Brooks Whelan sat down with the Family Trips podcast this week, and the conversation was the kind you want to hear on a slow morning.
The Iowa-raised stand-up comedian opened up about a childhood that didn’t include much of the world. His family didn’t really do vacations. Summers were spent at his grandparents’ farm in Missouri, tending to the land and sticking close to home. A good year meant a trip to the Wisconsin Dells. At 21, he saw the ocean for the very first time. That detail carries a quiet kind of weight. It tells you more about a person’s early life than almost anything else could.
For a lot of Midwest kids, that timeline will sound familiar. Vacations cost money. Farms need looking after. The ocean stays theoretical for a long time. Whelan talked about all of it with real warmth and honesty. It made for genuinely good listening.
The Family Trips account gave a preview on Instagram: Whelan “talks about growing up in Iowa with few family vacations, spending summers on his grandparents’ farm in Missouri, and taking memorable trips to the Wisconsin Dells.”
He’s been making up for lost time ever since. He described a trip to Corsica, the French Mediterranean island. Cigarettes, apparently, functioned as a kind of informal currency during his time there. He also completed an 18-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Eighteen days on the river is a serious commitment. Whelan described it with the calm of someone who’d happily do it again.
Family Trips is hosted by Seth Meyers, the Late Night comedian and television host. The show revolves around travel stories and the experiences that shaped its guests. New episodes are available on YouTube, Spotify, and most major podcast apps.
Whelan also talked about his new comedy special, “Alive in Alaska.” It’s a title with a certain irony built in. He grew up hundreds of miles from the nearest coastline. Alaska is a different world entirely. The special sounds like it leans into that contrast. Based on the podcast conversation, it’s a project he’s genuinely proud of.
He’s also currently on tour with Meyers, making this a well-timed moment to get familiar with his work. The podcast is a solid starting point. His storytelling style is conversational and grounded. He doesn’t need much embellishment to make a story land.
Family Trips works best with guests who have honest travel histories rather than polished highlight reels. Whelan’s story fits that well. He came to travel late, found it completely captivating, and hasn’t stopped since. There’s something genuinely appealing about that kind of trajectory.
“Alive in Alaska” is out now. The full episode is available on the Family Trips YouTube channel and on Spotify.