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BabyQuip is built on the irrefutable fact that traveling with kids comes with unique challenges. There’s the packing, the attempt to keep a nap schedule, and the airport lines that seem like they’ll never end. Sometimes getting out of your family’s comfort zone means, well…being uncomfortable. 

We try to do our part to help by supplying that must-have gear upon your arrival, but it also helps to arm yourself with all of the travel tips and destination info you can get your hands on! Thanks to the internet, you can now read up on virtually any place in the world and book tickets and accommodations ahead of time. You can find endless advice on everything from flying with babies to picking the right Airbnb. 

If you’re more of a listener than a reader, have no fear! You can still do an incredible amount of research just by tuning in to some of the many family travel podcasts that are out there.

So put in those earphones and start prepping for the family trip!

1. Family Travel Radio

Boasting about 100 episodes, this family travel podcast has something for everyone! Host Aaron Schlein introduced this “Official Podcast of the Family Travel Association” back in the fall of 2018 and kept it going with new 20-40 minute episodes right up until the summer of 2020, when the pandemic was really starting to change everything we know about traveling. The newer content is largely focused on these COVID-related changes, and the older stuff is still largely relevant.  

Schlein regularly interviews location-specific experts worldwide, including exotic destinations like Fiji, Cambodia, and Zimbabwe. He also has guests who come on to share their family travel stories, and he offers many advice-centered episodes on specific topics such as “Autism-friendly Family Vacations” and “Creating Your Travel Legacy.” 

There is even a 5-part guide (dream, plan, budget, book, go!) on traveling around the world with the fam in tow. This podcast is well-produced and feels more like listening to a conversation than a quick and dirty guide. The vision of the Family Travel Association is “to inspire and empower families to travel and help them discover what’s possible,” and their podcast does an excellent job of doing just that.  BabyQuip is a proud member of this association!

Where to listen: FamilyTravel.org, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more.

2. Vacation Mavens

With almost 200 episodes under their belt, Vacation Maven co-hosts Kimberly Tate of Stuffed Suitcase and Tamara Gruber of We3Travel lead the pack in family travel podcasting. They began their show in February of 2016 when they realized a gap in the market for family travel podcasts, a topic they both feel passionate about.  

Self-described “bloggers, friends, and moms,” these ladies fill their episodes with chats about their recent travels, interviews with other adventurous families, and insight from family travel experts. Their content highlights domestic adventures like Coastal Oregon and Virginia Beach and once-in-a-lifetime destinations like the Galapagos Islands. They also give some solid advice on planning girls’ trips to various locales!

Their discussions pivoted along with COVID, and more recent shows focus on specific information that will help you navigate these tricky times while traveling with your family (for example, “Visiting Hawaii During COVID” and “What to Expect at a Ski Resort this Winter”).

Kimberly and Tamara are fun to listen to and provide a well-produced experience, usually lasting about an hour. They include great show notes that detail the topics they discuss, so if you are after specific info you can skip ahead to the part you want to hear.

Where to listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

3. The Jetsetting Family Travel Podcast

Family travel podcasts are always the handiwork of people who are passionate about getting out and seeing new places, but in a few cases, they are the story of a family who gave up the bulk of their material possessions to make travel their top priority.  

This is most definitely the case with the Jetsetting Family, co-hosted by husband and wife team Rod and Jess and accompanied by their adorable children, 6-year-old Santi and 3-year-old Nora. 

Back in the summer of 2018 Rod and Jess realized they wanted more time with their young family, so they gave up their careers, sold their house, and hit the road for a “full-time travel adventure.” Over the course of the following year, they managed to create about 34 podcasts documenting their family adventures.  

Their family travel podcast is fun, easy to listen to, and includes great music as well as Santi’s sweet little take on things. They are efficient hosts in the sense that they get straight to the point of the episode and keep the conversation mostly on topic. Like many family travel podcasts, some episodes are dedicated to locations (Hawaii, Bali, Mexico, Machu Picchu), while others are tip-centered (“10 Tips for Cruising with Kids”). 

The couple maintains a beautiful website where they share more travel info as well as an endless stream of beautiful family photos in exotic destinations that will have you wanting to book a flight by bedtime.

Where to listen: TheJetsettingFamily.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

4. Yellow Van Travels

The third husband-and-wife team to make the list is Ben and Meagan, the co-hosts of Yellow Van Travels. They’ve been at it for about three years and have over 65 episodes under their fanny packs. Their mission is to help families find ways to travel, and an overarching theme is affordability. They’ve never had much extra money but they’ve managed to make their way around the United States and beyond, and they’re eager to share tips and tricks they’ve learned on their journeys.

Much of their content offers ideas for doing things on the cheap as well as practical advice on subjects like “5 Tips for Packing a Carry On” and “Camping With a Toddler.”

Ben and Meagan have an easygoing banter and keep things short and sweet with podcasts that last about 20 minutes each. Many of their newer shows focus on COVID-friendly experiences like camping and road trips. They say they want to make traveling with kids fun and easy, and you will find that listening to their family travel podcast can be described in the same way!

Where to listen: Yellow Van Travels, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

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5. Family Adventure Podcast

Erik Hemingway, along with his wife and six children, are family travel inspirations.  Their story begins in 2008 when they left their 9-5 jobs and headed to Costa Rica to live for a year and a half. Next, they bought a sailboat in Greece and proceeded to sail about 17,000 miles around 25 different countries over the course of the next three years! Erik and his family began to get tons of inquiries from people who wanted to do some version of what they had pulled off, and he saw a niche that he quickly filled by creating the Family Adventure Podcast.  

Erik uses this space to interview numerous inspirational families who have “dreamed big and taken epic adventures.” The result is 149 episodes created between 2014-2018, usually about 30-60 minutes long. Erik is well-spoken and finds great guests to interview. People from all over the world share their adventures; many of them have also left the corporate world to make their family travel dreams come true. This family travel podcast should not be missed!

Where to listen: FamilyAdventurePodcast.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.

6. Amateur Traveler

Chris Christensen has been diligently recording new shows since 2015, and although they are not specifically family-focused, any traveler can benefit from his vast collection of over 600 episodes. Each show lasts about 30-60 minutes and most contain interviews with people who are experts on a certain locale.

You’d be hard-pressed to come up with a state or country that he hasn’t covered over the years; his goal is to report on the best places to travel to, and he’s done shows about Kentucky, Kyrgyzstan, and everywhere in between (don’t feel bad if you need to dig out the atlas for that last one). He also has content focused on specific experiences, like “Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro” and “Hiking the Camino Ronda in Northern Spain.”  

The show has a catchy theme song, great guests, and often contains visual content along with the audio. Christensen says the podcast is aimed at North Americans who only have a week or two of vacation, and it’s meant to motivate people to travel. All in all, this travel podcast is an excellent resource for getting specific info for any destination you can imagine!

Where to listen: AmateurTraveler.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

7. The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Our final fave is a second travel podcast that isn’t specifically geared towards family adventures, but there is so much wonderful content here that we’d be remiss not to include it. Australian host (and mom!) Amanda Kendle has recorded over 200 shows in the last five years, each about a half-hour in length. Her goal is to “entertain and inspire you” to hit the road again soon, and she brings on all kinds of wanderlust guests to get you there.  

The unique twist that makes this travel podcast so appealing is that it lives up to its name; it’s truly a thoughtful podcast. Some episodes do focus on specific destinations, but most of them are more geared toward broader concepts; for example, “Making Friends Through Travel” and “How Travel Helps Us Really Understand the World.” And, there are quite a few episodes that apply directly to families, such as “Why You Should Take Your Children Traveling” and “Please Travel With Your Children;” Kendle admits she’s a little obsessed with this topic!

Where to listen: NotABallerina.com, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

Whether you are trying to do something simple like hit up a local national park for the weekend or something a little more involved like quitting your job to live on a sailboat, these family travel podcasts will encourage you to get going with those plans. The hosts all share a similar message, which is not to put off your travel dreams! Hearing their stories and all of the details about how they do it is incredibly inspiring, so tune in soon and start planning those family adventures!

Do you listen to any specific family travel podcasts? If so, let us know in the comments below!