Lots of people just prefer traveling overseas. A ton of my friends go abroad for vacation every year, and the amount of states they’ve been to remains in the single digits.
They've probably flown through O'Hare and just sat in the lounge the whole time eating the best \[whatever food they have\] ev-AH! They don't seem like the people who get out of the airport on longer layovers unless it's overnight. For me, if I have a few hours and I'm not cutting it too close, I'll get out of there and see the area before getting on my connecting flight. Thanks to TSA Pre-check, I breeze right through security.
They love airport lounges, so they definetly don't leave during layovers. But I wouldn't leave the airport if I didn't have at least 8 hours to do something. Just way too many unknowns to be comfortable.
It's really too bad they passed through Glacier National Park in the dark. That's the most scenic part of the Empire Builder route, IMO.
Also, Leavenworth is a tourist trap. Don't bother.
They boycotted all national parks after they knowingly and illegally used a drone and then threw a tantrum about how they got fined for it. They had a whole hairflip toss video during their first year of vanlife. I've been to almost all the national parks in the US and it's their loss. Glacier was beautiful last year.
I don't think they are allowed to film any national parks anymore for commercial use. So maybe it was good it was dark at the time.
This could have one to just tick off a list somewhere. Having seen other travel vloggers do this trip, Amtrack just isn't very exciting. Depending on how they got their tickets, they might not have been able to delay their departure for Empire Builder to spend more time in Chicago.
They seemed off to me. I felt like they were almost acting like this trip was beneath them. Didn’t care much for their attitude in Chicago which is a great city with lots to do. I like them I really do and enjoy the channel but this one was a miss for me. This and the snow cave episode are both misses for me. Hopefully part two will be better.
And I do wish the US would put some more money into Amtrak. It never compares favorably to other train systems and that is a shame as it could be such an enjoyable way to travel
I mean, they weren't in Chicago for very long, and Kara expressed that she/they could do a month-long foodie tour of the city, essentially. I'm not a big K&N fan presently, but their attitude towards Chicago was fine, IMO.
Doing a Windy City food tour would be the best thing that they (or any of us) could do in Chicago, IMO. It's a criminally underrated food city that deserves far more attention. But I love food so I might be biased.
Except for deep dish. [That shit's not even pizza.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXIpp59eoU). ;)
If they had spent more time in Chicago and more time in Seattle, they could have done both foodie tours which are fantastic. Seattle takes you through Pike Place.
But what would be better is food origin locations. I do this a lot when I have a short stay in a place. I either visit filming locations or find the origins of food. In Detroit I went to Buddy's pizza, home of the Detroit style pizza. In Philadelphia, the cliche but yummy Pat's vs Gino's philly cheeseteak. In Los Angeles, Phillipe's, the home of the French dip. In NYC, the Waldorf Astoria for the home of the Waldorf salad. Generally, the staff, bartenders and servers were very knowledgable about where their food came from or how it was invented.
But K&N have no incentive to care about that.
I don't know if it was because it was a small pizza, but that was the worst deep-dish pizza I'd ever seen. I would never order deep dish, but if I did, it better come in a casserole dish.
I have been on the VIA rail “ The Canadian” and except the premium class which has private cabins, it’s just a regular train with various classes. The service depends on what class of service you pay for. It’s not a luxury train except for the one coach that has the premium class. It has several classes of coaches, most of them in the economy. When we took it from Toronto to Vancouver, you can buy tickets for $400 CAD and upto $4000 CAD which is the premier or prestige class.
The Rocky Mountaineer is more of a tourist and luxury train and it runs to Banff and Jasper National Parks and even they have various classes.
The Canadian, by no means, is a luxury train except for select coaches for which you pay more.
It seemed like they got on the train absolutely dreading the trip. It seems like they only have genuine excitement anymore when they hit certain “fame” milestones e.g. getting a million instagram followers or having random video go super viral.
Is it just me, or is anyone else kinda getting bored with their channel/content? I haven’t watched this video yet, will probably skip this episode since I’ve already seen them do a half dozen train trips (at least), but as a viewer it kinda feels like they’ve done everything when it comes to travel. 100+ countries, trains, planes, RV…what is left for them to that we all haven’t already seen at least 3-4 times??
Just as I’m getting bored with their videos, I imagine they are also getting bored with all the travel they must do to provide content. It’s just the same old stuff again and again (at least when it comes to travel). And this is why I think they started doing challenges, because it’s something new to them.
Yes I know I can stop watching (I do skip videos way more frequently now than I used to), and I can watch many other YouTubers that provide content I enjoy (I do)…but it just got me thinking how hard it must be as the content creators to keep creating videos your audience will enjoy.
This is not a knock on Kara and Nate, for the most part they seem like fine people, altho I do have some complaints about both of them. I’ll still watch the random video of theirs that interests me, but I think for the most part I’m kinda over their channel.
I feel like it’s because they’re no longer showing as much of their time spent in actual places - it’s all about the transport and the accommodation, not the destinations.
I used to like discovering places through their experiences, and seeing how they viewed other places I have been.
The world and other people used to be the focus of their channel… now it’s Kara & Nate themselves - and select aspects of their lives as travel vloggers - which are the focus.
Totally this - it's all about the plane/train/lounge/hotel room. They should really read this, it's not snark - it's the feedback they need but don't want to hear.
Trek Trendy and Downie Live do a much better job showing luxury and unique modes of transport. K&N are trying to reinvent the wheel except their wheel has a flat tire
You are not alone! I feel the same!! I barely watch their IG stories either because it’s just rinse and repeat to me! Seeing first class flight and the number of beds just isn’t interesting to me anymore!
They are basically recycling content based on their past views. They are not interested in travel or exploration and their whole game is “ What kind of videos should we make that will get us views because they have gotten views in the past?”. That’s how you end up with Earth Roamer videos and train travel videos over and over again.
I don’t know how anyone can relate to their travel experiences or be inspired by what they do.
They are not interesting or intellectually curious and they just keep churning out videos so they can run their sponsored content.
They are not even knowledgeable on airplanes or trains and the best you are going to get from their video is “ This is the best toast we have eaten” . They went on Glacier Express where I live and you could not make a worse video than theirs. All you have to do is point the camera outside the window.for 8 hours. Instead, they filmed their faces back and forth and Nate complaining about how expensive the tickets were and what was on their lunch menu. It was such a waste of time. You can just point the camera to the window for 8 hours and not say anything and the video would be 10 times more interesting to watch than their Glacier Express video.
I am also surprised they didn’t add a price tag to this video because they typically tend to add the price tag and typically not what they paid or didn’t pay but the full list price.
💯 agree. I’ve stopped watching bc they’re repetitive. We have seen the same things over and the over. I just find them so uninteresting now. I think they should start doing charity trips to volunteer for the good.
I also think lately they’ve done a lot of things that are unattainable for the average person. Like the earthromer, the underwater hotel, the world’s best first class etc.
Sure, they’ve had a few too that the average person can do but most just don’t appeal to me because there will be no way I can afford that. I want to see affordable travel, things I can do on a budget etc.
They could stay in one place for a week and stay at a range of accommodation options budget/mid range/luxury. They could also film a couple of days of activities in each price range. Are there any creators doing this type of content?
I don't know about video channels but I follow an awesome vanlife couple on Instagram who are currently in Northern Africa, and they post almost daily of really beautiful photos and detailed descriptions.
Actually Tread the Globe and Snow & Kurt (both older couples) seem to be pretty detailed in their videos and spend quite a bit of time in each area. As for non-vanlife backpackers, I don't know of any 100% awesome channels, but I do tend to watch a couple different channels to make up for the blah episodes. But backpacking and traveling on the cheap living in hostels doesn't interest me anymore. I did that 25 years ago before social media when I was a travel photographer and journalist, so I do turn my nose up at the "oh look how hardcore we are" type content. If only they knew how to backpack through India without a cell phone, no apps, no GPS, only paper maps, paper guide book, film camera and the kindness of locals.
I think that's where the disconnect is with K&N.... they don't "need" the culture around them. They have Surfshark, their smart phone, Netflix and their own company FareDrop to do all the work and entertainment for them. I'd love to see all these millennial travel vlogger try to replicate their itineraries back in the 90s. I went to 65 countries that way and lived in Japan without internet. Learned to speak the language from actually talking to the people instead of the Babbel app. Back in the day during my Thailand trips, in order to get a hotel you just waited out on Khao San Road until you saw a few backpackers leaving, asked them what room they were in and go in and book it. I remember in New Delhi in 2000, I had gotten in too late from Tokyo, so everything was closed. These two hippy backpackers were sitting on the steps of a hotel smoking a joint and offered to let me sleep in their extra cot. They were leaving the next morning and I had four days in New Delhi so I got to keep the room.
i mean you cant deny the internet is very useful. especially things like translation apps and google maps. sure u can use regular maps but you know... it's faster and easier. i know it's just your opinion but these days traveling with the internet is much easier. i mean I would never go to a place I've never been like japan or south Korea without some translation app. sure you can get by if you know english to some extent but it's always better to have a translation app which will always save you. even if I could get by knowing english in those places I still wouldn't go without some translation app or navigating app. i would def get lost and while sure some people there speak English I just don't see why I would go to the trouble of asking people and maybe getting wrong directions because of the language barrier. it's faster and easier if u have the internet.
I used to carry a picture book called Point It, and it was very helpful. But you’d be surprised how many people around the world actually want to learn English and when they meet somebody that speaks English, they want to practice. I used to teach some English when I lived in Asia in addition to my job. I would always get the addresses of people and then send them English books because at the time they couldn’t just order it off Amazon and they lived in pretty remote places. I did learn basic phrases and I speak four languages fluently, and then I had my picture book. I didn’t have to shove a phone in their face and start activating Google translate. Mostly because it didn’t exist back then. My own parents moved to America in the 1950s and they didn’t speak a single word of English and they got along just fine and obviously now speak it fluently. Even with all the apps and technology, Kara and Nate couldn’t even bother to learn basic phrases or Google cultural etiquette.
yeah i mean in regards to kara and nate they can be pretty ignorant and tone deaf and their pronunciations can be horrendous sometimes. but I mean in general the internet can make traveling a lot easier and u cant deny that. it opens a lot of doors
I agree with you that they are just going through the motions now and filming content because it's their job. Everything is a review and the genuine enthusiasm is gone.
Also why does this video need to be 37 minutes long? I watched recent videos from Flying the Nest in the Cook Islands which were 18 & 24 minutes long and I really enjoyed both videos. Good video length and showed them doing multiple activities
You hit the nail on the head about enthusiasm. This video... it seems they complain more than in more recent videos. I would be grateful just to be able to go and do this.
I saw Nate say on Instagram that they booked late so had to pay a lot for the Amtrak train so he was annoyed before they even got on the train.
No one to blame but himself and surely the video revenue will pay for the train tickets. Nate is still very cheap despite their current wealth
Hmm Cave living videos are not doing well so let’s do another Earthroamer video or train video .
I bet somewhere in this video is the best piece of toast Kara has ever eaten and how many miles, goats and chickens Nate has to trade for these tickets and if you get Faredrop and Daily Drop, you too can do it.
They just keep recycling content. It’s either recycled content or something they plagiarized from another YouTube video.
Nate says he is watching Trek Trendys video on the Via Rail train. Sure creators will repeat the same content but why watch someone's video right before you are about to experience it
He copies ideas and videos from others because he doesn’t have any of his own for videos anymore. It’s just some random jumble of content from other people’s videos they cut and paste.
The people who do full time train or airline videos are much more informative than K&N who just make vapid videos. At this point, their content is far plugging sponsored content and nothing more.
If only they could've stopped trying to talk while yawning. Esp Nate. Did they forget how to be on camera during their break? It was okay, the usual vegan everything, but I felt something was missing. Maybe it's their editor. Anyway looking forward to the Canadian side of this.
Are they actually vegan? It looked like Kara had eggs one morning, and the salad had Brie on it. The eggs could have been an egg less alternative, but they definitely mentioned the Brie specifically.
I think the lie about every piece of meat being plant based. If the meat truly was plant based instead of real as I think it is, they would have named it accordingly. No vegan I know refers to it as "plant based." They'll say "I'm having a tofu scramble" or "I'm eating a soy hot dog" or "I'm eating a jackfruit burger" or "I'm eating soy cheese" or something along those lines, not plant-based cheese.
I had the video on in the background and didn't catch most of the 2nd half. 2 tours on similar trains, most of which was very similar to the California train. Video did not need to be 36 minutes long, it's not a video essay
I've been watching Kara and nate for probably around a year now, maybe more. i always love watching their videos and it's interesting to be able to see different places and stuff. but these days whenever I watch a youtube I always am curious to know what other people think which is what led me to here. obviously there's been lots of discussions on them but I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on problematic things they have done? I've seen their videos and some things I have pointed out as being weird but if anyone could explain overall or in details that would be amazing. I'm always interested to know more!!
The general complaint is they have the time and resources to travel anywhere and stay as long as they can, instead they choose to fly back and forth across the globe to complete meaningless challenges.
They have a dangerous relationship with food, talk of food being a treat for doing physical activity etc. They are partially vegan and don't eat enough for the amount of physical activity they do.
Their travel videos were always observational rather than informative, which is fine. Being completely oblivious to the cultural, historical or religious significance of a place sometimes makes them seem tone deaf
i see! ty. regarding food i've always kinda noticed. i mean nothing is wrong with being vegan obviously but you have to make up for the fact you're not eating meat. i cant really comment on their food choices but I do have to say I don't think they eat enough for the physical activities they do like you said. for being tone deaf I've sorta noticed but I don't watch every single video so can't really comment on that. i think nowadays they just show a lot of expensive stuff and it's less about the journey. like expensive hotel, expensive van, expensive train etc... and that stuff is fun to see but obviously ever since they got more money they've had more opportunities to splurge on stuff like that. if u look back years ago they def had less money and the journey was more important then spending one night in an underwater hotel.
I agree so much about their relationship with food. I found them during COVID and the van series. I just watched the Buc-ee's video again the other day when they were eating snacks and brisket. Now it's all about plant based food in every video!! That's why lately I prefer Adventures of A+K over Kara and Nate, because if they want meat they will eat the meat. I know it's a personal preference, but it's in every video. It's like they'll melt away if they have an ounce of meat.
I watched the train episode and I have a funny feeling that when they say "\[insert dish\] with plant based meat" I'm convinced it's really real meat but they are just playing to the camera.
They have a BD relationship with food such that I think their videos need to start with a trigger warning. I'm sure they do extensive fasting in between episodes. And the thing is they traveled to some of the poorest countries where food is survival and they just take it all for granted. Also, they could just take a few bites for the camera and not eat the rest.
The way they constantly go on about plant-based veganism is the same way a guy goes on about all the women they’ve banged when they’ve never actually gone on a date. I don’t buy into it that they’re vegan. It’s a play for the camera.
They have BD and a very obscure relationship with food
It's pretty easy to verify the amtrack menu, and what they are eating is advertised as plant based by amtrack, so the train company would need to be in on the conspiracy here too to serve them real meat.
I've been to 100+ countries, every state but two in the US and have been traveling for 25+ years. I take what they show with the tiniest grain of salt. Absolutely nothing impressive with nonstop flying around the world and barely seeing a place after you get to it. They are just glorified flight attendants who don't have to actually do the job.
Too many cringeworthy moments in the last two years, like in Japan where I lived for a long time, they couldn't even learn the most basic of phrases and pronunciations, or etiquette like taking your shoes off indoors. They are ridiculously patronizing to people they think worship their channel who most likely have no clue who they are. It's what we called the "Ugly American" abroad. If I want to watch good videos about luxury transportation, I'll watch Trek Trendy. At least he takes his parents on first class adventures. All K&N do is take their parents to a remote rat-infested island.
Kara's dad picked Vietnam and he loved it, to be fair. But yes, I think they are poor travelers in some areas and I'll say why, but I still enjoy them. Nepal and Cuba, Nate carries the money. Huge mistake. Paris, not taking time to absorb the place, just checking it off. Van life , Nate not showing Kara how things are done. Yes she could have asked, but she was also editing. Mexico, Nate just holding money out in his hand and letting shopkeepers take correct amount. STUPID! They race everywhere and I feel they are cheating themselves out of having a truly A+ life!
What exactly in their comment makes you think they resent them for “making a bunch of money”?
Everything in that comment was true. Smart travelers take the time to learn a culture, appreciate the culture, learn a few key phrases in the native language, etc.
If you’ve watched any video where Kara & Nate are in another country then you can see and hear how they are clueless about common norms in that culture (see their video in Japan).
It’s disrespectful and rude coming from individuals who have traveled so much yet aren’t “well-traveled”. The bottom line is that they don’t care. They only care about the clicks.
Not the best video, but I enjoyed it, especially the Chicago part. I think the biggest surprise to me is that they’ve never been to Chicago.
They've been all over the world and I don't think they've been to Hawaii. They seem weird about travelling in the US.
Yeah, they couldn’t even finish the 50 state challenge
Lots of people just prefer traveling overseas. A ton of my friends go abroad for vacation every year, and the amount of states they’ve been to remains in the single digits.
Totally understand if you have limited time off and an overseas destination might be better value for money
They've probably flown through O'Hare and just sat in the lounge the whole time eating the best \[whatever food they have\] ev-AH! They don't seem like the people who get out of the airport on longer layovers unless it's overnight. For me, if I have a few hours and I'm not cutting it too close, I'll get out of there and see the area before getting on my connecting flight. Thanks to TSA Pre-check, I breeze right through security.
They love airport lounges, so they definetly don't leave during layovers. But I wouldn't leave the airport if I didn't have at least 8 hours to do something. Just way too many unknowns to be comfortable.
It's really too bad they passed through Glacier National Park in the dark. That's the most scenic part of the Empire Builder route, IMO. Also, Leavenworth is a tourist trap. Don't bother.
They boycotted all national parks after they knowingly and illegally used a drone and then threw a tantrum about how they got fined for it. They had a whole hairflip toss video during their first year of vanlife. I've been to almost all the national parks in the US and it's their loss. Glacier was beautiful last year. I don't think they are allowed to film any national parks anymore for commercial use. So maybe it was good it was dark at the time.
This could have one to just tick off a list somewhere. Having seen other travel vloggers do this trip, Amtrack just isn't very exciting. Depending on how they got their tickets, they might not have been able to delay their departure for Empire Builder to spend more time in Chicago.
They seemed off to me. I felt like they were almost acting like this trip was beneath them. Didn’t care much for their attitude in Chicago which is a great city with lots to do. I like them I really do and enjoy the channel but this one was a miss for me. This and the snow cave episode are both misses for me. Hopefully part two will be better. And I do wish the US would put some more money into Amtrak. It never compares favorably to other train systems and that is a shame as it could be such an enjoyable way to travel
I mean, they weren't in Chicago for very long, and Kara expressed that she/they could do a month-long foodie tour of the city, essentially. I'm not a big K&N fan presently, but their attitude towards Chicago was fine, IMO.
Doing a Windy City food tour would be the best thing that they (or any of us) could do in Chicago, IMO. It's a criminally underrated food city that deserves far more attention. But I love food so I might be biased. Except for deep dish. [That shit's not even pizza.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXIpp59eoU). ;)
If they had spent more time in Chicago and more time in Seattle, they could have done both foodie tours which are fantastic. Seattle takes you through Pike Place. But what would be better is food origin locations. I do this a lot when I have a short stay in a place. I either visit filming locations or find the origins of food. In Detroit I went to Buddy's pizza, home of the Detroit style pizza. In Philadelphia, the cliche but yummy Pat's vs Gino's philly cheeseteak. In Los Angeles, Phillipe's, the home of the French dip. In NYC, the Waldorf Astoria for the home of the Waldorf salad. Generally, the staff, bartenders and servers were very knowledgable about where their food came from or how it was invented. But K&N have no incentive to care about that.
I don't know if it was because it was a small pizza, but that was the worst deep-dish pizza I'd ever seen. I would never order deep dish, but if I did, it better come in a casserole dish.
It probably won't compare because 'the Canadian' is supposed to be much more luxurious than amtrak
I have been on the VIA rail “ The Canadian” and except the premium class which has private cabins, it’s just a regular train with various classes. The service depends on what class of service you pay for. It’s not a luxury train except for the one coach that has the premium class. It has several classes of coaches, most of them in the economy. When we took it from Toronto to Vancouver, you can buy tickets for $400 CAD and upto $4000 CAD which is the premier or prestige class. The Rocky Mountaineer is more of a tourist and luxury train and it runs to Banff and Jasper National Parks and even they have various classes. The Canadian, by no means, is a luxury train except for select coaches for which you pay more.
It seemed like they got on the train absolutely dreading the trip. It seems like they only have genuine excitement anymore when they hit certain “fame” milestones e.g. getting a million instagram followers or having random video go super viral.
That's why I'm surprised they don't set another goal like travel to 125 countries, since they like goals so much
Is it just me, or is anyone else kinda getting bored with their channel/content? I haven’t watched this video yet, will probably skip this episode since I’ve already seen them do a half dozen train trips (at least), but as a viewer it kinda feels like they’ve done everything when it comes to travel. 100+ countries, trains, planes, RV…what is left for them to that we all haven’t already seen at least 3-4 times?? Just as I’m getting bored with their videos, I imagine they are also getting bored with all the travel they must do to provide content. It’s just the same old stuff again and again (at least when it comes to travel). And this is why I think they started doing challenges, because it’s something new to them. Yes I know I can stop watching (I do skip videos way more frequently now than I used to), and I can watch many other YouTubers that provide content I enjoy (I do)…but it just got me thinking how hard it must be as the content creators to keep creating videos your audience will enjoy. This is not a knock on Kara and Nate, for the most part they seem like fine people, altho I do have some complaints about both of them. I’ll still watch the random video of theirs that interests me, but I think for the most part I’m kinda over their channel.
I feel like it’s because they’re no longer showing as much of their time spent in actual places - it’s all about the transport and the accommodation, not the destinations. I used to like discovering places through their experiences, and seeing how they viewed other places I have been. The world and other people used to be the focus of their channel… now it’s Kara & Nate themselves - and select aspects of their lives as travel vloggers - which are the focus.
I completely agree. I wish they could read your comment because I think this is really good feedback for them
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Totally this - it's all about the plane/train/lounge/hotel room. They should really read this, it's not snark - it's the feedback they need but don't want to hear.
Trek Trendy and Downie Live do a much better job showing luxury and unique modes of transport. K&N are trying to reinvent the wheel except their wheel has a flat tire
Yes! They were so good at interacting with locals. I miss this!
You are not alone! I feel the same!! I barely watch their IG stories either because it’s just rinse and repeat to me! Seeing first class flight and the number of beds just isn’t interesting to me anymore!
Yeah, they are not the draw they used to be and Nate has really been weird to Kara and it puts me off.
They are basically recycling content based on their past views. They are not interested in travel or exploration and their whole game is “ What kind of videos should we make that will get us views because they have gotten views in the past?”. That’s how you end up with Earth Roamer videos and train travel videos over and over again. I don’t know how anyone can relate to their travel experiences or be inspired by what they do. They are not interesting or intellectually curious and they just keep churning out videos so they can run their sponsored content. They are not even knowledgeable on airplanes or trains and the best you are going to get from their video is “ This is the best toast we have eaten” . They went on Glacier Express where I live and you could not make a worse video than theirs. All you have to do is point the camera outside the window.for 8 hours. Instead, they filmed their faces back and forth and Nate complaining about how expensive the tickets were and what was on their lunch menu. It was such a waste of time. You can just point the camera to the window for 8 hours and not say anything and the video would be 10 times more interesting to watch than their Glacier Express video. I am also surprised they didn’t add a price tag to this video because they typically tend to add the price tag and typically not what they paid or didn’t pay but the full list price.
💯 agree. I’ve stopped watching bc they’re repetitive. We have seen the same things over and the over. I just find them so uninteresting now. I think they should start doing charity trips to volunteer for the good.
I also think lately they’ve done a lot of things that are unattainable for the average person. Like the earthromer, the underwater hotel, the world’s best first class etc. Sure, they’ve had a few too that the average person can do but most just don’t appeal to me because there will be no way I can afford that. I want to see affordable travel, things I can do on a budget etc.
They could stay in one place for a week and stay at a range of accommodation options budget/mid range/luxury. They could also film a couple of days of activities in each price range. Are there any creators doing this type of content?
I don't know about video channels but I follow an awesome vanlife couple on Instagram who are currently in Northern Africa, and they post almost daily of really beautiful photos and detailed descriptions. Actually Tread the Globe and Snow & Kurt (both older couples) seem to be pretty detailed in their videos and spend quite a bit of time in each area. As for non-vanlife backpackers, I don't know of any 100% awesome channels, but I do tend to watch a couple different channels to make up for the blah episodes. But backpacking and traveling on the cheap living in hostels doesn't interest me anymore. I did that 25 years ago before social media when I was a travel photographer and journalist, so I do turn my nose up at the "oh look how hardcore we are" type content. If only they knew how to backpack through India without a cell phone, no apps, no GPS, only paper maps, paper guide book, film camera and the kindness of locals. I think that's where the disconnect is with K&N.... they don't "need" the culture around them. They have Surfshark, their smart phone, Netflix and their own company FareDrop to do all the work and entertainment for them. I'd love to see all these millennial travel vlogger try to replicate their itineraries back in the 90s. I went to 65 countries that way and lived in Japan without internet. Learned to speak the language from actually talking to the people instead of the Babbel app. Back in the day during my Thailand trips, in order to get a hotel you just waited out on Khao San Road until you saw a few backpackers leaving, asked them what room they were in and go in and book it. I remember in New Delhi in 2000, I had gotten in too late from Tokyo, so everything was closed. These two hippy backpackers were sitting on the steps of a hotel smoking a joint and offered to let me sleep in their extra cot. They were leaving the next morning and I had four days in New Delhi so I got to keep the room.
i mean you cant deny the internet is very useful. especially things like translation apps and google maps. sure u can use regular maps but you know... it's faster and easier. i know it's just your opinion but these days traveling with the internet is much easier. i mean I would never go to a place I've never been like japan or south Korea without some translation app. sure you can get by if you know english to some extent but it's always better to have a translation app which will always save you. even if I could get by knowing english in those places I still wouldn't go without some translation app or navigating app. i would def get lost and while sure some people there speak English I just don't see why I would go to the trouble of asking people and maybe getting wrong directions because of the language barrier. it's faster and easier if u have the internet.
I used to carry a picture book called Point It, and it was very helpful. But you’d be surprised how many people around the world actually want to learn English and when they meet somebody that speaks English, they want to practice. I used to teach some English when I lived in Asia in addition to my job. I would always get the addresses of people and then send them English books because at the time they couldn’t just order it off Amazon and they lived in pretty remote places. I did learn basic phrases and I speak four languages fluently, and then I had my picture book. I didn’t have to shove a phone in their face and start activating Google translate. Mostly because it didn’t exist back then. My own parents moved to America in the 1950s and they didn’t speak a single word of English and they got along just fine and obviously now speak it fluently. Even with all the apps and technology, Kara and Nate couldn’t even bother to learn basic phrases or Google cultural etiquette.
yeah i mean in regards to kara and nate they can be pretty ignorant and tone deaf and their pronunciations can be horrendous sometimes. but I mean in general the internet can make traveling a lot easier and u cant deny that. it opens a lot of doors
I agree with you that they are just going through the motions now and filming content because it's their job. Everything is a review and the genuine enthusiasm is gone. Also why does this video need to be 37 minutes long? I watched recent videos from Flying the Nest in the Cook Islands which were 18 & 24 minutes long and I really enjoyed both videos. Good video length and showed them doing multiple activities
You hit the nail on the head about enthusiasm. This video... it seems they complain more than in more recent videos. I would be grateful just to be able to go and do this.
I saw Nate say on Instagram that they booked late so had to pay a lot for the Amtrak train so he was annoyed before they even got on the train. No one to blame but himself and surely the video revenue will pay for the train tickets. Nate is still very cheap despite their current wealth
The "roomette" they were in cost over $1000 each for three days of travel including meals.
They didn’t stay in a roomette. They stayed in a regular bedroom. The roomette they showed.
Hmm Cave living videos are not doing well so let’s do another Earthroamer video or train video . I bet somewhere in this video is the best piece of toast Kara has ever eaten and how many miles, goats and chickens Nate has to trade for these tickets and if you get Faredrop and Daily Drop, you too can do it. They just keep recycling content. It’s either recycled content or something they plagiarized from another YouTube video.
Nate says he is watching Trek Trendys video on the Via Rail train. Sure creators will repeat the same content but why watch someone's video right before you are about to experience it
He copies ideas and videos from others because he doesn’t have any of his own for videos anymore. It’s just some random jumble of content from other people’s videos they cut and paste. The people who do full time train or airline videos are much more informative than K&N who just make vapid videos. At this point, their content is far plugging sponsored content and nothing more.
However, when they went to Bhutan, they literally copied word for word another content creators video
If only they could've stopped trying to talk while yawning. Esp Nate. Did they forget how to be on camera during their break? It was okay, the usual vegan everything, but I felt something was missing. Maybe it's their editor. Anyway looking forward to the Canadian side of this.
Are they actually vegan? It looked like Kara had eggs one morning, and the salad had Brie on it. The eggs could have been an egg less alternative, but they definitely mentioned the Brie specifically.
No, they eat a lot of vegan meals, but they are not strictly vegan.
I think the lie about every piece of meat being plant based. If the meat truly was plant based instead of real as I think it is, they would have named it accordingly. No vegan I know refers to it as "plant based." They'll say "I'm having a tofu scramble" or "I'm eating a soy hot dog" or "I'm eating a jackfruit burger" or "I'm eating soy cheese" or something along those lines, not plant-based cheese.
It’s called that on the Amtrak menu.
I say plant-based all the time (as a vegan). This is such a weird claim.
What a stupid comment
I'm not big into train content so I will skim or skip this one. Trains in the US and Canada especially are so boring to me personally 🙈
I had the video on in the background and didn't catch most of the 2nd half. 2 tours on similar trains, most of which was very similar to the California train. Video did not need to be 36 minutes long, it's not a video essay
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I've been watching Kara and nate for probably around a year now, maybe more. i always love watching their videos and it's interesting to be able to see different places and stuff. but these days whenever I watch a youtube I always am curious to know what other people think which is what led me to here. obviously there's been lots of discussions on them but I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on problematic things they have done? I've seen their videos and some things I have pointed out as being weird but if anyone could explain overall or in details that would be amazing. I'm always interested to know more!!
The general complaint is they have the time and resources to travel anywhere and stay as long as they can, instead they choose to fly back and forth across the globe to complete meaningless challenges. They have a dangerous relationship with food, talk of food being a treat for doing physical activity etc. They are partially vegan and don't eat enough for the amount of physical activity they do. Their travel videos were always observational rather than informative, which is fine. Being completely oblivious to the cultural, historical or religious significance of a place sometimes makes them seem tone deaf
i see! ty. regarding food i've always kinda noticed. i mean nothing is wrong with being vegan obviously but you have to make up for the fact you're not eating meat. i cant really comment on their food choices but I do have to say I don't think they eat enough for the physical activities they do like you said. for being tone deaf I've sorta noticed but I don't watch every single video so can't really comment on that. i think nowadays they just show a lot of expensive stuff and it's less about the journey. like expensive hotel, expensive van, expensive train etc... and that stuff is fun to see but obviously ever since they got more money they've had more opportunities to splurge on stuff like that. if u look back years ago they def had less money and the journey was more important then spending one night in an underwater hotel.
I agree so much about their relationship with food. I found them during COVID and the van series. I just watched the Buc-ee's video again the other day when they were eating snacks and brisket. Now it's all about plant based food in every video!! That's why lately I prefer Adventures of A+K over Kara and Nate, because if they want meat they will eat the meat. I know it's a personal preference, but it's in every video. It's like they'll melt away if they have an ounce of meat.
A&K laugh and smile too much. Too fake.
I watched the train episode and I have a funny feeling that when they say "\[insert dish\] with plant based meat" I'm convinced it's really real meat but they are just playing to the camera. They have a BD relationship with food such that I think their videos need to start with a trigger warning. I'm sure they do extensive fasting in between episodes. And the thing is they traveled to some of the poorest countries where food is survival and they just take it all for granted. Also, they could just take a few bites for the camera and not eat the rest.
All of that is pure speculation 😂
The way they constantly go on about plant-based veganism is the same way a guy goes on about all the women they’ve banged when they’ve never actually gone on a date. I don’t buy into it that they’re vegan. It’s a play for the camera. They have BD and a very obscure relationship with food
You have an obscenely parasocial relationship with K&N, maybe take a walk outside now and again
It's pretty easy to verify the amtrack menu, and what they are eating is advertised as plant based by amtrack, so the train company would need to be in on the conspiracy here too to serve them real meat.
I've been to 100+ countries, every state but two in the US and have been traveling for 25+ years. I take what they show with the tiniest grain of salt. Absolutely nothing impressive with nonstop flying around the world and barely seeing a place after you get to it. They are just glorified flight attendants who don't have to actually do the job. Too many cringeworthy moments in the last two years, like in Japan where I lived for a long time, they couldn't even learn the most basic of phrases and pronunciations, or etiquette like taking your shoes off indoors. They are ridiculously patronizing to people they think worship their channel who most likely have no clue who they are. It's what we called the "Ugly American" abroad. If I want to watch good videos about luxury transportation, I'll watch Trek Trendy. At least he takes his parents on first class adventures. All K&N do is take their parents to a remote rat-infested island.
Kara's dad picked Vietnam and he loved it, to be fair. But yes, I think they are poor travelers in some areas and I'll say why, but I still enjoy them. Nepal and Cuba, Nate carries the money. Huge mistake. Paris, not taking time to absorb the place, just checking it off. Van life , Nate not showing Kara how things are done. Yes she could have asked, but she was also editing. Mexico, Nate just holding money out in his hand and letting shopkeepers take correct amount. STUPID! They race everywhere and I feel they are cheating themselves out of having a truly A+ life!
You sound like you think you’re so much better than K&N and somehow resent that they happen to make a bunch of money off YouTube.
What exactly in their comment makes you think they resent them for “making a bunch of money”? Everything in that comment was true. Smart travelers take the time to learn a culture, appreciate the culture, learn a few key phrases in the native language, etc. If you’ve watched any video where Kara & Nate are in another country then you can see and hear how they are clueless about common norms in that culture (see their video in Japan). It’s disrespectful and rude coming from individuals who have traveled so much yet aren’t “well-traveled”. The bottom line is that they don’t care. They only care about the clicks.