Here’s a fun travel Q&A from my time in the air:
Favorite flight
Right now I’m in love with Thai Airways and their lay flat beds. Their food and service is amazing as well. We recently flew them from Narita, Japan to Bangkok, Thailand to Melbourne, Australia.
Favorite airline
I love Thai Airways and Lufthansa. I haven’t flown every airline and this answer can change with just one flight (Update: it did but it took a few years!) I usually prefer anything that isn’t an airline in the US.
Favorite city
It’s hard to pick a favorite city because they all have their charms. My home base is in Portland Oregon so I’m pretty sure that’s my favorite place in the world. I grew up in the state and can’t see being away from it for too long. The beauty just always pulls me back. Some of my favorite cities that I’ve traveled to are Siem Reap, Cork, Madrid and Gent.
Best airplane food
I love the food on Thai Airways or almost any Asian carrier. I might be considered anti-american because I’m not a big lover of cheese and break. Eek!
Favorite airline experience
A fun story I have is on an Asiana Airlines flight and I asked for some vodka and orange juice. They were on meal service so they asked me to wait a few minutes. She came back about 10-15 minutes later and apologized for the delay and asked if I wanted that mixed or separate. I said, “whatever is easiest for you”. She came back a couple minutes later with an almost full cup of orange juice and an almost full cup of vodka. I looked at my friend and said, “I think I’m going to need some more orange juice”. We both started laughing.
Favorite airport
I love the Seoul airport because you can make arts and crafts, listen to live music, take a shower and lounge for free. There’s also day tours for a small fee so that you don’t have to spend 8 hours in the airport if you don’t want to. They have tours for all lengths of time and they’ll even lend you a jacket if you need it. Talk about service! This airport has it all…except maybe the butterfly garden that I love in the Singapore airport. I think that would have to be my second favorite airport besides PDX. Portland Oregon has the nicest people and all local cuisine and shops.
Most expensive flight
The most expensive flight I ever paid for was Portland Oregon USA to Frankfurt, Germany. It was just over $1,000, roundtrip. The highest priced flight I didn’t “pay” for was a more complex itinerary to SE Asia.
Biggest misconception that people have about flying
You need a lot of money to fly all over the world. I talk a lot about this in my new book, Women with Wanderlust. It’s actually one of the reasons why I wrote the book.
What airlines should bring back
There’s many things but I think my top choice would be real food. If you’re going to make me buy it anyway, why not let me buy something that’s not overly processed? This isn’t the case on all airlines or if you are in business or first. I think there should be a focus on good, healthy food. You are already serving me recycled air, give me something good to eat.
Most unexpected destination
I have a few: Laos, Taiwan, Slovenia and Lesotho. All these locations are less touristy and cheaper than the mainstream areas. They are also stunningly beautiful.
I try to fly like Bond, don’t you?
An excerpt from my book, Women with Wanderlust: A Guide to Roaming
If you don’t know where you want to go and are open to ideas you should start asking around. Ask people where their favorite places are. Ask them where they would go if they could pick anywhere to travel. You should also think about your vacation style or how you want to travel.
What do you like to do on a trip? Do you like to stick to only one city or country? Do you like developing countries or only developed ones? Do you like to explore? What modes of transportation do you like to use to explore? Do you like hiking or mountains? Do you like to read by the pool or at the beach? Are there any festivals that you want to attend? Is there a time of year that works best for you to travel? Do you like cold or hot? Do you like the city or the country? Are you opposed to any locations or have places you’ve already crossed off your list?
Are you a luxury traveler or backpacker or somewhere in the middle? Do you like hostels, nice hotels, B&Bs or couchsurfing? It’s time to decide your travel style.
Any favorites you’d like to share with me, feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing other tips, tricks and stories or other must see destinations.
