Vault: The World Traveler Couple Opens Up About Their Split

Summary

---

The Bert Show: Vault – The World Traveler Couple Opens Up About Their Split

Date: March 25, 2026
Featuring: Bert Show Hosts, Co-hosts, Mandy (Guest)
Main Theme: A candid, emotional update from Mandy—one half of a world-traveling couple—from Italy, as she shares the realities of the couple’s recent breakup, its aftermath, and the hope of possible reconciliation.

---

Episode Overview

This episode revisits the story of Mandy and Brian, an adventurous Atlanta couple who ditched their settled lives to travel the world together. Listeners have followed not just their travel exploits but the ups and downs of their relationship. The couple recently announced their split after nearly a year on the road, with Mandy set to return home while Brian continued traveling. In this episode, Mandy, joining from Venice, opens up about the breakup, her ongoing feelings for Brian, their plans to reunite in Italy, and the uncertain future of their relationship.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Backstory and Emotional Setting

• The hosts recap Mandy and Brian's relationship and travel journey, noting that their communication post-breakup has mostly been via email.
• The breakup was not contentious but stemmed from diverging desires—Mandy wanted to return home, while Brian wanted to keep traveling.

"It was never, I don't like you, I don't want to be with you. It was more of a... our situation is kind of, you know, we're going separate ways."
— Mandy (05:52)

2. Mandy’s Current Situation

• Mandy is in Venice, Italy, instead of back home, awaiting a reunion with Brian and his parents.
• She admits she's "finally mostly stopped crying uncontrollably" and feels ready for an in-person conversation to clarify their future.

"We've kind of been communicating with each other by email and [...] we can talk about this in person. So I don't really know what's going to happen, but we're at least going to get together and talk about things face to face."
— Mandy (03:20)

3. Reflections on the Breakup

• Mandy enjoyed solo travel for a bit, but soon realized how much she missed Brian, sparking doubts about whether breaking up was the right decision.
• The hosts and Mandy discuss whether reuniting is driven by genuine love or simply the loneliness of being apart.

"Once that kind of wore off, I thought, oh my God, what have I done? I missed him so much. [...] It felt like it's so much more than just getting over a breakup. It was kind of a, I really messed up."
— Mandy (04:10)

4. Prospects for the Relationship

• Mandy is open to compromise: she's willing to keep traveling a bit longer if Brian will consider coming home sooner.
• She has proposed they both travel together over the summer, with the possibility to return home for grad school in the fall.

"I'm willing to stay on the road a little more if he's willing to come home, maybe a little sooner. [...] I would keep traveling, but I do want to be home by fall."
— Mandy (05:16, 07:32)

5. Brian’s Hesitance

• According to Mandy, Brian seems more guarded and wary about rekindling the relationship.

"He seems a little more hesitant and a little more hurt of or afraid of getting hurt and kind of going down this road again only to have us realize, you know, we do want separate things."
— Mandy (05:52)

6. Communication Challenges

• The dynamic of breaking up and negotiating a possible reunion over email, often from Internet cafes, adds a layer of stress and longing.

"I would imagine that you send him a message from an Internet cafe and walk four blocks and see another Internet cafe [...] and just check it again, see if he happens to be writing back."
— Host (09:01)

• Added humor as hosts compare Mandy and Brian's meet-up plans in Italy to more mundane Atlanta local hangouts.

"When I meet people, it's like, you know, at Moe’s, right?"
— Host (06:41)

7. Support Systems

• Mandy shares how her dad provided support during her travels post-breakup, and reflects on lacking a classic "breakup support group."
• The hosts joke about the universal experience of needing to process a breakup.

"We'd go to the Internet cafes and, like, I'd get an email from Brian, and whether it was good or bad, I'm sitting there, like, sobbing. My poor dad."
— Mandy (09:24)

"So, I mean, that answer is yes for every single person who asks himself, am I crazy? Yes. Everybody's crazy."
— Co-host (10:35)

8. Looking Forward

• Mandy is preparing for the big conversation with Brian in Verona ("the Romeo and Juliet city"), acknowledging both the romance and risks of their situation.
• She promises to update the show after their upcoming meeting.

"We're not only meeting Italy, but we're meeting in probably Verona. [...] It's romantic and it's sweet, but I know how they turned out. And that's not really what I'm talking about."
— Mandy (06:58)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the power of distance and perspective:
  "Now that I've had distance, I feel like the things that bugged me were really stupid. And, you know, it's like, it's not a problem at all. And I would rather be with him than not." (08:09)

• On the unique breakup context:
  "It'd be like if one of us wanted to have kids and the other didn't, you know, you can't really reconcile that." (05:52)

• Emotional vulnerability:
  "It kind of helps me, like, think about it. And sometimes, you know, to hear other people's perspective, it makes me realize, like, am I being crazy? Should I be doing this?" (10:24)

---

Key Timestamps

• [00:50] – Introduction to Mandy and Brian’s story
• [02:45] – Mandy joins from Venice, Italy; current emotional state
• [03:20] – Decision to meet Brian in person to discuss their future
• [04:10] – Mandy’s feelings after the breakup and desire for reconciliation
• [05:16] – Realistic views on compromise and travel/home balance
• [05:52] – The mutual (but uneven) desire to try again, Brian’s hesitations
• [06:58] – Verona meeting plans, Romeo & Juliet allusion
• [07:32] – Mandy’s proposal for traveling together before returning for school
• [09:24] – The emotional reality of relying on emails and Internet cafes
• [10:24] – Mandy reflecting on what the public processing adds to her clarity

---

Tone & Closure

The conversation is heartfelt and genuine, mixing emotional vulnerability with the witty, encouraging tone typical of The Bert Show. Mandy’s courage in sharing her heartbreak and hopes, while navigating life abroad and the complexities of love and compromise, comes through. The hosts oscillate between warmth, humor, empathy, and gentle skepticism, guiding Mandy through her reflections and leaving listeners rooting for a positive outcome—whatever it may turn out to be.

---

Transcript

[Tyler Redick]

Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing Victory Lane. Yeah, it's even better with Chumba by my side. Race to chumbacasino.com let's Chumba. No purchase necessary VTW Group void where prohibited by law CTNCs 21+ sponsored by Chumba Casino.

[Alex Kanchowitz]

Hi, this is Alex Kanchowitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on air contributor to cnbc. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and plenty more. So if you want to be smart with your wallet, your career choices, in meetings with your colleagues and at dinner parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

[Host of The Bird Show]

The Bird show who are Mandy and Brian?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Mandy and Brian are a couple from here in Atlanta. They were boyfriend and girlfriend and both of them wanted to travel the world, so they decided to just go for it. And they sold a bunch of stuff and put all their things in storage and got all their affairs together and went out to travel the world together. And we've been following them all around the world, not only the ups and downs of travel and where they've been and sort of exciting stories of the countries they visited, but also the ups and downs of their relationship. And so the last we heard from Mandy was via email because when we had talked to her, she said that it had been coming up almost on a year, that they had been traveling, right. And that Brian was going to continue traveling and that she was going to come home and that that was going to be the end of the relationship. But they hadn't planned on that until April. The last we heard from her was in an email where she was really upset, so much so that she didn't feel like she could talk to us in person because she was still so emotional about their breakup. And she said maybe that she had made a mistake. So we wanted to actually talk to her, maybe give her a little time under some breathing room to kind of get her emotions in order and then be able to share her story with

us because it sounded like it was mutual though, because like last time when we read the email that on their website, on their blogs, like each one was kind of talking to the other through the blog and both upset about the separation.

[Host of The Bird Show]

So Brian wrote a post about them walking away from Each other. I think it was at a post office. And now he went out to the street and looked after her but didn't want to cry in public. And then she was walking away. Well, she ended up responding to his post saying I had the same thoughts. And it was kind of, it was, it was actually very movie esque that they were both walking away from each other crying, but nobody wanted to admit to crying and public. And so when we first discussed this, Mandy wasn't available to come out with us because it was so fresh. But she joins us now from beautiful Italy. Hi, Mandy.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Hey, Mandy.

[Host of The Bird Show]

How are you?

[Mandy]

Good.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Where in Italy are you?

[Mandy]

I am in Venice.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Oh, it's a beautiful city. I got to go there a couple years ago.

[Mandy]

It's amazing. And you know, I'm just kind of, right now I'm hanging out, killing time. I'm actually going to meet up with Brian in a couple of days. So you are? Yeah. So sad I didn't go home a couple of days ago like I was supposed to. But there are worse places to kill time than Venice.

[Host of The Bird Show]

No kidding.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

So tell us about, because that's new, that you are now going to reunite with Brian. What happened since the last email?

[Mandy]

Okay, well, since the last email I have finally mostly stopped crying uncontrollably and I'm keeping my emotions in check a little better. We've kind of been communicating with each other by email and as you know, like talking about like your feelings and big serious issues like, you know, what are we going to, are we going to be together? Are we not? Can this work? Doesn't really work by email. And so we realized that he and his parents would be in Italy just a couple of days after I was supposed to leave. And so I said, you know, why don't I just stay? It's just a few extra days and we can talk about this in person. So I don't really know what's going to happen, but we're at least going to get together and talk about things face to face.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Host of The Bird Show]

And what, I mean, if it's not too personal, what type of things are you going to be talking about? Because you don't talk unless there's hope of continuing.

[Mandy]

Right, right. And it kind of started with, you know, we'd set, we separated for a couple weeks. We separated for a couple of weeks. And once I got over, it was, and I have to be honest, it was really nice to travel by myself for a bit. I mean, we spent so much time together. It was really nice to be alone and all that. But then once that kind of wore off, I thought, oh my God, what have I done? I missed him so much. And it was, it felt like it's so much more than just getting over a breakup. It was kind of a, I really messed up, I really want to be with this person and crap, now I'm not. And so I kind of started it and told him, you know, I'm still crazy about you. And the reason we'd separated, as you know, was because really I wanted to go home and he kind of wanted to keep going. And we didn't think it would work, but I started thinking, there's got to be a way we can compromise, make this work. So that's kind of what we're talking about is what do we both want for the future? And is there a way to make that, you know, mesh together somehow?

[Host of The Bird Show]

Would you be willing to stay with him in a relationship but allow him to continue to travel while you come back home?

[Mandy]

That would be part of it. But I mean, it would be hard to do that for a really long time. Like, you know, a couple of months, that'd be fine. But, you know, more that, you know, if it's going to be like another year or something of us being apart, I don't know how well that would work. So we kind of need to discuss. I'm willing to stay on the road a little more if he's willing to come home, maybe a little sooner. And then so we have to kind of figure out a way.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Now, in the breakup, in the breakup with you guys, did it seem balanced? I mean, did you both seem as equally upset about the decision you were making, or is one of you more trying to save this than the other?

[Mandy]

Well, we first, when we broke up, it was more of a. It was never, I don't like you, I don't want to be with you. It was more of a. Our situation is kind of, you know, we're going separate ways. It'd be like if one of us wanted to have kids and the other didn't, you know, you can't really reconcile that. So it's either get over it or you break up. And so it kind of ended up like that for us. And. But now I feel like it's not totally one sided, the wanting to get back together, but I think it is a little more me than him. He's a little more hesitant and, and I can't put words in his mouth, but he seems a little more hesitant and a little more hurt of or afraid of getting Hurt and kind of going down this road again only to have us realize, you know, we do want separate things and have to go

[Host of The Bird Show]

through this all over again for whatever reason. I think it's the coolest thing in the world that you guys are meeting in Italy. Where is he now?

[Mandy]

He is in Greece right now.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Yeah. That's just a cool thing because when I meet people, it's like, you know, at Moe's, right? Yeah, it's like, you want to meet at Moe's. Yeah. Which one? Buckhead or Roswell Road? Sandy Springs.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Right, right.

Well, Roswell Road really is the Athens of Fulton County.

[Mandy]

What's even crazier is we're not only meeting Italy, but we're meeting in probably Verona. And, you know, that's the Romeo and Juliet same. And so I'm like, you know, it's romantic and it's sweet, but I know how they turned out. And that's not really what I'm talking about.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

I hope yours ends better.

[Host of The Bird Show]

What would your ideal resolution to this whole thing be?

[Mandy]

I would like to get back together.

[Host of The Bird Show]

And would you? And so if you guys have that conversation and he says, okay, I want to go to Prague. Do you go with him?

[Mandy]

Well, in my proposal to him was this, he, we both want to go back to school. I was planning to start a little sooner than him. So I'm kind of trying to propose that I'll keep traveling for the summer rather than going back and starting school in the summer. And then we could maybe both go back and start school in the fall. And then we would still have our summers to travel and if we could just do that till we both, you know, finish getting new degrees and that kind of thing. So I would keep track, I would keep traveling, But I do want to be home by fall.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Do you feel like wanting to get back together with him is sort of a knee jerk reaction to being alone?

[Mandy]

I don't think so. I mean, I've worried about that. Like, what if this is just part of the healing process, you know? Of course it hurts and I need to get over it, but it feels like it's a lot more than that. Like, I feel like this is someone that I really love and care about and, you know, could spend my life with. And so I. I feel like the way we left things, we had just spent so much time together, we were getting on each other's nerves so bad, it maybe made me take them for granted. And so. And I started to think, you know, you're kind of irritating. This isn't the person I want to be with. But now that I've had distance, I feel like the things that bugged me were really stupid. And, you know, it's like, it's not a problem at all. And I would rather be with him than not.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Okay.

[Host of The Bird Show]

The pressure or anxiety that you must have felt because the only way that you guys could communicate was via email, which I'm assuming takes place at Internet cafes and whatnot.

[Mandy]

Right.

[Host of The Bird Show]

I would imagine that you send him an email because I'm flashing back to high school, like when you're gonna call the girl, you know, and you leave her a message, and then you start doing the things where you check the dial tone to make sure the phone's still working. I would imagine that you send him a message from an Internet cafe and walk four blocks and see another Internet cafe.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Dart it in.

[Mandy]

Yeah.

[Host of The Bird Show]

And duck in there and buy little 10 minute thing and just check it again, see if he happens to be writing back.

[Mandy]

It was close to that. I was traveling with my dad at the time. My dad came and just traveled the last two weeks with me, and he just left. And so it was really great to have my dad here. But I feel really bad because all during his vacation, I would just randomly start crying. And so we'd go to the Internet cafes and, like, I'd get an email from Brian, and whether it was good or bad, I'm sitting there, like, sobbing. My poor dad. Just kind of sitting there like, okay, it's okay. Or we'd be walking down the street and I'd start crying. But I think he kind of got used to it. And I'm like, okay, can we go to the Internet cafe again, dad?

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Aw, sweet.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Dad, the meeting with Brian is gonna take place when?

[Mandy]

On Friday.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

On Friday.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Well, I'm sure you've already arranged this with Tracy, but we will want to get caught up with you, if that's cool.

[Mandy]

Yeah, as long as I'm not an emotional wreck again, that would be fine.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Okay.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Well, we appreciate you being so open and honest and sharing your life with us. We know that's not always easy to do.

[Mandy]

It kind of helps me, like, think about it. And sometimes, you know, to hear other people's perspective, it makes me realize, like, am I being crazy? Should I be doing this? But, you know, so at least your questions kind of help me process here.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

What do you do with we're all crazy? So, I mean, that answer is yes for every single person who asks himself, am I crazy? Yes. Everybody's crazy.

[Host of The Bird Show]

What do you do when you. Because like, you know, when girls break up and a relationship ends, they go and they circle with their other girls and they talk about it and analyze it, everything. Who did you do that with? Were you able to do that with anyone?

[Mandy]

Not really. I mean, my dad a little. And now I'm staying at this hostel and it's right, it's all girls at the hospital. And so I thought, oh, this will be great. We'll have some girl time and, you know, maybe we can talk about things. But maybe people are strangers. They don't want to hear about my relationship drama.

[Host of The Bird Show]

They're like, isn't this the most beautiful place in the world? And you're saying, I am so miserable.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

You should just go into a cafe where they're not speaking predominantly English and just go in there and talk and, you know, then they'll stare at you and then it'll be almost like you're in a circle.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Me too. You know, we appreciate the honesty and we hope to hear from you an update one way or the other.

[Interviewer/Co-host]

Good luck.

[Host of The Bird Show]

Okay, the Bird Show.

[Tyler Redick]

Tyler redick here from 2311 Racing. Another checkered flag for the books. Time to celebrate with Chumba. Jump [e-mail] let's Chumba. No purchase necessary BTW group void where prohibited by law. CTNC21+ sponsored by Chumba Casino.

[Host of Hallmarkies Podcast]

Do you love rom coms? Do you wish you could talk about Christmas movies year round? Then we have the perfect podcast for you. Hallmarkies Podcast. Throughout the year, we cover all things romance, holiday and Hallmark. Include including recaps of every Hallmark show like When Calls, the Heart and the Way Home. You can also get loads of bonus content covering shows like Bridgerton, Sweet Magnolias and Just like that. We are an all female group of friends who are passionate for these shows and movies and give our honest opinions as well as gush over what we love so much. But that's not all. Every Monday, there are interviews with all your favorite actors, writers, directors and more. Check out Hallmarkies podcasts on all your podcast providers and on YouTube. That's Hallmarky's podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

[RealReal Advertiser]

So you're running out of closet space. The good news? You don't need to stop shopping. You just need to start selling with the RealReal. The RealReal is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. Whether it's that mini bag that can't even fit your phone or those boots you never fully broke in, the RealReal handles everything from photography and copywriting to shipping and pricing so you can just sit back, get paid, and make room for things that actually feel like you. And with 10,000 doll plus new arrivals every single day from top designers like Prada, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and Loewe, all for up to 90% off retail, you're bound to find something perfectly on brand to fill that extra closet space with. Plus, right now you can get an extra $100 to shop when you sell for the first time. Make room for what feels like you go to therealreal.com to start selling and get your extra $100 to keep [e-mail] that's therealreal.com terms apply.