Vault: They Left Everything Behind And Now They're in Asia

Summary

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The Bert Show — Vault: They Left Everything Behind And Now They're in Asia

Date: March 10, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Bert Show reconnects with Mandy and Brian, a couple who left their conventional lives behind to travel the world. The hosts and listeners check in on the pair’s journey through Asia, the realities of long-term travel, relationship dynamics under unique pressures, and their upcoming plans for new continents. With humor and candor, Mandy shares honest diary entries and tangible lessons learned, offering an authentic look beyond the dreamy Instagram version of global wandering.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Travel Updates: Six Months on the Road

• Mandy and Brian have been traveling for over six months, currently speaking from a beach bungalow in Asia.
• Their blog (mandyandbrian.com) is a central storytelling tool, with the hosts sharing excerpts that combine humor and raw reflections.
• Notable Blog Excerpt (Read by Interviewer, 00:54):
  “Dear Hot Shower...I just wanted to let you know I think I'm in love with you...You make me feel so much cleaner than your evil twin cold shower...the memory of what those girls did with their lady parts makes me feel dirty...I hope to see you again. Hot Shower. The sooner the better.”
• The realities of travel: “It’s funny.” (Interviewer, 01:46)

2. The Realities and Weariness of Long-term Travel

• Humor in Numbers (Interviewer, 02:06):
  • 14,661 total photos, 1,225 of monkeys, 35 books read, and one tiger that hit Brian.
  • “Brian is having a tougher time than Mandy is.”
• Feelings of Fatigue/Wanting to Go Home (03:11):
  Mandy admits to moments of wanting to go home during extended stays, particularly when they felt stalled:

  “...I just reached that point, like, this isn't fun. We're just sitting in this room all day…and so yeah, there was definitely a few late night phone calls...really unsure if I was even going to stay or not.” — Mandy (03:35)

  • Circumstances sometimes made leaving impossible (e.g., passports held by consulate).
  • Excitement is restored with plans for Greece and a renewed sense of purpose.

3. What Most People Get Wrong About Extended Travel

• Mandy’s Cautions (04:44):
  • Patience is essential: “Your train, your bus, your boat, nothing's going to run on time. It will probably break down. Just deal with it. … You can't control it.” — Mandy (04:52)
  • Budget stress: Guilt about big expenses, which dulls spontaneity.

    “I've found that Brian and I don't fight over money like I thought we would, but ... I find myself feeling really guilty anytime we spend, like, a substantial amount.”

  • The “wow” factor fades:

    “Some of the wow factor goes away. ... At first we were like, ‘Oh my God, we're floating down the river in Indonesia...’ And now we're like ‘monkeys’...They've pulled my hair, they've stolen my sunglasses.” — Mandy (05:43)

4. Downsizing and Packing Challenges

• Packing, Letting Go, and Shopping Wisely (06:15):
  • Clothes wear out, get boring, and must adapt to changing climates.
  • Mandy and Brian anticipates being cold in Europe after tropical climates, so they buy jeans and sweaters.
  • Souvenir Shopping:
    • It’s highly selective; only small, flat items are practical, with reminders that more shopping lies ahead in other destinations.

5. Relationship Dynamics on the Road

• Tensions and Resilience in Partnership (07:31):
  • Low points led to increased conflict:

    “We were a little at each other's throats because … neither one of us was happy...that just kind of escalated.” — Mandy (07:38)

  • But overall, they’ve leaned on each other and emerged stronger.
  • Playful reference to a near-breakup: “And he said he wanted to break up with you. That thing. That was that.” — Interviewer (07:58)

6. Next Steps and Itinerary

• Plans for the Coming Weeks (08:12):
  • Flight from Asia to Kuala Lumpur, then to Cairo, Egypt (10 days).
  • Then onward to Athens, Greece, to meet a friend and begin work on a farm on a Greek island.
• Encouragement to Follow Their Journey:
  • Listeners are urged to follow Mandy & Brian’s blog and check out their photos for a vicarious experience.

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Memorable Quotes

• On the realities of budget travel:

  “I find myself feeling really guilty anytime we spend, like, a substantial amount of money. So it kind of takes the fun out of doing big things.” — Mandy (04:52)

• On adjusting to long-term travel:

  “It's a different sort of traveling than taking a vacation.” — Mandy (06:11)

• On relationship strain:

  “We were a little at each other's throats because…I’m not happy, so I’m not fun to be around and he’s not happy and he’s not fun to be around.” — Mandy (07:38)

• On the initial magic fading:

  “...At first we were like, ‘Oh my God, we're floating down the river in Indonesia…’ And now we're like monkeys. You know, they've pulled my hair, they've stolen my sunglasses.” — Mandy (05:43)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:44 – Introduction to Mandy & Brian’s global travels
• 00:54–02:03 – Mandy’s humorous “Dear Hot Shower” blog entry
• 03:11–03:49 – Mandy discusses her homesickness and changing outlook
• 04:33–06:15 – Hard truths about extended travel, money guilt, and the loss of the “vacation feeling”
• 06:15–07:04 – Downsizing and adapting possessions for the journey
• 07:31–08:07 – Reflections on relationship tension and resolution
• 08:12–08:40 – Upcoming itinerary: Kuala Lumpur, Egypt, Greece, and working on a farm

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Episode Tone & Style

• Approachable, self-deprecating humor (particularly in Mandy’s writing and conversation)
• Candid, emotionally honest reflections on travel highs and lows
• Warm, conversational interactions between hosts and guests

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This episode is an authentic, often funny window into what “selling it all and traveling the world” is really like—and a reminder that adventure offers both dazzling views and unavoidable discomforts. Mandy and Brian’s willingness to share both ensures their journey resonates with listeners dreaming of their own escape.

Transcript

[Host 1]

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[Host 2]

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[Host 1]

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[Interviewer]

Really?

[Host 2]

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[Interviewer]

The Bird show you can follow along with Mandy and Brian's journey around the world. We started talking to him six months ago. Can you believe it?

[Mandy]

No I can't.

[Interviewer]

And they are keeping a really great blog with some fantastic pictures on [e-mail] but you can link over from our website at q100atlanta.com and let me just read you two entries that made me laugh yesterday. Okay one. I think they're both from Mandy Dear Hot Shower While Brian and I were on vacation from our vacation, I was introduced to you and I just wanted to let you know I think I'm in love with you. You make me feel so much cleaner than your evil twin cold shower. I will miss you when we take our six hour bus to to a 13 hour train because even though I spend all that time sitting, I somehow managed to develop a funk so strong I'm afraid to raise my arms. I will miss you in Bangkok when the Tuk tuk drivers won't leave us alone about about going to a ping pong show and the memory of what those girls did with their lady parts makes me feel dirty. I will miss you when my legs start looking like Brian's and I know it's time to shave again. I hope to see you again. Hot Shower. The sooner the better. I'm afraid I can't live without you and your hot steamy goodness. Your most adoring fan, Mandy. That's funny. It's funny.

[Host 2]

I could not do that. Hot shower is like the best.

[Interviewer]

I know. I hate cold showers. I would rather go without a shower. Yes than a cold shower. I hate it that much. Jinx. Somebody buy somebody cook quick. It says it's been over six months that we've been traveling and here are some random quantities. 14,661 pictures I have taken. Wow. 12, 25 pictures I have taken of monkeys. Clearly, I have issues. 35 books I have read. 28 longest consecutive hours spent in transport that involved a plane, two buses, two shuttles, one train, one taxi. Six greatest number of people seen on a motorbike. Five pairs of sunglass Brian has lost or broken. Four pairs of flip flops Brian has lost or broken three months. Monkeys that hit Brian. One tiger that hit Brian. One stray cat that hit Brian. Brian is having a tougher time than Mandy is. Hey, you guys. How you doing? Hey, y'. All. Hey, how are you? What's going on? I'm good. I don't.

[Mandy]

So good to talk to you.

[Interviewer]

How are you?

[Mandy]

I'm. I'm less ready to go home now that we are moving again and we have a plan. And. I mean, right now we're sitting in a bungalow on the beach. So I. There's really nothing to complain about here.

[Interviewer]

Have there been nights or days where you seriously said to Brian, you're like, let's get out of here? You know what? I know we had a plan, but I'm ready to go home. I miss my family.

[Mandy]

Yeah, well, like you said, like, when we were in Bangkok, we were just not doing anything. And I remember before we left, my dad said if you, you know, go do this, have fun, enjoy, but if you ever reach a point where it's just not fun anymore, you can always come home. And so I just reached that point, like, this isn't fun. We're just sitting in this room all day, and, you know, we seen all of these things, and so it just felt like we're not doing anything. And. And so I. Yeah, there was definitely a few late night phone calls, like my best friend, and one of which, you know, ended with me, like, really unsure if I was even going to stay or not. And then, of course, they have. The Indian consulate had our passports, and so I couldn't have gone home even if I wanted to. So luckily, at this point, I have changed my mind, and I am looking forward to Greece and having something to do. I feel like a lot of it now is we kind of go around and we just look at stuff, but I'm looking forward to actually experiencing and living somewhere for a while.

[Interviewer]

I think a lot of people have this fantasy to do the same thing you guys are doing. Just drop it all. I mean, and then just go travel and see the entire world.

[Host 2]

Who hasn't had that idea?

[Interviewer]

What's the. What's the one thing that most people don't know about traveling this consistently that you would warn them about before they take a trip.

[Mandy]

Oh, gosh, I would want them about lots of things. I mean, you have to have an incredible amount. It depends on where you're going, but especially here in, like, Asia, you have to have an incredible amount of patience and expect that your train, your bus, your boat, nothing's going to run on time. It will probably break down. Just deal with it. I mean, just get over anything that you can't control because you can't control it. As far as, like, money and things like that. I've found that Brian and I don't fight over money like I thought we would, but because we have a limited supply of money, I find myself feeling really guilty anytime we spend, like, a substantial amount of money. So it kind of takes the fun out of doing big things. Like, we've talked about going diving, but it's like, oh, but diving so expensive. I don't know. We could just snorkel. It's cheaper, so. And then I guess part of what I'm experiencing now is if you do it for too long, like, some of the wow factor goes away. Like, at first we were like, oh, my God, we're floating down the river in Indonesia, and, you know, look at this jungle. And the. I think there's a monkey in that tree. And now we're like monkeys. You know, they've pulled my hair, they've stolen my sunglasses. So we're not quite as like, whoa, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen now. And so, like I said, sometimes it feels like we're just. I mean, the things we're seeing are amazing, don't get me wrong. But it just kind of feels like we're just going around and like, oh, look at that. Oh, look at that. So for a long time, you have to. It's. It's a different sort of traveling than taking a vacation.

[Host 2]

And, Mandy, I'm curious, because you guys are carrying everything you own on your backs everywhere you go. Have you ditched a lot of stuff that you started out with?

[Mandy]

We just, in Bangkok, kind of cleaned things out because one, like you said, I mean, I'm so sick of all of the clothing I brought. I'm so tired of wearing it. And it's kind of looking dingy. And also, I mean, we're used to being really warm. And so when we head to Europe, I think it's going to be, like, shockingly cold. Like, it could be 60 degrees, and we're going to be freezing and so we bought a couple of pairs of jeans and I bought a sweater. And so we're kind of preparing ourselves for it's not going to stay hot and tropical forever.

[Interviewer]

And you can't like. I know when I go on vacations, I always seem to like, have everybody in mind to buy gifts for, for when I get back. You can't do. You can't accumulate that kind of stuff, right?

[Mandy]

No, it kind of, it affects what you buy because we find ourselves wanting to buy things that are really easily shipped home or really easily carried. So it's. Everything's always have to be flat. And we're going to be gone for so long and going to so many places. Like, yeah, I have this, like, I want to get something for everybody here. And Brian keeps reminding me, well, we're going to go to, you know, we're going to Egypt next and then we're going to go to Europe and there are things to buy there too, so you don't have to scratch everyone off your list right now.

[Interviewer]

And the relationship with Brian, everything has been strong. You guys leaning on each other, everything going the way you thought it would

[Mandy]

for the most part. I mean, when I was, we were talking, I was ready to go home and we were bored. We were a little at each other's throats because I think we were just sort of taking it out on each other because neither one of us was happy. And so it's like I'm not happy, so I'm not fun to be around and he's not happy and he's not fun to be around. And that just kind of escalated. So.

[Interviewer]

Oh yeah.

[Mandy]

And he's good to be out of there.

[Interviewer]

And he said he wanted to break up with you. That thing. That was that.

[Mandy]

Right. And then there was that again.

[Interviewer]

So just to get a rundown, what's coming up for you guys over the next couple of weeks?

[Mandy]

Well, thanks to the Bangkok airport being closed still, we think now that we've gotten out of there, we don't really know, but we are heading down to Kuala Lumpur. We're still in some time on the islands for now. And then the 8th, we fly to Cairo. We're going to spend about 10 days in Egypt and then we're going to fly to Athens, Greece to meet a friend of mine for a few days. And then after that we start working on, like you said, on a farm on this Greek island.

[Interviewer]

Fantastic. I mean, she's writing in such a way. Both of them are doing such a great job and all the pictures are fantastic. Also go online and check. And you can sort of take the journey with [e-mail]. All right, Mandy, we will talk to you in a couple of weeks.

[Mandy]

Okay.

[Interviewer]

It's good talking to you.

[Mandy]

Yeah, you guys, you too.

[Interviewer]

Bye. Bye. The bird show. Oh, no.

[Mandy]

My coffee. Bronnie.

[Interviewer]

Here. New Brawny three ply is now more absorbent. Wow.

[Mandy]

Got a clean shirt.

[Commercial Narrator]

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