Advertise on podcast: Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast

A rewilded valley, a returning herd, and a community finding new roots—come with Wander Woman Phoebe Smith to Portugal’s Côa Valley where tauros and sorraia horses are reshaping the land and jumpstarting local livelihoods. Join her as she learns how large herbivores create healthier mosaic habitats that reduce wildfire risk, boost biodiversity, and draw back predators like wolves, and listen in as she meets the people turning these ecological wins into sustainable nature-based tourism. Also coming up: Right to Roam campaigner Guy Shrubsole on access rights and Britain's RainforestsTravel Hack: How to find a legit re-wilding projectTop 10 Rewilding projects around the world and where to visit themMeet travel writers and authors Rhona Carrier and Tracey Davies as they discuss their memoir Wayward Women - and how mid-life women are a force to be reckoned withGear chat: what to pack for a responsible wild campFlorence Merriam Bailey - a birdwatcher who had to persuade others to look but don't shoot (yes, really) is our Wander Woman of the MonthContact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

The sky is stirring over Canada's Northwest Territories, and we wanted to know what it really means when the norhtern lights dance. So Wander Woman Phoebe Smith sent her editor and correspondent Daniel Neilson to travel to Yellowknife to sit with Dene guides who treat the aurora as memory and medicine, not a bucket list stunt. Join us for stories that bring light to the darkness and stir the sky - and the soul.  Also coming up: Celebrity Chef Rick Stein on his new series about Australia airing on the BBCTravel Hack: How to photograph the aurora borealisTop 10 winter festivities around the world that aren't Christmas - from Up Helly Aa to Diwali and moewMeet the man behind the former hunting farm that became a stronghold in Namibia for protecting endangered species - and ensuring local people benefitted tooGear chat: what to wear when stood watching for the Northern LightsShaaw Tláa - a pioneering prospector and proud member of the Tagish community is our Wander Woman of the MonthContact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Cold breath on the air, pancakes at dawn, and the hush before a bear appears at the treeline – join Wander Woman Phoebe Smith as she journeys from Finland’s close‑to‑Helsinki wilds with a foraging guide to paddle a quiet nine kilometres to a lean‑to where two dogs double as companions and hot‑water bottles. The theme is deliberate slowness: built in boredom, and the forest fills the space. Before a finale at dusk with an elusive sighting of the European 'Spirit Bear' on the Finland-Russia border.  Also coming up: BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour presenter Anita Rani on what drew her to Race Across the World...Travel Hack: How to keep warm in cold climatesTop 10 species of bears to spot around the world - from polar to grizzly and all those in betweenMeet the tour company in Jasper National Park Canada who is embracing the change caused by the 2024 wildfires to teach travellers about ancient indigenious practisesGear chat: what to pack for a night out in an unheated hut (or bear hide)Mina Benson Hubbard - a pioneering Canadian explorer is our Wander Woman of the MonthContact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

A simple walk can change a life and a place. Join Wander Woman Phoebe Smith as she head's to Umbria to undertake part of Italy’s lesser-known pilgrim path - the St Francis Way - and see how it is bringing life back into the region. In association with this episode's podcast partner Sloways. From truffle hunts on the village edges to choirs echoing through convents, to ridge walks above Assisi and stamps in a well-worn pilgrim passport, this journey shows how slow travel creates real ties between people and landscape. Also coming up:  Co-founder of the British Pilgrimage Trust Guy Hayward about his mission to change the path of walks with purpose to enable everyone to bring their own beliefs... Travel Hack: How to have a meaningful pilgrimageTop 10 non-religious pilgrimages around the worldMeet Andrea Devicenzi – the Italian Paralympic cyclist who is using pilgrimages to change people's perceptions about disabilityGear chat: what to pack when doing activities in very hot weatherMargery Kempe - pilgrim and author of the first memoir in history is our Wander Woman of the Month Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

With the rise of the Far Right across the globe, things have never been so tough for refugees and asylum seekers. So I head out with a new social enterprise that’s training immigrant women to become tour guides across Britain so they can celebrate their culture whilst earning their own income and teach us all a thing or too about our most well-known cities. Join Phoebe on an exploration of Syrian-Palestinian culture right here in London. Also coming up: Award-winning chef Ahu Hettema - who spent a decade stuck in the US immigration system - shares how she managed to cook her way out of depression… Travel Hack: How to travel everywhere without going anywhere Top 10 ethnic enclaves in unexpected places around the worldMeet Beki Henderson the adventure producer/director behind some of TVs most popular male-fronted shows – from Will Smith to Levison Wood and moreGear chat: what to pack for a walking city tourMabel Barker – the Lakeland teacher, inventor of the microadventure and fearless climber is our Wander Woman of the Month Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Think you have to travel far to feel like you've had a proper expedition? Think again. In an effort to prove that you don’t need to travel to far flung lands – or spend very much money at all to have a proper expedition, Wander Woman Phoebe Smith attempts a timed walking challenge with the Long Distance Walkers Association across two counties, to discover the joys (and pain) of walking 50 miles in a single day. Along the way expect epic sunsets, camaraderie and Jelly Baby fuelled hallucinations as she attempts to answer the question – why on earth would anyone do it?  Also coming up: TV naturalist Mike Dilger shares his journey from being an awkward kid who hid in bushes to a wildlife expertTravel Hack: How undertaking an endurance event can help prepare you for your next big tripTop 10 short walks with BIG views around the worldMeet Roberto Battista the man breathing new life into near-abandoned Italian mountain towns - through the power of adventureGear chat: what to pack for an endurance challengeFlorence Dixie - Victorian Patagonia explorer and women's rights activist is our Wander Woman of the Month Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

With scenes of protest erupting in some of the most visited cities and countries in the world – telling tourists to go home – Wander Woman, Phoebe Smith, shows how merely travelling a little north of the Croatian honeypot of Dubrovnik to explore the region of Zadar the rewards can be great - for travellers and locals.  From discovering the 3,000-year-old Old Town and dancing to the sustainable (and free) Sea Organ, to birdwatching and kayaking in Vrana Lake Nature Park, paddling and eating local on the islands of Ugljan & Pašman and tasting the delights of Pag, there's a whole family-friendly area to enjoy - minus the crowds. Come wander with her…   Also coming up: 10 alternative destinations to the overtouristed locations (including scintillating swaps for Barcelona, Tuscany, Iceland and more)Travel Hack: How to be a more responsible traveller in the overcrowded locationsMeet "Guerrilla Geographer" Daniel Raven-Ellison who is creating a national walking network connecting every single town and city in BritainPack the kit you need for scorching hot temperaturesMeet the 20-year-old female guide in Benin who is breaking gender barriers in West Africa's tourism industryDervla Murphy - the ultimate responsible traveller - is our Wander Woman of the MonthContact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Would you ever walk the 'Backbone of Britain'? 2025 marks 60 years since the UK got it’s first official long distance pathway - the Pennine Way. As political as it was pioneering, Wander Woman Phoebe Smith delves into the history of this hard-fought-for trail - one that is integral to all the rights walkers enjoy today, discovering a kick-ass, bell bottomed jeans wearing hiker in the 1960s, before heading out with her friend Cerys Matthews to walk a prime 3-day section in the present day, to meet other walkers, accommodation owners and bar workers, and discover what has changed here in the six decades since it opened. Come wander with her…    Also coming up: Adventurer and presenter Pelumi Nubi explains why she went from being a scientist to driving from London to Lagos (Nigeria), solo, in a Peugeot 107Travel Hack: How to share close quarters with a friend on a trip – and still be talking at the end10 best road trips you can do by electric vehicleMeet conservationist Laurie Marker who has single-handedly shaped cheetah conservation in Namibia whilst improving the lives of the country’s human residentsPack the kit you need for the ultimate road tripHannah Hauxwell, hardy Pennine hill farmer and female Palin of the 70s-90s, is our Wander Woman of the Month Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Can walking a coastal path really heal a broken heart? As bestselling book The Salt Path becomes a major film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Issacs, Wander Woman Phoebe Smith heads to author Raynor Winn's favourite 2-day section of the South West Coast Path in Cornwall - walking from Zennor to Minnack. Along the way she meets other hikers and discovers the power of simply placing one foot in front of the other. Also coming up: Raynor Winn shares who she really thought would play her in a movie and explains why the path will always be her homeTravel Hack: Prepare for your first long distance path10 best coastal paths arounds the worldMeet BBC presenter and disability advocate Lucy Edwards about traveling while blind – including on safariPack the kit you really need for walking the South West Coast PathSarah Stoddart Hazlitt, who walked nearly 300 miles to process her divorce in 1822, is our Wander Woman of the Month  Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

What if everything you thought you knew about voodoo was completely wrong? This episode Wander Woman Phoebe Smith heads to Togo and Benin in West Africa - the birthplace of the religion, with Explore, to seek out the real voodoo beyond the sensationalist Hollywood portrayals of evil dolls and sinister spells. Journeying to the rural north of both countries she invites you to experience with her the rituals, practises, dances and truth behind perhaps the most maligned belief system in the world. Come wander with her... Also coming up: Woman with Altitude Elise Wortley on why she travels with world wearing a bonnet and Victorian brasTravel Hack: Make the most of your tour leader10 incredible cultural experiences around the worldMeet Namgyal Doma Sherpa a massage therapist on the Everest Basecamp trek with Lehara, helping heal hikers AND give jobs and money to remote communitiesPack the kit you really need for visiting West AfricaMarie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, is our Wander Woman of the Month Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

All across Britain, in some of the wildest places you can find, is a network of mountain huts - called bothies. But unlike shelters found in the rest of the world, these were never built for walkers. Former schoolhouses, farmsteads, gamekeepers lodges, coastguards lookouts and miners bunkhouses, there are around 100 buildings (across Scotland, England and Wales) left open for walkers and climbers to use - free of charge. For the last 60 years they have been in the care of the Mountain Bothies Association - an organisation who maintain and look after them and are funded by donation and run by volunteers. To celebrate their diamond anniversary, adventurer Phoebe Smith (who wrote the first ever guidebook to bothies 10 years ago) takes her mum friend Ellie to stay in her first one and speaks to the MBA's chair Simon Birch about what changes have occurred over the last 60 years. Also coming up: Octogenarian publisher Hilary Bradt discusses how travel has changed since her first adventures in 1969Travel Hack: How to make friends on the road - safelyTop 10 places to escape the crowds around the worldMeet Katie Wignall, the guide telling the stories of forgotten women in LondonAll the kit you need for wild swimmingNan Shepherd, author of The Living Mountain is our Wander Woman of the Month SPECIAL OFFER: Use code WanderWoman at the checkout on the Cicerone website to get 15% off the Book of the Bothy and all of their guidebooks. Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

In the land Down Under one island in Western Australia is in the midst of a bold project to return it to a pre-European state. The Dirk Hartog Island National Park: Return to 1616 initiative has seen sheep farming (the mainstay for the single resident family for over 100 years) be replaced by eco-tourism. All cattle has been removed, invasive species have been culled and slowly, the vegetation and biodiversity is bouncing back. Given that the Wardle family used to earn around AUS$2.5million from their merino wool enterprise adventurer Phoebe Smith decided to pay them a visit to see how the less lucrative tourism industry was being embraced by them and undertake their inspiring hiking trail - Walking with Whales. Come wander with her... Also coming up: An interview with cookbook and travel author Caroline EdenTravel Hack: Survive a long haul flight in economy classTop 10 European Islands to visitMeet Mariko Wallen a sustainable seaweed farmer in BelizeDiscover the value of a good pair of multi-activity socksLearn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - Truganini - often thought (incorrectly) to be the last Aboriginal Tasmanian womanContact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Adventurer Phoebe Smith heads to the Central American nation of Belize, to see - in the wake of the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives in the USA - how multiple cultures can live in harmony while still celebrating their own uniqueness. The country is found on Central America’s north eastern coast,  bordered by Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea.  It's one of only two destinations in Latin America where English is the official language. This is a country that is happy with its own cultural diversity - being home to more than six ethnic groups in a country around the size of Wales. So how does Belize manage to weave so many cultures into a harmonious tapestry - wander with Phoebe to find out... Also coming up: An interview with National Geographic explorer and conservationist Jamal Galves aka The Manatee ManTravel Hack: Know your Belizean ethnic groupsTop 10 wildlife found on land and in the sea around BelizeMeet Dayter Rodriguez - the first female maker of Garifuna drumsDiscover how to pack for a land and sea adventureLearn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - Gwendolyn Lizarraga aka Madam Liz - fighter for equal rights for women and the poor Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Halloween – with the costumes, pumpkin carving and trick or treating – is believed by many people to be an import from the USA? But where did it really start? Join adventurer Phoebe Smith as she journeys on a mission to locate the home of Halloween. Her research takes here to Ireland, where an ancient Celtic ceremonial fire location was discovered a few years ago that may be the ground zero for it all. Along the way she meet characters from Irish folklore - including a sun goddess Tlachtga, visits scared burial tombs older than the Egyptian pyramids, learns about barmbrack and the traditional foods of Samhain, indulges in a seaweed bath to remove any impurities from her body and discovers the age old techniques to ward off evil spirits with the organiser of the upcoming Púca Halloween Festival.  Whether you're drawn to the historical roots, the folkloric elements, good food, dressing up or simply the spirit of Halloween, this special episode promises to both enthrall and enlighten, painting a picture of a festival that is as vibrant today as it was millennia ago.  Come wander with me... Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Deep in the Rockies in Alberta, Canada, is a small unassuming hut that - unknown to many - houses a teahouse that has been serving hikers since 1904. In the heat of high summer the cabin swarms with hikers in search of a brew. Early or late in the season, though, it’s possible to bag the best view in the house on the porch overlooking Lake Agnes before choosing from the impressive menu of loose-leaf teas in relative tranquillity. Joanna Magee owns the teahouse and has to get up at 4.30am to bake the day’s supply of bread on an old propane army stove (there's no electric in the cabin). Stocking up on supplies are even more challenging - with all dry goods being helicoptered in once a year and members of staff having to hike into Lake Louise to pick up fresh produce and hike all the rubbish back out. I head there and to its nearest neighbour - the Plain of 6 Glaciers Teahouse - to grab a much-needed brew and to meet the staff whose walk to work is one of the longest but scenic in the country. Also coming up: Adventurer Aldo Kane talks about why he loves the jungle despite being covered in leech bites; figure out how to cut the crap - literally - to see through greenwashing and ensure you travels are truly as eco-friendly as possible; on our run up to the spooky season discover 10 places in Ireland to celebrate Halloween - the original birthplace of the festivities (yes, really); meet the woman who decided to create hand-crafted dolls to try to share her Garifuna culture in Belize - and beyound; get your packing in the bag with my gear chat's tips on buying the perfect daypack and learn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - the Motorcycle Queen of Miami - Bessie Stringfield.  Contact Wander Woman www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith