No Blackout Dates

It’s no secret by now that we find most travel writers to be obnoxious, pretentious, and ironically, really bad travelers. Todd Walker is not one of them. Always honest and unfiltered, Todd is back to share his scathing insights about the travel industry. We discuss the world’s most overhyped destinations, how to write about places that suck, and whether travel writers actually contribute to society or just make it worse. Todd also explains how he uses travel to get away from his significant other, and some of you might want to take notes.

In Hot Takes, we ask whether it’s ethical to take multiple free samples with zero intention of buying the product. We also debate vaccine passports in a conversation that may make some of you hate us.

If you woke up this morning thinking, “Hmm. I’m in the mood to listen to two American guys, with very little knowledge of Japanese culture, interview a former Geisha” then you came to the right place. Moe worked for six years as a geisha in Kyoto, Japan, before starting her own YouTube cooking channel. She’s here to lift the veil of mystery shrouding geishas, explain their cultural importance, and dispel misconceptions. We also get some insider tips on the best Japanese food to try (hint: we hope you like ketchup).

In Hot Takes, Tim reveals his worst culture shock experience, and Eben spends more time talking to telemarketers than he cares to admit.

The following are adjectives Tim and Eben would typically use to describe “digital nomads”: pretentious, vapid, lame, self-absorbed. Dayana Aleksandrova is here to prove them wrong. A Bulgarian villager turned full-fledged digital nomad living in the Canary Islands, Dayana and the boys engage in a lively debate about digital nomad cliches, and how to spot the pretenders. They also answer the question: can you be a digital nomad without telling literally every person you know?

In Hot Takes, Tim ponders what country parties the hardest, and Eben exposes self-checkout lanes as bullsh*t.

They’re the first people you see when you show up to the airport all tired, stressed, and disgruntled. They’re airline customer service agents, and if you wanna sneak that blatantly oversized bag on your flight, you have to go through them first. Danny Capron, an airline customer service agent, is here to tell us that the customer is NOT always right. Danny reveals how to get a free first class upgrade, how airlines are gouging customers, and admits to ruining countless Christmases.

In Hot Takes, obnoxious “airport lounge people” are discussed, and Eben breaks down his favorite restaurant chains.

People rarely live up to their nicknames...unless you’re Michael “Bird” Shaffer. Bird is a sponsored skier with Black Crows, and his adventures have taken him to slopes all over the world. Our most unique guest yet, Bird is here to discuss life on the pro ski party circuit, starring in ski films, and balancing sponsorships with “the love of the game.” He also literally invented his own language of “Bird-isms.”

In Hot Takes, we expose spring as a bullsh*t season, Tim considers legally changing his name to “Slick T”, and Eben admits to stealing food from other people’s dinner plates.

It’s a rivalry older than the Red Sox and Yankees, IPAs and Bud Lights, pizza and hamburgers. Sometimes friendly, sometimes not-so-friendly, the US-Canada rivalry is fraught with tension and unanswered questions. Are Americans as obnoxious as Canadians think? Does Canada have an inferiority complex? If the two countries are siblings, which one has the severe emotional scars? Mylan Clairmont is here to help us answer these questions. Mylan used to travel the world as the head strength coach for Rugby Canada. Now he’s starring as our token Canadian to set the record straight about his beloved homeland. We’re getting to the heart of this contentious sibling rivalry, learning about the science behind jet lag, and hearing all about what happens when a polite Canadian and loud American travel together.

Plus, we hired an intern named Stevie and it’s NOT going well.

In Hot Takes, Tim reveals what item TSA once confiscated from him, and Eben reminisces about Peanut Butter & Fluff sandwiches and wonders: where did all the Fluff go?

Today’s guest gets punched in the face and thrown through panes of glass for a living. And no, it’s not Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Alice Ford is a professional stuntwoman and travel host whose job has taken her all over the world. She’s worked on movies like Transformers and Ender’s Game, documents her adventures on YouTube, and organizes sustainable group travel tours. We’ll learn what it takes to be a stuntperson (spoiler: Tim and Eben would never make it), whether she ever tries to sneak a cameo, and the lows of hosting group trips. Also, Eben admits to never watching travel videos, much to Tim’s consternation.

When someone tells you they voluntarily spent a few weeks on a desert island eating bugs and sleeping in a bamboo shelter, you might assume two things: they’re insane, or they were on Survivor. Libby Vincek, former Survivor castaway, is here to tell us how being stranded on an island in Fiji with 19 strangers changed her view of travel. She also won an online contest -- yes, people actually win those things -- to host The Local Traveler in Thailand on Amazon Prime. We’re answering all the important questions, like “what sucks about filming a travel show?” “Is Survivor as brutal as it looks?” and “where’s the best airport PB&J sandwich?”

In Hot Takes, Eben and Tim discuss whether burgers are just glorified sandwiches, why they’d never compete on Amazing Race, and throw cold water on gas fireplaces.

Much to the dismay of the rest of the world, expats from New England are everywhere -- Colorado, California, even Oaxaca, Mexico. Today, freelance writer Catherine Tansey joins No Blackout Dates from the city that inspired the Disney film “CoCo” to discuss being an expat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Turns out, it IS possible to strengthen personal relationships during this time, even if a global lockdown forces you to move in with someone you’ve only been on five dates with. Catherine and the boys also come clean about cultural appropriation (we’re all guilty sometimes), but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t experience Dia de los Muertos in Mexico and go on a “sugar skull” bender -- it’s definitely worth it.

In Hot Takes Tim and Eben break down what’s wrong with the Boston accent and why Canadians think their cities are so cosmopolitan, discuss the enduring appeal of their mutual favorite band, and pretend that they actually know what the GameStop fiasco is about.

It’s the biggest (and only) milestone in the history of No Blackout Dates. The 20th episode. We’ve somehow managed to convince 19 guests to talk to us thus far -- guests far more interesting than ourselves -- but this week we’re doing something different. Eben will interview Tim, and Tim will interview Eben. Tim comes to terms with having never become a rock star, and finally tells his story about being escorted out of the Hong Kong airport, while Eben describes the TWO times he tried and failed to fly in a hot air balloon.

We also field questions submitted by listeners, including “are some foreign airlines too sketchy to fly?”, “is it a dick move to request a song from a DJ?”, “how do I avoid airport anxiety?” and

“When will Canadians be dumb enough to let Americans back into their country?”