Welcome back to Feel-Good Fridays. This week, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are bringing you a special road trip edition — recorded live from the car somewhere in the forests of Michigan, microphones balanced on laps and sunscreen close at hand.
It’s a two-story episode today, and both come straight from the headlines of everyday life:
Sunscreen use is up worldwide — and it’s not just public health messaging that’s doing it. Better formulas, the global influence of Korean and Japanese skincare, and a generational shift in sun-safety habits all play a role. Nikki and Aislyn dig into the data, swap their favorite SPF picks, and make the case for hand cream on road trips.
The millennial song debate: NPR music journalists went looking for the one track that defines a generation, and landed on...well, we can't reveal that. But Aislyn and Nikki compare notes (Evanescence, No Doubt, Usher, J.Lo all make appearances), and share a playlist to soundtrack your own summer drive. Tell us your pick.
Tune in every Friday through June for a fresh trio of stories from Afar’s favorite travel writers and editors. We’ll see you next week.
Chapters
00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Fridays (On the Road Edition)
00:01:00 Sunscreen Use Is Up — Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal
00:04:30 SPF Picks for the Road
00:05:30 The Millennial Song Debate
00:08:00 Why “Paper Planes” Won
00:09:30 Closing Out the Era: “I Love It”
00:10:30 Our Personal Millennial Anthems
Stay Connected
Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and View From Afar, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel.
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