For years, I’ve watched Samantha Brown’s Travel Channel shows thinking “she has the greatest job”!  Reality is that she is traveling over 200 days a year away from home and working long days (it is a job after all) with one day (!!!) set aside when she arrives to explore on her own.  As one of the celebrity featured speakers at the Philadelphia Travel & Adventure Show this past weekend, she shared her 7 Travel Tips with the large standing room only crowd as well as her funny stories as only she can tell them.

She spoke of how the hotel furniture attacks her.  Given that she is changing hotels every few days, it is hard to remember the path to the bathroom at night and where the outlets and switches are located (we’ve all been there).  One night she broke her nose when she walked into the wall thinking it led to the hallway (thankfully no hospital visits for me due to furniture although I have many bruises).  Other funny stories included trying to find a commonality despite the language barrier (see #6 below) and as a “grilled chicken girl” and not Anthony Bourdain, just let her have one bit of food before you tell her what it is.

The main presentation was just her super happy, girl next door, down to earth take on travel – it was refreshing and inspirational.  With humble beginnings and lessons learned, she summed up her philosophy on travel into 7 takeaways –

#1 – “Traveler vs Tourist”

Just travel!  Be who you are and do what you want.  She started seeing all “must see” places in Europe and started to lose the excitement of it all, it wasn’t until she visited Latin America that she found authentic travel without having to check off a list.  She began to love travel again and focused on more connections to the people, place and herself.

#2 – “Don’t Spend Time in the Past”

For her, spending time in museums and “must see” is spending time in the past.  We should relax in the culture today and be “in the moment” to create more authentic, intimate moments and experiences. This led her to separate from her crew for one day before filming to wander.

#3 – “Go for a Walk”

Her one day explorations lead her away from the “tourist areas” to where people live their daily lives.  Walking around the local neighborhoods allows her to connect with the culture.  Finding a table at a cafe to blend into the everyday makes her feel that “I am here”

#4 – “Never in the must sees – always in the mundane”

The travel experience (for her) is found in the mundane of life.  While in Taiwan, she didn’t quite connect with the locals until she found the 7-11.  Yes, 7-11, home of the Slurpee!  In Taiwan, locals use the 7-11 as a gathering place for their daily rituals – there is a buffet to eat all meals, you can pay your bills and even have packages delivered here.  That fascinated Samantha, that you could use the 7-11 as your shipping address and just show up and ask for your package.  While you and I might dismiss the 7-11 from our U.S. perceptions, we are missing out connecting with locals.

#5 – “Create a Ritual”

She starts each morning at the local coffee shop.  She doesn’t want to go here, there and everywhere trying to check off a list of different places everyday in search of the best breakfast.  She is “tired of being bullied by time” and prefers to slow down and “just be” (a recurring theme)

#6 – “Talk to the Locals”

Make an effort to know how to say “Hello, Please and Thank-You” in the local language.  Try to find the “common” between you and locals. In this case, she was out of peanut butter (she brings her own) and tried to find it on the Greek island of Crete (I knew from the beginning it wouldn’t end well – I also carry my own almond butter when I travel) but didn’t anticipate the story going into charades, elephant gestures, a stick of butter and a can of Coke (her improv skills on display).

#7 – “How To Travel Authentically in the U.S.”

Get local perspectives.  She said the night security guard is definitely going to know where to find the best breakfast at a good price.  She doesn’t care about finding the best pancakes (umm, I care very much about pancakes) or trendiest brunch.  Where do the folks you encounter (at the hotel, restaurants, cab, etc) live?  What do they like best?  Also ask what is the up and coming area (not the current trend but being ahead of the curve).

To close she said “Travel is Essential” it gives us the “opportunity to be better than we thought”.  We can have a fresh start and new beginnings.  What a great outlook on life and travel!

Unlike other travel shows that I’ve seen her talk, she stayed for an hour to sign autographs and take photos.  The line was so long!  I stayed for the Q&A not realizing I should have lined up earlier.  As I was famished, I had to skip the line and find lunch (this was a tough call) in order to be back in time for Phil Keoghan of the Amazing Race.  Samantha Brown’s 7 Travel Tips weren’t earth shattering but they were a great reminder to relax and enjoy the experience and say “I am here”