Best Solo Female Travel Podcasts to Listen to in 2026

Updated for 2026 — Accurate as of March 2026.

The best travel companion for a solo trip is not a person — it is a podcast. When you are navigating a foreign transit system, walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood, or eating dinner alone at a restaurant, the right podcast in your earbuds transforms solitude from something you endure into something you enjoy. A familiar voice sharing travel stories, safety advice, or destination insights makes you feel connected to a community of women who understand exactly what solo travel is like.

Podcasts have become essential resources for solo female travelers. They deliver current, practical information in a format you can consume while packing, commuting, or lying in a hostel bunk at midnight planning tomorrow’s itinerary. Unlike blog posts that you read once, podcasts build relationships with hosts whose perspectives you trust and whose experiences inform your own travel decisions.

I have listened to hundreds of travel podcast episodes across dozens of shows to compile this list of the fifteen best podcasts for solo female travelers in 2026. These are not just good podcasts — they are specifically valuable for women who travel alone, covering topics like safety, confidence-building, destination advice, budget strategies, and the emotional reality of solo travel.

The 15 Best Solo Female Travel Podcasts

1. The Solo Female Traveler

Host: Mariska van der Marel Episodes: 200+ Best for: Comprehensive solo travel advice, destination deep dives

This is the flagship podcast for solo female travelers, and it deserves the title. Mariska combines personal solo travel stories with expert interviews, covering everything from first-time solo trip anxiety to advanced travel hacking. The show strikes a perfect balance between inspiration and practical advice — every episode leaves you with actionable takeaways.

Recent episodes in 2026 have covered emerging destinations in Central Asia, solo travel safety technology, and navigating relationships while maintaining a travel lifestyle. The back catalog is equally valuable, with episodes on virtually every aspect of solo female travel.

Start with: The episode on overcoming fear of solo travel, which resonates with every woman who has hesitated before booking a solo trip.

2. The Solo Travel Woman Podcast

Host: Sara Straw Episodes: 150+ Best for: Empowerment, mindset shifts, solo travel mentorship

Sara Straw positions herself as a solo travel mentor, and the podcast reflects that approach. Each episode feels like a conversation with a wise, encouraging friend who has been everywhere you want to go and is genuinely excited to help you get there.

The show excels at addressing the emotional and psychological dimensions of solo travel — the fears, the loneliness, the self-doubt — with empathy and practical strategies. Sara’s warmth makes this podcast particularly valuable for women considering their first solo trip who need encouragement more than logistics.

3. A Girl’s Guide to Travelling Alone

Host: Gemma Thompson Episodes: 100+ Best for: Practical solo travel tips, city guides, staying safe abroad

Gemma Thompson has been traveling solo since 2002, and two decades of experience show in the depth and specificity of her advice. This podcast covers the practical side of solo female travel — how to stay safe, how to choose accommodation, how to navigate healthcare abroad, and detailed city guides for popular solo travel destinations.

The tone is practical and no-nonsense. Gemma does not romanticize solo travel — she acknowledges the challenges while providing concrete solutions. This makes the podcast especially useful for planning stages when you need specific, actionable information rather than inspiration.

4. Solo Travel Adventures

Host: Various Episodes: 100+ Best for: Safety tips, personal growth through travel, practical guidance

Solo Travel Adventures provides information and inspiration for women travelers through warm, natural conversations that combine personal growth with practical travel advice. The show covers topics that many other podcasts avoid — dealing with harassment abroad, managing mental health while traveling, and navigating cultural differences as a solo woman.

5. Friends Along the Way

Host: Bethany Episodes: 80+ Best for: Stories of connection, meeting people on the road

This podcast takes a unique angle on solo travel — it focuses on the people you meet along the way. Each episode features stories from travelers who found community, friendship, and connection in unexpected places. If loneliness is your biggest concern about solo travel, this podcast will reshape your expectations.

The show demonstrates that solo travel is not about being alone all the time — it is about being open to the connections that emerge when you are traveling without the social buffer of a travel companion. For more on building connections, check our guide to apps for making friends while solo traveling.

6. Girl About the Globe

Host: Various contributors Episodes: 120+ Best for: Luxury and adventure travel, unique experiences

Girl About the Globe covers travel from a slightly more upscale perspective, featuring unique experiences, luxury destinations, and adventure travel that goes beyond the typical backpacker circuit. The production quality is high, and the stories are compelling.

This podcast is valuable for solo women who want to travel comfortably rather than on a shoestring budget, and who are looking for unique experiences that standard travel guides do not cover.

7. Black Girl World Traveller

Host: Various Episodes: 80+ Best for: Travel experiences from Black women’s perspectives, inclusive destination advice

This podcast centers the travel experiences of Black women, covering destinations through a lens that mainstream travel media often ignores. Topics include navigating racial dynamics abroad, finding inclusive communities in different countries, and celebrating the growing movement of Black women traveling solo.

The show fills an important gap in the travel podcast landscape and provides destination advice that accounts for experiences and considerations that other podcasts overlook.

8. Women Who Travel

Host: Condé Nast Traveler editorial team Episodes: 300+ Best for: Polished destination features, travel industry insights, cultural coverage

Produced by Condé Nast Traveler, this podcast brings magazine-quality journalism to the audio format. Episodes cover destinations, travel trends, cultural experiences, and interviews with women in the travel industry. The production values are excellent, and the editorial perspective provides depth that independent podcasts sometimes lack.

While not exclusively focused on solo travel, many episodes address solo travel directly, and all episodes are relevant to women who travel independently.

9. Zero To Travel

Host: Jason Moore Episodes: 400+ Best for: Location independence, digital nomad lifestyle, long-term travel

Zero To Travel is not a women-only podcast, but it has featured hundreds of female travelers and digital nomads sharing their experiences. The show is particularly strong on the logistics of long-term travel — visa strategies, remote work, financial planning for extended trips, and building a location-independent lifestyle.

For women considering a transition from short solo trips to long-term travel or digital nomadism, this podcast provides the practical framework. Our digital nomad guide for women complements the podcast’s advice with women-specific considerations.

10. My Solo Road

Host: Various Episodes: 60+ Best for: Solo road trips, campervan travel, outdoor adventure

My Solo Road focuses on solo road trips and outdoor adventures, covering everything from campervan conversions to wild camping to solo hiking. The show speaks to women who want their solo travel to involve nature, physical challenge, and the open road rather than cities and culture.

If you are considering a solo female campervan trip through Europe, this podcast provides both inspiration and practical advice from women who have done it.

11. Travel Chicks

Host: Various Episodes: 100+ Best for: Group solo travel, tourism industry updates, current travel news

Travel Chicks covers the intersection of solo travel and group travel, including reviews of women-only tour companies, updates on tourism industry changes that affect travelers, and discussions of emerging destinations. The show is particularly useful for staying current on travel developments that might affect your plans.

12. Badass Women Can Travel

Host: Various Episodes: 80+ Best for: Adventure travel, breaking travel stereotypes, bold destinations

This podcast celebrates women who push boundaries in their travel — solo trekking in remote regions, motorcycle trips across continents, diving expeditions, and other adventures that challenge the notion of what solo female travel looks like. The energy is infectious, and the stories will expand your idea of what is possible.

13. The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Host: Amanda Kendle Episodes: 200+ Best for: Cultural immersion, thoughtful travel, meaningful experiences

Amanda Kendle’s podcast focuses on the “why” of travel rather than just the “where” and “how.” Episodes explore how travel changes perspectives, builds empathy, and creates understanding across cultures. This is the podcast for solo travelers who want their trips to be meaningful rather than just Instagram-worthy.

14. NomadHer Stories

Host: NomadHer team Episodes: 50+ Best for: Solo female travel app community, safety-focused stories

Produced by the NomadHer app team, this podcast features stories from the NomadHer community of solo female travelers. Episodes tend to be short (twenty to thirty minutes) and focused on specific topics — safety incidents and how they were handled, cultural encounters, and tips for using technology to enhance solo travel safety.

The podcast works best alongside the NomadHer app itself, creating an integrated community experience for solo women travelers.

15. She Explores

Host: Gale Straub Episodes: 150+ Best for: Women in the outdoors, nature-based travel, environmental awareness

She Explores covers women’s relationships with the natural world through hiking, camping, climbing, paddling, and other outdoor activities. While not exclusively a travel podcast, many episodes feature solo travel stories and the unique perspective of women experiencing nature alone.

This podcast is particularly valuable for women who want to incorporate outdoor experiences into their solo travel — from day hikes in national parks to multi-week wilderness treks.

How to Use Podcasts for Trip Planning

Podcasts are not just entertainment — they are planning tools. Here is how to use them strategically:

Pre-trip research. Search podcast archives for episodes about your destination. Hosts and guests often share specific, current recommendations that you will not find in guidebooks — the restaurant that opened last month, the neighborhood that has changed, the scam to watch for.

Building confidence. If you are anxious about your first solo trip, binge-listening to solo female travel podcasts normalizes the experience and builds your confidence. Hearing other women describe the same fears you have — and how they moved through them — is powerful reassurance. Our first solo trip anxiety guide pairs well with these podcasts for comprehensive confidence-building.

In-transit listening. Long flights, bus rides, and train journeys are perfect podcast time. Queue up episodes about your destination to arrive informed and excited.

Solo dining companion. One of the most common anxieties about solo travel is eating alone. A podcast episode in one earbud makes solo restaurant meals comfortable and enjoyable. For more strategies on navigating solo moments, see our loneliness tips for solo women.

Building Your Podcast Playlist

Here is how I organize my travel podcast listening:

Planning phase (weeks before departure): Destination-specific episodes, budget and logistics episodes, safety-focused episodes.

Packing phase (days before departure): Packing tips episodes, first-time solo travel encouragement, gear review episodes. Pair with our packing checklist for solo women for the complete preparation experience.

In-flight: Longer, story-driven episodes that build excitement for arrival.

On the ground: Short, practical episodes for specific situations — navigating public transit, choosing accommodation, staying safe at night.

Evening wind-down: Reflective, meaningful episodes that encourage journaling and processing the day’s experiences.

Beyond Podcasts: Other Audio Resources

While podcasts are the primary audio resource for solo travelers, consider these supplements:

Audiobooks. Travel memoirs by women authors provide longer-form inspiration. Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild,” Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love,” and Glynnis MacNicol’s “No One Tells You This” are classics of the solo female travel genre.

Language learning podcasts. Pimsleur, Coffee Break Languages, and LanguagePod101 offer destination-specific language basics that you can absorb during transit.

Meditation apps. Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer offer guided meditations specifically designed for travel anxiety, jet lag, and sleep in unfamiliar environments. Our solo travel mental health guide covers the connection between mindfulness and travel wellbeing.

Subscribe, Listen, Travel

The solo female travel podcast ecosystem in 2026 is rich, diverse, and deeply useful. Whether you need practical safety advice, emotional encouragement, destination-specific research, or simply the comfort of hearing another woman’s voice describe the joy and challenge of traveling alone, there is a podcast that fits.

Start with two or three podcasts from this list that match your travel style and interests. Subscribe, listen during your daily routine, and let the stories and advice seep in. By the time you board your next flight, you will feel like you have a community of experienced solo travelers in your corner — because you do.

Your ears are your most underused travel tool. Put them to work.