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: Jessica Marati
Occupation: Writer and Social Media Editor at Gadling
Hometown: Tamuning, Guam
Residence: New York City
Website: toutlemon.de
Twitter: @jessmarati
Short Bio: I am a writer and consultant passionate about the intersections of sustainability, social change, fashion, business, and, of course, travel. I have an incessant need to roam and explore, which has led me to nearly fifty countries reporting on subjects ranging from surf culture in Costa Rica, to meditation in Thailand, to Carnaval in Rio, to fashion weeks in New York, Paris, and Milan. My current home is New York City’s East Village, but my true home will always be Guam.
How often do you fly: About 10 times a year.
How many countries have you been to: 47
How many continents have you been to: 6
Favorite American city: New York
Favorite international city: Paris
Least favorite country: Hard question, but probably Vietnam because of the constant tourist hustle
Favorite World Heritage Site: The cultural landscape of Bali province (yes, the whole region is a heritage site!)
Favorite airline: Emirates
Favorite aircraft type: No preference so long as it’s big with a personal entertainment system at each seat
Aisle or window: Window on long flights, aisle on short
Favorite airport lounge: I don’t often frequent them – I’m usually that girl squatting outside the entrance stealing Wi-Fi
Favorite U.S. airport: Newark
Favorite international airport: Changi
Favorite hotel: Pavillon d’Orient in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Favorite cruise line: Not a big cruise fan, but I did have a nice Princess excursion to Alaska once
Favorite island: Guam! and Bali.
Favorite fancy restaurant: The old Chanterelle in NYC – still the best meal of my life
Favorite hole in the wall: Pizza Rustica on Via Flaminia in Rome
Favorite fruit: Rambutan
Favorite food: Tough choice, but probably pizza
Least favorite food: Fried grasshoppers
Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground): Red wine
Favorite travel movie(s): Eat Pray Love
(cliché but true)
Favorite travel show(s): I don’t watch them
Favorite travel book(s): The Art of Travel
by Alain de Botton… and not a travel book, per se, but Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn is a tremendously important read
Right now I am reading: The Death of Artemio Cruz: A Novel (FSG Classics)
by Carlos Fuentes and The Group by Mary McCarthy – I can never read just one book at once
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines: Afar, National Geographic, Gadling
Favorite travel website(s) – besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!: Hipmunk.com, Tripit.com
Five things you bring on a plane: Book, headphones, hand cream, Vanity Fair, and water
What do you always seem to forget: Extra layers
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport duty free store? Fancy regional liquor
Favorite travel iPhone app(s): Tripit, Scoutmob, TripAdvisor
Most embarrassing travel moment: Throwing up on the dance floor of Palladium, a super swank Acapulco night club, after some bad seafood poisoning.
Worst travel moment: I was on a RyanAir flight bound for Girona when the airplane started descending, then stopped mid-air, free fell for a bit, then started going back up. The whole plane was freaking out, and the flight attendants didn’t care to make an announcement about what had happened – poor visibility – until ten minutes later. Terrifying.
What’s your dream destination: Right now, the Maldives.
Favorite travel charity: Half the Sky
Best travel tip: Making use of stopover and open jaws when booking frequent flier reward travel – it’s the best way to turn one trip into two and make the most of your miles.
