New York Times Editor Stephen Hiltner on the "52 Places to Go in 2026"

On this episode of Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Ryan talks about sheltering in place in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico during the 2026 Jalisco Operation. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-3608909/Tourist-stranded-Mexico-El-Mencho-operation.html

This week, as Kiernan is skiing in real life and Ryan is freshly back from Puerto Vallarta, Out of Office: A Travel Podcast takes a return trip. The boys talk about their holiday breaks and discuss why ski trips are well worth the expense and the steep learning curve. Plus, Ryan has a onesie. Here's what we cover in this episode: NYT on European Skiing https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/19/travel/europe-skiing-budget.html Beaver Creek https://www.beavercreek.com/ Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire https://www.cannonmt.com/tickets

This week on the pod, the boys talk about their favorite food experiences, from Peru to Dubai, with a little Eastern Shore of Maryland thrown in. Plus, learn which European cities are the most densely packed and perfect for traveling on foot. LAST STOP: Ryan: https://www.travelawaits.com/3021526/most-walkable-cities-in-europe-from-new-study/ Kiernan: https://www.datarescueproject.org/save-our-signs-the-peoples-archive/

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan chats with Stephen Hiltner, the New York Times editor in charge of this year's "52 Places to Go in 2026." Stephen walks us through this year's top picks and themes. Here's what we cover in this episode: "52 Places to Go in 2026" https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/travel/places-to-travel-destinations-2026.html  "Top 10 Reader Favorites from our '52 Places to Go' List" https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/travel/places-to-go-readers-picks.html 

Ryan's guide to a perfect Madrid weekend, whether Salvador Dalí is your thing or not. Museums, parks, palaces, and the restaurants you should avoid, with plenty of great food instead. Eat Here: https://www.instagram.com/gotawine/ https://www.instagram.com/marcelle_madrid/

 On this year's Christmas Spectacular episode of Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan hang up their socks and trade merry greetings. They discuss the official death of the Ugly Ornament Competition, the history of British Christmas crackers (no, they're not crackers), and their favorite Christmas tunes (including a Ryan original).. And for the Anglophiles out there, the boys sing the praises of one of the US's best importers of British goods, happily located right in Acton, MA.  Things we talked about in today's podcast: The Bee's Knees British Imports https://www.thebeeskneesbritishimports.com/  V&A Museum history of Christmas crackers https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-christmas-cracker?srsltid=AfmBOopqIG_oE9tXOOtQdsUnnRHXaOH8bPLkOiNC52C9XAlXv0hzY_Kf  "Have Yourself an Out of Office Christmas" https://www.mureka.ai/song-detail/WX3PuAjGnrbg8mx41mThs2?is_from_share=1  "Scrooge" from the Muppets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULaNvmjZWxg  

This week, The Boys unwrap their favorite book picks for the holiday season — from globe-trotting history to wild presidential tales to the secret life of gas stations in the American South. They also dig into new national park surcharges for foreign visitors.  The Books: "Lafayette in the Somewhat United States" by Sarah Vowell — https://www.amazon.com/Lafayette-Somewhat-United-States-Vowell/dp/0399573100 Amazon+1 "Bolívar: American Liberator" by Marie Arana — https://www.amazon.com/Bol%C3%ADvar-American-Liberator-Marie-Arana/dp/006073509X "The Magician" by Colm Tóibín — https://www.amazon.com/Magician-Novel-Colm-T%C3%B3ib%C3%ADn/dp/0307952879 "Wilderness Warrior: TR and the Crusade for America" by Douglas Brinkley — https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Warrior-Crusade-American-Brinkley/dp/0066210372 "Rightful Heritage: FDR and the Land for America" by Douglas Brinkley — https://www.amazon.com/Rightful-Heritage-America-Douglas-Brinkley/dp/0812980040 "Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders" by Brady Carlson — https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Presidents-American-Surprising-Leaders/dp/1631493952

On this episode of "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast," Kiernan talks to Richard Stone, author of "Project Mayflower." Things we discussed on today's episode: "Project Mayflower" book https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-mayflower-building-and-sailing-a-seventeenth-century-replica-richard-a-stone/a3f94ee44f9babb4?ean=9781493084364&next=t&next=t&affiliate=books  Plimoth Patuxet Museums https://plimoth.org/  Plymouth Rock https://seeplymouth.com/listing/plymouth-rock/  Pilgrim Hall Museum https://www.pilgrimhall.org/  Sail250 https://www.sailboston.com/sail250/  Green-Wood Cemetery New Yorker article https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/green-wood-cemeterys-living-dead  

This week on the pod, the boys dive into their favorite museum heists, from Boston to Bogotá.

On this week's episode of "Out of Office: A Travel Podcast." Kiernan talks to Richard Fain who served as CEO of Royal Caribbean for 33 years. Richard and his team oversaw—and essentially invented—the evolution of the cruise ship industry from a niche business to a global behemoth. His new book "Delivering the WOW" gives the behind the scenes story, with tons of great tidbits (how do you build an ice rink on a ship?) and business advice.   Things We Talk About on Today's Episode "Delivering the WOW" https://www.deliveringthewow.com/  Richard Fain https://www.deliveringthewow.com/about-richard  Adrian McKinty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_McKinty Black Rabbit https://www.netflix.com/title/81630027  Crazy Horse Memorial https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/style/a-hike-to-crazy-horse-stirs-patriotism-and-doubt.html