Welcome to Feel-Good Fridays.

Every Friday from now through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. Each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to share three travel stories that made them smile, tear up (in a good way), or rethink what's possible. Funny, inspiring, heartwarming—the only rule is no downers.

For our debut episode, we're joined by Afar's Michelle Baran, who brings her own dose of feel-good to the mic. Together, the three of them share:

– A celebrated food writer's reintroduction to her own hometown, and what travel can teach us about grief, grace, and seeing familiar streets with new eyes – A long-awaited transit milestone in a famously car-bound American city—and what it could mean for one of the world's biggest upcoming sporting events – A Vienna café where the pastries come with a side of intergenerational wisdom (and the bakers might just remind you of your own grandmother)

Plus: a childhood alter ego involving wigs, doorbells, and a traveling comedy duo we did not see coming.

Tune in every Friday through June for a fresh trio of stories from Afar's favorite travel writers and editors. We'll see you next week.

Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Friday 00:01:30 A Food Writer Rediscovers Her City 00:04:30 LA Finally Builds the Train 00:09:00 The Grandmas of Vienna 00:12:30 A Childhood Story We Had to Share

Resources – Yewande Komolafe's writing for The New York Times – LA Metro's D Line extension (opened May 2026) – Vollpension, the granny-run bakery and café in Vienna

Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode.

And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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