The Bittersweet Life

The Mongol Rally is a one-of-kind intercontinental car race, the "greatest motoring adventure on the planet" according to the organizers. Participants must drive from London to eastern Russia, across Mongolia, in a small engine car (1000-1200cc) at their own pace and their own peril. Radio producer and friend-of-the-show Scott Gurian survived the 11,000 mile journey in his tiny, 1 liter car and jo...

To celebrate the New Year, we ask ChatGPT to create a party for us! Is A.I. a good party planner? Or do the humans do it better? Listen in and send us your vote! This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.  Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on   Patreon ! For as little as $5 pe...

Have you heard the news? The City of Rome will now be charging a 2 Euro fee to tourists who want to access the Trevi Fountain. Want to throw your coin in? You're going to have to pony up a few more coins that you'd counted on. This week, we talk about the ways a city can change, thanks to rampant over-tourism as well as other factors, and why seeing our city change before our eyes—for better or fo...

This January, our archive episodes—presented every Friday—will cover the theme of ADVENTURE! Because we could all use a little more adventure in our lives, and January is the perfect time to start thinking about the adventures we want to take during the new year. The Camino de Santiago is a popular pilgrimage route across Spain. On this episode from our archives, our guest Aarin Wright set off on...

It's that time of year—New Year's Resolution time! If you're a longtime listener you know that at every turn of the year, Katy and Tiffany revisit the New Year's Resolutions they made for the previous year, and assess (with brutal honesty) how they did. They end the episode with the announcement of their resolutions for the year to come. This year, Tiffany share the ingenious yet simple hack that...

Has Christmas lost its magic now that you're all grown up? In this episode from our archives, Katy and Tiffany brainstorm ways to bring that holiday magic back even if you don't believe in Santa anymore. Katy tells the story of the time she played Santa's secret helper to someone she barely knew and they muse on those magical moments when heaven and earth seem closer than usual. If you're already...

You know it. You love it. You hear it every Christmas, and if you're like us, you never get sick of the classic holiday song, White Christmas . But did you know that the song has a very special, and very poignant, history? On this mini-episode, Katy tells you all about it. ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books!...

Christmas traditions can be grounding when you're living in a brand-new place. Tiffany and Katy talk about the joys and challenges of being untethered during the holidays. They also discuss which of their traditions come from childhood and which were added after living in a foreign culture. Bonus: Check out two of our favorite Christmas books: • The Sweet Smell of Christmas (The Scratch & Sniff bo...

Do I deserve to live a bigger life? Sarah McColl, author of the memoir Joy Enough , joins us to talk about the beautiful life she discovered while living alongside her dying mother. In this probing coversation from our archives, we also explore how fear, loss, and the expectations of others can limit our potentially terrific lives. Find McColl's memoir Joy Enough here . Find Sarah on Instagram or...

The holidays aren't all fun and games. Sometimes you have to go to work. But is there any sort of magic to work this time of year? We discuss this topic on our latest bonus episode, and share some of the memories of times we had to work over Christmas. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.  Want to hear more? Become part...

The Christmas season starts earlier and earlier every year. Pretty soon we'll be setting up our tree before Halloween!  What do you think about this? Are you shamelessly here for it, or do you cringe when you hear Bing Crosby crooning White Christmas in early November? Is the joy that the Christmas season brings enough of an excuse to indulge in it two months before the actual event? Or is there s...

Why do you like what you like? Journalist Tom Vanderbilt joins us to explore how our likes and dislikes are formed. His new book is You May Also L ike: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice . Find Tom Vanderbilt at his website or on Instagram . His other books include Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and what It Says about Us) and Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning ....

What's the best time of year to visit Rome? That's a truly impossible question to answer, but Tiffany has an ideal time that might surprise you. Listen to this mini-episode to discover the unlikely perfection of a season you've probably never considered. Don't miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on our intimate Rome listener trip , coming up in October 2026. Find out all about it here , or ema...

A sudden change of plans, an unexpected surgery—these are the kinds of things that can throw your world into temporary disarray, and often cause no little anxiety in the process. On this personal and vulnerable episode, Tiffany and Katy discuss their recent experiences with the anxiety of the unexpected, and how best to deal with those inevitable times that life throws you a curve ball. ----------...

Can studying fine art keep you safe? According to today's guest Amy Herman it can.  Lawyer and art historian, Herman uses works of art to "sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills. By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture, and photography, she helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize bia...

Tiffany made a big promise last month about her video watching habit. Here's an update on what's happened since that episode aired. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.  Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on   Patreon ! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of...

Today we catch up with Katy's sister Dana to hear the latest on her battle with aggressive brain cancer. If you want to hear more of Dana's story and her fight with brain cancer, check out these recent episodes: Episode 575: An Unfortunate Announcement Episode 577: Clive vs. Constance: An Unfortunate Journey Begins Episode 591: Where Would You Go if You Had Six Months Left to Travel? (with Katy's...

Among the plethora of emotions that plague expats, one of them is guilt.  What happens when you know you should go home, but don't? Guest Jessica Scott-Reid tackled just this subject for an article in the Wall Street Journal 's Expat Blog . On this episode from our archives, Jessica joins Katy and Tiffany to discuss this often unpleasant subject. *** The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the ai...

For some travelers, visiting the sites just isn't enough. One of our listeners wrote to express her longing to go deeper when traveling, far beyond the monuments, art, cuisine, and local culture. Into the very life and people of the place she's visiting. But how do you go about that? Today we offer our practical tips. Got a question? Send us an email (or better yet, record a voice message asking t...

Could watching a movie inspire you to move abroad? Could reading a book launch a lifetime of travel? Movies and books can have a big influence on personal actions. On this episode from our archives, Tiffany and Katy share the cultural works that have shaped their lives. Listen to the end to find out which film was the impetus for Tiffany's move to Italy. Be a part of the conversation: What art has...

Tiffany's son Aurelio will soon be in middle school, and the exact age that Katy and Tiffany were when they first met. And, wow, how things have changed. Tiffany reports on her visit to his potential new school. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters.  Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by sup...

When you're visiting a foreign country, you miss a lot. From conversations around you on the street to advertisements on billboards or your favorite podcast that is suddenly playing you ads in the local language. You also miss a lot of cultural context, and while that can sometimes be problematic, it can also lead to overlooking prejudices that might be common with locals. Can missing the nuance b...

Don't have the cash or the time off to travel right now? Not to worry! Reading can take you anywhere. On this episode from our archives, we recommend books that will transport you. NPR's Nancy Pearl—quite possibly the world's most famous librarian—is known for giving the perfect book recommendation for any situation. She sits down with us to share her selections for the best armchair travel books....

Last week, a thousand-year-old medieval tower in Rome partially collapsed. This disaster for history and Rome's patrimony—which could have been much worse—serves as a reminder that Rome's monuments are not forever. The Torre dei Conti is far from being the only historic building to collapse—partially or completely—in recent years. And antiquity and the Middle Ages witnessed the loss of more treasu...

When you spend a good deal of time in a foreign country, going back home can often be eye-opening. Why do we do it this way? Can be a suddenly common thought. Does it have to be this way? You might ask yourself, when considering how things are done in other countries. As Katy returns to the States after a few weeks in Rome, she finds herself shaking her head at the way some things are done in her...