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
National Park Match Making
24.03.2026 | 37 min.
This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan recommends national parks for you to visit this summer, based on your preferences. Looking for zero crowds? Yearning for high-adrenaline action? Searching for variety? KPS unleashes his NPS knowledge. Things we talked about in today's podcast: Kiernan on NPR https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/the-culture-show/march-10-2026-shaina-taub-on-suffs-a-secret-boston-st-patricks-day-and-fabiola-mendez National Parks of the Pacific Northwest https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/national-parks-of-the-pacific-northwest/id1438098925?i=1000442664674 State Parks with Peter Kujawinski https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-parks-with-peter-kujawinski/id1438098925?i=1000445675724 Things from up children's noses https://apps.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/opinion/ideas/graphics/lost-found/ Burning PA Town https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/centralia-pennsylvania-rebirth
Sheltering In Place in Puerto Vallarta
10.03.2026 | 49 min.
On this episode of Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Ryan talks about sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico during the 2026 Jalisco Operation. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-3608909/Tourist-stranded-Mexico-El-Mencho-operation.html
Return Trip: Skiing for the Skeptical
24.02.2026 | 49 min.
This week, as Kiernan is skiing in real life and Ryan is freshly back from Puerto Vallarta, Out of Office: A Travel Podcast takes a return trip. The boys talk about their holiday breaks and discuss why ski trips are well worth the expense and the steep learning curve. Plus, Ryan has a onesie. Here's what we cover in this episode: NYT on European Skiing https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/travel/europe-skiing-budget.html Beaver Creek https://www.beavercreek.com/ Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire https://www.cannonmt.com/tickets
Most Memorable Food Experiences
10.02.2026 | 40 min.
This week on the pod, the boys talk about their favorite food experiences, from Peru to Dubai, with a little Eastern Shore of Maryland thrown in. Plus, learn which European cities are the most densely packed and perfect for traveling on foot. LAST STOP: Ryan: https://www.travelawaits.com/3021526/most-walkable-cities-in-europe-from-new-study/ Kiernan: https://www.datarescueproject.org/save-our-signs-the-peoples-archive/
Out of Office is a travel podcast hosted by us, Ryan Davis and Kiernan Schmitt. From early childhood, we were each infected with a serious case of wanderlust (among other things.)
We define travel broadly, from local day trips to high-flyin' overseas adventures. Every episode, we dig into one topic—ranging from the serious to the silly, the practical to the outlandish—and give advice on how to get out there and explore the world.
Polska