As much as I would love to be traveling all the time, I can't actually do that and we both have jobs and a house and a dog. I spend a lot of time planning travel, but I also listen to podcasts. As I've gotten into more of them, I've accrued quite a few travel podcasts into my rotation.
If you're looking for some inspiration or just want to learn new things, here are some of the ones I listen to regularly that you might also be interested in:
Atlas Obscura
If you like to learn weird and wonderful things, then this is for you. Each daily episode is between 8 and 20 minutes and tells you about things like the Tonopah Clown Motel, the Crochet Museum, or the Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard. It gives you a little bite-size nugget of info for things you probably don't know and might want to know more about or see in person.
City Cast (Portland and Las Vegas)
I started listening to my local City Cast for Portland and liked it so much I decided to add Las Vegas to the rotation. The episodes are 20-30 minutes and tell you about things to do, local politics, history, new restaurants, and they talk to local experts. If you want to learn more about your own city or one you visit frequently or are visiting soon, they have them for Boise, Chicago, DC, Denver, Houston, Madison, Philly, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake, too!
Podcast: The Ride
Do you love a theme park? Me too! Also, these guys! Not confined to just Walt Disney World, like a lot of other pods, or even just the U.S. Learn about new stuff in all the Disney parks, Universal, Cedar Point, and on and on. I've just recently added this to my catcher, but I find the hosts easy to listen to.
Chasing Immortality
Okay, this isn't technically a travel podcast and it may or may not have been cancelled, but I have learned so many interesting stories of people who tried to cheat death and about the places they've been. It inspired me to go see Nicolas Flamel's house on our last trip to Paris (as well as the Harry Potter connection). He had a very interesting life. If you like cool stories about weird people, check it out.
Duolingo French
If you're in the middle of learning French and you want to be able to understand strangers more, then check out Duolingo French, where they have French speakers tell their story in French and you get interspersed English for context. While I don't understand a lot of the French, the stories are interesting enough to keep me listening and I've learned some new words just by having it on while I'm working. If French isn't for you, they also have a Spanish pod.
Take to the Sky: the Air Disaster Podcast
Do you love true crime? I'm a fan of a bit of morbid storytelling, so I started listening to Take to the Sky (on accident, because I was looking for a different podcast) that takes a historical air disaster and goes in depth on it for an entire episode. It's sad, it's interesting, it's inspiring, and it's maybe not what you want to listen to right before you get on a plane.
Unpacked by AFAR or Travel Tales by AFAR
Some episodes are short (20 minutes) and some are quite long (90 mins), but if you're in need of inspiration on how to travel more sustainably or how to get better sleep on your trips or just listening to other people's travel stories, then check out one or both of these pods. I love learning new things and then finding places to travel that I hadn't thought of before.
I have several podcasts that I listen to that aren't travel-related and are great for when I'm on a plane or on a road trip. Some of those that I recommend are:
- Ologies - Each episode talks to an expert in their field of -ology, so you learn one thing really well for an hour, like scallops, bees, reclaimed wood, beer, or sleep rhythms. It's informative, it's witty, and it's funny. People talking about their passions is always exciting to me.
- The Adventure Zone - A real play Dungeons & Dragons (or other RPG) made by three brothers and their dad. It's wacky, it's hilarious, it's got heart. I love it and devour every episode the day it comes out.
- Wonderful - One of the brothers from TAZ and his wife talk about things that they like, things that they're into, things that are good. It's just a sweet, feel-good 30 minutes to add to your life each week. You might hear about trampolines or obscure music artists, or poetry. You never know!
- Was I In A Cult? - This one talks to people who have gotten out of cults and are willing to talk about how they got pulled in, what happened during their time there, and how they eventually escaped the life. The hosts are actually funny, but in a totally respectful way, because they were both in cults, too.
- Depresh Mode - Mental health is important. Our brains aren't always great or good to us it's okay to talk about it. Host, John Moe, talks to a different famous guest each week about their personal battle with their mental health. Whether you suffer from mental health problems or not, to any degree, it's helpful to hear other people talk so openly about theirs.
- Zetus Lepetus - My three favorite theme park vloggers, who are all former WDW cast members, watch a new Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) each week and then spend an hour talking about how good or bad they are. You don't have to have watched any of them to listen or follow along, though sometimes it's fun and gives you more use out of your Disney+ account.
Got ones I haven't listened that you love and want to share? They don't even have to be travel podcasts, if they are cool. Tell us in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment