Team Members

Like most people, my favorite places to visit are where my favorite people live. My BFF since forever lives in Copenhagen and I am fortunate enough to make an annual trip to see her. I've been all different times of year–including all the seasons–and I love it no matter when I go. Maybe it's the fashion, their commitment to infusing the city in art and color, amazing art museums, the greatest brunches I've ever had–or maybe it's the company. Regardless, I'm grateful every time I get to go, and it now feels like a second home.

I am the self-proclaimed world's best packer. No one packs lighter than me when I travel. When packing clothes remember this–travel time is NOT the time to try out new fashions. Grab your most comfortable and versatile pants, a sweater that works for dressy or casual, workout clothes that can also be pajamas and by all means–limit yourself to two pairs of shoes, always! Here are some items I never leave home without: a small Bluetooth speaker, an eye mask for sleeping, extra bags (even just wadded up grocery bags work), cold medicine, and my favorite lipstick. And finally–this is the MOST important thing to know–no matter where you are going, you can always buy it once you get there. Even hiking in the Himalayas I was able to get a face mask when I really needed one. So don't pack things in case you need them–except for the items I listed above–just get them when you do.

Transpacific flights are never easy, but add a sold-out airplane, your colicky baby and an unfortunate heart attack by the woman seated next to you, and it turns a 13+ hour flight into a record-breaking period of standing.

I was born in Asia, but spent the majority of my childhood in Wisconsin, while frequently returning to Bangkok, Thailand, as well as other parts of the country and Asia. I left Wisconsin after college and moved to Pennsylvania, followed by Washington state, only to return to Wisconsin and start a family. We've been fortunate to have traveled extensively through Italy following my husband's heritage, as well as touring Spain while visiting our foreign exchange student and her family. We loved the sights of Paris, London, and Istanbul.

This is an easy one! Clorox wipes. They make them in travel-sized packages, so no excuses. Wipe it all down!

When visiting Rome, I had tickets to attend the Pope's general audience, a weekly event that usually draws about 10,000 people to St. Peter's Square. When I arrived, I noticed I had gray tickets but almost everyone around me had red tickets. As we were shuffled in, every worker kept waving me on closer and closer until I ended up seated on the platform about 20 feet away from the Pontiff!

When I was in middle school, I took a family vacation to a fly-in fishing resort in northwestern Ontario owned by my mom’s cousin. We had to drive 250 miles north of the Canadian border and then fly another 185 miles (!) in successively smaller planes (!) to get to the resort. It was a lot of fun, though, and my cousins and I spent the week catching big fish, looking for moose, and taking dives into the glacial lake (it was cold).

The Maldives. I am usually not much of a tropical destination guy, but I would make the sacrifice to stay in one of those little bungalows that literally sits on top of the stunning crystal-blue waters of the Indian Ocean.

One thing I have to pack on my travels is my headphones. As a visual person, I like to explore the places I travel to with my own soundtrack so that I'm not distracted when taking in the sites by background noise (and other people).

The best drink I’ve had on vacation was the House Old Fashioned at Barrel Proof in the Garden District of New Orleans. I found this bar when exploring New Orleans off the beaten path areas, which happens to be where I normally find all of my favorite places when traveling. From the outside, it looks like just a neighborhood bar, but on the inside, it's a bourbon lover’s dream, as they have over 300 whiskeys & bourbons to sample with bartenders that know how to make great drinks.

Italy... history, art, wine, did I mention the art?!? No, it should be Greece... sparkling turquoise water, winding streets, terraced homes. Can that be beat?!? An African safari... the animals, the constant fear of getting too close to the animals, but the animals!!! A riverboat trip down the Mississippi... okay, my bucket list is really lengthy.

I've played my share of road trip games, from 20 questions to car bingo to the license plate game. Hands down, nothing beats Name that Tune in our car. Someone picks a song and can start humming it, singing it, or my personal favorite, connect it to the car stereo and the fastest correct answer gets to pick the next song. It is a great way to introduce my kids to my favorite artists, and they can show me who the new, hip singers are today. Kids still use hip, right?!? And, when my kids can sing my favorites, I'm not going to lie, I love them a little more. (Can I say that?!?)

The magical Nordic country of Iceland. It’s difficult to sum up why it sits at the top of my list because I could go on and on about how amazing it is, so much so that my significant other gets tired of hearing me talk about it. The highlight of the trip was the night we rented a cabin on the northwest peninsula that basically consisted of windows and a roof. After waiting for what felt like an eternity and eventually giving up and laying my head down, my buddy yelled, "It's happening!" I looked out the glasshouse and saw the aurora borealis dancing all around us.

I was going back and forth on my favorite meal because my real answer is a chain of restaurants in the Nashville area, but that really shouldn't be my favorite right? Well darn it, it is. My favorite meal was at a restaurant called Hattie B’s, which whips up the best fried hot chicken I have ever come across. It pretty much melts in your mouth. I feel like I'm not alone in this decision, as I had to wait about an hour just to get into the building.

A cruise to the Caribbean with my parents, my brother, his children, my husband, and my son and daughter-in-law. The ship was over the top, giving all generations something to do when we weren’t out on an excursion, and the time we spent together as an entire family was priceless. It was a once-in-a-lifetime vacation for our family, and we still share stories and laughs years later.

My camera. I love capturing memorable moments and breathtaking views to reflect upon after coming home.

I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland with my friend who has a lot of relatives there. My favorite stop was at Killarney National Park. The trees were so lush and green! I also loved exploring the many castles.

My favorite thing about traveling is trying new food! I tried out a lot of amazing food when I visited New York. I had the best ravioli at an Italian restaurant called SERRA by Birreria. Nothing has lived up to this ravioli since.