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: Krista Canfield
Occupation: Trip’s Getaway Expert and VP of Corporate Communications
Hometown: Syracuse, New York
Residence: Menlo Park, California
College: Syracuse University (Go Orange!)
College major: Dual major in Broadcast Journalism and Finance
Website: Trip.com
Twitter: @triptravelco & @kristacanfield
Facebook: Trip
Pinterest: Trip
Instagram: Trip
YouTube: Trip
Short bio: Krista Canfield is Trip’s Getaway Expert and also the travel service’s vice president of corporate communications. Krista loves travel, tech and quirky shoes. Prior to joining Trip in December of 2014, she spent nearly seven years handling corporate, consumer and trade communications efforts at LinkedIn. During her time at the world’s largest professional networking site, she also led communications efforts related to LinkedIn’s expansion into international markets such as Brazil, Canada and Japan. Before she connected with LinkedIn, Krista worked for Horn Group, a top independent digital communications agency. Her career began in broadcast television at NBC affiliate KDLT-TV. Krista graduated from Syracuse University with a dual degree in broadcast journalism and finance. In addition to her role at Trip, Krista is also on the board of advisors at Syracuse University’s (iSchool) School of Information Studies.
How often do you fly? At least once per month.
How many countries have you been to? Sixty-one and counting according to my Trip Passport.
How many continents have you been to? Five (Antarctica and Australia are on my bucket list).
Earliest travel memory: Traveling to San Francisco as a kid. Sadly the only thing I remember from that trip was squishing a penny into the shape of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Favorite American city: New York City because it has an energy unlike any other city in the world.
Favorite international city: Krakow, Poland.
Least favorite country: I can’t really say I have one.
I have no desire to go to: I’ll go anywhere.
Friendliest people in the world: Cambodians.
Country with the meanest immigration officers: I haven’t bumped into any particularly hostile immigration officers.
Favorite World Heritage Site: Memphis and its Necropolis—the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur—because it has truly stood the test of time as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only wonder of the ancient world still in existence and I think it serves as an excellent reminder that humans have the power to both create, and destroy, remarkable things in this world.
Favorite airline: United because its Star Alliance always gets me wherever I need to go.
Favorite aircraft type: I’m a fan of the aircrafts that get me from Point A to Point B without mechanical difficulties or crashing.
Aisle or window: Window.
Favorite airport lounge: The Turkish Airlines CIP Lounge at Istanbul Ataturk International Airport (IST).
Favorite U.S. airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) because it means I’m either heading home or gearing up for my next adventure.
Favorite international airport: Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) because you have room to roam, but it isn’t hard to get from gate to gate. BCN also has a nice little outdoor area you can hang out at.
Favorite hotel: Tanda Tula Safari Camp in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve which is part of Greater Kruger National Park. There aren’t too many places where you have wild elephants hanging around your lodging. The tents are exquisite, the outdoor showers are amazing, the food is delicious plus the guides and staff are incredibly friendly at Tanda Tula.
Favorite cruise line: I prefer to shift things into high gear rather than relying on cruise control.
Favorite travel credit card: Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card. You earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases, It has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees.
Favorite island: The hundred of islands and islets in Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam.
Favorite beach: Kalalau Beach at the end of the Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. After hiking the 11-mile Kalalau Trail, eating a freshly plucked passionfruit on the secluded beach makes you feel like you stumbled upon heaven.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Passadis del Pep in Barcelona.
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: Pastabilities in Syracuse, New York. I could eat a bowl of their homemade fettuccine pasta with spicy hot tomato oil sauce and locatelli cheese every day.
Favorite bar: Ishinohana in Tokyo.
Favorite fruit: Passionfruit.
Favorite food: My grandmother’s cauliflower casserole.
Least favorite food: I love fish, but I am not a fan eating fish scales.
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): Red wine.
Favorite travel movie(s): The Ghost and the Darkness, Tracks, Before Sunrise, Out of Africa, Chef, Danny Deckchair, Sideways, Up in the Air, Under the Tuscan Sun, and of course Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Favorite travel show(s): Anthony Bourdain No Reservations, Man v. Food, Naked and Afraid.
Favorite travel book(s): “Insatiable” by Scott Stone.
Right now I am reading: “I Married Adventure: The Lives and Adventures of Martin and Osa Johnson” as well as “What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty.
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: Afar, Conde Nast Traveller, Food & Wine.
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! Tnooz, Skift, Travolution, Travel Massive and, of course, Trip.com
5 things you bring on a plane: An arsenal of magazines, eyeshades, iPod, iPad, and my Bose noise-canceling in-ear headphones.
What do you always seem to forget? How long it takes to get to the airport in traffic.
What do you like least about travel? That I can’t bring tasty bottles of wine, olive oil, pasta sauce, and other liquids home in my carry-on bag because I won’t check a bag unless it’s absolutely necessary.
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? Nada. I’d rather they get me something small and sentimental in town.
Favorite travel app(s): Rocket Languages, Lyft, XE Currency Converter, Google Translate, Shazam, Trip.
Most embarrassing travel moment: I may have chipped a front tooth on a beer bottle during a van ride in Thailand.
I’m embarrassed but I haven’t been to: New Orleans, but it’ll happen.
Worst travel moment: That would be the time it took me 19 hours to get from San Francisco to Erie, Pennsylvania. My flight from Cincinnati to Erie ended up getting cancelled, so a few of the other stranded passengers and I took a shuttle bus to Erie. By the time I got to my hotel it was 3:30 am and I had a TV interview at 5 am that morning.
What’s your dream destination? Antarctica.
Favorite travel charity: Give a Day Global, Shoes for Sherpas and Haven training restaurant in Cambodia.
Best travel tip: Be spontaneous and take notes. Writing down the places you’ve been helps you relive those experiences and it makes it a lot easier to share local treasures you’ve found with other adventurers.