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: Courtney Scott
Occupation: Travelocity Travel Editor & Spokesperson, Cubicle Escapee, Europhile
Hometown: Northport, NY
Residence: Brooklyn, NY
Website: CourtneyScott.tv, CourtneyUncubed.com, WindowSeatBlog.com
Twitter: @courtscott
Facebook: CourtneyUncubed, Travelocity
Pinterest: Travelocity, Court_Scott
YouTube: NutellaDivine, Travelocity
Short Bio: Courtney Scott, a guru of all things travel, food and fun, quit her desk job at VH1 in 2007 and moved to Italy to pursue her dream of seeing the world. Since that time Courtney has been circling the globe, contributing her travel and foodie expertise to outlets including “TODAY Show,” NBC New York, AOL City’s Best, BootsNAll.com, Jaunted.com, Huffington Post and BuzzFeed.com, among others. In 2010, Courtney produced and starred in a travel documentary about budget travel in Italy, and in 2009 her travel blog, Abroad’r View, was featured in Peter Greenberg’s New York Times Bestseller, “Don’t Go There.”
As senior editor for Travelocity, Courtney serves as a media resource for travel tips, advice, current events effecting travel, travel trend information and data analysis. Through her experience, Courtney has inspired young professionals across the world to begin exploring life outside the corporate cubicle. She is driven by the connective power of travel journalism and continues to motive, educate and entertain in her role at Travelocity.
How often do you fly: About every other month
How many countries have you been to: 21
How many continents have you been to: 5
Favorite American city: New York City
Favorite international city: Auckland is on the top of my list. I lived there for 5 months. Bogota is a favorite too. New to the list is Belgrade. I’ll be heading back there in October for a wedding!
Least favorite country: Haven’t been to a country yet that I’ve hated. Even if a place doesn’t give me the best first impression, the point of travel is to peel back the layers and understand the soul of a destination. Then it becomes even more beautiful.
Favorite World Heritage Site: For the breathtaking views – Kotor in Montenegro. For humbling me – Angkor Wat.
Aisle or window: If I am trying to type on my laptop an aisle seat gives me the extra elbow room. But otherwise, I’m a sucker for a great window seat view.
Favorite U.S. airport: I wouldn’t mind getting stuck for hours in JFK’s Terminal 5
Favorite international airport: Bangkok
Favorite cruise line: So far I’ve been on one cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy. The bar is now set quite high.
Favorite island: Hvar Island in Croatia, or Waiheke Island in New Zealand
Favorite fancy restaurant: One of my favorites is Aurum in Montefalco, Italy. Inventive dishes, minimalist white décor, wonderful organic wine.
Favorite hole in the wall: It’s quite literally a hole in the wall – a cave bar called Chez George on Rue des Cannettes in Saint Germain. If you’re not dancing on a table singing old Parisian folk songs when the sun dawns I’d be shocked.
Favorite fruit: A peach from Southern Italy is a meal in itself.
Favorite food: Nutella, out of the jar.
Least favorite food: Bananas and ketchup. But I love plantains and tomato sauce. Go figure.
Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground) In the air – lots of water. On the ground I like to rev up with Turkish coffee and wind down with Pinot Noir or Sauvignon Blanc.
Favorite travel movie(s): Cinema Paradiso and The Notebook. Don’t judge.
Favorite travel show(s): I don’t have cable TV, but I used to love watching Globe Trekker and Locked Up Abroad (it’s kind of a travel show, right?). Recently I stumbled upon the YouTube Show Sonia’s Travels, which I immediately subscribed to. She’s really refreshing.
Right now I am reading: The Magic of Belgrade by Momo Kapor.
Five things you bring on a plane: These are my essentials for staying hydrated and happy on long flights:
- Rohto Cool Eye Drops
- EBOOST Natural Energy + Immunity Packets (pink lemonade is my favorite)
- Bose 0E2 compact headphones
- The best (cheapest) lip balm ever – Blistex DCT with SPF 20
- Gipsy Kings playlist
What do you always seem to forget: To book a flight home (quite by design).
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport duty free store? Those gigantic blocks of cheese always look so enticing but are rarely allowed through U.S. customs.
Favorite travel iPhone app(s): Instagram and Dynamic Light for photos, Skype to talk for free on the road, Travelocity for on-the-go bookings and Google Places for getting me exactly where I need to be.
Most embarrassing/worst travel moment: Let me set the scene: I’m hailing a taxi in the middle of a busy Roman street. (Mistake #1: Locals don’t hail taxis). A taxi stops. I put my luggage in the back seat. Close the door. Run around the car to get in the other back seat. Before I can, the light turns green. Taxi leaves. I’m still standing in the street watching the taxi with my luggage get farther and father away until finally it’s just a little dot on the horizon. Luggage lost, lesson learned.
What’s your dream destination: Swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines. A DJ at a beach in Croatia told me about his experience last summer and it quickly floated to the top of my bucket list.
Favorite travel website(s) – besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!: The list is long but here are some of my current obsessions:
- CantForget.It
- MrMrsGlobeTrot
- UrbanItaly
- LostGirlsWord
- And lots of new changes are coming to Travelocity’s blog The Window Seat so stay tuned!
Best travel tip: You are your best company. I wish more people realized that. Traveling with large groups is fun, but the thrill of landing in a foreign city alone with no rules or schedules to abide by is pure adrenaline. And don’t be afraid to extract yourself from your cubicle. I’ve tried it, you’ll love it.