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: Renee Blodgett
Occupation: Marketing & Social Media Strategist, Travel Writer & Photographer
Hometown: Gloversville New York
Residence: San Francisco
Website: We Blog the World
Twitter: @weblogtheworld and @magicsaucemedia
Facebook: We Blog the World
Pinterest: We Blog the World
YouTube: We Blog the World
Short Bio: Founder of We Blog the World, a travel blog that covers culture & travel, human interest stories & events with contributors worldwide and Magic Sauce Media, a global social media, PR & branding consultancy based in San Francisco. Photographer, Consultant, Rainmaker, Visionary, Entrepreneur, Corporate Advisor, Writer, Launch & Start-Up Guru. As one of the first bloggers in the industry, Renee has been blogging for 16 years. She writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, as well as for Huffington Post & the BlogHer network.
How often do you fly: 2-3 times a month
How many countries have you been to: Closing in on 80 this past year.
How many continents have you been to: Every continent except Antarctica
Favorite American city: New York followed by San Francisco
Favorite international city: Only one? You’re killing me. Cape Town. London. Paris. Amsterdam. Melbourne. Rome.
Least Favorite country: China.
Favorite World Heritage Site: The one choice thing is killing me. Here’s my top three: Galapagos Islands, Lake Turkana National Park in northern Kenya & Tikal National Park in Guatemala
Favorite airline: Singapore Airlines followed by Virgin Atlantic.
Favorite aircraft type: A 6 seater flying over southern Africa.
Aisle or window: Aisle.
Favorite airport lounge: London’s Virgin Atlantic.
Favorite U.S. airport: Seattle
Favorite international airport: London
Favorite hotel: Taj Lake Palace Udaipur India and The Turtle Inn in Belize.
Favorite cruise line: Crystal Cruises.
Favorite island: Fiji & Santorini are tied.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Rust en Vrede in Stellenbosch South Africa.
Favorite hole in the wall: Wally’s Café in Boston.
Favorite fruit: Guava and Blueberries are tied.
Favorite food: Fresh salads followed by grilled fish or organic chicken served with the spices of the country I’m in. Italian is high on the list when the pasta is homemade. Game is high on the list when in southern Africa.
Least favorite food: Anything loaded with heavy cow cheese.
Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground). An Opus Cabernet or a Kistler Chardonnay. A serious Margarita made with some serious top brand Mexican tequila comes in second place.
Favorite travel movie(s): Unbearable Lightness of Being.
Favorite travel show(s): Don’t really watch travel shows – I tend to focus on photography, blogs and magazines.
Favorite travel book(s): Paul Theroux & Bill Bryson. Also I love Andre Brink on South African ‘culture’ and history, though technically his novels aren’t travel books.
Right now I am reading: I am re-reading Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety and A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman. I never read one book at a time.
Five things you bring on a plane: Specialty teas, my camera, a notebook, laptop, and my BOSE headset on International flights.
What do you always seem to forget: My hairbrush. Yes, really.
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport duty free store? The best wine available from that country followed by the best dark chocolate – only dark chocolate.
Favorite travel iPhone app(s): Hootsuite and Camera+.
Most embarrassing/worst travel moment: Sitting next to Madeleine Albright on a plane and harping on how we must know each other from some event or another, not connecting the dots. It was one of those out of context things.
What’s your dream destination: Take me to Boro Boro, the Maldives, back to Capris, Buenos Aires, and Mauritius. I could go on…
Favorite travel website(s) – besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!: I like Chris Elliott’s site because he tries to get consumer’s issues voiced and resolved.
Best travel tip: Be present & aware of every encounter because you never know where that encounter will lead you…the encounters are your most precious moments on the road since they often lead to some of the warmest and most authentic relationships you’ll have in your lifetime.
