By Charles Passy
The PBS host of ‘Samantha Brown’s Places to Love’ also shares packing tips — ‘shoes are your enemy’ — and talks about where every American should visit
When Samantha Brown goes to the office, she could be anywhere from a beach on the New Jersey shore to the grand palaces of South Korea.
That’s because Brown’s “workplace” is wherever she produces the latest episode of her PBS series, “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love.” In fact, she rests to live. And that’s been her career since she started hosting travel shows two decades ago — first for the Travel Channel, where she hosted series such as “Passport to Europe” and “Girl Meets Hawaii.”
A Dallas native who grew up in New Hampshire, Brown, 52, didn’t plan on such an unlikely path. She started out wanting to make it as an actress — musical theater was a particular passion — but took other opportunities as they arose. Traveling around the world became the best opportunity.
Today, Brown, who is based in New York City, can be on the road several months of the year. But she left her suitcase to chat with MarketWatch recently about her life and work, and to share some tips on how to avoid the pitfalls of travel, especially in this summer of constant flight cancellations and other vacation anxieties. Here are some excerpts from the conversation.
MarketWatch: How did you get the travel bug?
Brown: Surprisingly, it was about four years into my work with the Travel Channel. I took the job as a host, not being a travel journalist by any means, just a beginner who really enjoyed the experience. But it’s a job to work in front of a camera, so I was scared of that. The travel problem really hit me when I was doing a series in Latin America. I had spent so much time in Europe, where I felt [it] it was all about being in the past, with castles, museums and monuments. And then when you go to Latin America, they don’t have all the pomp and circumstance that Europe has. So you spend more time just being in the moment, and that’s when I realized I love traveling. I don’t care about museums. I am interested in being with people in their daily lives and Latin America gave me that chance.
MarketWatch: What are some travel tips you can take, especially in terms of dealing with or even avoiding flight delays and cancellations?
Brown: The first thing you want to do is book the earliest flight you can, and that’s a 6 or 7 in the morning flight. It’s hard to wake up at 3, 4 in the morning, but it’s absolutely worth it. This is the plane [always] leaves. All these problems occur later in the day [with] more traffic, more delays.
If you can go direct — and I know for some people that’s just not possible — it’s worth the price. Absolutely pay for a direct flight if you can, even if you pay for a direct flight and maybe rent a car and drive an extra two hours.
The other thing I think is very important is to book directly with the airlines. I have never booked with a third party site. You have much more credibility. You are high on their list of valuable customers. And if something goes wrong, they’re the people you call, and they’ll pick up the phone and be able to change your flight that’s canceled or delayed. If it’s a third-party site, this won’t happen, and it’s really hard to figure out who you’re calling.
Last tip — and it’s always really worked for me — I use Twitter to reach out [the airline’s] customer service if my flight is cancelled. This is the first thing I do. You can drive [message] every single airline on their Twitter feed (TWTR). Send them your confirmation code, saying, “My flight has been canceled. Can I get on the next flight?” and they are able to book you. I do this while logging in [the customer-service] line if I’m at the airport. While you’re on that line, you’re tweeting.
MarketWatch: More people than ever are likely to bring carry-on bags on planes rather than check a bag these days, so what are some keys to packing light?
Brown: Well, first of all, I think you have to remember that you’re not hosting the Oscars. You’re just going on vacation.
You want to maximize tops — you can bring 10 tops and they won’t fill a glove. Pants will. And when it comes to pants, you want to bring stuff you can just wipe off with a sponge, right? If the mustard from your airport hot dog gets on your black pants, it’s pretty easy to deal with. I’ll also bring clothes that I know just wash well in the sink and can dry overnight hanging over the shower.
The way I change outfits, make them a bit more fashionable, is just with accessories. It’s amazing what a scarf does for an outfit.
Shoes are your enemy. Shoes take up a lot of space. And nobody really cares [what’s on your feet]. Many people will argue with me about this. But if you’re looking at my feet, I don’t care.
MarketWatch: What has been your biggest travel nightmare?
Brown: Oh, my god. Being stuck at the airport, basically this summer. … A lot of it is just realizing you’re not going home when you want to, and making the best of it.
MarketWatch: What’s your go-to airport snack?
Coffee: Eggs, toast and coffee.
MarketWatch: Best financial advice you’ve ever been given?
Brown: Live below your means. I learned from my parents. They never really taught me about finance, but I learned from them that just because you want something doesn’t mean you can get it. Then I moved to New York City, where I waited tables for eight years and made $18,000 to $20,000 a year, and that’s not a lot of money to live on. And so when I finally started making money, I knew I never wanted to feel the way I did for the first eight years of living in New York City, never having enough and always worrying about rent and what i would do. shop at the grocery store and stuff like that. So I’ve always been keen to save and I don’t see much great benefit in spending. I like to see that money safe.
MarketWatch: What do you hate spending money on?
Brown: The things I forgot to pack that I have and love. And now I have to buy them. And not only do I have to buy them, I have to buy them at four times the cost. So, for example, if you’re in Europe, where everything is extremely expensive, especially clothes, and you forgot like a rain jacket, and now I have to spend $220 on what is just a basic rain jacket. Well! Or you’re in Switzerland and now you’re spending $10 on a toothbrush. I always forget my toothbrush. This is something for me that is consistent in my 25 years of travel. I always forget my toothbrush.
MarketWatch: What’s something you’re ready to brag about?
Coffee: Handmade items. I never bargain with people. I never try to undercut them in price. I always appreciate the fact that they have made something with their own hands and that it is something unique. Sometimes I just want to give them more money.
MarketWatch: A favorite property?
Brown: I have this beautiful Limoges porcelain figurine that I actually got at the Limoges factory in France. There is this woman carrying a basket of Valencia oranges. I will never forget it [how I got] because I had a really hard day. Things were not going well at home. I was thousands and thousands of miles away. A woman saw me struggling and said, “Here, take this.” So it was a gift. Every time I look at it, I still think about the kindness that has been given to me.
MarketWatch: What’s a job you’d take even if you didn’t get paid?
Brown: I would like to help older people because I feel like they have such a wisdom about them that is never tapped, never appreciated. People who are older and have lived their lives have a lot of advice and wisdom to give. I would like to work with them just to help them. And then, of course, let them help me in return.
MarketWatch: When most people talk about retirement, they say they’re going to travel more. In your case, you have already traveled the world. So is your perfect idea of a stay-at-home retirement?
Brown: There’s a garden. This is my idea of retirement. I would like to have a nice little garden that you have to take care of every day. [Or] I take up hobbies that I could commit to for more than three days before having to leave again. I would still travel, but there would be a sense that I was just walking down and I would really enjoy being home.
MarketWatch: Finally, a place every American should visit?
Brown: Anywhere overseas where the culture is different and the language is different. So this is not Great Britain It is so attractive to go to a place where absolutely nothing is familiar. Nothing. Not even what they have for breakfast. It absolutely opens your mind and just enriches what you know and what you don’t know. I love this amazing softness of being human that happens because we’re not holding on to what we know. What is familiar can actually be a burden. And when you’re in places that don’t give you any of that, all you can do is be amazed and enjoy yourself.
Travel news and trends:
What celebrities who fly frequently — and the reaction they’ve gotten — tell us about the growing popularity of private jets
Nine American cities worth visiting for their beautiful art scenes
When is the best time to book an Airbnb to save money?
When to buy travel insurance and when to spend it
-Charles Passy
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
08-27-22 1439 ET
Copyright (c) 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
