Just before this past Christmas, I took a 5 day, 35 hour, 2300 mile roadtrip across the States. Now traveling alone is wonderful; you only have to worry about one person, and you get to stop to pee whenever you want (the biggest bonus quite honestly). So when I was planning this trip, I had to think of the essentials: snacks, water, my routes, places to stop, sightseeing options, gas stations, etc. I also made a few several-hour-long playlists on Spotify. That got me about two days in. I couldn’t play YouTube videos because A) distracted driving and B) my cell service bill would be astronomical. So I had to find a new way to pass the time.

Introduce my new obsession with podcasts. I downloaded about half a dozen of them, all varying in topics (politics, art, psychology, physics, and more). Now, don’t attack me. I don’t live under a rock, so yes I’ve heard of podcasts and audio books before. I’ve been a fairly avid listener of talk show style streaming for years now. But what I’ve never done, is drive and listen for hours on end. I felt as if I was in this strange limbo world; traveling the world of ideas as I was flying down the road. It got me interested in finding out more. Does the average person know the glory of podcasts?? And it turns out yes! Audio downloads (minus the normal music genre) have skyrocketed in popularity since their birth over 10 years.

For a long time, it was weird to me. Getting used to the idea of someone talking aloud (who isn’t really there in person) while you do random things, is an odd feeling. You really do feel as if you’re somewhere else. Or those people are there with you. And man, are people interesting as all hell. I especially enjoy podcasts from people such as Sam Harris and Neil Degrasse Tyson. Their knowledge is completely mind blowing. And makes laundry so much more interesting.

It turns out, the average person spends up to 4 hours commuting, doing tasks/chores, working out, etc. And that time has become an opportunity. For the first time in a long time, audio streaming has become a way for people to learn and receive, all while doing mundane things. The gaps in our lives are now able to be filled with worthwhile content. And I think it’s such a revelation. I subscribe to multiple podcast networks now, but my favorite is hands down the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE). The length varies greatly (the 4 hour ones were my roadtrip material) and it’s great to sift through the topics and people. I highly recommend anyone to try out a podcast or audio book if you haven’t already. Your world will truly open up.