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Welcome to Episode 137 of The Journey Is The Reward ! On this episode, Brian and Micah are back in the studio and catching up with everyone's favorite culinary traveler, Chef Kathy . Before bringing the Chef into the cabin, Micah gives us an honest status update on his Chase Sapphire Reserve card now that he’s hit the six-month mark. With the premium card market getting more expensive by the day,...

Welcome to episode 136 of  The Journey Is the Reward ! On this episode, Micah and Brian are catching up with  Julian Kheel from Points Path —one of their absolute favorite browser extensions (even if Brian still wants to call it an "application"). Before the deep dive into point values, Brian is checking his gear for  EAA AirVenture Oshkosh !  If you're heading to the show this summe...

Welcome to episode 135 of  The Journey Is the Reward ! On this episode, Micah and Brian are back together to recap an incredible milestone celebration—Momma Coleman’s spectacular 91st birthday party—along with a fantastic combined aviation meetup in Toms River, New Jersey. Because the airspace is completely packed, the guys are temporarily skipping the listener feedback segment. However, they did...

Welcome to episode 134 of  The Journey Is the Reward ! On this episode, Micah and Brian are back with a packed show featuring international adventures, listener mail, and the ultimate puzzle of frequent flyer routing. Before getting to the main interview, the guys dive into Listener Lu’s fascinating question about Delta sponsoring a premium lounge inside  The Sphere  in Las Vegas. Should you expec...

Welcome to episode 133 of  The Journey Is the Reward ! On this episode, Micah and Brian have a fascinating conversation with  Retired Captain Mukhedkar , a former Indian Air Force instructor and Captain for Air India. "Capt. Mookie," as we were lucky enough to call him, joined us from India. He is currently recovering from heart surgery, so while his voice is a bit weathered, the wealth...

Welcome to episode 132 of  The Journey Is the Reward ! On this episode, Micah and Brian bring the epic storytelling of Brian’s trip to Singapore to a close. You might be wondering, "Will it ever end???" and the answer is finally yes—this is the final installment covering the  Singapore Airshow 2026 . To make sure we reached our destination in under an hour, the guys skipped the standard...

Welcome to episode 131 of  The Journey Is the Reward ! On this episode, Micah and Brian continue the epic storytelling of Brian’s trip to Singapore. You might be wondering, "Will it ever end???" but the journey is progressing. Before the guys reach the main event, they dive into some essential listener feedback. Listener Peter shares some fantastic tips and tricks regarding  Kosher meals...

Welcome to episode 130 of  The Journey Is the Reward! On this episode, Brian and Micah continue their discussion of the  Singapore Airshow 2026 , Sadly, again, there is no listener feedback.  However, Listener Lu still wants to know stuff.  This time it’s about picture taking and filing etiquette on an airplane. Then, Micah gives us a new update on his cousins Thailand adventures. Yes, the questio...

Welcome to episode 129 of  The Journey Is the Reward! On this episode, Brian and Micah continue their discussion of the  Singapore Airshow 2026 , Sadly, there is no listener feedback.  However, Listener Lu didn’t let us down and she wants to know about the WiFi wars. Then, Micah gives us an update about his cousins Thailand adventures, an update on Chase cash back cards and Brian corrects himself...

Welcome to episode 128 of  The Journey Is the Reward! On this episode, Brian and Micah discuss the trek to the  Singapore Airshow 2026 , but first, the guys have some listener feedback to clear from the runway. Listener Eric writes in about his luggage choices and why "Team Carry-On" sometimes hits maximum capacity for his lifestyle, while Listener Mark issues a "correction notice" to Brian regard...

Welcome to episode 127 of  The Journey Is the Reward! On this episode, Brian and Micah are joined by  Carlos , the founder of  Plane Talking UK , for a deep dive into the world of aviation podcasting from a UK perspective.  Before the guys get to the main event, they start with some essential ground handling from listener Marc. He checks in to discuss the legendary durability of  Kirkland Signatur...

Welcome to episode 126 of  The Journey Is the Reward! On this show, Micah has an interview with Eric The Mapmaker. We are kicking off this week’s podcast by celebrating the heartbeat of the show—our listeners.  We first hear from Mark in Largo, FL, who shares his recent biking adventures. Mark was also one of our winners of Brian Kelly’s book,  How to Win at Travel , and it’s inspiring to see him...

Welcome to episode 125 of  The Journey Is the Reward! On this show, Micah and Brian get to talk about one of our most favorite aviation TV shows... well, the planes of our move favorite TV show. But first, we heard from one of our listeners—truly, the best part of the show! No Listener Lu question this week. Hopefully, she is on vacation to someplace warm and that’s preventing her from sending in...

Welcome to episode 124 of  The Journey Is the Reward! Although the Government might have been shut down, that didn't stop Brian from hitting the throttle, braving the airports, and executing a cross-country flight plan to see Mama Coleman. He performed a masterful landing right on her doorstep! But before we get into Brian's unscheduled government-shutdown-defying mission, we heard from so...

Welcome to episode 123 of  The Journey Is the Reward! We're back to our regularly scheduled programming—or, as we like to call it, our regularly scheduled flight plan—as we track Brian's recent trip to the frigid but fabulous state of Minnesota. His itinerary was packed: he attended an unforgettable concert by the legendary Sir Paul McCartney and spent time performing essential  Uncle Duti...

Welcome to episode 122 of  The Journey Is the Reward! Hold onto your tray tables, folks, because in this episode, we're not just flying—we're doing a full 180-degree turn on our usual format! We've deployed the flaps for a fresh introduction, and Brian takes the controls to interrogate (er,  interview ) Micah about his recent aerial journey from Portland, Maine, all the way to Philadel...

Welcome to episode 121 of  The Journey Is the Reward! All good flights must come to an end, and sadly, the incredible 15-day Southern Africa adventure of a lifetime is concluding!  Join Brian and crew as their journey wraps up and they depart Botswana.   Fortunately, he remembers to pull out the microphone at the airport lounge to capture a fantastic conversation with the rest of the crew: Barb, J...

Welcome to episode 120 of  The Journey Is the Reward! Prepare for the continuing high-flying stories and adventures across Southern Africa. The episode begins with Ground Control Howie taxiing the group to the  Cape Town International (CPT)  for the next leg of their journey, a flight to Victoria Falls. Immediately, they encountered turbulence with Brian's Priority Pass access, resulting in a...

Welcome to episode 119 of The Journey Is the Reward! Get ready to ascend to cruising altitude, because this episode is a first-class ticket straight into the culinary and cocktail world of the skies! Brian takes you along as he walks the  Airline Passenger Experience trade show—an entire show dedicated to what fills those little metal carts... and Brian ate and drank everything he could. We kick o...

Welcome to episode 118 of The Journey Is the Reward! We want to dive right into the main topic this week, but first, let's address the elephant in the  control tower . We have  zero  listener feedback, the best part of the show when you write in.  No  questions from Listener Lu, the second-best part of the show. So it seems like the digital winds are calm, or maybe everyone is too busy packing...

Welcome to episode 117 of The Journey Is the Reward! We've got a full manifest for this episode. First up, we're taking on some listener feedback from Terrific Tanya. She's been listening to Chris Hutchins on the Tim Ferriss Show and says we're both right about points versus cash back. Sorry, Tanya, you can't be a straddler on this one! Just like you can't say you love both...

Welcome to episode 116 of The Journey Is the Reward! We're cleared for takeoff on a great episode today. First, we're hitting the skies with some feedback from Listener Barbara. She’s asking about Clear Air Turbulence.  She is also curious if Brian is ever concerned about it while he's busy socializing with the flight crew in the back of the plane. As always, our listeners are the real experts on...

Welcome to episode 115 of The Journey Is the Reward! We're getting right to the main event today. There's no listener feedback on the flight plan for this episode, and for a good reason. We’ve got an extended interview with our guest, Captain Armando, and his First Officer that you won’t want to miss. But as always, we want to hear from you, so keep those questions coming to:  brian@TheJourneyIsTh...

Welcome to episode 114 of The Journey Is the Reward. We're cleared for a jam-packed flight today. First, we've got some listener feedback from Mike, who's got the scoop on a new bus service for getting into Manhattan from the three NYC airports. He’s giving us a new approach to ground transportation. Our listeners are the real experts on this crew. Next, Listener Jessie is asking about the real-wo...

Welcome to  Episode 113  of  The Journey Is the Reward!   While our inbox might be empty, that's probably because we don't constantly remind you that you are the most vital part of this show! But hey, if you've got burning questions, insights, or just want to tell us how much you adore our dulcet tones, send them to  ⁠brian@TheJourneyIsTheReward.org⁠ . Micah and Brian are standing by, ready to ans...