Podcasts have so completely taken over my iPhone that it’s almost sad. The thousands and thousands of songs that I’ve worked hard to collect over the years are sitting neglected, covered in digital spiderwebs, as I load up on podcasts about history, movies, art, comedy, and science. I may be biased, of course, as I co-hosted the Bangkok Podcast for nearly 2 years, but I really think that this format is an underrated game-changer.

But I’m always happy to have a new one to listen to, and even happier when I get to be a guest on one. Two friends of mine, Scott Coates and Trevor Ranges, have started a great new travel podcast called Talk Travel Asia, and wouldn’t you know it, they asked me to be a guest. On their third episode, I joined the boys to talk about technology in travel, how it’s shaped the industry, and what we think the future will hold. It was an interesting discussion, especially when we were talking about what it was like back in THE DAY – like, the early 2000’s – when cell phones were rare, email was intermittent, and things like Facebook and Twitter were not even possible. Have a listen below. Apologies for the giant closeup of my hand, but that’s what Soundcloud gives me:

The funny thing about it is that, despite podcasts being such a big part of my life, there are still a large percentage of people who don’t listen to them, and even don’t know what they are. When I was doing the Bangkok Podcast I lost count of just how many times I had to explain what it was, how it worked, and how someone could listen to it, and by the time I got to the last part, most people had lost interest.

But the format remains, and has fiercely loyal fans, myself included.

At any rate, it’s great that Scott and Trevor are starting up a new show. They’ve got some interesting topics so far, such as Angkor Wat 101, the plight of Asia’s elephants, and how to avoid the ubiquitous Bangkok scams. I’m sure they’ll continue to do some interesting stuff, so make sure to head to their iTunes page and subscribe.

 Okay, time for me to put in the earphones and learn something new. Ciao, friends.