Landfolk Recommends: 6 Great Podcasts for the Trip to Your Summer House

We’re listening to podcasts more and more—in fact, as many as 27 percent of us Danes now listen to podcasts weekly. That’s because they offer something truly special. Like an audiobook, they can stimulate your mind, but they can also be enchanting little audio stories filled with music or ambient sounds that awaken the senses.

Below, we’ve compiled our top recommendations for the podcasts we’ve loved listening to at Landfolk. Some are skillfully crafted audio stories that entertain and tantalize the senses, while others are conversation-based podcasts that broaden your horizons with knowledge or themes that tug at your heartstrings.

What they all have in common is that you can completely immerse yourself in them.

1. Family Intrigue, Jet-Set Life, and Self-Reflection

Mom’s Farewell Letter. An investigative, dramatic audio narrative

What drives a 67-year-old woman to leave a farewell letter so bitter that her sons don’t speak of it for 18 years after her death? P1 journalist Adrian Hughes sets out to investigate this in this powerful podcast, told with a healthy dose of self-irony and a soundscape so vivid that it’s hard to put down. The woman is Adrian Hughes’s mother, and woven into this wild tale are not only Hughes himself but also details about his close—as well as deceased—family members that defy imagination. To the sound of shimmering Sufjan Stevens melodies, Ghita Nørby interprets the bitter mother’s final words, and as the episodes unfold, one salacious detail after another pours out, giving the listener a surprising glimpse into twentieth-century Copenhagen jet-set life.

2. Let Esther Perrell prepare you for life’s challenges

Where Should We Begin? Insightful, relationships, conversation

‘Where Should We Begin?’ is a treasure trove of wisdom for your romantic relationship and other relationships. The host, Belgian Esther Perel, is a psychotherapist and author—and she’s wise, witty, and insightful as she guides people through the obstacles in their lives. Like few others, she masterfully reflects on her own role in therapy and on how she could have handled situations differently; combined with the fascinating topics, this makes the podcast truly worth listening to.

3. When You Want to Dive Deep into (Forgotten) History

Woman, Know Your History. Expert knowledge, broaden your horizons, conversation

Historian Gry Jexen is the creator of this podcast, which won the Center for Podcasting’s “Geek of the Year” award in 2020. The award is given to a podcast that “has managed to explore a specific topic in an engaging way, so that it’s not just the core audience that wants to tune in”—and we couldn’t agree more.

The podcast delves into world history and brings to light significant historical women who have previously been overlooked. And there are quite a few of them, as a mere 0.5 percent of all recorded history is dedicated to these remarkable women, who otherwise deserve just as much attention as their male counterparts. Historical accuracy is paramount when Gry Jexen, accompanied by a guest, celebrates these overlooked stories. The podcast is based on a book of the same name, and Gry Jexen also runs the Instagram account @kvinde_kend_din_historie.

4. A Provincial Thriller

21 Roser. Thriller, based on real events, audio story

“21 Roses” was created by the Danish podcast pioneers Third Ear, who, in our opinion, turn everything they touch into gold. Among their most popular podcasts are “The Woman with the Heavy Suitcase” and “In a Relationship With,” while we believe the podcast “21 Roses” is underrated.

The series revolves around a real criminal case from the late ’90s involving an innocent construction trailer, wiretapped phone calls on tape, and what should have been an easy job. In classic Third Ear style, the narrative builds with so much suspense that it’s hard to put down, and with its provincial setting and surprisingly humorous twists, it stands out from many of the typical “true crime” podcasts you might be familiar with. So be warned: you’re in for some incredibly long walks.

5. On Relationships, Childbirth, and Everything in Between

To The Moon, Honey. Reflective, personal, conversational

“To The Moon, Honey” is actually more than just a podcast—it’s a community for women and mothers or moms-to-be created by hosts Bea Fagerholt and Liv Winther, and you can really feel that in the podcast. The episodes invite listeners into a community where we can talk about all the things we might not be so used to discussing when it comes to parenthood. The podcast features reflective conversations between the hosts and their studio guests, who are usually notable figures sharing their own personal experiences with relationships, childbirth, pregnancy, and family life.

6. Is There Hope Out There?

Is Hope Still Green? Expand your horizons, fascinating, conversation

The P1 podcast “Is Hope Still Green?” is perfect to listen to on a long walk in nature. Here, host Alberte Clement Meldal explores humanity’s relationship with nature, starting with the somewhat hopeless mission of convincing herself that there is hope for that very relationship. “The Earth will either scorch or flood us, depending on what suits it,” her voice says in the first episode. Humans have been too greedy, and the result will be total annihilation in the future—so is there any hope at all ahead? To help her tackle that question, she has bioethicist Mickey Gjerris and other guests in the studio, and with a well-crafted soundscape, this is a podcast that entertains, inspires, and broadens your horizons.