It’s safe to say that Samantha Brown has become one of the most recognized faces of travel in the United States in the past 17 years. With her perky on-air personality, her willingness to try just about anything and her eagerness to impart insight and knowledge, she’s been the queen of the Travel Channel for years on series such as Great Hotels, Girl Meets Hawaii, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Green Getaways, Passport to China, Great Weekends and Samantha Brown’s Asia. In 2017, she upped stakes and moved to PBS to create a new show called Samantha Brown’s Places to Love, which began airing in January 2018. When she’s not traveling the world, she calls Brooklyn home. I caught up with her recently to ask her about her new PBS series and her tips for travel.
Why did you decide to move to PBS for your new series?
I feel like the most important and valuable asset to have these days is trust. PBS is the most trusted public institution in the United States and I’ve worked hard to build trust for close to two decades as a traveler so I thought it was a good home for me more so than other networks or going purely digital.
What makes this new series different from other shows you’ve done?
My shows in the past were all about my experience and look what I get to do! And possibly “look at what you’ll never get to do.” I wanted the new series to be less about me and more about the people we get to meet when we travel and the effort it takes those people to create the experiences we as travelers get to have whether it’s a great meal, a piece of music, a work of art. When we meet people who are exceptional at what they do and learn how hard they’ve worked to get there, all we want to do is support that effort and make sure that it thrives. For me this really defines the movement we’ve been having in travel to have more immersive experiences. It’s about connecting to people and their stories.
What is your first vacation memory?
My parents and two sisters packing up the Pontiac station wagon at 4am still in our pj’s and heading to Pennsylvania from NH with a cooler of bologna sandwiches and our dog Gidget. There was nothing like the anticipation of leaving and going away.
Is there a destination that really transformed you?
Latin America really changed my perception of travel and how it’s the intimacy of it that makes it so powerful. Before Latin American I had spent two years traveling thru out Europe where you spend most of your time in Cathedrals, castles, museums and monuments. It was only until I got to Latin America that I realized that type of travel just always puts you in the past. But Latin America doesn’t have all that pomp and circumstance of Europe and so I spent more time just being in the moment and enjoying the everyday yet extraordinary lives of the people who were there.
I know you have kids, so what are your secrets for successful family travel?
My number one tip on how to travel stress free with kids is: Don’t bring them. Just kidding. I’ve been traveling with my 5 year old twins since they were 2 months old and let me tell you…tough. But I’ve learned a tremendous amount. One surprising tactic that helped a lot is how my husband and I would tackle being on a plane. For the pre board (that we no longer get) my husband Kevin heads in with all the gear and luggage, he secures the overhead bin space and sets up the car seats. Meanwhile, I wait with the kids in the gate area until the last zone is called and the very last person gets in line. I even wait until I feel like the line on the jet way has gone down. Always making eye contact with the gate agent so she knows what I’m doing. By boarding the kids last it tires them out more and doesn’t subject them to what is the most stressful part of the plane trip -the boarding process where you can cut the stress in the air with a knife. Young children can feel that and don’t know how to process it (do any of us?) and that’s when they release it. So board kids last if you can.
Would you describe yourself as a beach bum, a culture vulture or an adrenalin junkie?
Culture vulture! I lose patience lying on a beach and now that I am a mom I look both ways like 0 times before crossing a street.
Most embarrassing travel moment?
I was locked in the toilet room of my own hotel room for four hours! The lock broke off and I was stuck. You know how some of those separate rooms for the commode have a phone and you’re like why would someone need a phone here? Well, there was no phone, and I could have definitely used one!
Can you name three of your favorite hotels – and why they’re your favorites?
Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica the lobby and rooms are like staying in an amazing private beach house and they serve one of my favorite deserts, Butterscotch pudding.
The Cottages at Glen Oaks in Big Sur. I’m pretty sure this is what they call “Glamping” the décor is Adirondacks meet 1960’s retro cool. I stayed in the Big Sur cabin which was surrounded by Redwood trees with a river in front. The private backyard had two outdoor deep soaking tubs and a fire pit. I didn’t want to leave.
The Hilton Carillon in St. Petersburg Florida. I have my own luggage line at HSN and stay there when I’m on air. I go on TV at all hours in the night and Earnest who works the front desk will walk me to my car at night. Wanda the GM will always reach out to me on Facebook to see if I need anything and they always give me a toothbrush when I check in because it’s the one thing I always forget. It’s a business hotel that goes out of the way to get personal service and care right.
It does seems like you’ve been everywhere, but what’s your dream trip?
I’ve always wanted to see the Aurora Borealis. I’d like to go to Finland to do that and stay in one of those round glass yurts.
Best travel tip you’ve learned after years on the road?
Go For a Walk. I do this when I’m working and stuck on a problem as well as when I have some downtime and want to explore. But I put the map away as well as the Apps and I just go down streets because I think they look good. I get away from the tourism and business districts and I walk to where people live and I just sit down in one of their café’s and enjoy being a part of everyday life. At the end of that walk my mind is more open, I’ve most likely solved my problem or have better ideas towards solving it and most importantly I’ve just had a pleasant few hours.
For more on Samantha Brown, visit Samantha Brown’s Places to Love
