Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

Episode: Camping in the Snow, Aussie Waterfalls, & A Trip With Zero Bear Sightings: Listener Episode #20
Date: January 29, 2026
Hosts: Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers

Episode Overview

This listener-driven episode features Seth and Josh Meyers reading and reacting to family trip stories submitted from around the world. Centering on childhood memories, close encounters with wildlife, travel mishaps, and the universal drama of missed moments, the brothers weave in their signature self-deprecating humor, sibling banter, and cultural references. The episode spotlights tales from Seattle, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada—offering a globe-trotting, nostalgia-filled ride punctuated by oddball asides (and some questionable accents).

1. Meyers Brothers Catch-Up

0:17 - 10:59

• Steelers Season Recap:
  The brothers lament the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season, with Seth recounting the humor and pain of breaking the news to his kids, especially the early-rising and football-absorbed Axel.

  • Seth: “Axel came and woke me up at 5:40 and just said, ‘Did they win?’ and I said they didn’t. And he went, ‘Oh, I’m going back to bed.’” (00:31)
  • Ash's surprising emotional awareness is highlighted: “Ash goes, ‘I’m going to give you an A because you really kept your cool about the Steelers.’ ...How do you already know how much I’m fighting it?” (01:17)

• Family Text-Chain Grades:
  Josh asks Seth to rate their dad's performance on the game night text thread—Dad gets a C-minus for dropping an F-bomb and going to bed early.

  • “I would say dad was in the C minus range. ...I think there was maybe an F word before he let us all know he was going to bed.” (02:57)

• Surprise Birthday Recap:
  They recall Josh’s birthday dinner in LA, including near-missed surprises, the accidental giveaway of dinner details, and the joy of mingling with shared friends.

  • “What time’s dinner?” “6:40, which no one’s ever booked a 6:40 dinner reservation.” (04:24)
  • Josh on Instagram and friend Jill’s unflattering group photo: “So ultimately, Jill fucked you. I mean, she did.” (06:58)

• Showbiz Anecdotes:
  Seth brags about a mid-interview “slow joke” for Korean actor Lee Byung Hun, and teasingly wonders about the appropriateness of wearing his own show’s sweatshirt.

• "Heated Rivalry" Fandom:
  Seth discusses the surprising popularity of Connor Story (from the show “Heated Rivalry”)—even causing his staff to field a surge in ticket requests:

  • “We received more personal ticket requests...for Connor Story than I have for anyone outside of Taylor Swift in like three weeks.” (09:50)

2. Listeners' Family Travel Tales

15:00 - 39:55

Greta from Seattle: “The Bear Encounter That...Wasn't”

17:06 - 20:20

• Story: Greta recounts visiting Glacier National Park with family, obsessing over seeing wild bears, only to discover the excitement came while she was fast asleep.
• Key Moment: As a child, she and her brother discover a live bear trap. Later, a grizzly and cubs go on a cabin-side trash frenzy, the mother bear is trapped, but her parents don't wake the kids to see it.
• Notable Quote:
  • “They have never given us a logical reason for not waking us up, other than they just didn’t think to.” (19:41)
• Hosts’ Reactions: Sympathy for missing out, musing on how, with smartphones, parents today would film it all:
  • Seth: “In this day and age…we don’t have to wake up; the kids will just make a video of the bear thrashing around.” (20:38)

Seth’s Tangent: Kid FOMO on Ski Trips & Cookies

22:33 - 26:11

• Seth shares a side story on his son Ash’s “fear of missing out” at a haunted hotel on a ski trip—then comically details Ash’s overindulgence in cookies and subsequent car-sickness.
• “I was like, how many [cookies] did you have? And he went, 8 to 15. Son of a gun.” (24:38)

Stephen from Perth, Australia: “Waterfalls and Wild Surprises”

27:16 - 32:42

• Story:
  Long, wandering road trips with his grandparents across Western Australia, featuring endless open space, insider local adventures, cassette tapes, and...a surprise naked sunbathers incident at a hidden waterfall.
• Key Moment:
  • “As I got close to the waterfall I stumbled across probably the first naked girl sighting I’ve ever had and it was in the wild. I think there was two or three wearing nothing but a smile...” (29:11)
• Hosts’ Reactions:
  Seth and Josh joke about how the episode's narrative zigged ever so briefly into adolescent milestones, reminisce about their own reactions to nudity as preteens, and attempt friendly-but-terrible Australian accents.
  • “I didn’t think naked ladies was coming, did you?...Always exciting for young gents.” (30:52)

Anusha from New Zealand: “Camping...or Not Camping...in the Snow”

34:50 - 39:05

• Story:
  As a recent Indian immigrant, Anusha is designated family trip planner for a group camping trip, scoring deals via Groupon and relying entirely on Google Maps. She navigates them straight to a very scenic, icy, and unexpectedly snowy mountain campsite...in spring.
• Key Moment:
  • “Turns out I’d set us up at the foothill of the famous Mount Tongariro...and it snowed there even during spring. Much panic ensued...” (36:27)
  • They wisely panic-rent warm cabins for the night, leaving their fresh tents out in the snow for the memory books.
• Hosts’ Reactions:
  • This is peak relatable parent content. Seth: “That would be how I would feel if at the last minute, instead of camping, we went to a hotel. Especially if it was not my fault.” (37:50)

3. Listener Follow-Ups & Extra Segments

41:13 - 46:47

Andrew from Winnipeg: “In Defense of Our City (and Restaurant Scene)”

41:18 - 43:43

• Context:
  After Bob Odenkirk’s visit cast shade on Winnipeg’s culinary reputation, Andrew calls to set the record straight, highlighting the city’s abundance of restaurants, vibrant French winter festival, and summer pop-up scene—inviting the Meyers brothers to visit, but cautioning: “If you’re coming here in the winter ... it can be something between, you know, minus 15 to minus 40 Celsius.” (41:26)
• Hosts’ Reactions:
  • Both express affection for Canada, delicately suggest a summer visit is vastly preferable, and joke about the unfamiliar cold.

The “Unsmirching” Segment

44:09 - 44:40

• Seth and Josh joke about starting a “desmirching” (unsmirching) segment to let listeners defend their hometowns if the podcast gives a city a bad rap:
  • “If you feel besmirched, unsmirch it.” (44:23)

4. End-of-Episode Banter & Listener Song Recap

46:47 - End

• Prompting for Future Episodes:

  • The brothers express excitement about themed listener stories (“bear encounters” was a hit), with plans for more prompts.
  • Josh: “We’ll think about some prompts for some episodes this season. I think that’s a good way to go. So I appreciate Greta for sort of lighting that fire.” (46:32)

• Global Reach:

  • Celebrating submissions from around the world (New Zealand, Australia, Canada, US), and self-awarely butchering various accents.

• Sibling Nostalgia:

  • Reflections on childhood, Smurf collecting, and the eternal syndrome of “packing light but still leaving things behind.”
  • Seth: “It’s amazing. Like, I think I left my first, third, and fourth most important thing. Like, I brought nothing and I left it all.” (47:46)

• Listener-Generated Recap Song

  • The episode closes with a listener song summarizing the stories in whimsical rhyme (starts 48:14).
    • “Greta wanted to see a bear. Couldn’t find them anywhere...In Australia, Stephen told of his old Nissan Patrol...Anusha’s family might have frozen...”
  • (The segment is playful, wrapping up the major stories with wordplay and inside-joke references.)

Memorable Quotes

• On Family & Disappointment:
  • “The heartbreaking ones, the ones I still think about are the ones that turned on one play.” (01:10)
• On Missed Childhood Moments:
  • Greta (Listener): “To this day, we still haven’t forgiven our parents for it. And they have never given us a logical reason for not waking us up.” (19:41)
• On Parenting Failures:
  • Seth: “It’s amazing. Like, I think I left my first, third, and fourth most important thing. Like, I brought nothing and I left it all.” (47:46)
• On Self-Deprecating Showbiz:
  • Josh, about posting Instagram photos: “So ultimately, Jill fucked you. I mean, she did.” (06:58)
• On Adventure Travel:
  • Stephen (Listener): “…But probably just a quick look [at the Grand Canyon], as I’ve seen many sites that are just as amazing, if not more.” (30:08)

Highlighted Timestamps

• Early banter & Steelers talk: 00:17 – 03:40
• Birthday dinner/Surprise fail: 03:55 – 07:16
• Heated Rivalry celebrity surge: 09:07 – 10:59
• Greta’s bear story: 17:06 – 20:20
• Australia naked waterfall story: 27:16 – 32:42
• Anusha’s camping in the snow: 34:50 – 39:05
• Winnipeg tourism defense: 41:13 – 43:43
• Listener summary song: 48:14 – End

Episode Tone & Style

Affectionately irreverent and self-aware, the Meyers brothers create a feeling of family warmth—even as they roast each other, their loved ones, and the quirks of human memory. They welcome listener vulnerability and oddity, keeping the tone upbeat, nostalgic, and genuinely enthusiastic about their fans’ worldwide stories.

For First-Time Listeners

If you’ve never listened before, this episode is a warm welcome: you’ll get classic sibling banter, relatable parenting and travel fails, quick left-turns into the absurd, and a world’s worth of odd, memorable, and sweet family tales. The Meyers’ conversational chemistry is infectious—you’ll feel like you’re in the backseat for the family road trip too.