Travel is exciting. Traveling is often boring.
Standing by the side of the road, thumbing for a ride, getting a sore butt for hours on busses, hanging around in airports between flights… you need something to occupy your mind.
In the dark old days, travelers used to carry books around to keep themselves from going stir crazy, but books are heavy and bulky. In this exciting age of iPods and smart phones there is a much better way to fill in time: podcasts.
You get yourself a podcast app, like iTunes, or Podkicker, choose your free subscriptions (yes, that’s right, podcasts are 100% free), plug in your earbuds, close your eyes, and enjoy!
You never need to be bored on a bus again!
Podcasts are like the punk-ass love-children of radio and magazines. They cover every genre imagineable; from gardening to extreme sports; science to snowboarding.
There are thousands of podcasts out there. Some are mediocre, but some of them are absolutely awesome.
I subscribe to a couple of dozen podcasts, but the ones listed below are my all time fave’s. This was going to be a Top 10, but then I discovered ‘Radiolab‘. Now it’s a Top 11.
All the podcasts in the countdown are great, so the order is fairly arbitrary. The ones at the top of the list are mostly short story based, because story telling is what I’m into. And they are all audio. There are loads of video podcasts too, of course, but they are slow to download, and require your full attention to watch, which make them less suitable for life on the move.
Happy listening!
Bus Ride Podcast Top 10 11
1. Love + Radio
Explicit, soul searching story telling in the form of candid interviews. Excellent production values, and fascinating narratives every time. If you’re a voyeur like me, and you enjoy people-watching, then think of Love + Radio as people-listening. Sometimes inspiring, sometimes appalling, always fascinating.
2. RISK!
Sex, drugs and radio. “people telling stories they thought they’d never dare to share”, as the host, Kevin Allison, puts it. People step to the mic’, and spill their guts with heart wrenching and hilarious results. Some of America’s best story tellers appear regularly, as well as celebrities, and first timers. This is like group therapy meets stand-up comedy.
3. NPR: Snap Judgement Podcast
Like short stories? Like hip-hop music? You gonna’ like Snap Judgement! Ghost stories, sexy stories, stories about family, religion, adventure and heartache. Every episode is like a chocolate coated dose of drama, wrapped up in hip-hop beats.
4. Common Sense with Dan Carlin
Dan Carlin is a political commentator with enough intelligence and insight to host three current affairs shows. Common Sense is funny, engaging sophisticated and accessible. This is editorial journalism at it’s best. (Also check out Dan’s other podcast ‘Hardcore History‘. I’ve never heard history presented in such an interesting and relevant way.)
5. The Moth Podcast
The Moth is famous. It was one of the first shows to make the podcast format popular, and is much imitated. The stories are like audio documentaries, and even though the subjects are often average people, the diversity and strangeness of their experience is extraordinary.
6. Wiretap from CBC Radio
This is just brilliant radio. Each episode contains a feature interview, as well as hilarious comedy. Thoughtful, quirky, and beautifully presented.
7. The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
The SGU was one of the first podcasts I ever subscribed to. I’ve been listening for six years, and it would not be an exaggeration to say this podcast taught me how to think more effectively. The panel of presenters, chaired by a neurologist, do a weekly round-up of science news and criticism. That sounds boring, doesn’t it? But SGU is funny, controversial, and addictive listening.
8. NPR: TED Radio Hour
You probably know of TED – it has become a bit of a phenomenon. This show from NPR Radio is a sixty minute digest of TED Talks, with each episode treating a different theme, political, social or creative. The speakers are all leaders in their fields and this is inspiring stuff.
9. The Truth
‘Movies for your ears’ is how they bill themselves. ‘The Truth’, reinvents the old fashioned idea of the radio-play with a contemporary, edgy, style overhaul. Short, sharp and great fun.
10. Stuff You Missed in History Class
The team at ‘How Stuff Works‘ produces a whole bunch of good podcasts, and this one is a standout. I admit I am a history buff, but that is not a prerequisite for enjoying this podcast. Each episode the presenters take a close-up look at a person or event that most of us have never heard of, and explore their impact on their era.
(How Stuff Works also has podcasts on a wide range of other topics including cars, technology, science and feminism. Check ’em out.)
11. Radiolab
I only just started listening, but I love Radiolab already. It’s weird, experimental, yet also mature and courageous broadcasting. It’s about all kinds of things, but the common thread is unflinching honesty, and perfectly pitched humour. I want more.
>> Check out more of my favorite podcasts here!
