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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 airports, and chalk cookies -- and look ahead to finding flights in 2023.

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!

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 mobile data in Japan are included :)

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.

#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!

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.

#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 more "authentic" experience.

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 review of Airplane Stories for your next trip.  Show notes and resources can be found at https://nerdbirds.co/episode157/

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 reads when traveling).

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 still isn't sure about Joey's favorite restaurant in Seoul, where you could suffocate on your extremely fresh meal!). They both banter about their favorite quiet airplanes, Airbnbs vs. hotels, and the dream of an airline that only accepts nice passengers :) This is the last episode for Season 8, and co-hosts Kai and Rachel decided that if most Europeans get weeks of summer off, they can too! We'll return in August.

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 colonial) perspectives when writing along with her keen powers of observation, and make connections to how we live and explore cultures today.

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.

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.

#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.

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 Jeopardy! special to become a supernerdbird? Listen in and find out!

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), 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 Rachel share highlights from their favorite stories, which sparks touching and hilarious memories from their own travel journeys.

#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.

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.