It's snowy, cold, and monolithically white outside. Maybe the snow has barricaded you in, or maybe there's just no way you're going to foot this storm.
Either way, you're stuck, and cabin fever is starting to creep in.
Here's what you should do: make some tea, put on some sweatpants, find a cozy spot (sofas are ideal, pillow forts are cool too), close your eyes, and dig into these five podcast episodes that, in some way or other, take you to a whole other place:
99% Invisible - "Heyoon"
You're in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and you're 15, bored, and disaffected. There's this secret place behind a No Trespassing sign—which may or may not be a pagan ritual site—that only a few kids know about. And you've just been invited to check it out.
Fugitive Waves - "Eel Pie Island"
You're on a tiny island in the middle of the Thames river, a little hidden nook in metropolitan London. There's a small bohemia of artists, creators, and drifters. And you're just poking around.
Criminal - "Dropping Like Flies"
You're in rural North Carolina, a coastal area that's rich with flora and fauna. You've stumbled on what is essentially a Venus flytrap crime ring — and you're trying to get to the bottom of it.
Slate Culture Gabfest - "Pasadena, Here We Come"
You're in the backseat of a sweet ride on a lazy, meandering, and thoroughly enjoyable cruise through a sunny southern California painted in hazy Inherent Vice hues.
The Sporkful - "Hot Dog and Hot Doug's"
You're in the great city of Chicago and you're paying homage to the last days of a great Chicago institution: Hot Doug's, home of duck fat fries and foie gras hot dogs.