How to Record Your Podcast While Traveling
Releasing new podcast episodes on a steady schedule is one of the best ways to drive engagement and retain loyal listeners. Your audience may come to expect a new episode every week, and you don’t want to let them down because you’re traveling.
Fortunately, you can still record your podcast while on the go. It takes a little extra preparation and an open mind, but it’s quite easy after you’ve done it a few times.
Whether it’s a planned vacation, business trip, or last-minute getaway, you can use the tips in this guide to record your podcast while traveling. You even use these methods if you’re traveling specifically to meet a guest for your next episode.
Only Take the Equipment You Absolutely Need
I already warned you that you need to have an open mind when you’re recording podcast episodes remotely. Your home studio might have your favorite desk-mounted mic arm or a 40-inch monitor behind the camera that you reference for notes, but it’s impractical to pack up your entire studio.
Get back to basics and think about only the stuff you actually need to record the episode.
- Portable microphones
- Laptop with podcast recording software
- Noise-canceling headphones
- Small, portable mic stands
- Power cables and chargers
- Extension cords
- Video camera
That’s really it.
For those of you planning to record podcast episodes remotely on a regular basis, I recommend investing in a padded bag for all your gear. You should be able to fit everything into one carry-on-sized suitcase.
If you have room, you can potentially pack some extras like a pop filter, a foldable acoustic shield, and an LED light to enhance the video quality in low-light rooms.
What NOT to Take
The list above is just a general guide, and some of you may need a little more or a little less. That said, there are certain items that you can definitely leave behind, including:
- Anything that’s permanently mounted to your home studio
- Big equipment that requires multiple people to move
- Items that need their own suitcase or bag
- Equipment that’s fragile, expensive, and could easily break during travel
Here’s another tip to consider when you’re on the fence about bringing something. If you think you might need it, you probably won’t.
Reach Out to a Local Podcaster
Networking with other podcasters can really pay off in these scenarios. Why bring tons of equipment on your trip when you could potentially just use someone else’s studio?
Granted, this isn’t a guarantee. Even if you find a local podcaster who has a full studio setup, they have to be willing to let you use it. Plus, you’d have to record the episode at a time that’s convenient for them. I doubt they’ll just give you the keys to their house and tell you to come by any time.
But there’s a trick to killing two birds with one stone here, and it drastically increases the chances of the local podcaster agreeing to this arrangement.
In exchange for using their studio, invite them to be a guest on the episode.
This is really a win-win for both of you. You’ll get a place to record your show without having to travel with a ton of gear or build a studio in your hotel room. And the other podcaster can get their name exposed to a new audience.
Plus, you’ll have an interesting story to tell that kills some time. After you introduce your guest and thank them for graciously allowing you to record in their studio, you can explain how the two of you linked up and made this happen. They might even reference the story on their next episode, which gives you some free publicity and promotion to their audience.
If you’ve never had a guest on your show before and you’re not sure how to approach this, read my guide on how to prepare and conduct a podcast interview.
Just be aware that there’s some risk to this approach. If the podcaster cancels or flakes out at the last minute, then you’re out of luck. So make sure you lock in a plan with someone who’s reliable.
Rent Time at a Podcast Recording Studio
If you can’t find someone who’s willing to let you record in their home studio, you can always rent a couple of hours at a local recording studio.
The plus side here is that a local studio isn’t going to cancel on you. So it’s a solid option to keep in your back pocket.
One drawback here is the cost. The price really varies here depending on the studio and location. Most studios charge between $75 to $125 per hour, but I’ve seen some as high as $225 per hour.
Keep in mind that it’s also pretty standard for commercial studios to have a four-hour booking minimum. So even if it only takes an hour to record your episodes, be prepared to pay a full four hours.
One way to justify the cost is by recording multiple episodes in a single session. Or you can potentially try to split time with someone else who needs to record.
Another potential downside is that some studios might be booked solid, and unavailable to accommodate you at the last minute. So you’ll need to plan ahead here.
But the best part about renting time at a podcast recording studio is that you’ll have access to all of the latest high-tech and state-of-the-art equipment. So you won’t have to bring anything with you, and the audio quality of the episodes will be crystal-clear.
Plan Ahead and Record Episodes Before Your Trip
This may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people overlook this option. If you know you have a trip planned, just record those episodes before you leave.
So many podcasters pre-record episodes even when they’re not traveling. It’s easier on their schedules to just do several episodes in one day, and then they’re essentially done for the month.
This approach works for the vast majority of shows, but it’s not for everyone.
If you produce evergreen content, then I definitely recommend pre-recording your episodes. But if your shows are tied to recent events or news stories, then this likely won’t work for you.
Something that’s evergreen could be recorded in January and then released in November. There’s nothing timely about it and the content is always going to be relevant.
Just be sure to avoid talking about something recent in the news that just happened, or it will be painfully obvious to everyone listening that the show is “old.” Saying something like “I had a great 4th of July weekend” doesn’t make sense for an episode that’s airing in October.
Avoid Complex Setups or Low-Quality Solutions That Will Ruin Your Show
There are several other articles on the web covering this same subject, but they’re giving terrible advice.
These people are telling you to use video conferencing software, record episodes on your phone, or to use a mixer. I’ve even seen some blogs suggest using a double-ender setup, which is super complicated and doesn’t make sense.
I don’t recommend any of these solutions.
They’re easy to screw up, and the recording quality will likely be very poor. I’d personally rather miss an episode than record something that sounds like an answering machine from the 90s.
So it got my thinking, why the hell are people recommending these solutions? They’re not stupid, and they know the final result won’t be good.
It took me about five minutes worth of digging to discover that all of these posts are centered around affiliate deals. They’re promoting some type of software or equipment throughout the post, and the easiest way for them to tell you to “sign up for Zoom” or “purchase this piece of equipment” is by pitching bad ideas.
Ignore those suggestions. Those websites don’t care about the quality of your podcast episodes—they just want to earn commissions from the products they’re promoting.
Final Thoughts
Podcast marketing has become one of my favorite ways to promote any business or personal brand. But unlike other aspects of content marketing, like writing a blog post or replying to comments on social media, recording a podcast isn’t quite as easy when you’re on the go.
The biggest hurdle with recording podcasts remotely is the equipment.
For my blog, all I need is a laptop and internet connection. I can write from basically anywhere in the world and publish new content while I’m traveling.
But for a podcast, you’ll typically need at least one bag with all of your equipment. Otherwise, consider reaching out to a local podcaster to collaborate in exchange for the use of their studio. If that doesn’t work, just rent some time at a commercial studio instead.
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