21 Road Trip Podcasts That'll Make You Want to Keep Driving

Likely not the best fit for a road trip out west, "National Park After Dark" discusses the morbid, scary, and downright unbelievable things that have gone down at national parks. While many of the episodes cover true crime stories, there's also room for history, comedy, and short stories. Listen wisely if one of the podcast episodes features your destination.

"Stuff You Should Know" covers exactly what the title promises it does. If you've ever wondered how something — anything — works, from zip codes to car washes to caffeine, hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant likely have an episode for you. If you loved watching "How Stuff Works," think of this as its podcast companion.

Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett host "SmartLess," so you know you'll laugh your way through your road trip. This podcast has a fun twist on the traditional seated interview genre: each week, only one of the hosts knows who the guest is going to be, so the following conversation is completely improvised. Most of the guests are celebrities, so if you're a pop culture fan, download this one immediately.

In "Armchair Expert," Dax Shepard sits down with a variety of guests, from psychologists to celebrities, to talk about anything and everything.

Occasionally, he solicits stories from anonymous listeners on a particular topic, such as near-death experiences or stories from a parent-teacher conference. No topic is off limits and most episodes are two hours long, so settle back into the driver's seat and press play.

Winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast, "This American Life," which is produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, is an immensely popular podcast. It covers a wide variety of topics, from personal stories to deep dives into current events.

With over 800 episodes to choose from, you're sure to find something of interest. Bonus points for those who plan down to the minute: each episode is exactly an hour long, so you can calculate exactly how many to squeeze in for your road trip.

"Huberman Lab" is hosted by the Andrew Huberman, PhD, a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology at Stanford School of Medicine.

His podcast discusses neuroscience, and how our brain and body work together to control our perceptions, behavior, and health. Dr. Huberman often hosts guests in the scientific community to dive into topics like supplements, cold therapy, longevity, and general diet and exercise advice.

Instead of getting in an argument with your fellow passengers, let Sarah Marshall, the journalist host of "You're Wrong About," tell you why you're wrong. Each week, Marshall releases a new episode that takes a second look at a person or event that has been miscast in the collective public eye and imagination.

One of the original true crime darlings, "My Favorite Murder" uses comedy to share compelling true crimes, as well as hometown stories from friends and listeners. If you don't think that crime and comedy go together, hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark will surprise you. Despite the title, this podcast doesn't just cover murders: you'll hear survivor stories and historical events too.

If you love "The Office," who better to spend your road trip with than Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey? In "Office Ladies," listen as the two co-stars and best friends go behind the scenes to break down each episode of the beloved sitcom. If you're stuck in the driver's seat, this podcast is the next-best thing to watching an episode.

"Radiolab" is an investigative journalism podcast that uses the tagline "on a curiosity bender." Each episode does a deep dive into a specific topic, and typically explores the scientific, legal, and historical aspects of it in order to get to the answer. From the Olympics, to CPR, and the square dance, "Radiolab" shows us how little we really know about the world around us.

Ranked the world's number one mental health podcast, Jay Shetty, author and wellness entrepreneur, uses "On Purpose" to interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes.

Shetty interviews everyone from Melinda French Gates to Charles Leclerc to Kim Kardashian's personal trainer, Senada Greca, to discuss all kinds of themes around physical and mental wellbeing. Most of the episodes are around an hour and a half long, meaning you likely won't need to download very many to fill your time on the road.

"Serial" began as an offshoot of "This American Life," and takes a season-long, rather than episodic, approach to storytelling.

Each season covers a different story with the same investigative journalism approach, and so far, the themes have ranged from the 1999 killing of an 18-year-old student in Baltimore County; the story of an American army sergeant held for five years by the Taliban; the Justice Center Complex in the Cleveland area; and the history of Guantanamo Bay. If you're looking for a deep dive for your road trip, this is it.

If you want to use your road trip to catch up on politics, you'll love "Pod Save America," which is hosted by former Obama aides. Most episodes range from 45 minutes to an hour, so it's a great way to catch up on current events.

It's worth noting, the episodes follow the news cycle rather than covering a new topic every week, so it might not be the best fit for a cross-country road trip, as you'll soon be catching up on old news.

A bone-chilling story about IVF gone horribly wrong, "The Retrievals" is the story of a Yale fertility clinic and the nurse who stole the fentanyl that was used during egg retrieval procedures.

The five-part podcast digs into what happened to the nurse, to the women who underwent procedures without any pain relief, and how so many women had their pain ignored for so long. (Content warning for graphic descriptions of pain and fertility challenges.)

This eight-episode miniseries is perfect for those who don't frequently listen to podcasts, but want an entertaining story for their road trip. "Scamanda" is the story of Amanda C. Riley, a Christian mother who starts a blog to detail her cancer journey, and Nancy Moscatiello, the investigative journalist who uncovers her secret (we won't spoil it here).

If you have a podcast-obsessed friend, they've likely recommended "Call Her Daddy" to you by now. Alex Cooper made a name for herself in podcasting by being open, honest, and real with listeners, and by discussing themes and asking questions that women want to talk about but maybe felt too embarrassed to ask.

Cooper interviews everyone from Hunter Schafer and Demi Lovato to Aly Raisman and Jay Shetty. Sex, therapy, and scandals . . . for Cooper, nothing is off the table. You'll laugh so hard, the hours will fly by.

If you love true crime but can't do the gruesome aspects of it, or if you're driving alone and don't want to hear grisly murder stories, you're going to love "Swindled," which covers stories about white-collar crime. "Swindled" explores the ways in which corruption, fraud, and Ponzi schemes have shaped our world.

"Blindboy" is a Reddit favorite. Hard to categorize, Irish host David Chambers offers deep dives that display the interconnectedness of things, on topics from folklore, food and art history to mental health, masculinity and music. Listeners love it from Chambers's soft, soothing vocal delivery (he's also a member of Irish comedy hip-hop group The Rubberbandits).

If you love true crime and medical drama, "Dr. Death" is for you. While the first season tells the story of Christopher Duntsch, later known as Dr. Death, the podcast doesn't end there: seasons two, three and four focus on different true crime stories about doctors who weren't who they claimed to be.

As the name suggests, "Crime Junkie" is the perfect podcast for fans of true crime. Best friends Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat discuss a new crime case every week in a straightforward, relatable, and informative way. They cover mysterious deaths, missing persons, and murders, plus conspiracies, survivals, and infamous people of interest. You might not want to listen to this one if you're driving at night, however.

If you love pop culture and live on IMDB, NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" is your new happy place. Pumping out five (five!) episodes a week, it covers everything pop culture, from new TV shows, movies, music, and awards shows. It may become your regular podcast once the road trip is over.

Kaley Rohlinger is a freelance writer for PS who focuses on health, fitness, food, and lifestyle content. She has a background in the marketing and communications industry and has written for PS for over four years.