Want to know how to travel in style, just like the pros? We check in with frequent fliers to find out how often they fly, their favorite destinations and what they never leave home without.
Name: Annette White
Occupation: Travel Blogger, Author & Restaurateur
Hometown: The small town of Petaluma in Northern California
College: Sonoma State University
College major: Communications
Website: bucketlistjourney.net
Twitter: @BucketListJrny
Facebook: Bucket List Journey
Instagram: bucketlistjourney
Google+: Annette White
Short bio: Annette is the author of “Bucket List Adventures,” co-owner of the Michelin-recommended restaurant Sugo Trattoria in California, a serial adventurer and creator of the award-winning travel blog Bucket List Journey.
How often do you fly? On average, 2-4 flights per month.
How many countries have you been to? 46
How many continents have you been to? 5 (Australia and Antarctica left!).
Earliest travel memory: When I was sixteen my grandmother took me to her hometown of Guglionesi in Italy for an entire month. I was too young to really appreciate it at the time, but would give anything to have those days back with my sweet nonna.
Favorite American city: San Francisco for the food, the energy and the Golden Gate Bridge! Luckily, it’s just forty minutes from my house.
Favorite international city: Tokyo! It is a city of many colorful facets; a mix of avant-garde and traditional. It is a town where the illuminated skyscrapers cohabitate with historic temples, unusual anime shops and cherry blossom lined streets. It is a destination where you can attend a lively tuna auction hours before daybreak, eat skewers of yakitori in the seedy Piss Alley or scramble across one of the biggest intersections in the world with hundreds of others. In other words, Tokyo is freakin’ fabulous.
Least favorite country: Every country I have been to has incredible experiences to offer, so there isn’t one in particular that is my least favorite.
I have no desire to go to: Anyplace that would be deemed unsafe for American tourists to visit during my specified travel dates. Otherwise, the world is free game—I want to see it all!
Friendliest people in the world: Swiss, Thai, Maltese and Japanese! They have been so helpful and polite every time I visit.
Country with the meanest immigration officers: Dare I say it? The USA. Though, Jamaica wasn’t too friendly either.
Favorite World Heritage Site: Just one?!?! That’s tough because I have been to some incredible ones. But, the top experience was spending the night in Jordan’s Wadi Rum Dessert.
Favorite airline: EVA Airlines (especially when I am on their Hello Kitty plane!).
Favorite aircraft type: Any plane that is large enough where I feel the turbulence less.
Aisle or window: Aisle—I don’t like to have to ask to go to the restroom.
Favorite airport lounge: Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong.
Favorite U.S. airport: Sky Harbor in Phoenix—it has great restaurants to choose from!
Favorite international airport: Zurich, Switzerland.
Favorite hotel: The Feynan Ecolodge in Jordan was a special experience. I have never seen so many stars in the sky as I did from their rooftop.
Favorite cruise line: I am not much of a cruiser, but when I do I like Viking River Cruises.
Favorite travel credit card: American Express Hilton Honors, Chase MileagePlus Explorer.
Favorite island: Galapagos Islands.
Favorite beach: Playa Delfines in Cancun. I love the warm, crystal blue water.
Favorite National Park: Yosemite National Park in California, especially during the winter.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Picco in Larkspur, California. It is not black-tie fancy, but laid-back classy, just how I like my restaurants. My mouth waters just at the thought of their made-to-order risotto.
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: There are so many great little gems around the world, but I remember having deliciously juicy kebabs at Durum Bufe in Istanbul.
Favorite airport restaurant: Any one that has outlets at my seat and serves a really good glass of wine.
Favorite bar: I’m not into the crazy nightlife, but I do love a good wine bar. One of my favorites is Il Santino in Florence.
Favorite fruit: Cherries.
Favorite food: It’s a tie between Italian, Thai and sushi.
Least favorite food: Raw oysters.
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): Red wine—Always and anywhere. In particular my favorites area Napa Valley Cabernet, Italian Primitivo or an Australian Shiraz.
Favorite travel movie(s): The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Favorite travel show(s): The Getaway.
Favorite travel book(s): “Little Princes” by Conor Grennan.
Right now I am reading: “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.”
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: I don’t get to leisurely read other blogs too often, but when I do I like to keep up with my travel buddies: Points and Travel; Food, Fun & Faraway Places; and Bohemian Vagabond.
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! I spend A LOT of time on TripAdvisor and Expedia.
5 things you bring on a plane: Headphones, laptop, melatonin, toothbrush, Airborne.
What do you always seem to forget? Healthy snacks.
What do you like least about travel? Turbulence, hotels without elevators and that moment after you land in a foreign country then have to navigate your way to your hotel.
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? I never understood Duty Free shopping, so I’d tell them to save their money.
Favorite travel app(s): Google Maps.
Most embarrassing travel moment: Walking into the men’s dressing room in a bathhouse in Switzerland because I couldn’t read the German signs. Naked men everywhere!
I’m embarrassed I haven’t been to: New York City.
Worst travel moment: Losing my iPhone in Amsterdam and getting a touch of food poisoning in Guatemala.
What’s your dream destination? At the moment, Antarctica.
Favorite travel charity: KIVA. I love being able to loan money to entrepreneurs around the world who are dreamers just like me.
Best travel tip: One of my best pieces of travel advice would be to always comparison shop when it comes to booking flights and hotels. Never settle for the pricing on just one website! You can start with checking directly on the airline and hotels homepage, but venture beyond this and you’ll be surprised how much you can save.