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: Michele Peterson
Occupation: Food and Travel Writer
Hometown: Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada (700 miles north of Fargo)
Residence: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
College: University of Winnipeg
College major: Economics
Website: A Taste for Travel or atastefortravel.ca
Twitter: @atastefortravel
Facebook: A Taste for Travel
Instagram: atastefortravel
Pinterest: A Taste for Travel
Short bio: Former banking executive Michele Peterson swapped business suit for sarong and is now an award-winning travel writer, editor and publisher who specializes in food, drink and sun destinations. Her work has been published in international magazines, travel anthologies, mobile apps, websites and guidebooks including the newest title in Lonely Planet’s cookbook series “Mexico: From the Source … Authentic Recipes From the People That Know Them the Best.“ Check out her portfolio Michelepeterson.com or get insider travel tips at A Taste for Travel.
How often do you fly? Every few weeks.
How many countries have you been to? 50+
Favorite international city: Rome.
Friendliest people in the world: Grenada.
Favorite World Heritage Site: Tikal National Park, Guatemala.
Favorite airline: Air Canada.
Aisle or window: Aisle.
Favorite international airport: Landing at the world’s shortest runway at Gustaf III Airport on the island of St. Barth’s.
Favorite hotel: Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa, French Polynesia.
Favorite cruise line: Hapag Lloyd MS Europa 2.
Favorite island: My first visit to the island of Grenada was so rewarding, I was inspired to write 12 reasons I’m tempted to drop everything and move to Grenada.
Favorite beach: Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Dulce Patria in Mexico City where every dish created by Chef Martha Ortiz is a work of art and tells a story.
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: Cantina do Spade in Venice where you can enjoy traditional Venetian cicchetti and a Cynar cocktail in a historic bar.
Favorite bar: The Chevicheria Beach Bar at the W Punta de Mita. It’s a 1950s Chevy truck perched on the sand overlooking the Pacific Ocean where mixologists serve inventive mescal cocktails and ultra-fresh ceviche.
Favorite food: Paella.
Least favorite food: Chapulines (toasted spicy grasshoppers).
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): Crown Royal Rye Whisky.
Favorite travel book(s): First published in 1841, the two volumes of “Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan” by John Lloyd Stephens with illustrations by Frederick Catherwood, are the ultimate travel adventure story.
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! Caribbean Journal.
5 things you bring on a plane: A carry-on with a paperback, earplugs, iPhone, laptop and a bathing suit, so I’m ready to hit the beach.
What do you always seem to forget? High heels.
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? A bottle of Ron Zacapa Centenario from Guatemala.
Favorite travel app(s): XE Currency.
Most embarrassing travel moment: Under-reporting my weight on a scuba trip and getting a tiny wetsuit I could barely squeeze onto one thigh.
Worst travel moment: Getting dengue fever in the jungles of Guatemala.
Favorite travel charity: Pack for a Purpose makes a difference by encouraging travellers to make space in their suitcase for medical and school supplies needed in communities around the world.
Best travel tip: If you’re headed to the tropics, pack duct tape to seal gaps in windows and doors—it’s just one of my tips of 12 Ways to Protect Yourself from Zika, Chikungunya and Dengue Virus.
I love your writing, Michele. You have a gift for descriptions not many others have.
Thanks for sharing the post.
Keep sharing will help us..