Best travel apps, games and podcasts for iPhone and iPad

Kick back and keep yourself entertained on those long and boring trips with some great reads, podcasts and opportunities to learn something new.

There's more to travelling than just getting from A to B in the shortest time possible. Even if travel isn't as romantic as it once was, there's no reason why you can't keep yourself and your companions entertained while you're away from home.

We've seen which games work best for taking away with you, but iOS has plenty more to offer by way of entertainment. Podcasts are ideal if you commute regularly, and we've picked out some great options below. Whether you listen to your favourite radio programme, catch up on current affairs or learn something new, you can do it in the car, on the street or squashed against the window on the train.

If you know that your journey is going to be fairly long, it's the perfect opportunity to watch those TV programmes and movies that you never seem to get the chance to watch at home.

You can, of course, download video from iTunes directly, but if you already have something you want to watch in another format, you can also transfer it from your Mac or PC. We've shown you one way of doing that at the bottom of the page.

And don't forget books and magazines. There are thousands of magazines available as part of Newsstand, including Tap! - festooned as it is with enhanced interactive features and videos - and both iBooks and Amazon's Kindle store have enough reading material to keep you going, even if you spend the rest of your life doing nothing but travelling.

Best for: Geeks

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guardian tech weekly

The Guardian's technology team rounds up the week's news in Tech Weekly. Presented by Aleks Krotoski, this slickly produced podcast features The Guardian's technology writers musing on the week's tech news and new product releases.

Best for: Comedy

The infinite monkey cage

The Infinite Monkey Cage is an award-winning science and comedy podcast, from the Radio 4 programme presented by Brian Cox and Robin Ince, will almost certainly make your head hurt in places, but it's absolutely brilliant.

Best for: Movie buffs

film reviews

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews - Kermode reviews new releases in his own inimitable style, while Mayo keeps the whole thing ticking along. Even if your interest in movies is only a passing one, it's worth a listen for the entertainment value alone.

Best for: Footie fans

Footbal ramble

The Football Ramble is a combination of fan, pundit and comedian among the regular presenters, together with contributions from some of the country's most knowledgeable footie experts, makes this great all-round entertainment.

Best for: Music lovers

KCRW

Morning Becomes Eclectic is a show from Santa Monica's KCRW radio station is something of an institution. Featuring some of the world's best up-and-coming bands, it's a terrific way to discover new music, although it's a little infrequent.

Best for: News topics

Our own correspondent

From Our Own Correspondent pulls together special reports from the BBC's army of foreign correspondents, digging beneath the news story du jour, talking to the people involved, and giving you the kind of access to stories only the BBC offers.