Vault: The World Traveling Couple Starts Their Journey In Asia!

Summary

The Bert Show: Vault – The World Traveling Couple Starts Their Journey In Asia!

Podcast: The Bert Show
Date: February 6, 2026
Episode Theme: Follow along as Mandy and Brian, an adventurous couple, embark on an 18-month journey around the world—starting their travels in Southeast Asia. This episode marks their first on-air check-in since leaving the US, offering candid insights on early challenges, relationship dynamics, and first impressions of Indonesia.

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Overview & Main Theme

This episode centers around catching up with Mandy and Brian, a couple committed to traveling the globe together for a year and a half. The hosts check in with them during their first week in Asia, as they navigate jet lag, cultural differences, and the realities of long-term travel—all while discussing how the adventure is affecting their relationship dynamic.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Adjustments & Culture Shock

• Jet Lag & Fatigue:
  • Brian is exhausted from the 26-hour journey from Las Vegas to Singapore and is still struggling to adjust to the 12-hour time difference.
    • "I'm mainly just drained from the 26 hour flight to get over here." — Brian (01:06)
  • Despite being only a week in, the time zone issue and fatigue are still taking a toll.
• Singapore vs. Indonesia:
  • Brian contrasts the modern feel of Singapore ("might as well be in America") with the immediate shift upon entering Indonesia ("another planet").
    • "We took the ferry to Indonesia ... it was like going from New York City to somewhere in rural Guatemala." — Brian (01:24)

2. Early Relationship Stressors

• Defining Roles Under Stress:

  • The couple experienced tension, mainly due to exhaustion and the stress of unfamiliar surroundings.
    • "We still haven't figured out...how to get around in places where nobody speaks the language and that sort of thing. We've kind of both fallen into our separate roles." — Brian (02:56, 03:15)
  • Brian’s tasks: navigation and money; Mandy’s: planning and handling critical items (e.g., passport management).
    • "I navigate and handle the money, and Mandy plans and organizes and keeps track of things like my passport." — Brian (03:18)

• Travel Quirks and Annoyances:

  • The hosts joke about classic travel couple behavior (one partner walking ahead, the other lagging behind) and predict that these small irritations may intensify over time.
    • "Right now they're tolerable because you're on the first week and a half... I can't wait to talk to you in six months." — Host (04:01)

3. Mandy’s Perspective: Anxiety vs. Excitement

• Language Barriers & Local Interactions:
  • Mandy finds that many locals are eager to help, curious about the couple, and generally welcoming despite the language gap.
    • "Everyone here is actually, like, amazingly friendly... Everyone wants to come over and say, like, the few English things they know." — Mandy (05:22)
• Navigational Anxiety:
  • At first, there was anxiety due to frequent transitions and not having a set plan.
    • "It's kind of daunting because we're in this country that we don't know anything about, and it's like, okay, where do we go now?" — Mandy (05:44)
  • Now that they’ve reached a town they like (Bogor), she feels more at ease and less anxious.

4. Vivid Impressions of Indonesia

• Climate & Setting:
  • The relentless heat and humidity are more intense than expected, even for "warm weather people."
    • "We like warm weather, it'll be great. But no, I mean, it is shockingly hot to us." — Mandy (06:42)
  • The scenery is described as lush and green, with mountainous backdrops, red tile roofs, and visible mosque peaks amidst the city.
    • "We can see the mountain and … from our hostel we look out over the city and it’s all these red tile roofs … we can see the peaks of all the mosques everywhere." — Mandy (07:27)

5. Communication & Sharing the Journey

• Photos & Updates:
  • Technical difficulties at local internet cafés are making it hard to upload photos, but they’re trying to keep their travel blog updated.
    • "We ran into a snag trying to upload pictures at the latest Internet cafe... still trying to figure out how to get them to let us do that." — Mandy (07:54)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I'm mainly just drained from the 26 hour flight to get over here."
  — Brian (01:06)

• "Taking the ferry to Indonesia ... it was like going from New York City to somewhere in rural Guatemala."
  — Brian (01:24)

• "We've kind of both fallen into our separate roles. Like I navigate and handle the money, and Mandy plans and organizes and keeps track of things like my passport."
  — Brian (03:18)

• "Everyone here is actually, like, amazingly friendly. And...Everyone wants to come over and say, like, the few English things they know."
  — Mandy (05:22)

• "It is shockingly hot to us. And like I said, we like warm weather and it’s just in humid and...But now we’re kind of in the mountains where they told us it’s cooler. I’m not really sure by whose standards it’s cooler."
  — Mandy (06:42)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:14 – 01:24: Brian describes their arrival, initial fatigue, and shock over cultural differences between Singapore and Indonesia.
• 02:25 – 03:21: Discussion of adapting to stress and defining couple’s roles for smooth travel.
• 05:22 – 06:08: Mandy gives details on local friendliness, language barriers, and the couple’s evolving travel anxiety.
• 06:35 – 07:50: Vivid descriptions of Indonesian climate and landscape.
• 07:54 – 08:17: Mandy on tech troubles and updating friends/family via their website.

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Host and Crew Commentary

After the call, the hosts lightheartedly speculate about future relationship dynamics and minor control issues:

• They discuss the classic "vacation couple" tension and hypothesize about the couple’s need to share leadership, joking about potential annoyances down the line.
  • "I think they're going to have control issues on this trip a little bit." — Host (09:01)

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Summary

This episode authentically captures the highs and lows of starting a massive world journey as a couple. Mandy and Brian share equal parts travel awe, culture shock, and genuine relationship friction, giving listeners a real glimpse into what long-term travel together looks like in the early days. The Bert Show hosts keep the dialogue breezy and relatable, setting the stage for regular, honest check-ins as the couple continues their global trek.

Transcript

[Host]

The Birch Show.

[Brian]

Hey, Brian.

[Host]

What's up?

[Co-host]

Brian?

[Brian]

Brian, how are you?

[Host]

Good. How are you, man?

[Co-host]

Hey, Brian.

[Brian]

Tired?

[Host]

Yeah. Dude, you're only a weekend of this. You're a week into this trip and you sound beat.

[Brian]

Well, we still haven't adjusted to the time zone change. It's like, I still haven't figured out what time it is here. I think it's almost 9 o' clock at night.

[Mandy]

Where are you?

[Brian]

We're in Bogor, Indonesia.

[Co-host]

Okay.

[Brian]

But about an hour by train south of Jakarta.

[Host]

For those of you that don't know who Mandy and Brian are, they're traveling the world together. At least that's the plan for a year and a half. And they're not married. And they've been trying to organize this trip for the longest time and we're gonna follow them along on their trip. And they were supposed to fly out, or they did fly out to Singapore, but it was right at the sort of the height of who do you know? So we didn't get to talk to him from the airport. This is the first time that we've had a chance to talk to him since they left. So. So tell us everything that happened at the airport when you landed. Has there been like this one epic realization moment that you are gone for the next year and a half? Are you scared? Are you still excited?

[Brian]

Well, mainly just drained from the 26 hour flight to get over here. So Vegas. And we landed in Singapore. I don't know if you've ever been there, but Singapore is basically like, it might as well be in America at this point. So it doesn't really feel that different.

[Host]

I hate that.

[Brian]

I think the realization for us was we took the ferry to Indonesia and we got off at Batam, like in the Riau Islands, which is basically a 20 minute ride from Singapore, but it's like another planet. I mean, it was like going from New York City to somewhere in rural Guatemala or something like that.

[Jeff]

Are you going to take them?

[Brian]

That was sort of the point where like, okay, now we're actually traveling. But.

[Jeff]

Are you going to take the MARTA to Jakarta?

[Host]

All right, Jeff, you need to leave. Hold on. Excuse me for one second.

[Co-host]

Sorry. Brian.

[Host]

Brian, just go.

[Co-host]

Jeff.

[Brian]

Yeah?

[Co-host]

It's not nine minutes.

[Jeff]

It's only nine more minutes.

[Co-host]

I'm not.

[Host]

I'm not kicking you out. I'm just telling you you're useless. So just go.

[Jeff]

I'm just saying, if you want.

[Host]

Now just go.

[Jeff]

I can make it eight and a half more minutes.

[Host]

Now go. Seriously, get out. I'm fine.

[Co-host]

No more Marta jokes. Marta to Jakarta, please. Come on.

[Jeff]

Because they rhyme, so it's amusing.

[Host]

How are you and Mandy getting along in the first leg of this trip?

[Brian]

We're getting along fine now. It's kind of stressful, the beginning of it, you know, dealing with horrible jet lag and a 12 hour time difference and, you know, not knowing where we're going and the fact that it's, you know, like 8,000 degrees here. So I don't know, it was a little rough the first couple of days, but it's been fine. So have you guys once we kind of get used to it.

[Host]

So you guys were arguing the first couple of days just because of the fatigue?

[Brian]

Yeah, because of the fatigue. And we still haven't figured out, you know, like, how to get around in places where nobody speaks the language and that sort of thing. But we're. We've got it worked out by now, I think, you know, we've kind of both fallen into our separate roles. Like I navigate and handle the money, and Mandy plans and organizes and keeps track of things like my passport, because I'm not good at that sort of thing.

[Co-host]

Because you can always tell when you're on vacation, when a car even here. And you tell, you know, tourists here in Atlanta when a couple's getting along when they're not. Because if they're getting along, they're walking together and they're looking at the same thing at the same time. If they are not getting along, one is walking briskly in front of the other while the other one is trying to catch up, pretending that nobody's noticing.

[Jeff]

That they're fighting while the other thing. While the other one says things like, I guess you don't want to get anything to eat right now. Yelling it after them as they. As they march ahead, right?

[Brian]

Angrily, yeah. So you're walking together, maybe naturally walks a little slower than I do. So I constantly have to slow down and look back to make sure that she's there because, you know, I don't want her to get kidnapped or anything like that.

[Host]

It's going to be interesting to see how these things while right now they're tolerable because you're on the first week and a half of your trip, like, I can't wait to talk to you in six months. Where you're like, and Mandy walks so freaking slow, it's driving me crazy.

[Co-host]

And I could keep up with my passport just fine.

[Host]

Right? Mandy's gonna come on and go, I don't want his passport in my hands anymore.

[Co-host]

Or it could be opposite.

[Brian]

Thinking that much closer. You know, we think the same sorts of things. Even not on the trip. You want to talk to Mandy?

[Host]

Yeah, please. Sure.

[Brian]

Let me pass you off to her.

[Host]

Okay. You sound a little salty.

[Brian]

Hey, guys.

[Host]

Hey.

[Brian]

How are you?

[Host]

We think Brian sounds a little salty.

[Mandy]

A little salty?

[Host]

He sounds a little salty.

[Co-host]

Is he tired? Cranky pants?

[Mandy]

Not today, no.

[Host]

But he has been, as a general rule, he's been pretty salty on this trip so far.

[Mandy]

He's had an adjustment, like he said, to the time, and I think that actually starting this morning, he said he didn't feel very well, so he's been dealing with a headache today.

[Host]

That makes sense.

[Co-host]

Yeah. So how did. How is it. Because he had mentioned how there's not a real plan on where. Well, of course, in a year and a half, you don't really need a plan of where you're going. I guess the biggest frustration right now is just getting around where you are now in Indonesia and not speaking the language. Has that been really stressful for you guys?

[Mandy]

It hasn't. It hasn't. Everyone here is actually, like, amazingly friendly. And, you know, some people speak English and some just know a little, but everyone's really curious about us, so everyone wants. Everyone wants to come over and say, like, the few English things that know. And it's usually, hello, where are you going? Is always the first question. And so we talked everyone, and so that's been helpful. And so locals, as far as the language isn't weird, but it's. It's kind of daunting because we're in this country that we don't know anything about, and it's like, okay, where do we go now? And we consult guidebooks, and that's all we've got.

[Host]

Do you have, like, this bubbling anxiety the entire time you guys are walking around a city that you don't know?

[Mandy]

I think at first. Today, I really didn't. Today was kind of like, we finally. Because it's been a lot of traveling, trying to get somewhere where we actually wanted to be. Like, it's been a lot of transition. Like, we waited on an island for a couple days so we could get a ferry to Jakarta, and then we were in Jakarta for a night until we could get here. And so now we're finally somewhere where we like the town. And so it's kind of more of a let's stay here a couple of days before we try to figure out what next.

[Co-host]

Can you describe Indonesia for us? Because I'm just thinking of Eat, Pray, Love, and You guys are in love right now.

[Host]

This section. That's true.

[Mandy]

I read that book too. I loved it. Indonesia is like Brian said, it is just shockingly hot. Like everyone told us before we left, like, well, you know, it's really hot over there. And we're like, well, duh, it's at the equator, of course it's hot. We like warm weather, it'll be great. But no, I mean, it is shockingly hot to, to us. And like I said, we like warm weather and it's just in humid and. But now we're. We're kind of in the mountains where they told us it's cooler. And I, I'm not really sure by whose standards it's cooler. I mean, I guess I'm. I'm not like dripping with sweat. I'm just a little sticky with sweat is the difference.

[Host]

That's gone from 120 to 115 degrees.

[Mandy]

Sort of like that.

[Brian]

But.

[Mandy]

But it's really pretty. Like, it's because of that it's really lush and really green. And we're at the base of like this Volcan and so we can see the mountain and we've got this big town and from our hostel we look out over the city and it's all these like red tile roofs everywhere. And so that's cool. And it's a Muslim country, so there's also. We can see the peaks of all the mosques everywhere.

[Host]

Are you guys taking pictures and are you journaling so where people can kind of follow along with y'? All?

[Mandy]

We are. We. We ran into a snag trying to upload pictures at the latest Internet cafe. And so we have a bunch of pictures, like more recently from our 28 hour ferry ride and from where we are in a lot of where we are now that we need to upload. And we're still trying to figure out how to get them to let us do that. So. But we are trying to update as often as possible.

[Host]

Cool. Well, we got a link on over to your website also, so as soon as they get that worked out, we'll be looking at them as you're uploading them.

[Co-host]

Right.

[Host]

All right, let's talk to you in a couple of days here and we'll continue to follow on.

[Mandy]

Okay.

[Host]

Okay.

[Co-host]

All right, good luck.

[Host]

Good talking to you. Thanks.

[Co-host]

Bye. Bye. Okay, they gone. I find, I found it fascinating that once Brian got off the phone and she was talking, Mandy was talking, that notice how when she was. He was like commenting on everything she said. Like, that's one of those things on vacation that's gonna start getting started to annoy.

[Jeff]

Maybe she's gonna be on the phone with her mom or something. Tell her about the nice mosque.

[Co-host]

Do you want to talk to mom? Because if you don't want to talk to mom, then just shut up.

[Host]

I think they're going to have control issues on this trip a little bit. I think they're going to.

[Co-host]

We're not wishing they'll be poorly for them because I think they'll end up being fine. But I do think you have to kind of iron out these wrinkles in the beginning of a trip.

[Host]

Like, you got to have a leader. Maybe they do a part time leadership thing. Like, okay, we're in Indonesia. You take control. You know, when we go to wherever we're going next time you're in control, dude, you can't do that.

[Jeff]

That can't work because you're going to get to country number two and you're going to be like, oh, okay, so I get it. Because you want to sleep late, we're gonna sleep late. Even though when we were in Indonesia and I wanted to sleep late, I couldn't. Even though I was the leader.

[Host]

The Bircho.