🌊 Bi-Coastal Travel Tidbits

Starting in the east, we discuss the 65-foot hot dog cannon in New York City’s Time Square... What is it? Why is it there? How long will it stay? Then we jump to the west as California has unveiled new welcome signs. You’ll have to check out our social media @thebagtagpod to let us know which version you prefer. 

🌟 What Is LA’s Top Tourist Attraction?

This week’s seat pocket travel question is not to be answered with hard facts or statistics, but vibes. We’re debating which tourist attraction we think is the #1 in the City of Angels, and we’ll all have to stay tuned to see if our answers change after we move there!

🌴 Say, “Hello” to Los Angeles, California

After more than 4 years in the Pacific Northwest, we’re moving down the coast and relocating to LA! Today, we’re answering all your burning questions like why we decided to move to LA, what we’re most excited about, what we’re most worried about, and more. 

🌆 Travel News: What’s New in Abu Dhabi

We’ve talked about Saudi Arabia’s ambitious NEOM project but now, neighboring Abu Dhabi is taking a different approach with their latest city-to-be, Fahid Island. We’re going over everything you need to know about this luxury wellness-centered city that could be the best place to live a long and healthy life.

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Fitting End to Our Final Sun Country Flight

With Allegiant Air looking to sunset the Sun Country branding, we likely took our final Sun Country Flight and it was one for the books. Talking for 3.5 hours straight and an almost arrest! Plus we discuss the new laws for riding in the beds of trucks in Hawaii 

Is the Space Needle Truly an Iconic Landmark

We debate if the space needle deserves the praise as an iconic US landmark before we quickly realize there is a much more important question at play - what is the most iconic west coast landmark and how would you rank them? 

Goodbye Seattle 

After 4.5 years of calling Seattle home, we’re packing up and moving out. We take a look back at what makes Seattle so special, what we will miss and won’t, and any advice to anyone thinking about visiting or moving to Seattle 

Pan America Clipper Endeavour 

After crashing and going missing at sea for nearly 70 years, last week the Pan Am Endeavour was discovered with new surveillance technology. We take a look at why the Endeavour accident was so fatal, how it changed our every day aviation experience, and what this new technology could mean for MH370

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🧳 Pokemon Presents: Priorities When Packing (01:30)

Pokemon just released a new carry-on suitcase with a very important feature: a plushie compartment! That’s right, your plushies can now be safely tucked away while getting a front-row view of your travels from start-to-end.

🗺️ How Long Do You Need to Spend in a Destination? (04:07)

If you’re building your travel itinerary and debating whether you should add a separate location into the mix, how many days do you need to spend there to make it worthwhile? This is a travel debate that has a lot of factors to consider.

🌍 How Country Counting Turned the World into a Scoreboard (09:34)

Sports and travel go hand-in-hand, but have you ever thought of travel as a sport in and of itself? That might be the latest travel trend dubbed “country counting.” It’s exactly as it sounds, where travelers prioritize visiting the highest number of countries possible above all else. But we’re wondering: is it worth it?

✈️ Japan Airlines Takes Accountability (51:50)

When an employee makes a mistake, who takes the blame? While most of us might say the employee who made the mistake, of course, Japan Airlines is doubling down on their philosophy that culture, responsibility, and accountability starts all the way at the tip top…

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⚽ Hosting the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games (01:34)

This week is the final week of the World Cup, so naturally we’re already looking ahead to the next! We chat which countries are looking to host the next World Cup, if they’re even allowed… Plus, which cities are hoping to win the bid for upcoming Olympic Games.

⏰ How Much of a Trip Should You Have Planned? (06:53)

Today’s seat pocket travel debate is how much of a trip you should have planned in advance. Are you a dedicated-each-minute kind of traveler? Or do you prefer to go with the flow?

🚗 The Most Influential Main Streets in America (13:12)

As part of our celebration of USA’s 250th, we’re diving into the history of Main Streets, their impact on the America we know today, and specific examples of “Main Streets” that you need to know about.

🏆 What’s Going on With The World Cup? (27:06)

The 2026 World Cup may be ending, but that doesn’t mean the news stories stop! Here’s everything you need to know about the World Cup drama. Maybe drama is too harsh of a word, you let us know!

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🍺 The First Beer of the United States (01:34)

To kick off today’s show, we’re discussing the very first beer in America created by the very first president: George Washington. But it won’t be around for long so PLEASE try it if you happen to be in New York anytime soon and let us know how it is! Plus, we chat about how cool the World Cup watch party auditoriums are in Jordan.

🏞️ What’s Your Favorite National Park? (11:54)

This seat pocket travel question is on theme as we debate which National Park is our favorite, if we have one… TBH we realized we haven’t been to very many National Parks so we need to change that soon!

⛰️ How America Invented the National Park (19:29)

In honor of the USA’s 250th birthday, we’re diving into the National Park system, how it came about, why it matters, and how national parks went international.

🎁 BOGO in Taiwan (36:19)

You’ve heard of airline loyalty rewards but what about country loyalty rewards? Or something like that. Taiwan is implementing a very interesting travel policy which will reward visitors for coming back! Find out all the juicy deets and start planning your next trip to take advantage.

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What if your city almost hosted the FIFA World Cup? We take a look at the American cities that made serious bids but ultimately missed out on becoming host cities for the 2026 tournament. From Washington, D.C. to Denver and the iconic Rose Bowl, we explore how close they came and how different the tournament could have looked.

For the first time ever, the famous Times Square Ball won't just drop on New Year's Eve. This Independence Day, the ball will descend multiple times to celebrate midnight across every U.S. time zone. We discuss this unique new tradition and settle the debate: would you rather experience Times Square on New Year's Eve or the Fourth of

July?

Washington, D.C. may seem like the obvious choice for America's capital today, but history tells a very different story. We travel back to the nation's earliest days to uncover the cities that nearly became the permanent seat of government, including New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, and several surprising contenders that could have changed the course of American history.

Finally, we head to Frisco, Texas, where Universal is opening its first-ever theme park designed specifically for young children. We explore what makes Universal Kids Resort different, why Texas was chosen, and how this smaller, family-focused destination could reshape the future of theme park vacations.

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⚽ FIFA World Cup in Seattle (01:29)

Wyatt was lucky enough to be a +1 to a World Cup game here in Seattle and he’s excited to share that it was indeed all it was hyped up to be! Hear his experience and highlights from the Team USA vs Australia match, plus other World Cup stories.

📺 Attend IRL or Watch Party? (17:29)

Today’s seat pocket debate leans more sports than travel, as we discuss if we’d rather watch these big sporting events in person or on the big screen. But people do travel for thing like the World Cup, Olympics, and Superbowl so it makes sense.

📺 America’s 250th Celebration: Hidden Landmarks (21:55)

To kick off The United States of America’s 250th Anniversary this year, we’re diving into a whole series of American history and how it shaped the world of travel. Today’s discussion is all around hidden landmarks that quietly shaped our nation.

☀️ Project Sunrise is a GO! (38:58)

If you were wondering what in the world is going on with Project Sunrise, then we’ve got you covered! We cover everything from planes, launch date, seating configurations, and more!

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Would you board a plane without knowing where you're going?

That's exactly the question thousands of travelers ask themselves every year when Wizz Air launches its wildly popular "Let's Get Lost" campaign. In this episode of The Bag Tag, Wyatt and Chantel explore the mystery travel phenomenon that has turned spontaneous adventure into one of the travel industry's most fascinating marketing campaigns.

From its origins in Austria to its latest 2026 mystery getaway, we'll uncover how Wizz Air convinced travelers to surrender control of their itineraries, why surprise travel has become such a massive trend, and what destinations lucky winners have discovered along the way.

We'll also discuss the psychology behind mystery vacations, why travelers are increasingly seeking experiences over perfect plans, and how you can position yourself to participate in the next "Let's Get Lost" adventure in 2027.

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🗽 News in New York City

In the world of sports and travel, New York City is often a hot topic. But what we’re seeing now is like nothing NYC has ever seen before! They’ve got the NBA champs the Knicks and FIFA World Cup 2026 Games and we’re chatting about all the latest happenings in the city that never sleeps.

🏅 To Sport Watch or Not To Sport Watch

From today’s seat pocket travel question, we discuss if we would dedicate our seat-back screen to a big, cultural sports moment or would we prefer to watch…literally anything else. The Taggies out there probably already know the answers!

❄️ The Arctic Gold Rush: Tourism at the End of the World

Have you ever heard of the Arctic Gold Rush? Tourism at the end of the world, both arctic and antarctic, is becoming increasingly popular as the destinations themselves are at risk of disappearing forever. This travel discussion unpacks everything you need to know and consider if you’ve ever dreamed of a polar vacation.

🇦🇷 Argentina’s Golden Passport

It’s not quite the Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, but it might be the closest thing in the world of travel! We dive deep into what exactly Argentina’s Golden Passport is, how it works, and what you need to do in order to be eligible. Could Golden Passports change travel and citizenship as we know it?

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The 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially begun, and while the world will remember the goals, upsets, and championship moments, another story is unfolding beyond the stadium walls.

From fans spending thousands of dollars chasing visas that never materialize to athletes navigating cross-country flights and unexpected entry complications, we'll explore what happens when the world's largest sporting event collides with the realities of modern travel. We'll unpack the economic promises surrounding the tournament, the concerns from hotels and tourism officials, and the enormous logistical challenge of moving millions of people across three host countries and an entire continent.

But amid the headlines and hurdles, something remarkable is happening. International visitors are discovering America in all its quirky glory. Swedish fans are falling in love with ranch dressing. German tourists are rating Waffle House 10 out of 10 after midnight meals. English supporters are becoming obsessed with 7-Eleven Big Gulps, while first-time visitors stand in awe inside Buc-ee's wondering how a gas station can possibly be this big.

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