Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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 climates
• Top 10 species of bears to spot around the world - from polar to grizzly and all those in between
• Meet the tour company in Jasper National Park Canada who is embracing the change caused by the 2024 wildfires to teach travellers about ancient indigenious practises
• Gear 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 Month

Contact 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 pilgrimage
• Top 10 non-religious pilgrimages around the world
• Meet Andrea Devicenzi – the Italian Paralympic cyclist who is using pilgrimages to change people's perceptions about disability
• Gear chat: what to pack when doing activities in very hot weather
• Margery 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

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 Man
• Travel Hack: Know your Belizean ethnic groups
• Top 10 wildlife found on land and in the sea around Belize
• Meet Dayter Rodriguez - the first female maker of Garifuna drums
• Discover how to pack for a land and sea adventure
• Learn 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

What if one simple question could help save the planet? Join Phoebe as she heads to the Maldives to ask the difficult question - can travel to these islands ever really be sustainable? Learn about the unsung hero of marine conservation: underwater seagrass, which so far has been ruthlessly removed in pursuit of the 'perfect' image of paradise despite it capturing 60 times more carbon than terrestrial forests and how one resort is working to save it and get others on board.  

Also coming up:

TV Bushcraft Expert Ray Mears talks about the importance of sound on our travels; learn how to pass time when weatherbound in a resort or hotel; discover 10 of the most endangered species and where to find them - plus how to help conservation efforts to save them; meet the woman on a mission to rewild a great swathe of South Africa; find your sole mate - with our guide to multi-activity sandals and learn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - the unsung conservationist who stared down the barrel of a gun to try to save the Mississippi - Mary Hannah Gibbs.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

There’s a new buzzword in travel – “multi-generational” or multi-gen. That is at least 3 generations of the same family travelling together. Grandparents, parents and children choosing to holiday together despite each having their own specific wants and needs. SOUNDS TERRIFYING! Yet it is reportedly a growing trend. Keen to go behind the headlines as ever, Phoebe takes her whole tribe - 75-year-old dad, 3-year-old son, and partner to SE Asia, to travel 1,200 miles from Singapore to Thailand, by train. How will it go? Will they still be talking at the end? And who will be the first to ask the dreaded question - "Are we nearly there yet?"

Also coming up:

How to survive a night on a sleeper train in South East Asia; discover how to travel as friends and still be talking at the end of the trip with Race Across the World winners Tricia Sail and Cathie Rowe; learn how to dress to survive hot and humid conditions; meet the man who was key to bringing bison back to Saskatchewan's prairies in Canada; Wander Woman of the Month – Florence Baker.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Saudi Arabia is a controversial place - one that for years was closed off to westerners without a special invite. But that all changed in 2019 with the announcement of a new tourist visa and a huge investment in infrastructure - beginning with the north-western oasis city of Alula. So far, most travellers have been Instagram influencers, keen to get 'that' shot of Elephant Rock or the infinity pool at Habitas. But Wander Woman Phoebe Smith is determined to skew the surface glitz, head off piste and dig deeper to discover if tourism really has made a difference to the local women who live there. Following in the footsteps of her late grandmother, who journeyed to Saudi in 1987, her guide is the diary her granny kept, a constant source of comparison between then and now. Never afraid to ask questions, probe deeper and seek answers, Phoebe asks - is tourism helping the women of Saudi to break trail?

Also coming up:

How you can enjoy a stress-free visit to Saudi Arabia; meet the woman working as part of a team to bring back the Arabian leopard; discover how best to dress to comfortably go from souk to sand; 10 reasons to consider a visit to Alula; hear about TV historian Bettany Hughes' love of all things Nabatean; Wander Woman of the Month – the first British born Muslim woman who made a pilgrimage to Mecca – Zainab Cobbold (aka Lady Evelyn Murray).

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Pour yourself a glass of Albariño and settle in as Phoebe puts her navigationally inexperienced friend in the lead (and self-guided specialist tour operator InnTravel to the test) as they wander along the Camino Portuguese's Espiritual Variante aka The Old Way. Walking between Tui on the Portuguese/Spain border all the way to Santiago - with much laughter on the way - the question is will they get lost? There's only one way to find out...

Also coming up:

How to switch from flying to trains on your next adventure; Discover the top 10 foods worth travelling for in Europe;  meet the man responsible for designing the best walking trips and find out what makes the perfect hike; in our regular gear chat discover how to pack for the Camino de Santiago;  hear about TV presenter Michaela Strachan's recent pilgrimage and why mountains and cashew nuts are the way to her heart; and in our Wander Woman of the Month - learn about the woman who inspired Jack Kerouac - Alexandra David-Néel.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Embark on an adventure to Shimokawa, in the heart of Japan's Hokkaido region, where this small town is breaking new ground in the world of sustainable living. Phoebe Smith will take you through the streets and forests of this pioneering community, uncovering how they've transformed from a lumber-dependent economy to a beacon of environmental harmony. From making chopsticks (to avoid the millions that go in landfill each year), to powering homes and public buildings using locally made biomass, using weeds to produce natural essential oils, and taking people to fish for (and then eat) an invasive species, she asks if this could be the blueprint for a better life?

Also coming up:

How to learn a new language - fast; Discover the top 10 places for whale watching;  meet adventurer and author a new book Ash Bhardwaj who answers the question - why we travel? In our regular gear chat it's all about choosing insect repellent for your travels;  be inspired by Onguma Reserve Manager Jonathan 'Yona' Strijbis who dedicates his entire life to protecting the endangered black Rhino in Namibia; and in our Wander Woman of the Month - learn about 'wandering writer' and translator Sanmao.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith