Five captivating podcasts for your next flight

Podcasts are friend to the bored, in-need-of-stimulation traveller, says Hannah Verdier, who spends her days reviewing the latest ones for The Guardian. Here she dives into her picks, from travel to true crime, that are perfect to pass the time on the go

Sandra

Imagine if your Alexa was powered by people rather than technology: that’s the premise of Gimlet’s thriller of a podcast, Sandra, perfect for long flights. It’s a star-studded affair, with Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) the voice of Sandra and Ethan Hawke playing the boss of the technology company that invented her. When a new employee joins the team, she finds herself juggling a divorce and the demands of work.

The Rough Guide to Everywhere

Are you the sort of person who plans their next holiday on the flight home? Let The Rough Guide to Everywhere inspire you. Billed as ‘a home for all the untold travel stories’, here you’ll hear Ruby Wax’s holiday confessions, find out what a road trip from Kenya to Bolivia is like, and be captivated by the adventures of Dervla Murphy, who cycled solo from Ireland to India in 1963.

Death in Ice Valley

Many podcasts have been dubbed ‘the new Serial’, but this BBC offering may just be it. If you love Scandi-noir shows such as The Bridge, you’ve just found your ideal poolside listening. Death in Ice Valley reopens the cold case of a woman whose body was found on a mountain near Bergen nearly 50 years ago. Norwegian journalist Marit Higraff and the BBC’s Neil McCarthy are such good storytellers you’ll be transported to the land of fjords, and immersed in the mystery.

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Author Gretchen Rubin is described by her co-host, younger sister Elizabeth Craft, as a ‘happiness bully’. She’s on a mission to help listeners become happier, healthier and adopt good habits, so if travel is your time for self-improvement, listen in. Happier with Gretchen Rubin covers the power of having a side hustle, getting your phone habit under control and why you should have a kissing schedule.

Dirty John

If you fancy a podcast that’ll capture your imagination and unnerve you, Dirty John is it. Listening to this is like burying your head in a true-crime novel on your sun lounger as you’re gripped by the story of an internet romance that went wrong. It’s the true tale of Debra Newell, who met a handsome man online and became caught up in his web of lies. Not one to binge on during your first mini break with a new partner…