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: Jennifer Dombrowski
Occupation: Profession Travel Blogger
Born and Raised: Erie, PA
Residence: Bordeaux, France
Website: Luxe Adventure Traveler and Bordeaux Travel Guide
Twitter: @jdomb
Facebook: facebook.com/luxeadventuretraveler/
Pinterest: pinterest.com/luxeadvtrvlr/
Instagram: instagram.com/luxeadventuretrvlr
Short Bio:
Jennifer and her husband, Tim, have been to more than 65 countries on 4 continents together. They’re American expats who have lived in Europe for more than 10 years now, living in Northern Italy near Venice for seven years before moving to Bordeaux, France nearly four years ago. While they travel the world on wine laden luxury adventures, they’re experts on Europe and particularly Italy and Bordeaux.
Jennifer and Tim are professional travel writers and photographers who love adventure and wine, so they often try to combine the two. By day, you’ll find them out on some crazy adventure like snorkeling in Iceland in winter or on a long distance hut-to-hut hike in the Dolomites, but by night, they’re creatures of comfort. Follow their blog, Luxe Adventure Traveler, for comprehensive destination itineraries, heart-pumping adventures and luxury experiences. Follow their blog, Bordeaux Travel Guide, for the ultimate guide to Bordeaux with local tips and advice for a memorable trip to the Wine Capital of the World.
How often do you fly: About 10 times per year. We road trip a lot since it is so easy to get around Europe by car.
How many countries have you been to: More than 65. We haven’t kept count in a while, but we visit some new-to-us countries each year.
How many continents have you been to: 4 – Africa, Asia, Europe and North America
Favorite American city: New York City
Favorite international city: Budapest really stands out as our favorite European city.
Least favorite country: There’s not been a country yet that we haven’t wanted to come back to and explore some more.
Favorite World Heritage Site: Petra in Jordan, which recently celebrated 200 years of its rediscovery.
Favorite airline: I don’t have a favorite, but I really like flying with Icelandair and British Airways.
Favorite aircraft type: Does a hot air balloon count? We were married in one, though we’ve never actually had a flight. But that is a story for another time!
Aisle or window: Window
Favorite U.S. airport: ORD. Who doesn’t love a dinosaur right in the airport?
Favorite international airport: Terminal 5 at LHR
Favorite hotel: It’s so hard to choose a favorite because we’ve stayed at some truly spectacular places! One of our absolute favorite brands is Anantara Resorts & Spas.
Favorite island: Sint Maarten
Favorite fancy restaurant: Gordon Ramsay restaurants!
Favorite hole in the wall:
Tim lived in Cambridge for a few years on his last assignment with the US Air Force before he retired. There’s this noodle place that is painted bright lime year, the windows are always steamed up, it only has about a dozen seats and there’s not even a bathroom. It’s called Noodles Plus and the husband and wife team make the best Xiao Long Bao soup dumplings we’ve ever had. It was Tim’s regular Sunday lunch spot, we’d go whenever I was visiting and we make trips to Cambridge just for a soup dumpling fix.
Drink of choice: Wine! We try the local wine no matter where we go. As we recently just got settled in the apartment we bought in Bordeaux, we bought a wine fridge for our collection of about 300 bottles. What’s really cool is nearly every bottle in our collection has been purchased directly from a winery we visited. Our collection includes wines from California, France, Italy and even places like Israel, Georgia (the country) and Turkey.
Favorite fruit: Strawberries
Favorite food: Lobster
Least favorite food: Sweet potatoes
Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground) Water, please! It’s especially important to stay hydrated when flying.
Favorite travel movie(s): Indiana Jones series
Favorite travel book(s): I just read The Venice Experiment and it was really fun to read about places I know so well!
Right now I am reading: Jaws
Five things you bring on a plane: Water, camera, pashmina, snacks, and a toothbrush for international flights.
What do you always seem to forget: Traveling around Europe especially, hotels often don’t have washcloths. I always seem to forget to pack cleansing towelettes to remove my make-up.
Favorite travel iPhone app(s): Tripit
Most embarrassing/worst travel moment: Oh, there was this one time I got on the wrong plane and didn’t know it until the pilot announced we were headed to South Bend, Indiana instead of Erie, Pennsylvania. I was mortified when I had to press my call button and let the flight attendant know I wasn’t supposed to be on the plane. Even worse, it was a small 16-seater so everyone on the flight knew!
What’s your dream destination: Antarctica. We love polar destinations and camping on the continent is definitely on our bucket list.
Favorite travel charity: Passports with a Purpose
Favorite travel website(s) – besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!: National Geographic. I love looking at the pictures, especially the remote places on our planet, and getting ideas of where we might like to go.
Best travel tip: There’s always an excuse not to go, but why wait? Your dream destination might not be in your budget right now, but somewhere is. The world is a big place and you’ve got to start somewhere!
