#nerdbirds Rachel and Sebastian adjust to economy seating on a Porter Airlines flight to San Francisco, and share highlights from Toronto—where residents are chatty and poutine rules the day.

Since Brendan and Sebastian had never been on an inaugural flight, it was time to go on one (eh?) and go on one they did: Porter Airlines from San Francisco to Toronto. Listen in as Rachel attempts to stay sane with the two most animated #nerdbirds (on a small plane) (for five hours) while reviewing the airline and learning a few insider tips from …

What do the Newark, New York JFK, and Seattle airports have in common? Could burnt avocado toast in Chile compete with a Times Square Applebees for the worst food on the ground? #nerdbirds Brendan, Charlie, Rachel, and Sebastian share their answers to the best and worst flights, airports, hotels, food, and experiences of 2023.…

Still more September travel stories await, with Rachel recapping her afternoon at the "CES of Aviation" and a more-recent thwarted attempt at a millionth mile flight. The two events had more in common than she realized, and she and fellow #nerdbird Sebastian ponder how much technology can help during a flight disruption.…

More stories from late summer travels await, with #nerdbird Sebastian sharing his Rockstar experience on Virgin Voyages. Rachel's only contribution is explaining why she no longer travels during the summer, despite stumbling upon a cereal vending machine, finding a rat in the Detroit airport, and observing fireworks from high above in Utah.…

Travel Tales return with a focus on late summer/September experiences: Eric talks about his spontaneous ride on a blimp, Charlie recaps a record number of canceled flights, and Rachel starts to ponder where to take a millionth mile flight.

When Lightning Round episodes were the rage in 2020, some of the #nerdbirds answered questions about all things passports. For 2023, a few more (Brendan, David, Pilot Sarah, Sebastian) appear and share thoughts on passport design from esoteric countries (and a micronation), what happens when one loses all forms of ID when traveling, and the end of …

Pilot Sarah retired as a commercial airline pilot in January and reflects on her final flight -- "a wedding and a funeral on the same day" -- complete with rolling delays, paper airplanes, water cannons, and heartfelt tributes. She and co-host Rachel also chat about what happens during retirement flights, and changes in an industry with a pilot sho…

As a nod to our (not-so-former?) Design Series episodes, #nerdbirds Brendan and Rachel discuss an exhibit of Air India's award-winning vintage Maharaja posters at Poster House in NYC, and share interesting art finds during a recent San Francisco airport field trip.

What happens when 27-time Disney Cruiser Sebastian and first-time "it's-not-a-cruise-it's-an-expedition-ship" Rachel record an episode? Typical #nerdbird banter ensues, from (lack of) Internet connectivity and handling seasickness to ship (and flight) upgrades. Learn from all of Rachel's mistakes when she spontaneously went to Antarctica as Sebasti…

It's anniversary month: Five years since the Virgin America final flight where the #nerdbirds met, and three years of this podcast! Co-host Rachel chats with Sebastian, Pilot Sarah, and Brendan about how travel has changed and what their magic wish would be to transform anything in aviation. Listen in as they reminisce from parody airline websites …

While honorary #nerdbird Pilot Sarah was flying her final flight with a commercial airline, friends and family were having a good time sharing stories of her love of aviation. Listen in as #nerdbird David learns about life with a pilot in the family from Sarah's spouse, brother-in-law, and son -- live on the flight.…

Because #nerdbird Eric can't hog all of the airline inaugural celebrations, co-host Rachel finally goes on an inaugural flight (ZipAir from Tokyo to San Jose) and swaps tales with Eric's inaugural flights: JetBlue from Boston to Kansas City, and Delta's new A321 from Boston to San Francisco. They share the wild and wacky tales of pomp, random airpo…

In the first of a series of episodes recorded during Pilot Sarah's retirement flight festivities, #nerdbirds co-host Rachel's seatmate David gets asked the uncomfortable questions during dessert (with a few inflight interruptions). Listen in on David's take on feeling rich and growing up with those who weren't into adventure or travel.…

The "ask the #nerdbirds the same uncomfortable questions" series continues, with co-host Kai quizzing Brendan and learning that even a Los Angeles native can enjoy public transit!By Hostess

Continuing from last episode's conversation about flexing your creative travel muscle, #nerdbird Rachel asks Charlie the six questions she and Kai answered in December 2022. Charlie's answers share a perspective on only recently starting to travel, combined with managing family group trips. Bonus tidbits on renewing American passports and using mob…

Co-hosts Kai and Rachel revisit the Travel Ninja Gym and up the ante with stories and advice on how travel can spark inner transformation -- or not! Few stones are left unturned as they discuss situations and topics that force them to think about how, why, and how often to travel.By Hostess

#nerdbirds Kai & Rachel, with input from Pilot Sarah, discuss how scents are one of the strongest memory recall triggers, and how scents impact our journeys, for better or for worse!By Hostess

Travel Tales Time! #nerdbirds Brendan and Rachel compare their recent trips based on phases from the Traveler Lifecycle. Contrast Brendan's meticulous planning a year in advance vs. Rachel's three days, along with how they arrived, top moments, top hiccups, and heading home.By Hostess

#nerdbirds Kai and Rachel ponder how weather factors into planning for and rolling with the travel punches, with stories from dealing with heat in Singapore and Hawaii, to smog in China, a tsunami in Tokyo, and bitter cold in Berlin. They ponder whether avoiding places because you don't like the weather is just learning what you like vs. living a m…

When #nerdbirds co-host Rachel overheard Brendan pondering what (paper-based) books to bring on an upcoming trip, she wondered if anyone else reads while traveling. Learn more about what the other #nerdbirds (don't) do, listen to a few stories of books that inspired tourists and fellow airline travelers, and find some short stories from our past re…

The #nerdbirds are back after a summer break full of flight delays and cancellations -- with thoughts on the complexities of cruise ships, what's an "authentic" Hawaiian experience, a prison-themed hotel and scooter adventures in Helsinki, experiences with bias in facial recognition software at the airport, and a preview of our next episode (good r…

Pilot Sarah needs some company in the honorary #nerdbird department, so it's time to welcome Flight Attendant Joey! Co-host Rachel dug up the lightning round initiation questions from 2020 and Joey was more than up to the task, with tales of travelers losing common sense when they board a plane and favorite eats while on the road (although Rachel s…

It's time for another Brendan's Book Club episode, where he and fellow #nerdbird Rachel review "The World: Travels 1950-2000" by Jan Morris. A deeply fascinating series of articles from Jan's travel assignments to every part of the world, the book also includes a tale of her gender transition. The #nerdbirds explore her white British (and often col…

In a quick return to a shorter Travel Bite episode, #nerdbirds Kai and Rachel ponder the awkwardness of restarting travel after so much time staying put, and provide a quick update on our "slow season" post-episode 150.By Hostess

Pilot Sarah spent two months earlier this year becoming a Captain, and answers questions from the #nerdbirds -- everything from bathrooms on airplanes to the number of stripes pilots wear on their sleeves, flight simulator pranks, and the changing views of Earth from far above.By Hostess

#nerdbird Sebastian has been on over 20 cruises, and shares his stories with co-hosts Rachel & Kai -- including fun things to do on a ship, how to handle seasickness, and a reminder to always read your cruise documents before getting stuck in the wrong city.By Hostess

It's the fourth anniversary of the final Virgin America flight where the founding #nerdbirds met, and our 150th episode! Brendan and Rachel channel their inner game show hosts, with contestants Charlie, David, Kai, and Sebastian trying their hand at the Password game show. Will Charlie be able to defend his title from last year's 100th episode Jeop…

Making memories is core at any travel experience - and souvenirs are one physical representation to evoke those memories. But does it make sense to always buy souvenirs when travelling? And for whom? #nerdbirds Rachel & Kai talk about their souvenir philosophies, their favorite treasures and alternatives to the standard souvenir.…

Brendan's Book of the Month is an anthology of super-short stories from the website Airplane Reading (airplanereading.org [https://airplanereading.org/]), where readers submit a travel story that involves an airport or airplane and everything imaginable that can happen at either. Selected works were placed into a book in 2016; Brendan and co-host R…

#nerdbirds Charlie and Rachel continue last week's topic on lonely moments during solo travel with Charlie's contrasting stories of trips in New York City and Japan. They segue to self-awareness during travel, which includes making sure one's mental health and emotional needs are met.By Hostess

Solo travel, just like any other kind of travel, has its positives and negatives. #nerdbirds Kai & Rachel discuss both sides, how they kicked loneliness to the curb while still maintaining the positives of solitude, and making your own way through the travel world.By Hostess

Nearly two years after the first stay-at-home order, #nerdbirds David and Rachel catch up in real life with a trip to an aviation memorabilia show and a super-late lunch afterwards. While waiting for their food, they thought about midday eating events that aren't labeled lunch. David recalls the Washington DC brunch scene and Rachel muses on brunch…

Food is an integral part of travel - so #nerdbirds Rachel, Kai & Sebastian chat about their favorite breakfasts, where to get them, what to eat, and the travel stories that go with them.By Hostess

If you can find a way to make concrete airport towers look cool, you can probably do anything! #nerdbirds Brendan and Rachel review "The Art of the Airport Tower," a photographic book and Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit. They discuss favorite photos, and Brendan shares trivia on Disney's purchase of a Southern California airport.…

Travelling the world is a great way to experience new cultures and get out of your comfort zone, but company leaders tend to be anything but diverse. #nerdbirds Rachel & Kai chat about one Black-led travel startup (localeur.com [https://localeur.com/]) and their own experience with travel and how it has opened their eyes to diversity and how we lea…

#nerdbirds Rachel & Kai riff on how laundry is done differently around the world - and some very unique ways to wash (or not) your clothes, rugs, and so much more!By Hostess

#nerdsbirds Rachel & Kai chat about their individual favorite travel apps: MarineTraffic (track boats around the world!) & Rome2Rio (want to get from Point A to Point B? Here's how...) respectively - and also their shared joy for Flightradar24.By Hostess

For 2022, #nerdbird Brendan will pull a travel/aviation/airport/design-themed book from his library for the Book of the Month. This episode looks at Airline Visual Identity 1945-1975 [https://www.callisto-publishers.com/project/airline-visual-identity-1945-1975-standard-edition/], a hefty part-art part-story book looking at 13 airlines from around …

For the last episode of Travel Bingo, Rachel settles on the word "suitcase." Kai & Sebastian share stories of how to choose the right baggage for your needs and how NOT to lose it along the way.By Hostess

This week's January Travel Bingo word is "kids," which sent almost all #nerdbirds running away screaming except for Brendan and Charlie. Rachel and Brendan reminisce about 1980s gum (and soda) flavors, and Charlie finds new ways to mess with his travel karma when flying with family.By Hostess

For this week's Travel Bingo, #nerdbirds Rachel, Sebastian & Kai chat about... coffee! And also about drinks to get at a coffee house/cafe when traveling if coffee really isn't your thing, along with some serious time warp advice on finding cool coffee spots in Hawaii.By Hostess

Season 7 starts with an offshoot from Travel Bites: Travel Bingo! #nerdbirds Rachel & Kai take one word and offer a tale and a tip. This week they talk about ATMs & money - how to get it when you're travelling and how to pay for things in this increasingly cashless society!By Hostess

#nerdbirds Rachel & Kai finish off Season 6 with a Travel Bites episode of the interesting story of Thor Pedersen, a Dane who is attempting to visit every country in the world without flying.By Hostess

#nerdbirds Rachel & Kai provide a travel bites tip for the holidays (and really all year round!). Those near-ubiquitous QR codes have helped to create a touchless environment when eating out, searching for information or getting you on a plane, train or bus. On rare occasion though, a QR code may point you towards something malicious. Listen in for…

#nerdbirds Rachel & Kai talk about an article from Vivienne Dovi, founder of Melanin Travel - outlining bias and privilege in travel, and how stereotypes unfairly paint countries or entire continents in negative lights, when in reality they're perfectly fine places to visit. Pro tip: Apply your critical thinking skills to whatever you hear about a …

#nerdbirds Kai & Rachel delve into the science-based aspects of travel and how the act of travel improves our moods, creates joy and gets us of our comfort zone.By Hostess

After digesting Thanksgiving, your first thoughts probably aren't about airport announcements, but #nerdbirds Rachel & Kai chat about the slow reduction of airport-wide announcements and how technological improvements have made audio announcements less necessary - and the concept is spreading to airports around the world.…

#nerdbirds Rachel & Kai chat about how to take care of yourself when travelling - planning for any and all eventualities, espousing BYO... whatever in case Plan A isn't available.By Hostess

Any rules for when to purchase travel have gone out the window since 2020. #nerdbirds Kai and Rachel try to answer the #1 question asked by their non-travel-obsessed friends, using stories of their own attempts to book international travel in recent weeks.By Hostess