BEST OF 2024: Looking Back at Listener's Favorite Episodes

Summary

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers: BEST OF 2024 – A Year in Review

Released on December 31, 2024

Introduction

In the special "BEST OF 2024: Looking Back at Listener's Favorite Episodes" episode of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers, hosts Seth Meyers (referred to as Sufi) and Josh Meyers (referred to as Pashi) take listeners on a nostalgic journey through their first full year of podcasting. Celebrating a milestone of 11.5 million downloads, the brothers reflect on their favorite episodes, memorable guests, and personal experiences that have defined the show.

Podcast Growth and Achievements

The episode opens with Seth expressing pride in the podcast’s accomplishments:

"It's our first full year of the pod. We started in, in summer of '23, but this was '24. We knocked one out a week. What a delight it's been." [01:31]

Josh adds to the excitement by highlighting their impressive download numbers:

"So we're just around 11.5 million downloads. That's a lot." [07:38]

The hosts reminisce about their early days, celebrating the growth from their July 2023 start to becoming a beloved podcast within a year.

Favorite Media of 2024

The brothers share their top picks across various media:

• Movies: Josh names Kneecap as his unexpected favorite, praising its charm even when watched on a plane screen.

  "Kneecap is my bottoms. That's great. Just a great, fun movie." [02:56]

• Books: Seth recommends God of the Woods by Purcel Everett, expressing his admiration.

  "Just finished. I loved it." [04:10]

• TV Shows: Seth mentions rewatching the classic BBC miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and how it still holds up.

  "I did rewatch it again this year and it holds up." [04:19]

• Concerts: Josh reminisces about attending an LCD Soundsystem show, highlighting the band's consistent excellence.

  "LCD, always a great show. I'd really have to... but I’ve already got tickets to some shows next year." [05:29]

Listener Favorite Episodes

Family Trips received numerous listener recommendations for standout episodes. Seth and Josh highlight four beloved episodes featuring guests Paul Scheer, Tig Notaro, Katherine Hahn, and Josh Gad.

1. Paul Scheer Episode

   Paul Scheer shares a humorous and vivid story about accidentally starting a fire while acting out a dramatic scene:

   "I just kind of throw the cigarette... into dry brush behind this hotel... And I'm not." [11:05]

   Seth praises Paul's storytelling:

   "They kept killing my mic because I kept muttering, talk about showbiz. Why is this all about a trip?" [13:13]

   Listener feedback includes appreciation from Seth and Josh's parents, further validating the episode's impact.

2. Tig Notaro Episode

   Tig Notaro recounts the amusing story of her family hosting her partner's first meeting with them during a trip to New Orleans:

   "We drove from Mississippi to New Orleans... Stephanie's plane is landing soon... They had taken their shoes off because we had been walking around the French Quarter all day." [19:29]

   Seth and Josh express admiration for Tig's animated storytelling, enhancing the episode's appeal.

3. Katherine Hahn Episode

   Katherine Hahn reminisces about family vacations to Lake Erie, emphasizing the adventurous but sometimes chaotic experiences:

   "Lake Erie became awesome... we would go straight into the middle of Lake Erie... He was just..." [24:15]

   The hosts highlight Katherine’s giggly personality, noting her ability to induce laughter:

   "Sam did not undersell how wonderfully giggly she is. And a real inducer of giggles from me." [26:44]

4. Josh Gad Episode

   Josh Gad shares nostalgic memories of childhood staycations, humorously contrasting with more traditional vacations:

   "We used to do staycations... pretend to be tourists ourselves... It felt wrong compared to that." [34:20]

   The episode includes a heartfelt segment at the Grand Canyon, capturing the beauty and scale of the natural wonder:

   "This is a tiny piece of it. You can see just across the way there, those hills. There's so much beyond those." [37:08]

Personal Stories and Reflections

Throughout the episode, Seth and Josh intertwine personal anecdotes with reflections on their podcasting journey:

• Josh’s Wedding: Josh speaks fondly of his wedding trip, describing it as his favorite trip of the year with no close second.

  "It was my favorite trip this year. There’s no close second for me on that one." [08:20]

• Seth’s Practical Trip: Seth humorously mentions a mundane trip to CVS, highlighting the contrast between major trips and everyday errands.

  "I took a trip down to my corner CVS. Let's just be honest with our listeners." [08:33]

• Travel Adventures: Josh shares a spontaneous trip to Oslo and Stockholm, emphasizing the affordability and ease of travel with Norse Atlantic Airways.

  "Norwegian Atlantic Airways has very cheap direct flights to Oslo and a couple other places in Europe." [09:26]

Looking Forward: Plans for 2025

As the episode progresses, Seth and Josh discuss potential directions for the upcoming year, including listener suggestions like visiting Epcot:

"There was talk about making that a question and then maybe having that be something that pulls us down to Epcot." [39:55]

They humorously consider incorporating true crime elements into future episodes, reflecting on their evolving podcast themes.

Conclusion and New Year Wishes

In wrapping up the year, Seth and Josh extend heartfelt thanks to their listeners and producers, celebrating the success and looking forward to more adventures:

"Congrats to another successful year of family trips. The podcast. And happy New Year to everyone." [43:49]

They end on a playful note, reiterating their bond and excitement for what’s to come in 2025.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Seth on Hosting Style:

  "I'm a sucker for that. Tinker Taylor." [02:52]

• Josh on Podcast Growth:

  "We are a family. It's gonna travel and every time we come home, there's gonna be seven family trips worthy anecdotes." [29:27]

• Humorous Banter:

  "You're one man's cool is another man's guy. Laugh." [23:10]

Takeaways

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers has successfully navigated its inaugural year, building a substantial listener base and delivering engaging, heartfelt, and humorous content. By highlighting standout episodes and personal stories, Seth and Josh have created a relatable and entertaining podcast that resonates with a broad audience. As they celebrate their achievements, they remain open to evolving their content, ensuring that Family Trips continues to captivate and delight listeners in the years to come.

Key Highlights:

• Celebrated 11.5 million downloads in their first full year.
• Highlighted favorite media, including Kneecap, God of the Woods, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
• Featured memorable episodes with Paul Scheer, Tig Notaro, Katherine Hahn, and Josh Gad.
• Shared personal stories, including Josh’s wedding trip and spontaneous European travels.
• Discussed future directions, including potential visits to Epcot and integrating true crime elements.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to their producers at Rabbit Grin and their supportive community of listeners, Seth and Josh conclude the episode with gratitude and excitement for the adventures that lie ahead.

---

Note: Timestamps are referenced to provide context for notable quotes and moments throughout the episode.

Transcript

[Sufi]

This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by Nissan Adventure calls in the first ever Nissan Rogue Rock Creek. Learn [e-mail] Here we go. Hey, Pashi.

[Pashi]

Hey Sufi.

[Sufi]

Guess what? My first question's going to be about my shirt. Yes, 100%. And again, we're not just trying to drive traffic over to the YouTube channel, but I would say you are wearing a shirt that looks like it was handed out at a planetarium on opening night.

[Pashi]

It has very. It has some planet vibes for sure. I'm not a big fan of ugly Christmas sweaters.

[Sufi]

Uh huh.

[Pashi]

Um, but Mackenzie years ago bought me this. What can only be described as an ugly Christmas shirt.

[Sufi]

Oh yeah. Oh God. Sucks. It's for. Okay, let's see how well I. It is a T Rex. He's wearing a Santa's hat and he's sort of marching in front of a Christmas tree. Smoke's coming out of his mouth. What kind of shoes is he wearing? Are those just like no shoes?

[Pashi]

There's just fire down there.

[Sufi]

Oh, got it. And yeah, it's a disaster. But you're wearing it on December, early December. Let's just be honest with our listeners.

[Pashi]

It's not quite. Well, I put it on because I knew we were recording our best of the year year episode. So I wanted to wear something celebratory.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Pashi]

Whereas I, I changed. I intentionally changed into this.

[Sufi]

It's heartbreaking to me that this current fashion is intentional. We're doing our best of the year. Been a good year. It's our first full year of the pod. We started in, in summer of 23, but this was 24. We, we knocked one out a week. What a delight it's been.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Real quick. I don't want to gloss over your wardrobe here as well. Shoot, you look like.

[Sufi]

Shoot.

[Pashi]

You look like an extra in Fox Catcher.

[Sufi]

Oh, because it looks like I'm wearing a wrestling shirt.

[Pashi]

Yeah, looks like you're like one of the guys who's not wrestling today. Oh, there you go.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

Now you kind of look like you look like you did in college.

[Sufi]

Yeah, I wore a lot of beanies in college and filthy sweatshirts.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Like you and your good friend Peter Gross. I don't think look anything alike, but you guys would both rock that look and then all of a sudden look very much alike.

[Sufi]

Yeah, I think that's very nice. That's a very nice way to describe how similar we were in style Best of the year. You know, I feel like this will be a lot of fun. We're going to listen to some guests based on you, the listener, and who you said were our best episodes of the year. Anything best of the year you want to throw out? Maybe a movie? TV show.

[Pashi]

Yeah, I mean, movie for me, caught me off guard. But Kneecap.

[Sufi]

Kneecap. You've been singing the praises of kneecap ever since you saw it.

[Pashi]

Yeah, sort of. Like, I want to say, I don't know when bottoms came out, but Kneecap is my bottoms.

[Sufi]

Kneecap is this year's bottoms.

[Pashi]

That's great. Just a great, fun movie. Irish that I saw on a. Irish that I saw on a plane. And even watching it on a tiny screen, it was my favorite movie of the year.

[Sufi]

That's great. Also Irish. But I just finished say Nothing on Hulu, which is based on a great book by Patrick Radden Keefe, and it is about, at the time, an unsolved missing person during the troubles in Northern Ireland. And fantastic cast and very gripping show. So I highly recommend that. And we put no prep into this. So maybe, you know what? Maybe the week this comes out, we go back, we loop back, and we have a few little best of that. We drop in now.

[Pashi]

Yeah. I would say God of the woods was my favorite book that I read this year.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Pashi]

I couldn't tell you the author.

[Sufi]

That's probably heartbreaking for the author, but that's.

[Pashi]

It's a function of reading on a Kindle. I don't see the COVID Yeah.

[Sufi]

I will say James by Purcel Everett.

[Pashi]

Just finished.

[Sufi]

And what did you think?

[Pashi]

I loved it.

[Sufi]

It's great. Yeah, it's a great book. I'm trying to think of other things I really liked.

[Pashi]

Usually there's not much for you.

[Sufi]

Did Tinker Taylor, Soldier Spy, the BBC miniseries, come out this year?

[Pashi]

No, I think that was 80s. I think that was mid-80s.

[Sufi]

It was 81. But I did rewatch it again this year and it holds up.

[Pashi]

Yeah, you're a sucker for that. Tinker Taylor.

[Sufi]

I do like Tinker Taylor. Soldier Spy. All right, so we're very excited about. Oh, oh. Sam's jumping in to say this is a good one for you. Favorite show, concert event you went to. I've got one. I saw oh, Mary off Broadway before it went to Broadway. And it is. You know what? People throw this around a lot for stage shows, but Pashi, it was a triumph.

[Pashi]

I. Yeah, I feel like I need to rush out to New York. Cause that's been extended, hasn't it?

[Sufi]

It has been extended. Cole Escola, this is their brainchild. They star in it. They Wrote it. It's truly special, and it's about Mary Todd Lincoln. And it's told in a way that is deeply funny and unlike anything I've ever seen before. What about you? You got a favorite concert you went to?

[Pashi]

I went to an LCD sound system show that I just loved. I'd really have to. This is one where I'm gonna have to loop back. I'm gone to my calendar.

[Sufi]

Great.

[Pashi]

But lcd, always a great show. Yeah. I mean, I've already got tickets to some shows next year. That drives Mackenzie crazy When I buy a ticket to a show in, like, August of 2025, and she's like, what are you doing? And I was like, well, they went on sale. That's. You have to. Now is when you have to buy these tickets. So.

[Sufi]

Hey, real quick. What do you. Do you like my new haircut?

[Pashi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

Nice.

[Pashi]

It's. Yeah.

[Sufi]

Thanks, bud. I mean, it's great. Yeah, no, I'm definitely. We're gonna. We're gonna put that quote on the poster. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Pashi]

I mean, again, you look like you're like a wrestling. It doesn't look like that hair has been washed today.

[Sufi]

Well, guess what? Point for poshy, because you're right. 1. Nothing if you're keeping score at home. Can you imagine?

[Pashi]

I shower for this podcast and I'm.

[Sufi]

On the west coast shower for this podcast.

[Pashi]

Yeah, well, I took a bath.

[Sufi]

Unbelievable. You took a bath?

[Pashi]

Yeah, yeah. You know me.

[Sufi]

Yeah, I'll. You know what? One billion downloads. That's the day I take a shower for this podcast. All right, Sam, lay it on us. What's our first best of. And feel free to join us and chat with us about it.

[Sam]

You know, I am gonna join you.

[Sufi]

Sam's here.

[Pashi]

Sam's here.

[Sam]

All right. I like to do the best of the year episodes. I like to start em off with some facts. So what's your guess for our downloads from this year? Our download numbers.

[Pashi]

Just this year.

[Sam]

Just this year.

[Pashi]

Ah, boy.

[Sam]

And I will say significant number.

[Sufi]

Can you tell us what last year was? Or is that unfair?

[Sam]

No, I'll give you. It'll be. Yeah, I'll give you a hint. So last year was.

[Pashi]

And we started in like, July of last year, right?

[Sam]

Yep.

[Pashi]

But anyhow. Go ahead.

[Sam]

Yeah. 4.2 million. Last year.

[Sufi]

Last year was 4.2 million. I'm really good at math. So if that was July, that was 75.

[Pashi]

I'm gonna say 10. 10 million.

[Sam]

7.3 million.

[Sufi]

Oh, 7.3.

[Sam]

Yeah. Yeah. So we're just around 11.5 million downloads.

[Pashi]

All right. That's crazy.

[Sam]

That's a lot. That's a lot. We were just celebrating 1 million downloads. We made a graphic, put on some stuff.

[Sufi]

We overdid it. That party. We partied so hard at 1 million. We haven't had a party since.

[Pashi]

Yeah, we didn't do anything for 10 million.

[Sufi]

It's great.

[Sam]

Yeah, yeah, it's long gone. And you know, speaking of the theme of the podcast, I have to ask what your favorite trip was this year.

[Sufi]

Mm, favorite trip this year.

[Pashi]

I mean, for me it was my wedding, which was a trip. And yeah, I mean, there's no close second for me on that one.

[Sufi]

And don't be offended. Posh.

[Pashi]

Yeah, no, go ahead.

[Sufi]

I took a trip down to my corner cvs. Oh, you love that cvs. I was out of razors. But then your wedding, it was also fun. Yeah. I mean, yeah, Pittsburgh was really special this year.

[Pashi]

Yeah. I also had, I talked about it, but I had like a very last minute trip to Oslo and Stockholm in the summer where I was three nights in Oslo and like five nights in Stockholm and it was just great.

[Sam]

I would love to go to Oslo.

[Pashi]

Yeah. And there's this like not, you know, they're not paying me anything but like Norse. Atlantic Airways has very cheap direct flights to Oslo and a couple other places in Europe, Rome, London. But, but that was sort of what made it all very possible to get a cheap flight over there. So. Yeah, gotcha.

[Sufi]

But if you were doing an ad for them, what would you like, give a tagline for it? Norris? Atlantic Airways.

[Pashi]

It's cheap and you go to Oslo.

[Sufi]

That's really good.

[Pashi]

Going to Oslo for cheap.

[Sam]

But is it scary? Like Spirit Airlines? That's my question.

[Pashi]

No, it wasn't scary at all. Yeah, it wasn't scary. All right.

[Sufi]

Gotcha.

[Pashi]

Yeah, it was nice.

[Sufi]

Yes, we do not have windows.

[Pashi]

No windows, but you'll get there.

[Sufi]

You'll go to Oslo. Is that how they say it, Bash?

[Pashi]

Uh huh.

[Sufi]

They do say Oslo.

[Pashi]

Oslo.

[Sufi]

Oslo. You go to Oslo. No windows on the plane.

[Pashi]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Sufi]

Yeah, he was there. That's the thing when you're actually in a place that nobody almost ever says it.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Like the last place you hear New York out loud is New York. No one's ever walking down the street being like, hey, New York, baby.

[Pashi]

I don't know. There's that one guy.

[Sufi]

There's that one guy.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sam]

Okay, well, I think we just need to get right to it. We asked our listeners to Weigh in on their favorite trips of the year or their favorite episodes of the year. We have clips from four different episodes that we're gonna play and just chat about how fun it was having these guests on and how fun it was to.

[Pashi]

Even if it wasn't.

[Sam]

Even if it wasn't.

[Sufi]

Even if it wasn't.

[Sam]

Well, this is actually. Yeah, I'm actually testing how good your lying skills are. So that's what this is really about.

[Pashi]

Yeah, I'm sure. I enjoyed all these, but I'm excited.

[Sam]

So. All right. I'm just gonna play our first one, and we can chat about it after. But. And these are in no particular order, by the way. These are not ranked 1 better than the other. So one of everyone's favorite episodes of the year was with Paul Scheer.

[Paul Scheer]

Now, again, like, I am not actually smoking. I'm using it like one of those candy cigarettes, but it is actually, like, a lit cigarette that I'm, like, puffing on. Like. And so if anyone. Again, if anyone saw, I'm a. You know, I'm a kid in sixth grade walking around the back of, like, a hotel smoking a cigarette, talking to myself. I look like I'm having, like, a midlife crisis, you know, And. But instead, I'm, like, acting out this scene where, like, I'm on the Roosevelt island tram and I'm fighting, and I.

[Sufi]

Just like, yeah, they. Like, somebody hears you muttering about a cartel.

[Paul Scheer]

Yeah, like, God damn it, I gotta find out who those drugs are. They got my child. They got my boy. You know, so, like, literally. And so, like, I'm doing this thing, and in disgust, I just kind of throw the cigarette, you know, throw it. And again, I'm in my own imaginary world where I'm just. Yeah, I'm talking down a terrorist. I'm dealing with cartels, and I just throw that cigarette, like, oh, we're a part. This is all pretend. Not realizing I just threw a lit cigarette into dry brush behind this hotel that we're behind, you know, And. And I'm not.

[Sufi]

Dude ranch is famously full of dry trash.

[Paul Scheer]

I was by a creek bed that looked like no water had been in it for decades. It was just like, it was so covered over in dry weeds and tumbleweed. If you could have tumbleweed in the east. And all of a sudden, I'm continuing to figure out how to get my kidnapped son back when I see this fire starting and I'm behind our cabin. Cause we're in these, like, two little cabins, and I freak the hell out. Because, you know, as A kid. We had people come into school and they teach you, like, hey, if you catch on fire, stop, drop, and roll. I understood if I am on fire, what to do. I didn't understand how to put out a fire. Like, no one taught me that part of it.

[Sufi]

Really good. That was. I will say, mom and dad, big fans of Paul Scheer as well. They love that episode.

[Pashi]

I mean, it was one story. It was the whole way through, and it was a good enough story that. Yeah. That I feel like we were blessed in a way that. I don't know that he's told that story in such great detail anywhere else.

[Sufi]

And they had to kill my mic, of course, because a lot of. During that one story, I kept muttering, talk about showbiz. Why is this all about a trip?

[Pashi]

Did you ever do stand up?

[Sufi]

Well, where were your favorite rooms?

[Pashi]

Also, it should be noted, I think you were wearing the same sweatshirt in that.

[Sufi]

I mean, you just, like, keep that.

[Pashi]

Shirt in a trash can under the desk that you're sitting at right now.

[Sufi]

I hang it. What I do is I hang it from the ceiling, and I've got a little pulley system set up. So I come in for the podcast. I just put my hands up and drops off. It's very Wallace and Gromit. I think that's a reference everybody will get. I'll put that on my year's best. Wallace and Gromit. Oh, I ever prom with. End of. End of, best of lists. That's what they call them, right? End of best of lists.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

They all. Everybody's like, I'm going to do it about this year. You know what? Wallace and Gromit. Just as good this year. It makes my list.

[Pashi]

Yeah. I mean, I'm a big fan of Wallace and Gromit.

[Sufi]

Great. So we're in agreement.

[Pashi]

We are. We are. Yeah. Paul Scheer, what a delight. What a great story. Also, great use of that, blurring out the background effect.

[Sufi]

Yeah, well, he knows what he's doing. I should note. How did this get made? Is Paul Scheer's wonderful podcast as well. And sometimes it do help to have a podcast host on your podcast.

[Pashi]

Yeah, you mention it.

[Sufi]

Thank you, Paul.

[Pashi]

A lot.

[Sufi]

I do mention it. A lot. I think our listeners like my insights every time I say them.

[Sam]

Also, in Paul Scheer's episode, I loved towards the end of the episode, he talked about how his stepdad would capture possums, put them in cages, stack them, and wait for trick or treaters to come around Halloween.

[Sufi]

Can you imagine it's so funny too, because I feel like when you come home and tell your parents, they're like, well, those weren't real possums. Honey, it's Halloween.

[Pashi]

Yeah. No, no, it was. It was the Shears house.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Total winner.

[Sam]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by Nissan. It's time to fuel your inner adventure in the award winning Nissan Rogue Rock Creek.

[Pashi]

Hey, Seth.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

Tell me about your inner adventure. Are you a rocky trails guy or more of a snow roads bird?

[Sufi]

I'm a snow roads bird. Like to go up my snow roads, maybe pull over at one point, pop off a couple snow angels back in the car. Keep on rocking.

[Pashi]

Yeah. I was gonna say your snow angels are some of the nicest snow angels I've ever seen.

[Sufi]

They look as though an angel fell from heaven and just splatted into the snow.

[Pashi]

Yeah. One thing I will say, a note on snow angels.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

You don't have to do them face down.

[Sufi]

What? This is going to be a game changer. What about you? Posh Rocky trails or snow roads bird?

[Pashi]

Well, I mean, I'm a bit of both. I do love when you're in a vehicle that can handle some rocky terrain. I like driving slow and feeling a big old tire sort of creep over a rock and sort of waggle you back and forth. And that's the kind of feeling that you can get with some confidence in the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek.

[Sufi]

And I would say a lack of confidence in the car we drove in high school, which was a Renault look car. And if it was even a little bit rainy, you wouldn't go outside.

[Pashi]

Whatever kind of adventurer you are, the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek is ready for you thanks to its intelligent around view monitor with off road mode, the Rogue Rock Creek helps brave adventurers like you and also Seth to navigate around narrow obstacles in tough terrain. So thanks again to Nissan for sponsoring this episode of Family Trips. Adventure calls in the first ever Nissan Rogue Rock Creek. Learn [e-mail] intelligent ground view monitor cannot.

[Sufi]

Eliminate blind spots and may not detect every object. Drivers should always turn and check surroundings before driving. See owner's manual for safety information. Support for family trips comes from Airbnb. Hey, Paschi.

[Pashi]

Yes, Sufi?

[Sufi]

I went to your wedding and it was at a beautiful in and the people who stayed at the inn had a great time. Sure, no complaints. But I got three kids. We stayed four minutes away at an Airbnb an A frame. I want to Stress this, because ever since we left, my kids want to live in an A frame. I just think they were blown away by the fact that a house could be shaped like a letter. And it was so great for us because our kids all have different bedtimes. And Addie first to go down, and we just took her back, put her to bed, came back to the wedding, and then Axel fell asleep right before the dancing started, took him back, put him to bed, went back to the wedding, and then Ash made it onto the dance floor until about 9:00 at night, took him back, put him to bed, and we got to have the full experience. And our kids had the most wonderful time. And it was so great not to think or worry about how loud it was gonna be in their room or would they wander back down to the wedding because something woke them up and just. Perfect.

[Pashi]

Yeah. And then Axel wants to go back to that Airbnb.

[Sufi]

Axel did say for his birthday, he wants to go back to that Airbnb in the Catskills and have everybody who was at your wedding come to his birthday.

[Pashi]

Great.

[Sufi]

Yeah. And we keep saying, sure. And I feel like he's going to remember and be super mad when it doesn't happen.

[Pashi]

Well, if that happens, you should have him stay at an Airbnb four minutes away, and then he won't be able to come back and tell you how mad he is.

[Sufi]

That's a good point. Book your next awesome trip [e-mail] Here we go.

[Sam]

All right, you ready for our second best of the year?

[Pashi]

Yes, please.

[Sam]

Hey, our second best of the year again, in no particular order. Tig Notaro.

[Sufi]

Tig.

[Pashi]

I'm crossing my fingers. You're wearing something different in this one, Seth.

[Sufi]

Come on, baby. Come on, baby. Different shirt, baby.

[Tig Notaro]

But as soon as I say I'm from Mississippi, people are like, oh, yeah, what was that like? You know, like, what was it like being gay? You know, being gay and from Mississippi? What is your family? And I'm like, my family hosted the biggest gay wedding probably ever.

[Pashi]

Yeah. So step off, big boy.

[Sufi]

Where's your wife from?

[Tig Notaro]

New York and California.

[Sufi]

Gotcha. And does she love it as well?

[Tig Notaro]

She loves it. And when we first. I tell this story, story in my HBO special, but when we first met and I told her I was from Mississippi, she was like, mississippi? She said, I picture people barefoot there. And I was like, oh, my gosh. I said, I get it. And yes, people run around barefoot, but they have job. My family is civilized, you know, they. Whatever. Just like other People's families. And then when Stephanie was coming out to meet my family, everybody rented one of those huge, like, 16 passenger vans, and they all piled in it and drove from Mississippi to New Orleans. They spent the afternoon in the French Quarter, walking around, hanging out, killing time until Stephanie's flight arrived. And then, you know, you can drink in your car there, and you can have open. Yeah, okay. So they brought a cooler in the van, and. And we're in the French Quarter. And I said, hey, oh, my gosh, Stephanie's plane is landing soon. We gotta wrap it up and go to the airport. So everybody gets back in the van and we drive to the airport. I drove to the airport, I was sober, and I pull up to right outside baggage claim, and I said, okay, stay here. I'm going to go in, get Stephanie, and I will meet you right out here. And they're like, all right. I go in, I get Stephanie. I'm so excited to see her. It's, you know, we've been together. It's our first year together. She's about to meet my family. My family's so excited to meet her. We walk out, and we're just, like, looking at each other. And she goes, is that your family? And I look over, and they are right where we parked. But they had pulled the cooler out on the sidewalk, and they had taken their shoes off because we had been walking around the French Quarter all day. So they're barefoot going, and just, like, 15 family members going nuts, screaming with a cooler.

[Sufi]

It's wonderful. That was. Of the destinations that were mentioned in the famous family trips. Question, would you recommend your hometown as. As a vacation destination? That's the one I think I most want to go to.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Past Chris Chan.

[Sufi]

Past Chris Chan. And you know what makes her a good podcast guest? Posh.

[Pashi]

She's also a podcast host.

[Sufi]

Oh, where did you hear that nugget?

[Pashi]

Every time we have a podcast post on, you say it, you comment on their mic.

[Sufi]

Are you also nervous that you're going to be wearing that shirt in past episodes? No, I'm, like, disappearing into the wall. That's what's cool about this shirt.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Good.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

You're one man's cool is another man's guy. Laugh. Question.

[Sufi]

But she's wonderful. Tig's Wonderful was a great story. And yeah. Past Chris Jam. One day.

[Pashi]

One day we're going to get there.

[Sufi]

Walk down that little main street, get a coffee. Looking forward to it already.

[Pashi]

That coffee bookshop combo. I want to say. Yeah. Or maybe they're two different places. I don't know. I will confirm it once I go there.

[Sufi]

Yes. Perfect. That was great. What do we got next? I wonder. I wonder out loud.

[Sam]

Okay, next we have definitely a fan favorite. People loved her. Give you a clue. So funny. She's so giggly. That was something I remember even in the recording. You have any guesses of who it might be?

[Sufi]

Giggly.

[Sam]

Just talking to her, I feel like. Makes you laugh.

[Sufi]

Oh, Judy Greer.

[Sam]

No, but that rings true for her, too.

[Pashi]

Okay. I wouldn't call Tiffany Haddish giggly, but talking to her funny makes me laugh. Yeah.

[Sam]

Not her. But it is Katherine Hahn.

[Sufi]

Oh, Katherine Hahn.

[Sam]

The best.

[Katherine Hahn]

Don't go in the pool, don't take a bath. And maybe bring your own fruit. But there was no real beach even. It was like, just. It was like centuries before those pebbles would turn into sand. Like, you know what I mean? It was like walking on hot pebbles to get to the thing.

[Sufi]

And then a pebble beach is a real. That's a real kick in the teeth.

[Katherine Hahn]

It's a bummer.

[Pashi]

Did you go swimming in Lake Erie? Was that, like, one of the things you would do there? Or.

[Katherine Hahn]

Of course at Lake Erie is like. Is beautiful, but there is definitely, like, a chance of a syringe floating up or a dirty diaper or, you know, just used. Like, it was like. You definitely had to be like, take a shower afterwards. But I loved. I loved those vacations. That's what I knew that was. I would hear, like, people talk about Hilton Head and Myrtle beach and be like, God, that sounds like a vacation. Like, that sounds like there's a boardwalk. You can get, like, sweatshirts that said, like, you know, Myrtle Beach. And I, like, really wanted, like, a Hilton Head. Like, all those sounded so rad. But we. We made, like, Lake Erie became awesome. My dad all. Okay, this is another tangent. All talking about my dad and, like, beautiful stories. He had a lot of outdoor or out. You know, those motors that you could put on the back of a boat.

[Sufi]

Yes.

[Katherine Hahn]

And he was always into just putting one in the trunk. My mom was like, no, thank you. And so the car, the Caddy would be like this. Like, it would just be leaning in the back of it so heavy. He would go. He would rent one of those, like, aluminum boats, like, those tiny little shell boats. Put his motor on the back. We would have to sit in the front to balance it. And then he would just take off straight into the middle of Lake Erie. Like, he. He was just. He would just. And then we. And then he liked to have A little picnic in the middle of Lake Erie. While we were like, he would. I just have such an image of him, like, with, like, a Shasta in one hand and try and controlling it in the other. With a legitimate captain's hat on that he would wear.

[Sufi]

We call.

[Katherine Hahn]

We called him the captain.

[Sufi]

She. You know what? Sam did not undersell how wonderfully giggly she is. And a real inducer of giggles from me.

[Pashi]

Yeah. I was also thinking again, not to just drive traffic over the old YouTube, but it is. It is. I am really enjoying watching these guests tell their stories.

[Sufi]

Yes.

[Pashi]

Kathryn Hahn is very animated and. Yeah. And so, so fun. So sweet. Also, it was a small world thing. I mentioned that LCD sound system show I went to, and I bumped into Catherine's husband Ethan, outside of that show.

[Sufi]

Fantastic.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

A wonderful couple with wonderful children, and it was really us hammering home what a lovely season of guests we've had.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Yeah. It's to be able for us to guess, like, is this Judy Greer? Is it Tiffany Haddish?

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

And then it's not like, yeah, Kathryn Hahn is also on that Mount Rushmore.

[Sufi]

I think that also, you should. Or I am cognizant of the fact that all my guesses are within the last eight guests, because. Yeah, my memory is completely shot.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

I. You know, I told you I might write. I might write a book, you know, and I. When you write a book, you got to have memories, and here's how bad it is. I have a question for you.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

You're my only sibling, right.

[Pashi]

Yeah, That I know. Hey, a lot I don't know, but.

[Sufi]

The Thanksgiving show, which is so much fun, you know, we double tape on Thanksgiving and the show. So on Wednesday, we tape the Wednesday show first, and then we tape you guys on Thursday. So you guys were there on Wednesday. James Acaster is one of my favorite guests on the show. Fantastic British comedian.

[Pashi]

Oh, my God. Yeah.

[Sufi]

He did text me and say, next Thanksgiving, I would like to come out as your brother. You guys never talk about. I was like, it would be a very. It'd be a super fun bit.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Our British brother.

[Sufi]

Yeah, Peter. He had some dumb name for it. Like, that was, like, not a comedy name.

[Pashi]

Just.

[Sam]

I have a question for you guys. Actually, I was thinking about this for Catherine. Do you ever. Do you ever have something that you really want to ask her or maybe have some things in mind? But then she just. I feel like she made it so easy to. She goes off on these stories, then you ask her more things, and then before you know, it the interview's over. Do you ever leave feeling like, oh, I really. There's so many things I didn't get to ask her.

[Sufi]

I, you know, I think it was, I remember with Alex Edelman realizing, oh, maybe we just scratched the surface. Like, that was a real. We are a family. It's gonna travel and every time we come home, there's gonna be seven family trips worthy anecdotes. But I mostly just love when you realize, oh my God, it's been an hour that went by so fast. And so I never, like, kick myself that we didn't ask. I mostly just delight in the fact that it went so fast.

[Pashi]

Yeah. And then if I have any sort of real world interactions, like, I know I mentioned to Katie Sackhoff that I had seen her in the TSA line but actually had no actual interaction with her. But it was exciting for me in the moment. So if I have things like that, I will want to bring them up to our guests. But, um, yeah, typically I just am along for the ride and see. See where it takes us.

[Sam]

Yeah. And I guess those are the easiest kind of guests anyways. Right where they make it.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sam]

An easy ride.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors.

[Sufi]

This episode of Family Trips is brought to you by Nissan. It's time to fuel your inner adventure in the award winning Nissan Rogue Rock Creek. So, Josh, tell me about a recent time you connected with your inner adventurer.

[Pashi]

Well, anytime it rains in la, which isn't very often, I throw my gear on and I get out in it and my dog Woody loves to get out there with me. And we'll start on a trail on sort of a big fire road trail, but then we find those smaller trails where you need to crawl and get your hands dirty. And the wetter you get, the better you get. And yeah, that's what we like.

[Sufi]

I love it.

[Pashi]

What about you? Have you connected with your inner adventurer recently?

[Sufi]

You know those squirrel suits where people jump off the sides of cliffs?

[Pashi]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

I just watched a YouTube video of that. My tummy. It made my tummy feel weird.

[Pashi]

Yeah, yeah. Careful, don't watch too many of those. Whatever kind of adventurer you are, the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek is ready for you. Thanks to its intelligent around view monitor. And with off road mode, the Rogue Rock Creek helps brave adventurers like you, and also Seth to navigate around narrow obstacles in tough terrain. Plus, with lava red stitching and rock creek embroidery, you're surrounded in style no matter where you go up On Rogue.

[Sufi]

Rock Creek she sends me. Right?

[Pashi]

Yeah, we didn't call the right.

[Sufi]

We probably can't clear that. So thanks again to Nissan for sponsoring this episode of Family Trips Adventure calls in the first ever Nissan Rogue Rock Creek. Learn [e-mail] intelligent ground view monitor cannot eliminate blind spots and may not detect every object. Drivers should always turn and check surroundings before driving. See owner's manual for safety information. Support comes from Blueland. Hey Pashi.

[Pashi]

Yes, Ufi?

[Sufi]

I am very aware that we're gonna create as Americans more waste during Christmas during New Year's. But here's a way to feel a little bit better about it. Blueland. So Blueland is fantastic because they're on a mission to eliminate single use plastic by reinventing cleaning essentials to be better for you and the planet. I love this. It's very simple. You have a forever bottle, you fill it with warm water, you drop in a tablet and you just start cleaning instead of having a single use bottle. And every time that's out you throw away the bottle. That's more plastic that no one's ever going to use again and you have to go back to the store. This is so much simpler. Yeah, it's great.

[Pashi]

We are a full Blueland house over here. Everything from our toilet tablets to cleaning sprays to laundry tablets, it's all Blueland. And it all smells so nice. And it also is packaged up so well in either these reusable tins that we keep our tablets in or these bottles. And it's nice to not have to throw away these huge big old clunky plastic containers every time you finish using some cleaning products.

[Sufi]

And this is cleaning sprays, hand soap, toilet cleaner, laundry tablets. All Blueland products are made with ingredients you can feel good about. And now for a limited time, Blueland's hand soap is getting a festive upgrade. You love a festive upgrade. Pasci Always beautiful chocolate box inspired gift set. Cozy scents. Toasted vanilla, Wintry pine. Sweet chestnut. It's the perfect gift. Sweet chestnut. That's what I used to call you. Perfect gift for your loved one or yourself to reduced waste. Blueland is a special offer for our listeners right now. Get 15% off your first order by going to blueland.com trips. You won't want to miss this. Blueland.com trips for 15% off. Blueland.com trips 15% off.

[Sam]

This is our final favorite trip and episode of the year. But it's a two parter. It's a two clip parter because this was our episode with Josh Gad, where you guys also went to the Grand Canyon.

[Josh Gad]

It was one of those things where, like, a lot of times I remember, especially when I was younger, we used to do staycations. So we would go to, like, Marriott, the Marriott beach in Fort Lauderdale and like, just stay there and pretend to be like tourists ourselves. I'm not sure why my parents thought that that was the way to play it, but how far was the drive.

[Pashi]

From there to where you lived?

[Josh Gad]

It was like 20 minutes.

[Pashi]

Oh, that just was so weird.

[Paul Scheer]

But, like.

[Josh Gad]

But my parents really gaslit me into thinking we were getting, like, a hell of a vacation, right?

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Josh Gad]

Like, they were like this. You guys, you have no idea. Were you gaslit?

[Sufi]

Do you remember that being something you were excited about when it was time to go to the Marriott?

[Josh Gad]

I remember I didn't know what the word Gaslit was until 2016.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Josh Gad]

But I had a sensation. I had this sensation.

[Pashi]

You just didn't know what to call it.

[Sufi]

Right. You're like, something's out of there.

[Josh Gad]

Because my friends were going to the Caribbean and I knew they had to get on a plane and Instead, like a 20 minute drive felt wrong compared to that.

[Pashi]

All that time they were on a plane, though, you were sitting poolside sipping on a.

[Josh Gad]

That's just like that.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Josh Gad]

This is me trying to relive my childhood right here.

[Sufi]

He was wonderful.

[Pashi]

He was wonderful and he was sick, and it didn't stop him.

[Sufi]

He had my favorite backdrop of the year, like little mini mini bamboo palms behind him, which was great.

[Pashi]

Yeah, I'm still. His book is on my list. I don't know if his book has come out yet. The In Gad We Trust, based on his stories.

[Sufi]

I am deeply excited for it.

[Pashi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sufi]

He's just the best.

[Pashi]

Yeah. Big fan.

[Sufi]

Not bad for a guy who doesn't have his own podcast.

[Pashi]

Oh, man, if Gad had his own podcast, he'd crush us.

[Sufi]

Yeah, Gab gabbing with Gad. Gad, Gab, Sure.

[Pashi]

Yeah, I'm sure he's not going to use those because Gab's.

[Sufi]

Gad. Gab's grab bag.

[Pashi]

Just use them all because then you can go after them for.

[Sufi]

Oh, right, right, right, right. I can sue him for using. Hey, it's time for Gad's Gab Crap bag.

[Pashi]

He'll probably come up with something else.

[Sufi]

Yeah. It's time to chit chat with Josh Gad. All right, I'm done with this foolishness.

[Pashi]

But, yeah, this was a two parter. So, Sam, you want to hit us with part Two.

[Sam]

Yep. Here is part two, probably one of the most anticipated videos I think our listeners had been waiting for, because they just. They all wanted to see your reaction to being in the Grand Canyon. So here we go.

[Sufi]

All right. So this is it.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Have you looked?

[Pashi]

I've looked.

[Sufi]

Okay.

[Pashi]

Because you were taking too long in the car.

[Sufi]

Well, somebody had to get the gorp.

[Pashi]

And then we're passing a series of picnic tables, and Seth is gonna walk to the edge of the Grand Canyon.

[Sufi]

Well, I mean, it's spectacular.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah. I feel like a lot of our guests have said this, but it's really. It's massively big. And, yeah, you do kind of have to be here to appreciate the size.

[Pashi]

This is a tiny piece of it. You can see just across the way there, those hills. There's so much beyond those. Yeah.

[Sufi]

But at the same time, I feel like what I'm seeing is enough. You know what I mean?

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah. I'm really happy I'm singing with you.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

So here we are.

[Sufi]

Here we are.

[Pashi]

Now we're gonna go have our fantasy football draft with these dopes.

[Sufi]

We're gonna go for a hike and eat some gorp and then have a fantasy football draft in the edge of one of God's great creations. We went to the Grand Canyon this year, buddy.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

What a year. You know what? I can't believe we left that out for best trips. But no, it had to be about my wedding.

[Pashi]

Everybody loved my wedding.

[Sufi]

Oh, my God. Get over yourself. At. It's like, get over yourself.

[Pashi]

I will say the similar thing from the Grand Canyon trip and my wedding is. I'm learning that people are more afraid of rain than they have any reason to be.

[Sufi]

I love rain.

[Pashi]

I do, too. But everyone, as soon as it starts raining, people in our sphere have been panicking.

[Sufi]

Well, our friend Brian Stanchfield, who's having his worst fantasy football year ever, I have recently opined it's because he was so scared about lightning during the draft that he just took bad players.

[Pashi]

It's very possible.

[Sufi]

It's very. It just. Everybody lost their mind.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Little bit of rain.

[Pashi]

Little bit of rain or just the threat of rain?

[Sufi]

Like, yeah, they remember when people are like, if there's enough rain, the canyon will overflow. You're being ridiculous.

[Pashi]

There was talk, I saw, in some of the. The. The chats, the messages that people send to family trips, that in the GAD episode, we had gone to the Grand Canyon, and people were saying, well, like, maybe you need to change that last question.

[Sufi]

Yeah, yeah.

[Pashi]

We still need to discuss this, but because Josh Gad spoke so lovingly of Epcot, a place that neither of us has ever been, there was talk about making that a question and then maybe having that be something that pulls us down to Epcot. But I don't know.

[Sufi]

We'll.

[Pashi]

We'll have to.

[Sufi]

I mean, Epcot in. Are you saying Epcot in 25. Is that your platform? We're going to make the question Epcot, maybe.

[Pashi]

I mean, I wouldn't mind. And I wouldn't mind checking out Epcot.

[Sufi]

Interesting. Interesting.

[Pashi]

Take it under advisement.

[Sufi]

Take it under advisement.

[Pashi]

Yeah. But I like that it sort of. Without the podcast, we definitely would not have had our fantasy football draft on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

[Sufi]

What about we replace. Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon with. You ever seen a dead body? Do you think that'd be a good question?

[Pashi]

I mean, it would be a good question so long as it wasn't like, oh, yeah, like, my dad died and I was there, and it's like, oh, and then that's. We're signing up.

[Sufi]

Well, here's the thing. Well, I just know that true crime podcasts are. Are like a big thing. So I feel like if we had a little element of that at the end where we'd be like, you. You ever see a dead body? You know what it is? Maybe to avoid the my dad died thing is, did you. Have you ever seen a dead body from an unsolved case? So then that eliminates anyone where you just like, old age, you know, Because I think that would be the drag.

[Pashi]

Yeah. And then our buddy.

[Sufi]

Okay, so how about this? You ever see a body in the woods?

[Pashi]

Do you ever see a rando body in the woods?

[Sufi]

Yeah. No. Or Epcot. That's fun. Oh, my God, Pashi, why do you hate all good ideas that drive traffic?

[Pashi]

Then whoever wins our fantasy football league and has to have a draft host the draft next year is going to be like, we got to find a dead body in the woods to have our fantasy.

[Sufi]

What if we do a series of photos? It's. You don't say no right away.

[Pashi]

Okay.

[Sufi]

It's you butt naked, but we can't see your face. And we just. We take pictures of you lying in different places in the woods, and then we show our guests and we say, dead body or just sleeping.

[Pashi]

Why do I have to be naked? Well.

[Sufi]

Cause I feel. Well, it's true. I don't know why. Why all I guess in my head, like, dead bodies in the woods are often naked, but you're Right. Yeah. All right. So some of them. But here's the thing. You can't do any in the shirt you're currently wearing, because people would know right away.

[Pashi]

Well, I mean, that shirt looks like a shirt to find a dead body in.

[Sufi]

I agree. I disagree. I feel like you might never find somebody if they were in the woods in this because it would, like, blend right into the underbrush.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

Wear bright colors is the story. If you want to be found. If you want to be found.

[Pashi]

Right.

[Sufi]

If you're ever going on a shady first. That's what I call a first date where the person is shady. If you're ever going on a shady first. Bright colors. This is, I think, going to be catnip for the true crime podcast listeners.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

All right. I will end by saying this. Posh. You ever been to Epcot?

[Pashi]

No.

[Sufi]

Well, there you go.

[Pashi]

Do you want to go? I do.

[Sufi]

Guess what? You know why Epcot's good?

[Pashi]

Because you don't want to go. And I.

[Sufi]

Exactly. It's Grand Canyon all over again. I got no interest. Yeah, that's you.

[Pashi]

Oh, curmudgeon.

[Sufi]

I mean, I. There's. I mean, again, the thing, really, which I think most of our listeners know at this point. I barely want to go anywhere.

[Pashi]

Right.

[Sufi]

Yeah.

[Pashi]

Yeah.

[Sufi]

You know what I like? My sweet, sweet podcast room. Got my ring light. I got a back wall that almost matches my lucky sweater.

[Pashi]

Got some muted colors.

[Sufi]

Got some mutes. All right, Paji. Well, congrats to another successful year of family trips. The podcast.

[Pashi]

Yeah. And happy New Year to everyone. Happy New Year to all of our producers over at Rabbit Grin. They keep this. They keep these trains running. So, yeah, to Rob and make sure I am.

[Sufi]

To Jeff. To Jeff. Gives us a hard time, but we do love Jeff.

[Sam]

You know, I did just reach out and say. So the guys are thinking family trips, Unsolved mysteries for next year. And I'm not really sure how I felt.

[Pashi]

They just dropped us. They just dropped us clients.

[Sufi]

They just dropped us into the top 10 list. And then just everybody check out my favorite movie of 2024. 2008's In Bruges.

[Pashi]

Happy New Year, everybody.

[Sufi]

Happy New Year.

[Narrator]

Family trips. Another year is over, and we're taking a look back at some of our favorite episodes. Family Trip. We didn't really pick them. We let listeners tell us which ones.

[Pashi]

They appreciated the most.

[Narrator]

Family Tree. Cause if we're being honest, every guest was fantastic, and they're unique in their own special way. Family tree. We started this last year, but I think this was the year we set the podcast landscape ablaze Billions of download every episode's about an billions of down low Sometimes I forget to take a show and it's pretty obvious I mean it doesn't take much effort but if you watch on YouTube you'll often see the same gross sweatshirt maybe I should be telling his wife but that just feels wrong. Instead I'll just keep ripping him and giving him grief and in 2025 he'll turn over a new leaf. OKG I don't know what to do I know he has nice clothes but there are times a I wonder are we really proud? I'm gonna send him shampoo and a couple nice sweaters too and also a sweatshirt too I sometimes throw my head in the sink I guess I shouldn't.

[Pashi]

Be such a snob.

[Narrator]

Besides, on episodes like this we just listen to clips from the past we listen to clips from the park we listen to clips from the pod Take a shower Soufi.

[Katherine Hahn]

Wash yourself Sophie.