AbstractThis paper presents a single‐layer traveling‐wave antenna (TWA) that is based on composite right/left‐handed (CRLH)‐metamaterial (MTM) transmission line (TL) structure, which is implemented by using a combination of interdigital capacitors and dual‐spiral inductive slots. By embedding dual‐spiral inductive slots inside the CRLH MTM‐TL results in a compact TWA. Dimensions of the proposed CRLH MTM‐TL TWA is 21.5 × 30.0 mm² or 0.372λ₀ × 0.520λ₀ at 5.2 GHz (center frequency). The fabricated TWA operates over 1.8–8.6 GHz with a fractional bandwidth greater than 120%, and it exhibits a peak gain and radiation efficiency of 4.2 dBi and 81%, respectively, at 5 GHz. By avoiding the use of lumped components, via‐holes or defected ground structures, the proposed TWA design is economic for mass production as well as easy to integrate with wireless communication systems.