Travel has a way of making the world feel a little smaller.
A destination can be thousands of miles away, yet a good story can make you feel like you’re already there.
For more than 20 years, the Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast has been helping listeners do exactly that.
Created and hosted by Chris Christensen, Amateur Traveler focuses on destinations around the world, with each episode exploring what it would be like to spend a week in a particular place.
From planning an itinerary to discovering the experiences that make a destination worth visiting, the podcast gives travelers something more useful than a list of places to see: a way to imagine the trip before they ever get on a plane.
This month, Blubrry is proud to recognize Travel with Amateur Traveler as our August Podcaster of the Month.
A Podcast Built for Travelers
The Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast is part of the larger Amateur Traveler brand, created by Chris Christensen through AmateurTraveler.com.
Chris has been an online travel journalist,including blogging and podcasting,since 2005. Over the years, his work has grown into a long-running travel resource covering destinations around the world.
The podcast itself is now more than 20 years old and has published more than 1,000 episodes.
And the format is straightforward.
Each week, the show focuses on a destination and explores what a one-week itinerary there could look like.
That simple idea gives listeners a practical starting point while also introducing them to places they may have never considered visiting.
More Than 1,000 Episodes and Counting
Keeping a podcast going for a few years is one thing.
Keeping one going for more than two decades is another.
With more than 1,000 episodes, Travel with Amateur Traveler has built an extensive library of travel stories and destination guides that listeners can continue discovering long after an episode is published.
In 2025 alone, the podcast was downloaded more than 1.98 million times.
That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident.
It comes from consistently creating content that people find useful,and from giving listeners a reason to come back when they’re planning their next adventure.
From Podcasts to the Skies
The reach of Amateur Traveler also extends beyond traditional podcast listening.
In 2025, 52 different episodes of Amateur Traveler were available on the entertainment systems of eight different airlines:
- Air India
- FlyDubai
- KLM
- Lufthansa
- Mauritius
- Oman/QAT
- South African
- Singapore
For a travel podcast, there’s something especially fitting about that.
Listeners can discover an episode about their next destination while they’re actually in the process of traveling there.
It’s another example of how a podcast can become part of the experience,not just something people consume at home.
A Travel Journalist With Experience to Back It Up
Chris Christensen isn’t simply talking about travel from behind a desk.
He has personally visited 81 countries and has been working as an online travel journalist since 2005.
That firsthand experience is a major part of what gives Amateur Traveler its credibility.
Over the years, Chris and his work have also received recognition from the travel journalism and podcasting industries.
Among his awards and honors are:
- 2025 Travel Creator Award for Best Travel Podcast at the TBEX North America Summit
- 2025 Podcasting Hall of Fame inductee
- 2024 Travel Creator Award for Best Travel Podcast at TBEX North America
- 2018 Bronze Award for Best Travel Podcast from the North America Travel Journalism Awards
- 2016 Gold Award for Best Travel Podcast from the North America Travel Journalism Awards
- 2014 Travel+Leisure SMITTY Award for Best Independent Travel Journalist/Blogger
- 2014 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award from the Society of American Travel Writers
- 2014 invitation to the White House Travel Blogger Summit
Chris also received recognition for his work on This Week in Travel, which won North American Travel Journalism Awards in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
A Podcast Used Beyond Travel
One of the more interesting parts of Amateur Traveler’s story is that its content has found an audience beyond people simply planning their next vacation.
The podcast is used to teach English at Oxford University and is also part of an English proficiency test for the Thailand Foreign Ministry.
That’s a pretty different use case from someone listening while planning a trip,but it speaks to the value of well-produced, real-world storytelling.
The conversations and destination stories provide listeners with more than travel information. They also expose them to natural conversations, different places, cultures, and perspectives.
Why It Resonates
Travel podcasts can take a lot of different approaches.
Some focus on luxury.
Others focus on budget travel.
Some are built around personal stories, while others are packed with practical travel tips.
Travel with Amateur Traveler has carved out its own space by focusing on destinations and what travelers can actually do with their time there.
The one-week itinerary format gives each episode a clear purpose.
You’re not just hearing that a destination is interesting.
You’re getting an idea of how you might experience it yourself.
And with more than 20 years of episodes behind it, the podcast has built something that is difficult to replicate: a deep library of travel knowledge created over time.
Blubrry’s Podcaster of the Month Spotlight
Blubrry Podcasting is proud to recognize Travel with Amateur Traveler and Chris Christensen as our August Podcaster of the Month.
With more than two decades of podcasting experience, 1,000+ episodes, millions of downloads, and recognition across both podcasting and travel journalism, Amateur Traveler has built a lasting place in the travel podcasting community.
Whether you’re planning your next trip, looking for a new destination to explore, or simply want to hear a great travel story, there’s a good chance Amateur Traveler has an episode for you.
🎧 Listen to Travel with Amateur Traveler and start planning your next adventure,one week at a time.
