A first-person vlog-style transcript of Kara and Nate Buchanan attending the 10th annual Shorty Awards in New York City, where they win the Shorty Award for Best in Travel. The piece follows their travel logistics (flights from Bali → Kuala Lumpur → Istanbul → NYC), arrival on the teal carpet, interactions with internet creators (including a fangirl moment meeting Casey Neistat/HQ), acceptance speech thanking viewers and family, and the after-party. The tone is celebratory, conversational, and candid.
Chapters
And the Shorty Award for best in travel goes to. Karen. Nate.
Am I in your video right now?
Can't see the vlog. Do you know how many times I've seen your face on my phone? No. Like, so many times. And now we're standing.
We're winners. This is crazy.
Normally, we publish all of our videos in chronological order, which means that right now we should be in Thailand, but we are currently sitting here in New York City. Every once in a while, there is a special event that we feel like deserves to be published in real time, and that special event is happening tonight.
So back in January, we got this email out of the blue that we were nominated for a Shorty Award, but we needed you to vote in order to become finalists to be invited to the ceremony, and you did not let us down. You're the reason we're sitting in New York City, and tonight we're going to the Shorty Award.
But it has not been a short journey to get here. This whole journey started back in Bali, where we took a taxi to the airport. Then we boarded our first flight to Kuala Lumpur, where we had a long layover that we made the most of by leaving the airport, eating delicious street food, and watching the sunset from a helicopter pad.
Then we flew nine hours from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul. We spent several hours in one of our favorite airport lounges in the world before flying 10 more hours to New York City. Thanks, Turkish airline.
And now we are here in New York, looking much fancier than usual in clothes that we bought yesterday just for tonight's event.
When we went shopping yesterday. Yesterday it was 75 degrees in New York City, and today it's 40. So I've kept my coat on all day. But now it's time to go finish getting ready because we're going to the Stormy Awards.
The PlayStation Theater is, like, in Times Square. Like, Times Square is right here, and we're going right here.
Thank you for being supportive. Thank you. Thank you.
Good luck, guys. Currently waiting in line for the teal carpet, which is, like, red carpet, but it's teal.
Everybody that I've ever seen on the Internet is here. Like, I just keep recognizing more and more people. I don't feel like I should be waiting in line with, like, the people of the Internet. I feel like I should be out on the other side of the gate because I'm just, like, starstruck isn't the core I wore. I just recognize people, and it's a lot of fun.
Wow. This whole carpet. This is so much fun. I Feel like this is wet. No more questions, please.
Look at this.
There's a slinky on the wall.
We just grabbed you guys again. I'm going to grab a SN nip our snap for DirecTV's IG story.
Love it. Ready?
1, 2, 3.
Perfect.
Thank you so much.
Wow, there's a lot of people. We're at a cocktail party.
We're just standing around by ourselves. I feel like everybody else has been to like a touchy thing.
We've never been in a brunch like this. I do feel like we picked out good outfits.
We look smart, but we have no cool.
And I'm warmed up. Okay, so you may not know this about me, but I am 100% fan girl. Anytime I see somebody who really, I get really excited. The HQ guy is here.
Hq, guys, hq.
I don't even know what that means, but amazing. I'm happy that you're both. Will you be in our video? Am I in your video right now? Don't forget to like and subscribe. Smash that thumbs up button. And ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.
Okay, good for you.
I tried to keep it fangirling hard right now, so fangirling. No, you are not cool.
Ladies and gentlemen. I can't breathe. I can't believe I just hugged. I cannot believe I just hugged. I almost kissed him. Like his face is really close. I almost like he kissed me.
That was peak fangirl moment of my life. I was touching his face. I hope you got it on camera with me touching his face.
We are so excited to have you all here tonight. We are super excited for the 10th annual Shorty Awards powered by DirecTV. Now who's excited.
I won? Go on YouTube and look up anything you think is cool and you will find us. Well, I think that, you know, people that indulge in narcissistic behavior of talking out into the Internet need to be acknowledged for that. It's an award like any other award for bloke, an Oscar or or a Nobel Peace Prize. Social media is what is shifting and dictating culture right now more than anything else.
Here are the finalists.
Damon and jo.
Exploring with josh.
Fly with stella.
Juan pet shul.
Kara and nate.
She is not lost.
And the Shorty award for best in travel goes to. Kara Nate.
Oh, my God.
Thank you.
I thought they told you before you won these things. So we're unprepared, I think to be in person earlier. But before we left to travel, we started watching Casey Neistat.
I'm pretty sure Somebody told us to.
Do this, and he inspired us to document our trip. So we owe this to him. We also owe this to our family for supporting our travels, all of our viewers. This is incredible. Who would have thought? We like to go travel. And now we're standing on the stage of the show you award.
Thank you.
Yay. We travel and we love it. And the fact that we're getting an award for traveling is crazy. It's a dream, right? Yeah. I mean, I'm like, this is real. Yeah. I love it. I'm so excited.
Great night.
You did so good on your speech. I didn't know what to say. I just froze and I just held the trophy. We won. I'm about to cry.
I don't know what I said.
I'm gonna cry.
I have the same feeling I had when I proposed. I just completely forgot everything I said after it was over. Hey, listen, congrats. We wanted a picture earlier, but you were too popular. Tell the vlog who he is just in case.
The HQ guy, Scott, right here next to me. Not on my phone. In real life. That's me.
And then you just follow me.
Now we're going to sit back in our seats like normal people. But I can't. I have to, like, do something to get all this energy out. I can't. This is best in travel. Carrot.
Nate.
What?
Oh, my gosh.
In the community, you see this change?
Lot of people getting server.
I want to thank you all so much for joining us at the 10th annual Support Shorty Awards. The party doesn't stop. We're going to head to the Moxie Bar, so meet us there. Me and Kenny going to be hitting this one time for the kids.
We just arrived at the after party. I think we're going to end the vlog here. Today has been a dream. I never thought we would ever experience this. I thank every single one of you who voted for us and made this day possible.
Good night.
Okay.
Think about the dog on Instagram.
Quit being weird. Quit being weird.
I don't think it's interactive.
On the way out, they gave us this. What do they call these?
This puffy coat is from Eddie Bauer.
Act like we've been here before.
I'm just glad our moms are in town so they can take it back to Nashville and we don't have to carry it around the world.
But I love it. I would carry it if I had to. It's also going it backwards.
Don't forget to like and subscribe. Smash that thumbs up button.
