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

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

The invite came in bright red letters from Intrepid Travel: Sabah Adventure – climb Mt Kinabalu and head into the jungle to find Borneo’s iconic wildlife. It promised to be a trip to rival all other trips. The catch? It was a group trip. That would mean Phoebe – an avid solo traveller – would have to share her experience (not to mention bedroom) with others. How would it effect the trip?  There was only one way to find out...

Also coming up: 

• Learn how to survive room sharing on your adventures with our regular Travel Hack of the Month; 
• Discover the 10 best places in the world where you can travel solo;­
• Hear from climber and adventurer Leo Houlding about why 'big pointy mountains' make for the most memorable holidays - even with kids
• Which are best - walking boots or shoes? We find out...
•  Hear from the inspiring Matricia Bauer, an Indigenous guide in Jasper and owner of Warrior Women
• Wander Woman of the Month - Jemima Anne Morrell - the first modern tourist in 1832

Come wander with her…

#WanderWomanWednesday

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Tickle your tastebuds in every sense as we join Phoebe Smith on assignment in South Wales where she goes on a food tour of the Vale of Glamorgan to meet the producers championing sustainable produce and low food miles; get to grips with Rewilding with her Travel Hack of the Month; prepare to scream with a run down of the Top 10 latest adventure activities she dares you to try; journey with her to Cornwall to meet the farmer turned conservationist who realised that reintroducing the extinct beaver to Britain could help with flooding; keep it warm with a lightweight fleece and learn how to by the perfect one for you in her fantastic Gear geek out with Rohan; and, from the archives, Phoebe catches up with daughter of a polar explorer and adventurer and author in her own right - Kari Herbert; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month – Jean Beret, the first woman to circumnavigate the world by ship -  disguised as a man...

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Join Phoebe Smith on assignment in Greenland where she talks to locals about battling extreme weather, fighting to keep their traditions and meets a family who gave up high flying jobs to live more sustainably; discover how to be a better and greener traveller in her Travel Hack of the Month; go beyond the marketing spiel to discover the most sustainable destinations to visit in the new year in Phoebe's Top 10; journey with her to Australia's Outer Reef to meet Professor Minke aka Dr Alistair Birtles a man who has dedicated his life to learning about the rare dwarf minke whale (cetaceans of course being one of the best ways to capture carbon - so saving them, can save the planet too); don’t keep it under your hat with our podcast partners Rohan as we delve into the best travel caps, sunhats and beanies for your head; and, from the archives, Phoebe catches up with Queen guitarist and astronomer Brian May about astrotourism and why Tenerife is his favourite place in the world; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month – Freda du Faur, mountaineer extraordinaire, the first known woman to summit Aoraki / Mount Cook in New Zealand despite being forced to wear a skirt.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Join Phoebe Smith for a brand new season of the Wander Woman Podcast as this month she (in association with the Caravan and Motorhome Club) heads to Britain's Isle of Wight on a self-styled safari to go in search of this wild isle's Big – or maybe little – 5; discover how to find a wildlife tour operator or guide that is showing you animals in a responsible way with our regular Travel Hack of the Month; dust off your walking boots to climb one of the best walker's mountains in the world with Phoebe's Top 10 - no crampons required - guaranteed; journey with her to Alladale Wilderness Reserve to meet the man intent on bringing wolves back to the Scottish Highlands; stay comfy underneath your clothes with a good pair of technical underwear - thanks to our podcast partners Rohan; and Phoebe catches up with Emily Chappell, woman's winner of the Transcontinental Bike Race and ass-kicking author, to learn about the best places to discover on earth by two-wheels; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month – Kate Rice (in association with Destination Canada), a prospector who not only pushed the boundaries for women but also for mining in North America.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Join Phoebe Smith as this month she sends her Wander Woman correspondent (and podcast producer) Daniel Neilson to the wild and remote Torngat Mountains - he went for polar bears and icebergs but found so much more.... (in association with Destination Canada); learn how to haggle like a pro in a souk with our Travel Hack of the Month, so you can ensure both you and the vendor leave with smiles on your faces; wanting a city break with some wilderness on the side? Our Top 10 looks at the best urban centres around the globe that offer an abundance of outdoor activities right on the doorstep; journey to South Africa to meet the group of street kids turning their lives around by learning to shoot with a camera rather than a gun; get shopping and beat the bugs with the best insect repelling shirts - thanks to our podcast partners Rohan; and Phoebe catches up with Olympic gold medallist and world record rowing champion Helen Glover MBE to find out how much travelling she got to do when competing and how life as a mum has changed her approach to exploring places; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month – Bessie Coleman, an aviator who not only pushed the boundaries for women but also for African Americans.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Join Wander Woman Phoebe Smith as this month she takes the wheel and hits the road to follow Mexico’s Route 1 on a mission to prove that the Baja peninsula is the perfect place for a solo road trip. Get clued up with our Travel Hack of the Month to help you avoid getting stung by hidden costs when renting a car overseas; start planning for life after lockdown (in association with Destination Canada)with our pick of the quirkiest trips to take in Canada over the next 18 months and beyond; journey to Australia to learn about the colourful and bizarre annual mating ritual performed by cavorting cuttlefish; find out the ultimate trousers to wear on long-haul flights, train rides and bus trips thanks to gear experts, Rohan; and Phoebe catches up with comedian, outdoor lover and avid traveller Ed Byrne to find out why one adventure ending up making the headlines and which bit of kit he never leaves home without; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month – Ann Sayer, former vice-president of the Long Distance Walkers Association, who still to this day holds the record for fastest walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats. 

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Join Wander Woman Phoebe Smith as this month she heads to north Iceland, to a small town called Husavik, which was the former whale hunting hub and is now the country’s capital for whale watching. There she trials a trip with innovative company North Sailing which now offers a carbon neutral experience with silent electric boats; learn how to make a travel movie on your smartphone that people will actually want to watch with the Travel Hack of the Month; find your happy place with one of the most calming destinations to visit in the world with Phoebe’s regular Top 10 in Travel; meet Sylvia Cloutier (in association with Destination Canada), the Canadian woman who is ensuring that the Inuit cultural tradition of throat singing is passed on to the next generation after nearly being lost when the missionaries arrived; find out why you need a rucksack that packs down tiny on your next trip thanks to gear experts, Rohan; and finally Phoebe catches up with her polar teammate and the first black Briton to walk to the North Pole, Dwayne Fields, to find out how he turned his life around from the streets to the peaks; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month – Ada Blackjack – the female Robinson Crusoe who survived on a remote Arctic island when the British expedition she was on went wrong.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Join Wander Woman Phoebe Smith as this month she stays in Britain to undertake a 300-mile kayak around the British waterways to highlight how easy it is to have an adventure close to home as well as to help her co-conspirator in adventure Dr John Pike raise money and awareness for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance; find out how to create your own home-grown expeditions with her hard-won travel hack; tour the isles, forests, mountains and coast of the UK as Phoebe reveals the top 10 British Escapes to take this year; meet Barrie Gilbert the man who was mauled by a grizzly bear and then became one of the biggest campaigners to protect them (in association with Destination Canada); find out why a pair of normal looking jeans - with hidden tech built in - could be all the leg wear you need on your next trip, thanks to gear experts, Rohan; and finally Phoebe catches up with her friend travel author and legend Bill Bryson to find out where he's been, where he's going and what makes a good travel writer; and meet our Wander Woman of the Month - Mary Anning - who wandered the British coastline to support her family by collecting fossils almost single-handedly bringing tourism to the Jurassic Coast.

Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith