Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler

Condé Nast Traveler

Though travel and adventure have historically been publicly claimed by men, women have always been part of those narratives, too. Each week, host and Condé Nast Traveler editor Lale Arikoglu shines a light on some of those stories, interviewing female-identifying guests about their most unique travel tales—from going off-grid in the Danish wilderness to country-hopping solo—sharing her own experiences traveling around the globe, and tapping listeners to contribute their own memorable stories. This is a podcast for anyone who is curious about the world—and excited to explore places both near and far from home. For more from Women Who Travel, visit our website or subscribe to our email newsletter.

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Our Editor's Take

Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler is a travel podcast with a unique vantage point. Many travel shows are from men's point-of-view. This series instead focuses on female travel stories. The podcast especially likes to highlight stories of female solo travel.

The Women Who Travel | Condé Nast Traveler podcast is an official production of Condé Nast Traveler. The venerable travel magazine began in 1987. Since its founding, it has received dozens of National Magazine Awards.

Lale Arikoglu hosts the podcast. She's an editor at Condé Nast Traveler. Arikoglu makes regular appearances in the media. Her work has appeared in Glamour and The Daily Beast. She also served as the travel editor for the New York Observer.

Women Who Travel focuses on a plethora of different travel stories. These stories have a wide-ranging span of areas on which they focus. Some of them involve visiting every national park in the US. A previous episode involves filming episodes of TV shows in England. The show also gives solo travel tips for women.

Arikoglu invites new guests on the podcast each week to share their travel stories. Sometimes, they are fellow travel writers, such as Emily Pennington. Other times, they are actors, such as Arsema Thomas. Their stories of being on the road and seeing far-off destinations are compelling.

Arikoglu is a skilled host and interviewer as well. That allows her to make her guests comfortable and focus on the most exciting parts of their stories. Women Who Travelcelebrates female travel and the desire to learn more about the world.

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Women Who Travel: New Season Preview

Women Who Travel: New Season Preview

Though travel and adventure have historically been publicly claimed by men, women have always been part of those narratives, too. Each week, host and Condé Nast Traveler editor Lale Arikoglu shines a light on some of those stories, interviewing female-identifying guests about their most unique travel tales—from going off-grid in the Danish wilderness to country-hopping solo—sharing her own experiences traveling around the globe, and tapping listeners to contribute their own memorable stories. This is a podcast for anyone who is curious about the world—and excited to explore places both near and far from home.For more from Women Who Travel, visit our website or subscribe to our email newsletter.

Episodes

Two Best Friends Eat Their Way Round the World

Two Best Friends Eat Their Way Round the World

Mumtaz Mustafa and Laura Klynstra are best friends who love to cook—and host—together. Lale chats with them about how their respective childhoods in Pakistan and Michigan helped shape their passion for food, travels in Guatemala, and memories of Karachi street snacks and Dutch potlucks.

The Magic of Island Life in Scandanavia

The Magic of Island Life in Scandanavia

There’s nothing quite like the magic of a Scandinavian summer, where daylight is near endless and hundreds of islands come to life for locals to explore and retreat to. Author Dorthe Nors—and repeat guest on this show—joins us to share stories of life on the Danish island of Fano, fascinating folklore, and tips on creating your own island hopping journey this summer.

Dinner SOS: I Need an All-American Menu

Dinner SOS: I Need an All-American Menu

Gabe and her husband have befriended an American couple in Treviso, Italy, where they all live. In order to give them a taste of home, Gabe would love to cook her new friends an American meal. But what typifies American food? And how can she source the right ingredients in the Veneto? Host of Dinner SOS Chris Morocco enlists the help of Bon Appetit's resident Aussie, Adam Moussa, and sommelier André Mack of BA's World of Wine series, to figure out what Gabe should make.Listen to and follow Dinner SOS here: https://listen.bonappetit.com/badinnersos

Why Water Makes Us Happy

Why Water Makes Us Happy

It’s summer, which means we're grabbing every chance there is to hit the beach or dive into a hotel swimming pool. But some travelers are a little more intrepid, plunging into wild, frigid waters for all manner of reasons. To find out why, Lale chats with writer and wild swimmer Freya Bromley about her recent memoir The Tidal Year and catches up with friend of the podcast and author Dorthe Nors, who lives on a remote part of Denmark’s west coast.

An Italian Hotelier Living La Dolce Vita on Lake Como

An Italian Hotelier Living La Dolce Vita on Lake Como

What is it like growing up in one of the most storied and iconic hotels in Italy? Ask Valentina de Santis, who was raised in the kitchens and ballrooms of Lake Como's Grand Hotel Tremezzo and now runs the charismatic Passalacqua along with her parents nearby. Lale chats with the hotelier to hear stories of life on Lake Como, get tips on traveling in both summer and the off-season, and what it really means to live La Dolce Vita.

A Restaurant-Critic-Turned-Cookbook Author Slows Down in Menorca

A Restaurant-Critic-Turned-Cookbook Author Slows Down in Menorca

What does it take to eat well—and simply? To find out, Lale chats with Yasmin Fahr, author of the new book Cook Simply Live Fully (and former undercover restaurant critic), for advice on shopping at local markets, how to make use of an Airbnb kitchen, and the joy of cooking far from home. Plus, she shares stories of island life on her home of Menorca.

Three Photojournalists on Revealing the Human Side of Conflict

Three Photojournalists on Revealing the Human Side of Conflict

This week, Lale speaks with women who risk their lives to document conflict and catastrophe around the world—and who are all recipients of a Courage in Photojournalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation. Listen to hear Cairo-based Nariman El-Mofty, who has been traveling through Yemen and Sudan, and Anastasia Taylor-Lind, whose work is focused on Ukraine, share stories of the human side of war, as well as a message from Samar Abu Elouf, a photojournalist from Gaza City.

Criss Crossing America to Visit Every Baseball Stadium

Criss Crossing America to Visit Every Baseball Stadium

Tiffany Mathias, a self-confessed baseball stadium chaser (and, incidentally, Lale’s sister-in-law), recounts her quest to visit every ballpark in the US, touring the stadiums, chatting to ushers and fans, and sampling the often eccentric local concessions—often as a solo traveler. To watch a game in a new stadium, says Tiffany, is “to be in her happy place.”

How Plants Help Us Understand Our Heritage

How Plants Help Us Understand Our Heritage

Life begins again in spring, and as the air (and your nostrils) fill with pollen it might be a good time to learn something new about the plants with which we share the earth. To do so, Lale talks to nature writer Jessica J. Lee about how, as she's lived around the world, learning about non-native plants has given her a sense of belonging. From cherry blossoms to seaweed to tea, plants cross borders by themselves, or because we move them for very different reasons.

An Astrologer Guides Our Travel Plans

An Astrologer Guides Our Travel Plans

With summer travels on the horizon, Lale taps professional astrologer—and Women Who Travel columnist—Steph Koyfman to read her chart and guide her through the season and the rest of the year. Plus, we hear from three listeners who are thinking about relocating, getting citizenship in a new place, and undertaking a life changing trek, and turn to Steph for clarity.

Bear Encounters in Nevada and Chasing Poachers on the Masai Mara

Bear Encounters in Nevada and Chasing Poachers on the Masai Mara

Traveling everywhere from the savannahs of Tanzania to the mountains of Montana, Dr. Rae Wynn Grant is on a mission to save the world’s most endangered species. Lale chats with the wildlife ecologist, podcaster, author and co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom to hear stories from her new memoir, WILD LIFE: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World (including a dicey near death experience), how she’s advocating for better representation in the environmental science space, and why everyone should have access to the outdoors.

Aviation Pioneers: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman's Record-Breaking Flights

Aviation Pioneers: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman's Record-Breaking Flights

As Women's History Month comes to a close, we dive into the stories of two pioneering pilots: Amelia Earhart and Bessie Coleman. Yet while the legend of Earhart’s aviation feats and mysterious disappearance has long gripped the public imagination, Coleman’s equally impressive career as the first African-American woman to hold a pilot license is a story that still largely goes untold. Lale chats with Dorothy Cochrane, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, to find out more about both pilots record-breaking flights, the risks they took, the individual challenges they faced, and the ingenious ways they advocated for themselves.

Love, Loss, and Noodles in Cambodia

Love, Loss, and Noodles in Cambodia

This week Lale chats with author Chantha Nguon—along with her daughter Clara and co-author Kim Green—about her new memoir Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes. Listen to hear the trio share stories of their travels across Cambodia and collaborations in the kitchen, while Chantha reflects on life as a Cambodian refugee, life in 1960s Battambang, and the dishes that have always kept her connected to home.

Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Travel

Celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Travel

Following the release of Condé Nast Traveler's annual Women Who Travel Power List, spotlighting 15 leaders like activist Quannah ChasingHorse, TV host Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, and content creator Charlotte Simpson, Lale and fellow editor Megan Spurrell get together in the studio to chat about how they shaped the list, the ways it's guiding their travel decisions, and ask the question: How should we use our power, once we have it?

Director Lulu Wang Isn't Compromising

Director Lulu Wang Isn't Compromising

In honor of International Women's Day, Lale chats with award-winning director Lulu Wang, who is featured on Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Women Who Travel Power List, about creating the worlds of Expats and The Farewell, the importance of using filmmaking to highlight untold stories, and her journey to becoming an award-winning director—without making compromises.

On the Road for the US Election

On the Road for the US Election

It's an election year, and already journalists are traveling all over the country to tell voters the most important stories from the trail. But what is it like to cover the US presidential race as a foreign reporter? Lale chats with three correspondents from Canada and Europe as they share tales of blizzards, campfires in Tennessee, and late-night eats after long days of breaking news.

Island Hopping in Spain, Italy, and Croatia

Island Hopping in Spain, Italy, and Croatia

In her upcoming book Enchanted Islands: Travels Through Myth and Magic, Love & Loss, author Laura Coffey charts a real-life journey she took inspired by one of the most epic travel stories ever told: The Odyssey. Lale catches up with Coffey to find out how the famous poem informed where she went, the unforgettable meals she ate, and the cast of characters she met along the way.

More Solo Travel With Jessica Nabongo

More Solo Travel With Jessica Nabongo

In 2019, friend of the podcast Jessica Nabongo became the first Black woman to visit every country in the world—and document it all along the way. We check back in with her to find out how and where she’s traveling in 2024, and revisit a conversation about solo travel from an earlier episode.

Your Love and Travel Stories: Breakups, Hookups, and More

Your Love and Travel Stories: Breakups, Hookups, and More

Love doesn’t sleep just because you’re traveling. This episode, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re dedicating an episode to our listeners’ stories, from tales of a windswept singles resort, to a fling in a Toronto hotel, to a surprising encounter in China. Whether you love or hate this holiday, or love to hate it, we promise this episode will be a fun one.

Mapping the World's Oceans

Mapping the World's Oceans

This week, we chat with journalist Laura Trethewey, author of The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World's Oceans, about traveling to the deepest parts of the ocean, sailing on research boats across some of the most remote and roughest seas in the world, and the intrepid deep sea divers and scientists who are racing to map the ocean floors.