The Funny Travel Stories Podcast · Yi Ping Bao

‘I Once Ordered So Much Food, the Waiter Decided To Bring a Set of Cutlery Opposite Me’ | Monica Hsueh

January 13, 2026·26 min

Yiping starts with a gentle check-in about travel and language. She and Monica talk about what it means to be fluent when you can travel into a country, communicate, and stay fed. Monica says she enjoys traveling alone, even though she also likes going with her husband, because solo travel feels brave and gives her room to follow her curiosity through a city. Japan becomes a big part of the conversation: Monica highly recommends it because everything works smoothly, people are usually helpful, and the metro makes it easy to get around even when the signs feel overwhelming. She also says Japan is her personal favorite and mentions Paris as a favorite in Europe, with food playing a big role in why she keeps returning to both places. When the signs underground get confusing, she doesn't treat it like failure. She follows the map on her phone, picks one exit, and keeps going, trusting that being lost can lead to places she would not have found otherwise. The mood stays warm and playful, with Monica sounding like a friend or big sister who wants the listener to finish the episode laughing and feeling a little lighter.

As heard by us

Solo travel is framed as a practical, low-drama kind of bravery.

Monica Hsueh's conversation with Yiping Bao treats solo travel as a practical kind of bravery. The episode lingers on the useful, funny parts of moving through a new city alone: finding bearings, making quick calls, and staying calm when the map gets messy.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you like solo travel stories that turn getting lost into a useful compass, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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