This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan heads back to London for the first time post-COVID—with his mother! The two revisit old standbys, new attractions, and musicals, musicals, musicals!

Things We Talked About:

Harbor Country in Michigan

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/where-to-eat-harbor-country-southwestern-michigan?srsltid=AfmBOopMgZXXv0akMPuyVKPCwWrPAI2f7GlZ6apBb3rrjyT3faojo_j4

Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop

https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/

Oliver

https://oliverthemusical.com/

Six

https://sixthemusical.com/london/

Operation Mincemeat

https://operationmincemeat.com/

Churchill War Rooms

https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

V&A East Storehouse

https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit#things-to-see-and-do

LIDAR podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-archeological-tech-is-rewriting-everything-we-know/id1237796990?i=1000784018446

Big Bend Construction

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/us/big-bend-border-wall-texas-construction.html

This week on the pod, the boys talk about New York State's Odyssey, from Troy to Ithaca in about two hours. Also, Ryan interviews historian Daniel Koch about why so many upstate towns have classical names.

Things Talked About on the pod: Land of the Oneidas: Central New York State and the Creation of America, from Prehistory to the Present https://a.co/d/0i15zgNN

Classical Place-Names and the American Frontier

https://antigonejournal.com/2021/10/classical-place-names-america/

"Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee

This week on the pod, the boys talk The Odyssey, and Ryan speaks with Laura Coffey about her Homeric travels chronicled in her book, Enchanted Islands: Travels Through Myth & Magic, Love & Loss.

Things We Talked About:

Enchanted Islands: Travels Through Myth & Magic, Love & Loss https://a.co/d/0e1iMY8Z

MAP - The Odyssey: A Mythical Journey through The Real World https://a.co/d/0hOUJ8Cf

Laura Coffey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/l_j_coffey/

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan takes us through the history and artistry of Parkitecture—the architectural design of America's National Parks! Plus, Ryan researches the ideal number of days to go on vacation.

Things We Talked About in This Episode:

Colombia's Literary World Cup shirt

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/magical-realism-colombia-unveil-world-155300778.html

Insight Guides

https://www.insightguides.com/

Parkitecture

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/architecture/parkitecture.htm

President Truman tickling those rustic ivories

https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/photograph-records/63-1333

"Park and Recreation Structures"

https://archive.org/details/parkrecreationst00good/page/n237/mode/2up

Ideal Vacation Length

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-012-9345-3

Conor Knighton is a Patriot

https://www.instagram.com/conorknighton/reel/DaYM4m6OtQQ/?hl=en

This week on the pod, the boys talk about their favorite subject: sports. The World Cup is captivating everyone, and the many visitors to the USA are soaking up all the Americana. Ryan chats with NPR's Ava Berger about what's captivating them.

Things We Talked About in This Episode:

https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-06-19/big-dogs-buc-ees-and-the-great-bbq-debate-world-cup-fans-discover-everyday-america

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/13/nx-s1-5856514/the-joys-of-reporting-on-3-teenagers-chasing-glory-in-the-world-series-of-birding

https://x.com/FreddyLA7

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/19/sport/video/merlin-the-duck-is-mexicos-unofficial-mascot-digvid-vrtc

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan chats with one of our all-time favorite guests—food writer and researcher Anissa Helou. She's just published "Lebanon: Cooking the Foods of My Homeland" and spills the secrets of tabbouleh, falafel, skewered meat, hummus, labneh, and many other Lebanese specialities.

Things We Talk About in This Episode:

Anissa's last interview with us

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/out-of-office-a-travel-podcast/id1438098925

"Lebanon: Cooking the Foods of My Homeland"

https://bookshop.org/p/books/lebanon-cooking-the-foods-of-my-homeland-anissa-helou/77fff24da4bf58f4?ean=9780063334922&next=t

Pope Leo at the Sagrada Familia

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/world/europe/pope-leo-sagrada-familia-barcelona-visit.html

This week we take a return trip to episode 122 of Out of Office: A Travel Podcast.

Kiernan talks about Rocky Mountain National Park ahead of the busy summer season. From majestic peaks to glassy lakes, RMNP is one of America's premiere parks with hikes and sights accessible to all age ranges and abilities. Plus, Ryan talks about Peru prep.

Rocky Mountain National Park

https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm

The Stanley Hotel

https://www.stanleyhotel.com/

Grand Lake Lodge

https://www.grandlakelodge.com/

Allenpark Lodge

https://allensparklodgebnb.com/

Smokin' Dave's BBQ

https://smokindavesbbq.com/

The Donut Haus

http://www.donuthaus-estespark.com/

Falcon Guide

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Hikes-Rocky-Mountain-National/dp/1493046780/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LNBPCIWSMUAE&keywords=rocky+mountain+easy+day+hike&qid=1654717385&s=books&sprefix=rocky+mountain+easy+day+hi%2Cstripbooks%2C74&sr=1-1

"The Motorcycle Diaries"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Motorcycle_Diaries_(film)

The New Yorker's "Flight Attendants Fight Back"

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/30/flight-attendants-fighting-back

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," 2 of the palest podcast hosts in the business spotlight 6 amazing beaches across the US, Mexico, South America, and Southeast Asia.

Things We Talk About on Today's Episode:

Ocean City, Maryland https://www.ococean.com/

Northern Shore MA Beaches – Crane Beach, Wingaersheek Beach, Plum Island, Coffins Beach https://www.visit-massachusetts.com/northofbostoncapeann/beaches/

Barú, Colombia https://colombia.travel/en/cartagena-de-indias/visit-beach-baru

An Bang Beach, Vietnam https://www.vietnamairlines.com/us/en/plan-book/travel/travel-guide/an-bang-beach-hoi-an

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico https://visitpuertovallarta.com/things-to-do/beaches

Brighton, England https://www.visitbrighton.com/things-to-do/attractions/beachfront

Pope Leo's Peru https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziN1QrXh5vs

Harvard's ties to slavery https://www.harvardmagazine.com/university-news/harvard-enslaved-people-database-descendants

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan covers the history and highlights of the Bronx Zoo. We also touch on Scientology, Mitt Romney, callings to the priesthood, and Colombia's biodiversity.

Things We Talk About on Today's Episode:

Little Red Lighthouse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Lighthouse

Bronx Zoo

https://bronxzoo.com/

William Temple Hornaday and the Bison

https://siarchives.si.edu/history/featured-topics/stories/william-temple-hornaday-saving-american-bison

The Atlantic's "Best Free Restaurant Bread in America" by Caity Weaver

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/best-free-restaurant-bread-america/686582/

Trump's photo added to US passports

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-state-department-introduces-new-us-passports-celebrating-america250

This week on Out Of Office, Ryan and Kiernan explore Spain's Costa del Sol, from Málaga's layered history of Roman and Moorish influence to Marbella's relaxed, sun-soaked Old Town. It's a quick dive into how this region became a global tourism hotspot, blending culture, beaches, and just the right amount of indulgence.

This week on "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan takes us to one of Europe's greatest natural treasures: Plitvice Lake National Park in Croatia. Beautiful ice-blue lakes and gorgeous waterfalls are lined with easy-to-navigate boardwalks, and hiking trails traverse the whole park. Plus, Ryan isn't moving to Austria as early as we thought!

Things We Talked About in Today's Episode:

Rick Steves is on tour!

https://www.ricksteves.com/about-rick/wheres-rick

Rick Steves interview

https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/rick-steves-is-back-for-episode-200/id1438098925?i=1000704427247

Plitvice Lakes National Park

https://np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/

Plitvice Hikes

https://www.afar.com/magazine/visiting-plitvice-lakes-national-park-in-croatia

Titanic drone show

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/tv/video-3629983/Video-Drone-recreates-Titanics-historic-Belfast-departure.html

Map of art and cultural destruction in Iran

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/03/25/we-are-trying-to-preserve-the-memory-of-our-people-archaeologists-create-map-tracking-damage-to-iran-heritage-sites