The road trip is a timeless family expedition. While your travels are laced with destinations and opportunities, you’re faced with hours of free time to spend in the car.
That time is great to catch up, play games, and have conversations with family members who you might not talk to otherwise. That being said, there comes a time when every person hits a wall and needs to relax on their own terms.
It’s exhausting to have an 8-hour conversation in the car. Sometimes you need to put the headphones in, zone out on the passing landscape and relax. For those times, we’ve compiled a list of the best podcasts for road trips.
The Best Podcasts for Road Trips
We’ve gathered a good mix of content. Different people will naturally be into different podcasts so we’ve gathered ideas for a wide variety of interests.
Sift through the podcasts below and choose one to fall in love with on your next road trip.
1. The Joe Rogan Experience
You might be familiar with Joe Rogan from his early career when he hosted Fear Factor. He has also been very active in the comedy and MMA scenes, frequently doing stand up and announcing.
His podcast, though, is probably his crowning achievement to date. With over 2,000 guests, Joe has spent hours with some of the world’s greatest thinkers. He also speaks with the most interesting people from around the world, going in-depth on whatever comes up in the conversation.
2. Radiolab
Radiolab is an extremely well-produced podcast. The show employs expert journalistic research into topics like philosophy, engineering, current events, and more.
Because of the show’s stature in the podcast world, it has access to interviews with high-ranking and influential people who are key to the events of modern times. They’ve been around a good while too, so you can choose from any variety of topics that have been covered.
3. Risk!
This show prompts people, mostly celebrities, to disclose their most personal stories. Stories that they thought they would never tell anyone, except now they are airing dirty laundry in front of a live audience.
They’ve gotten to the 900 episode mark, meaning that there’s a lot of content to choose from. These stories can be heartfelt, humorous, or something in between.
4. My Brother, My Brother and Me
Do you ever enjoy spending time with another person’s family? Sometimes it’s cathartic to hear the banter that comes from people who have grown up and developed as a single unit.
This is what you get from My Brother, My Brother and Me. These guys are brothers who have developed an excellent way of making people laugh while staying engaged and interested.
Their method is to take submitted questions or Yahoo Answers and unpack whatever they think is relevant. You might get some real life advice and you may not, but you’ll be entertained nonetheless.
5. The No Sleep Podcast
Sometimes when we listen to a podcast we’re immediately prompted to sleep and miss out on miles and miles of countryside. That’s good, sometimes we need the sleep. Other times, however, we want to be entertained while we’re zoning out on the landscape around us.
If you want to stay awake, The No Sleep Podcast’s terrifying tales will perk you right up. Horror stories are spiced up with the help of dramatic actors who know just how to spook the crap out of you. You’ll be engaged in the content and far from dozing off.
6. Revisionist History
In this podcast, Malcolm Gladwell engages in topics that might need some refining. In other words, he takes ideas that are commonly misunderstood and investigates them.
Depending on your level of interest in historical errors and linguistical subtleties, this one could be a sleeper. If you’re interested in those quirky ideas that fit snugly into our history and society, you’ll love this one.
7. Wow in the World
For the kids in the car, this podcast will open their minds to interesting concepts that are typically left to the adults.
Subjects like artificial intelligence, black holes, germs, and more all provide children with an engaging way to start thinking differently about the world. It seems like podcasts are the radio’s foul-mouthed cousin in many cases, but this isn’t necessarily true.
Put the iPad down and have your kids listen to something that might be enriching! You might actually have an interest in the subject matter too, but your attention should be on the road. You can find more info here if you want to learn about how to handle road safety and what happens when things go wrong.
8. Stuff You Missed in History Class
Sometimes the thing you need to pass the time is a well-thought-out, engaging topic that stirs curiosity. This podcast digs into historical details that actually challenge conventional ideas and provide unique insight into matters that seemed to be settled.
Things like the actual Moby Dick, or the time Boston was covered in a thick coating of molasses. From whimsical to serious, the short episodes will inform you and keep you intrigued on your road trip.
9. WTF With Marc Maron
Mark Maron, much like Joe Rogan, is a comedian and actor who has an incredible ability to hold interesting conversations with famous people. From Barack Obama to Aubrey Plaza, Maron has guests exposing their true selves in a casual way.
Podcasts that showcase interviews rather than explore topics can sometimes get a little hard to follow. Maron avoids this by making his excellent conversational skills a part of the production. Notice how he probes guest’s deepest feelings while remaining light, casual, yet direct.
10. Song Exploder
Are you a person who has a deep interest in musical history? You watch all of the live videos on Youtube, read the autobiographies, and do your best to glean something personal from the lyrics of your favorite songs?
If that’s the case, you’ll love this podcast. It provides artists with the opportunity to go in-depth about songs they’ve written. With hundreds of featured artists, you’re sure to get some new insight on a few of your favorite songs.
Travel the Right Way
Finding the best podcasts for road trips is only the start of having a great time on your travels. With the right planning, any trip can be excellent.
Visit our site for more tips on how to have the best trip for you and your family.
