A road trip is only as good as the people you share it with, right? But even if you share it with great people, it can get pretty dull if you aren’t listening to the right things.
I’m personally a fan of listening to podcasts on road trips. Whether I’m driving a long distance alone for work or across the state with Sean, there are always great podcasts to listen to and kill some time on the seemingly endless drives through the middle of nowhere.
So what are the best podcasts for road trips? Here are my suggestions.
Stuff You Should Know
Sean introduced me to this podcast a few years ago, and I was super skeptical at first. It was the first time I had heard of podcasts, and I didn’t really get the concept. But he forced me to listen to some, and I fell in love.
Josh and Chuck, who work for HowStuffWorks.com, talk about a certain topic for anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. They’re super interesting, and call themselves out if they make any mistakes. I love that they are a maximum of an hour, because you can pick and choose which topics you’d like to listen to for your road trip. It’s very versatile, and new episodes come out twice per week, so there’s never a shortage.
My Favorite Episodes (So Far*) – How Could a Cat Scuba Dive? Why Do Brooms Carry Brides Over the Threshold? Could Microlending Develop the World?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
This podcast is also from HowStuffWorks.com, but it’s more of a specified podcast than SYSK. Cristen and Caroline (formerly Cristen and Molly) talk about lots of different feminist issues and other things “mom never told you,” so to speak. It’s super interesting and I’m always learning new stuff from these ladies.
Plus, Cristen does awesome videos all the time, and she just has a great personality in general. I want to be her best friend.
My Favorite Episodes (So Far*) – What’s the Deal with Pink and Blue? Will There Ever Be Male Birth Control? Are Disney Princesses Good Role Models?
Serial
If you haven’t heard of Serial, you might be living under a rock. It’s a 12-episode podcast that discusses the real-life murder case of Hae Min Lee and the man convicted for her murder, ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed. His friends don’t think he did it, but he’s spent the last sixteen years in jail for it, so narrator Sarah Koenig investigates the murder and the trial.
It’s investigative journalism at its best. What really stands out to me is the flaws with the American justice system. Whether or not Adnan committed the crime, I think we can all agree that the case was handled poorly.
I don’t want to point out any “favorite episodes,” because they’re meant to be listened to in order. The whole thing is awesome, though, so we can just say they’re all my favorite.
*I love both SYSK and SMNTY, so I’ve gone back and started listening to them from the very beginning. I haven’t made it far enough yet, so a lot of the more recent episodes aren’t included when I say “my favorite.”
What are your favorite podcasts? I always enjoy finding new ones, so let me know in the comments!
I don’t really have a whole lot of experience with podcasts, but I guess I’m going to have to dive in at some point, huh? Just can’t tell my one sister because she’s been harassing me about them for years!
Haha I won’t tell if you won’t! 😉 They’re seriously awesome, I highly recommend them.
If you want to laugh a lot and learn about random things and food stuff, check out Slumber Party with Alie and Georgia. For really cool food and music stuff, listen to Food is the New Rock. They talk to chefs about music and musicians about food.
Ooh I need to listen to these! I haven’t heard of either!
I honestly can say I don’t know much about podcasts. I guess I’m a little behind the times. It does sound like a good way to pass the time, if only my kids weren’t hogging the radio 😉
Haha well luckily you can listen right on your phone, too! It’s awesome when you’re working around the house and need something to make the time go by faster. 🙂
I love podcasts and have just about stopped listening to the radio in the car now.
Cynthia @craftoflaughter.com
That’s awesome! I listen to the radio on the way to and from work, because it’s only a five to ten minute drive, but longer trips I love listening to podcasts!
I love Podcasts! A few of my favorite are A Better life with Rachel Roffe, Manly Pinterest tips with Jeff Sieh, Ear Biscuits with Rhett and Link and the Jenna and Julien Podcast. I wrote about them in a blog post a while back, I have lots haha!
Oooh, I haven’t heard of any of these! I’ll have to look them up!
I actually haven’t been listening to podcasts that much. I don’t know why, so maybe I should start doing it 😀
Let me know if you do! I’d love to hear which ones you find 🙂
I definitely need some new commuting entertainment, so I’ll have to give some of these a try. (IE: Coming out from under my rock for the Serial thing.) Thanks for sharing!
Randi with an i
You will LOVE Stuff Mom Never Told You. (No offense to our moms…)
I haven’t had too much experience with podcasts, but my boyfriend was obsessed with Serial! :]
// ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲
They’re so good! Let me know if you check any of them out 🙂
I absolutely love podcasts and cannot get enough of them! I love the Stuff You Should Know Podcast! I haven’t checkout out the others, but I definitely will. I also listen to Entrepreneur on Fire and Build your Tribe.
Ooh I haven’t heard of either of those! I’ll have to check them out. They sound right up my alley. 🙂
I love podcasts too!! I love listening to them when I’m sewing. Has the second season of Serial started yet? Must check on that. Thanks for the other great recommendations.
They’ve started recording the second season, but it isn’t out yet. 🙂