode, Aaron Millar takes us to one of the most remote and breathtaking locations on Earth: Sheldon Chalet in Alaska. Perched on a rocky outcrop in the middle of the Ruth Glacier, 70-miles from civilization, with views of the ea
Before the modern city of Alula rose to prominence, its natural springs and water systems were at the heart of its existence. For centuries, Alula's oasis has been a critical stop on the Incense Road, connecting cultures and trading routes across the
Before the bustling streets of Chattanooga and the sounds of modern life, the blues were born from the struggles and stories of generations past. Deep in the heart of this city in Tennessee, the blues pulse through the air, enriching the soil, and in
In this episode, we journey into the wild, rugged landscapes of Iceland through the eyes of renowned photographer and filmmaker, Chris Burkard. From an unplanned surfing adventure under the Northern Lights to his grueling exploration of Iceland's rem
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, a
Before movie star colonies, country clubs and pool parties, the first people to lay claim to Palm Springs were the Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians. The spring waters were sacred to the local tribes, and today people from around the world visit
In this Bucket List episode, host Aaron Millar recounts the most audacious, tipsiest, and ridiculous hike of his life: a 100-mile pub crawl across the entire length of the South Downs National Park, near his hometown of Brighton England.
“Should you
On today’s bucket list episode, we are following award-winning travel writer James Stewart as he attempts the ‘Everest of Cage Dives’.
In the Neptune Islands of Australia, home to the most great white sharks on the planet, there is a cage dive that
They call it The Land of Stone and Light because of the way sunlight plays on its rocky terrain. It is a geological tapestry of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires, home to one of the richest fossil beds on the planet. The Lakota people call
“… tied up at the pier was this all-black pirate ship with the Jolly Roger flag at the bow. It was menacing as hell, and I walked up to the superstructure, and there on the on the outer bulkhead, was all these skulls and crossbones. They were the nam
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, a
“The thing about eating a meal with people is it breaks down barriers … But then beer elevates that to the magic of the intoxication of a shared experience. That is why beer and pizza go well together - the primal solving of the human conflict proble
Palm Springs is a must-visit for cinephiles, history buffs, adventure seekers, architecture enthusiasts and foodies, but this desert city is better known as the home of glitz and glamour.
Today, we are stepping back in time to when Palm Springs w
“People can't believe how we live out here on the land, and under the stars. Maybe it's just the freedom of it. Once you get that red dirt in your blood and your socks, you can't get rid of either one of them. It just stays with you, and you’re going
“I'm dangling 250-feet above a canyon, and I'm about to get dropped. This is what AlUla is all about. It's got desert treasures, it's got 200,000 years of history, but it's also got adventure. And we're going to start ours by soaring through the air.
“There was one time when one of the young wolves was licking my face, and his canine went up my nose, and I was like, oh, okay, don't move. He wasn't trying to bite me; it was just
excitement. But it was an awesome, eerie, and strangely wonderful ex
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, a
“I was lying in a coffin in the catacombs beneath London Bridge while a clairvoyant called to the
spirits around me to make themselves known. To say this was not a normal Saturday night
would be to grossly understate the point.”
And so begins, the
They called it the ‘End of the Line’. For over a century, Brushy Mountain prison held some of the most violent murderers, rapists and serial killers in the country. If you wore out your welcome at another prison or your crime was among the most unspe
“So, take down your box and bow, and play the strings. Whistle up your travellin’ tune. Listen to the sound the water makes, in the Diamond Stream.”
• Ed Snodderly, The Diamond Stream
This episode is the first in our Performance series, where we s
Rodeo in the United States is a reflection of the spirit of the American West, and a tradition
rooted in the folklore and culture of the country. But in South Dakota, it’s not only the official
sport - it’s a way of life.
Join us as we go on a wi
“We’re fighting to make the world less boring. Our planet used to slap us about the face-cheeks with iron fists of adventure every day. Maps had edges to walk off. Whole continents lay undiscovered. But now, the entire surface of the Earth has been
“… it’s incredible to get that picture of watching the caravans arrive on the horizon, and you don't know what they're going hold. You don't know what mysteries. People with strange languages, different clothes, and different smells. And they set up
“I look out the window towards K2 and it's this splitter blue day with this little wisp of white snow coming off the top of the second highest mountain in the world and I'm feeling this sense of terror and this realization of, oh shit: What have I ag
At the start of every month, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton preview what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer, play their favorite clips, and reveal the stories they’re most excited to share.
A cross between a highlight reel, an interview, a
Here’s to those who Wisconsin … that’s what they say in this part of the world. Because
traveling here is not so much about exploring a place as discovering a mindset.
In this two-part documentary series, recorded on location, we’ll be searching
“The best way to travel? Dare to be lonely, lost, and bored.” – Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding
Today’s special episode is in honor of World Travel Day, which was set up by the United Nations over 50 years ago and is celebrated today, on September
In the heart of the California’s Sonoran Desert the city of Palm Spring’s emerges like a green oasis surrounded by a sea of red. It’s known for food, art, glamour, glitz but head outside the city boundaries to Greater Palm Springs and there’s plenty
"Bluegrass will lift you up and sweep you along like the fast-flowing waters of the Tennessee River...it's foot stomping, hand clapping, blazingly fast songs hotter than a match."
In this episode, dive into the world of Tennessee bluegrass and learn
Follow world-renowned explorer Ed Stafford on the expedition that made his name: walking the entire length of the Amazon River, on foot. People thought that it was impossible, that he would die trying; and they were nearly right. He was attacked by a
“Nobody's down here except for us ghost people and the hotel staff. And some of the hotel staff in the past wouldn't come down here by themselves. Things happen in here. Things have happened to me.”
– Kate, Ghost Tour Guide at the Bullock Hotel, Dea
Imagine a road trip up the southern Californian coast stopping off at cool little beach towns along the way. But instead of doing it in a car, on the highway, getting stuck in traffic, with nothing to do or see … you surf it instead.
The Pacific Sur
Maiku. Yá'át'ééh. And hello!
You can't really know a place without hearing from the people who have always been there. Utah is the sacred and ancestral home of eight different tribal nations, including the Paiute, Navajo (Diné), Shoshone, Goshute
Follow world-record breaking explorer George Bullard on a world-first kayak from
Greenland to Scotland across one of the most dangerous stretches of water on the planet.
No one thought they could do it. Most people assumed they would die trying – a
In Antarctica, time is measured in ice. Entire worlds form and dissolve in the marbled blue sheets and shimmering peaks, which rise and return from glacial seas. Half of the year is soaked in eternal sunlight; the other, cloaked in perpetual darkness
Follow award-winning Aaron Millar on a road trip across the Tennessee Music Pathways from
the graveside of Sonny Boy Williamson, the grandfather of The Blues harmonica, to Chattanooga, home of the Big 9, and one of the original breeding grounds of T
Follow extreme bikepacker Cat Jaffee as she competes in the Silk Road Mountain Race - the toughest mountain bike race on the planet. 1,200-miles long, with over 115,000-feet elevation gain, athletes traverse the high mountain passes and remote valley
“These are the days in our lives that we remember. It's not all
the days that went so well. It's the days when you're miserable, when
you think you can't go one more step, and then you swear at somebody,
and then you keep going. Those are the days
Dinosaurs and dark skies have a lot more in common than you'd think...and Utah happens to be one of the best places in the world to experience both of them firsthand.
In this episode, join host Aaron Millar as he explores Utah through both time and
Conrad Anker is renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest living mountaineers. Follow him to the Himalayan peaks of northern India to climb the ‘Shark’s Fin’ of Mt. Meru, a sheer 1,500-foot wall of blank granite, one the hardest, most dang
Pub crawls, wine tasting, a distillery or two. The only thing better than summer travel, is summer travel with a drink in hand. That’s what this episode is all about. We’re calling it Liquid Tourism and it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Today, we’re go
Benedict Allen has made a name for himself, not necessarily for what he does, but for what he does not do...travel with modern technology.
For the last several decades, Benedict has explored some of the most remote corners of the planet, from crossi
If there's one word that defines Utah, it just might be adventure. From the adrenaline-pumping to the meditative, the outdoors in Utah is a veritable playground for exploration. In Part One of Uniquely Utah adventures, we spent the morning fly fishin
Growing up in Kenya, Chris Carter fell in love with Africa's wilderness -- with forests and grasslands, mountains and waterfalls, lions and giraffes. But after spending several years backpacking the long-distance treks of the US, he returned to his h
Welcome to Utah: Life Elevated, the documentary podcast that will take you all around Utah on an unforgettable road trip. Today, we're diving into some of Utah's unique adventures...because if there's one word that defines Utah, it just might be adve