Project Manager, Sun Microsystems
Favorite mode of travel: A first-class train is probably my favorite way that I've ever traveled, but I love roadtrips too.
Worst airline experience: I was flying to New York once from Austin and there was a church youth group on my flight and they started singing. It was so horrible, half the flight was New Yorkers who were just like, "Shut up!" Any time we had turbulence they prayed and sang more. Definitely the worst experience I've ever had flying.
Any travel quirks? I always order tomato juice when I'm flying. I'd never think to drink it normally but somehow it becomes appealing as soon as I get on a plane.
Most interesting thing you've eaten while traveling: On one of my last trips to Mexico, I was in this teeny tiny town and they were having an ice-cream festival in the town square. And there were hundreds of different flavors of ice cream you could sample - like shrimp, beer, tequila and every kind of fruit you could imagine. The shrimp ice-cream was rather unusual and really kind of disgusting...
Last vacation you took that you really loved: I recently went to my fiance's family's beach house on Nantucket. We were there for a week and it was really relaxing. It involved a lot of cooking and going to the beach. That's my favorite type of trip: just being in a home and cooking dinner with family and friends.
Best city to escape to: I actually have three: Paris, Mexico City, and San Francisco. Whenever I go to any one of these three, I feel like I'm away from New York and totally rejuvenated.
Favorite hotel in the world: The Thunderbird, in Marfa, Texas. It's just very simple, minimal, but 5-star at the same time with really thoughtful touches. For example, every room has a record player, which I love.
Do you collect anything when you travel? I like finding local teas wherever I go - it's a really easy thing to bring back with you, and a nice way to remember your trips once you're home.
Biggest travel tip: Always take a small candle with you, wherever you're going. It makes such a difference, whether you're staying in a hotel room or apartment that you're renting. It instantly makes your space feel homey, even if it's not very nice to begin with.
Most spontaneous trip: Several years ago, I got this American Airline email and I saw tickets to Paris for $200 round-trip. 200 bucks - what a steal! So I bought them for that next weekend for my boyfriend and me. And we did it, we went, and as you can imagine it was really amazing and fun.
Best solo getaway for a jauntsetter: Paris. Without a doubt. It's such a beautiful city, it's so easy to be alone there, it's safe, it's easy to get to from any major city in the world. And it's so romantic. Cheesy but true!
Any quirky travel items you never travel without? I personally don't have any, but my mom travels with some kind of disinfectant for fruits and vegetables. If she buys fresh fruit of vegetables, she disinfectants them. I think that's weird.
Book recommendation for jauntsetters: I read Augie March by Saul Bellow on a trip, and it's one of the best books that I've ever read while traveling because the character does a lot of traveling himself. He's always searching for his thing that he's going to do, and goes on to the next place and the next adventure, and if you're traveling yourself, it's very easy to relate to the mode that the character is in. I highly recommend it.
Perfect travel soundtrack: It always changes. There was one summer that I spent in Paris, walking around listening to Carla Bruni. Very cheesy, but I recommend that - only for Paris. I also love - and these are friends of mine - listening to the Fiery Furnaces.
Favorite travel resource: Well jauntsetter of course (Ed note: hey, thanks!). I also use Timeout quite a bit. I was on a business trip in Madrid last year and I decided to stay the weekend and I had no idea where to stay or anything like that, so I just went on the their website on Friday afternoon and found a hotel and two good restaurants where I wanted to eat and booked the room. Lastly, I think Craigslist is good for finding accommodations that aren't hotels.
Ever rented an apartment on vacation? I rented an apartment in Paris and I just did it through Craigslist, through individuals, not through any kind of agency, and it worked out really well. I also did an apartment swap with somebody once in San Francisco. That was just through a forwarded email I received from a friend of a friend of a friend, one of those types of emails. She needed to be in New York for personal reasons and I had flexibility at that time. It was awesome, actually! She was in my apartment in Brooklyn and I was in her apartment in San Francisco for 3 months. Her apartment was so beautiful and not a single dollar was exchanged. We just kind of did it in good faith and it worked out really well.
Biggest thing you've learned - in general, or about yourself - when traveling? I'm a really social person, I always have plans with people, but what I learned through traveling is that I really like spending time alone. I love traveling by myself. I love sitting in a cafe by myself and reading a book, writing in my journal or just people-watching. I'm never ever really like that in my normal life, but when I travel, I really treasure my solitude.
Biggest travel splurge: I was in Mexico City a couple years ago, alone, and I think I was only in the city for 24 hours. And I wanted to do a lot in the city but I knew there would be no way for me to get even a tenth of the places I wanted to go. (Mexico City is huge and sprawling.) So I hired a driver for the day. I had this really nice breakfast at the hotel and then the driver took me to the market and waited for me while I shopped, and a bunch of other places, and then I checked out of the hotel and he took me to the airport. So, I had a driver for the day. A chauffeur! It felt so decadent but it was really worth it.
Favorite airline: I'm not a member of their frequent flyer club but I've flown Virgin Atlantic to London, and it's such a great airline. The food is actually really good, they have like 120 movies I want to see, and the entertainment system is actually fun and easy to use.
Any advice on dealing with chatty or creepy fellow passengers? I just can't deal with feeling like I'm hurting people's feelings, so I usually end up talking to chatty, creepy, and annoying passengers. So I really don't have a great tip on this one. Pretend you're asleep? I don't know.
