Feel-Good Friday: Pottery, a History-Making Pilot, and a Salmon Race Worth Following

Feel-Good Friday: Pottery, a History-Making Pilot, and a Salmon Race Worth Following

From Unpacked by Afar by Afar

May 15, 2026 · 15 min · Season 5 · Episode 19

About this episode

This episode features uplifting travel stories including a salmon conservation project, a historic pilot, and local traditions in Minnesota and Estonia.

Welcome back to Feel-Good Fridays! Every Friday through the end of June, Unpacked is popping into your feed with a brand-new series designed to carry you into the weekend a little lighter. In each episode, host Aislyn Greene and producer Nikki Galteland are joined by a different Afar staffer to share three travel stories that made them smile, tear up (in a good way), or rethink what’s possible. Funny, inspiring, heartwarming—the only rule is no downers. This week, they’re joined by Afar’s editorial director, Billie Cohen, and the trio covers all the elements: water, sky, and land. Together, they share: A Pacific Northwest conservation project that turns one of nature’s most epic journeys into something you can actually root for, fish by fish The pilot who spent more than 50 years chasing a childhood dream—and just made history at one of the country’s biggest airlines A weekend tradition in rural Minnesota where you can follow hand-painted signs from studio to studio, and the Estonian summer ritual Billie shared in a recent Travel Tale. Chapters 00:00:00 Welcome to Feel-Good Friday 00:01:00 Rooting for Baby Salmon 00:05:00 United’s First Female Captain 00:08:30 Quirky Local Trail…

People in this episode

Hosts: Aislyn Greene, Nikki Galteland

Guest: Billie Cohen

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: United Airlines

Places: Pacific Northwest, Minnesota, Estonia

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