The best podcasts of 2024 were with us for the long haul. Our editors tuned into episodes when we were stuck in traffic on road trips, in airport lounges waiting out awkward layovers, on routine runs, and during feverish sick days or sleepless jet lag-driven nights. As we head into the new year, we’re still coasting on the Golden Age of podcasting, which means there’s plenty of shows to catch up on to make the dead time during your travels fly by. Whether you’re on a mission to tick horseback riding in Wyoming off your bucket list, or sunbathing on a cruise deck while practicing how to lucid dream, some trips just feel better served with a side of wit or storytelling. Below, we’ve gathered ten of our favorite shows from the past year to get you started, including hilarious debriefs on hot gossip, long debates on pop culture hot takes, and intimate interviews with A-listers.
This story has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
For lively chatter
Dan Harris, the host of this podcast, is self-described as a “fidgety, skeptical journalist” (yup, totally not relatable) who started meditating after having a panic attack on live television. His interviews with meditation teachers, scientists, spiritualists, artists, psychotherapists, and more tackle how we can train happiness as a skill in our everyday lives. The show is able to tackle some very serious topics while keeping a sense of humor and staying realistic with the takeaways. The mini meditation guides are also great for when I’m trying to maintain some kind of mindfulness/wellness routine while traveling. —Hannah Towey, Associate Editor
I love listening to chatty podcasts, like Poog and Seek Treatment, which is basically the only reason I am able to run—I plug in, zone out, and indulge in my parasocial relationships with these very funny podcast hosts. But I’ve also learned that in a travel setting, like on a road trip with my whole family, the fool-proof group solution is something more like Science Vs. Anyone can drop in with no prior context, and it really doesn’t matter what preferences people have—if they’re generally curious, they’ll likely be drawn into Science Vs. Each episode tackles a popular conception, then the team does a ton of reporting to confirm if science backs it up. It might be tackling a social media myth that birth control changes who you’re attracted to; on a road trip this fall, I loved listening to research on lucid dreaming and the most effective ways people do it. —Megan Spurrell, Associate Director, Articles
