Samantha Brown is the reason you want to spontaneously book a flight to the other side of the world. She’s been in the travel hosting game for over 20 years, and you may recognize her from iconic shows like Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, and Girl Meets Hawaii. Her newest endeavor is called Places to Love, and Brown describes it as her ode to travel culture worldwide – to the people, and to the places they call home. Samantha joins No Blackout Dates to discuss everything from the travel industry’s evolution to the behind-the-scenes realities of travel shows.
Samantha shares whether TV travel hosts actually enjoy all the places they visit (or if they’re just playing it up for the camera), gives us the scoop on her friendship (or rivalry) with Rick Steves, and tells us why Europe has the worst bathrooms in the world. After this conversation, it's easy to see why she was Eben’s middle school crush.
In Hot Takes, Tim and Eben discuss whether or not it actually matters which day of the week you buy your flight. They ponder what makes a good travel show host and what their show would be like if they had one. And Eben wonders if Tim is the type of person that buys products just because a famous actor is selling it (he has been on the lookout for a Tom Delonge-branded mini-fridge).
News of the Day:
- Fireworks and a meth burrito make the TSA’s ‘Top 10 catches of 2021’ list
- Flight prices are expected to shoot up this year. Here’s when you’ll see the biggest increase.
- BONUS: A remote worker compares the cost of living in Paris vs. suburban America
Relevant links:
- The digital home of Samantha Brown
- Places to Love on PBS
- 10 Tricky Toilet Troubles in Italy
- Samantha’s Instagram
- Tim’s Instagram
- Eben’s Instagram