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: Gillian Morris
Occupation: CEO, Hitlist
Hometown: New York, NY
Residence: New York, NY
College: Harvard
College major: Government
Website: hitlistapp.com (or personal site: gillian.im)
Twitter: @gillianim
Facebook: Gillian Morris
Pinterest: Gillian Morris
Google+: Really?
Instagram: gillianemorris
Short bio: Founder of Hitlist, nomad and travel evangelist.
How often do you fly? 2-4 times/month.
How many countries have you been to? 52
How many continents have you been to? 4
Earliest travel memory: Skiing in Vermont. We rented a really creepy cabin.
Favorite American city: New York.
Favorite international city: Istanbul.
Least favorite country: Bahrain.
I have no desire to go to: The Falkland Islands.
Friendliest people in the world: Georgians.
Country with the meanest immigration officers: Israel.
Favorite World Heritage Site: Hierapolis, in Pamukkale, Turkey.
Favorite airline: jetBlue.
Favorite aircraft type: 787 Dreamliner.
Aisle or window: Window.
Favorite airport lounge: Turkish Airlines at Istanbul Ataturk airport.
Favorite U.S. airport: JFK but only Terminal 5.
Favorite international airport: Gatwick airport.
Favorite hotel: N/a (never stay in hotels, almost always a friend’s couch or spare room).
Favorite travel credit card: Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Favorite island: Manhattan.
Favorite beach: Anything on Hvar, Croatia.
Favorite fancy restaurant: N/a (don’t go to fancy restaurants).
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, London.
Favorite bar: Buyuk Londra rooftop, Istanbul, Turkey.
Favorite fruit: Michigan cherry.
Favorite food: Most things Georgian: Circassian chicken (cooked in a walnut and cheese paste), eggplant, parsley, and pomegranate salad.
Least favorite food: Pork belly.
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): Vodka on the rocks.
Favorite travel movie(s): The Darjeeling Limited.
Favorite travel book(s): “The Oracle Bones” by Peter Hessler, “The Valleys of the Assassins” by Freya Stark.
Right now I am reading: “Dead Souls” by Gogol.
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: The Points Guy, Tiny Atlas, Travel Noire.
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! Instagram.
5 things you bring on a plane: Scarf, eye shades, water, The Economist, journal.
What do you always seem to forget? Toothbrush.
What do you like least about travel? Jetlag.
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? Chocolate.
Favorite travel app(s): Hitlist, Traxo, Tinder, Party With a Local, Swarm.
Most embarrassing travel moment: I’d picked up some adult-themed presents for a friend’s bachelorette party, and airport security made me unwrap them in front of an impatient line of my fellow passengers, who then gave me judgmental looks for the rest of the trip.
I’m embarrassed but I haven’t been to: Any US National Park.
Worst travel moment: Missed flight after an all-nighter in Berlin; realizing I’d have to wait for 16 hours with nowhere convenient to sleep for the next plane to where I needed to go.
What’s your dream destination? Iran.
Favorite travel charity: Mumbai Magic—they run great affordable tours of Mumbai led by university students who are from the slum areas.
Best travel tip: Ditch the map and the plans and ask people for directions.