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: Lanee Lee
Occupation: Freelance Writer/Editor
Hometown: Aztec, NM
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Website: voyage vixens, laneelee
Twitter: @wanderlushdiary, @voyagevixens
Facebook: laneelee
Pinterest: laneelee
YouTube: TheVoyageVixens
Short Bio: Lanee Lee is a Los Angeles-based writer/editor who uses her craft to pursue her passions: high-octane adventures, cuisine/cocktails and discovering artisans around the globe. She recently co-founded Voyage Vixens, an Eat, PLAY, Love travel guide and has a tippling travel series called Wanderlush Diary on Wanderlust & Lipstick. Her writings have been published on CNN, Huffington Post, Fabrik Magazine, Bespoke Magazine and Fathom to name a few.
How often do you fly: 1-2x per month.
How many countries have you been to: 23 and counting
How many continents have you been to: 5
Favorite American city: Big Sur, CA (is that a big enough to be a city?) If not, then Venice, CA.
Favorite international city: Barcelona and Paris
Least favorite country: Wow, this is hard. I always find something fascinating in each country I visit. But if I had to answer, I’d say United Arab Emirates.
Favorite World Heritage Site: The Chauvet Cave in Ardeche, France with perfectly preserved 30,000-35,000 year old cave paintings (in the process of being declared a World Heritage Site)
Favorite airline: Virgin or Emirates
Aisle or window: Aisle for long trips and window for short trips (it’s all about easy access to the restroom as I drink lots of water to stay hydrated!)
Favorite hotel: andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania
Favorite island: Puerto Rico (you never get bored there)
Favorite fruit: Pineapple (rum-soaked preferably)
Favorite food: Homemade, still-warm tortilla chips and guacamole. I could eat this every day of my life.
Least favorite food: Canned vegetables of any kind.
Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground): In air – Ginger Ale, On the ground: Manhattan cocktail
Favorite travel movie(s): Samsara
Favorite travel show(s): Hmm, I don’t watch TV (except for news), but I did like watching the youtube Jenna Marbles Goes to India segment and the Where the Hell is Matt dancing around the world youtube videos.
Favorite travel book(s): I think I was from India in another life, so books describing life in India I completely lose myself in: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald.
Right now I am reading: The Longest Way Home by Andrew McCarthy
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines: Besides Johnny Jet’s? Traveler by National Geographic, Saveur Magazine, Urban Daddy
Five things you bring on a plane: FatCat Portable Phone Charger, Bausch & Lomb Redness Reliever Eye Drops, gossip mags (the tackier the better), gummy bears and neck pillow.
What do you always seem to forget: My pajamas!
Favorite travel iPhone app(s): I know it’s not travel related, but when I’ve got Wi-Fi on the road, Words With Friends is my secret addiction.
What’s your dream destination: Cuba. It’s still untouched by real estate development and tourism – quite possibly the last preserved destination on the planet besides North Korea.
Favorite travel charity: I just went on safari with andBeyond in Kenya and Tanzania. Not only do they offer insanely gorgeous (and green) safari stays with 5-star service but their andBeyond Foundation works to preserve wildlife, builds schools and health clinics and gives back to the indigenous African tribespeople in the surrounding communities.
Best travel tip: Getting sick while traveling is horrendous! I’m all about the essential oils to stay healthy on the journey: Lavender oil for warding off odors and as a de-stresser, oregano oil in water to combat colds, and grapefruit seed oil to prevent Montezuma’s Revenge when traveling in third world countries.