As summer intensifies and the heat increases, road trips are becoming more frequent. A common leisure activity in the car is listening to podcasts and tuning out the world. The Herald’s staff has come together to give you the best 13 podcasts out there. This list compiles our absolute favorites for a long trip ahead.
Up and Vanished by TenderfootTV
Up and Vanished is a true crime podcast that focuses on investigating cold missing persons cases. The hosts of the show dive into missing persons cases in a story-like, thrilling format. Up and Vanished aids in giving exposure to the cold cases everyone has forgotten.
5 Things by USA Today
5 Things by USA Today is a short 10 minute podcast to give you the news in a flash. 5 Things covers the biggest headlines in the news. I absolutely love this podcast to get my news when I am on the move to class!
We’re Having Gay Sex by Ashley Gavin and Studio71
We’re Having Gay Sex (WHGS) is a comedy podcast run by comedian Ashley Gavin and a variety of guests. While WHGS will make you laugh, it is also sex-positive and a great platform for the LGBTQ+ community. The podcast is about an hour long and comes out every Monday, which makes it perfect for bingeing on a long car ride.
13: A Taylor Swift Fan Podcast by KiddNation
13: A Taylor Swift Fan Podcast is exactly what it sounds like. This podcast is perfect for fans of Taylor Swift who love appreciating her lyrics and discovering her hidden Easter eggs. Hosts Nick, Ana, Amy and Lacey share their favorite albums, songs and fan theories, and they are excited to dive into Swift’s re-recordings of her discography.
You’re Your Biggest Critic by Madeline Allred
Hosted and produced by a Meredith student, YYBC looks at the stigmas surrounding mental health, relationships and social media. Different people are invited on to the podcast weekly, and the host aims to promote a unified community. It is a great podcast to listen to for some encouragement and positivity!
An Oral History of The Office by Propagate Content
An Oral History of The Office is a podcast that speaks the hard truth of the difficulties of creating a show that had no hope whatsoever initially but later became a Universal hit. Hosted by Brian Baumgartner, he interviews the original Office (UK) producer and actors, Michael Scott (Steve Carell), Angela (Angela Kinsey) and many other executive producers. This podcast is a great show to listen to when you just want something easy to listen to and easy relatable if you're a fan.
Extremes by Spotify Studios, hosted by Vice
Extremes is a culture- and society-based podcast. Their interviews are big stories with enormous risks. Their episodes have no pattern to the stories that the guests tell: some are funny, others are sad. The situations that are presented by the guest can either have been accidental, while others were created deliberately — but at the end of the day they provide us the realities of human behavior. This podcast will keep you on the edge of your toes in the most adrenaline-filled and fantastic way you could think.
Rev Left Radio by Breht
Rev Left is a podcast that explores political philosophy, history, science, religion, culture, art and struggle through a socialist lens. They also have guest features from all around the world and within the local communities. This is a great podcast if there is an interest in hearing from different perspectives and leftist scholars.
30 for 30 Podcasts from ESPN
Inspired by the ESPN TV series, 30 for 30 Podcasts tells the stories of some of the most famous people and incidents in the sports world. Each season is dedicated to a different story and is hosted by a different ESPN correspondent. Similar to the TV series, this podcast tells the story using interview snippets and archived footage. This is a great podcast to listen to if you enjoy hearing about a variety of sports stories.
StarTalk Radio by Neil deGrassi Tyson
This supernatural podcast covers all things science. From educational episodes about time and space to Q&A segments, Tyson and his guest hosts use comedy and relatability to discuss how people can find science in their everyday lives.
The Black Myths Podcast from Outta The Pocket Productions
Hosted by rapper Too Black and co-hosted by Shelle Terrell, Kam and Ryan Mills, The Black Myths Podcast takes a deep dive into Black culture. This podcast provides insightful commentary about the historical reasons for myths about Black people and culture, as well as the realities that debunk them.
Radio Ambulante from NPR
Radio Ambulante is a Spanish podcast that covers the stories of the Latino community and experiences. All episodes are in Spanish, but English and Spanish transcripts are available on their website. It’s a great way to brush up on your Spanish while also learning more about people’s lives.
Illuminaughtii by Blair Zoń
Hosted by YouTuber Blair Zoń, this podcast covers a variety of topics including the debunking of multilevel marketing companies, pyramid schemes and bad business practices in general. This is an awesome podcast to listen to if you’ve ever wanted in on the dirty laundry of big companies such as Autism Speaks, Bayer, MyPillow, Color Street and more. All of her podcasts can be found conveniently in video form on YouTube if you are a visual person.