Traveling immerses us in the world, but sometimes in the less eventful moments in between destinations, we just need to escape. “The Layover” is a weekly roundup of books, music, podcasts, and other forms of entertainment brought to you by your favorite world travelers.
This week, we reached out to Michelle Halpern of Live Like It’s The Weekend, a travel site for the creative soul’s incurable case of wanderlust. Today, she discusses the entertainment she turns to during travel’s quieter moments.
SONG
I was introduced to this song during my stay in Bali last summer, and it’s stuck as one of my favorite feel-good tunes from my travels. The lyrics are minimal, repeated over and over — so the song can be applicable to any setting or circumstance. While it will always remind me of meeting strangers who became good friends in a villa set back in the rice paddies of Canggu, Bali, the song has followed me around the world on catamaran cruises in Mexico, beach days in Australia, and long bus rides in Peru. Listening to it always instills in me a nostalgic longing for summer days.
BOOK
“Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer
On a recent road trip through eight of America’s National Parks out west, my friend became aware that I had yet to read this infamous tale about Christopher McCandless and his tragic demise in the Alaskan wilderness. We decided to purchase an audiobook version to help pass the time between Wyoming and South Dakota. While much of the focus is placed on McCandless’ time in Alaska, I loved hearing the anecdotes from many of his other travels around the western United States (including several spots which we passed through on our own trip). I’ve never felt the call of the wild quite as strongly as I did on this recent trip, and hearing McCandless’ tale complementing our own journey only added to the beauty surrounding us.
PODCAST
I did a lot of solo travel last year, which meant a lot of dinners, flights, and hotel rooms to myself. I loved the time of self-reflection, but I missed a lot of the intellectual stimulation and interesting dinner conversations I’d have back home with friends. Maybe that’s why I love Tim’s podcast so much.
He always invites the most fascinating guests and discusses quite a range of topics (everything from specific niches like cryptocurrencies, polyamory, and acro-yoga, to more general topics like creativity, fear, and accelerated learning). He is a textbook of knowledge, and I love listening to this podcast when I want to spend an hour feeling both entertained and like I’ve learned a few great nuggets of wisdom. If you’re a first-timer to his podcast, I recommend scrolling through the feed to see if any names or topics strike your curiosity — but if you need a suggestion, I’ve loved the episodes he’s done with Blake Mycoskie, Jamie Foxx, Cheryl Strayed, and Debbie Millman (to name just a few)!
