ALONG COMES MARY

If you are a fan of The Travel Channel, a notable host that you’re sure to know is Samantha Brown. Brown, or “Sam” as she’s commonly known, has been a viewer favorite since she was chosen to be a Travel Channel host in 2000, having gone on to host an array of awesome shows including Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Vacation Homes & Passport to Europe (& who can forget her hilarious showdown with Anthony Bourdain on his Christmas special?!). At The Travel & Adventure Show this past weekend, I had the honor of hearing her speak as well as chat with her. With less than an hour to discuss the world of travel: then & now, she jam-packed in so much great information & gave her 2 cents about the travel industry.

She began talking about how much the internet has indeed changed how we travel, completely, & how that’s a good & bad thing; gone are the days that Samantha grew up in when The Brown Family relied on paper maps & planning the annual trip months in advance to Cape Cod, & in are the days where she’s in Germany with her husband & mother, & when they’re in dire need of a place to eat, you can jump on Yelp. What does continue to be relevant? How vital “The Family Trip” is for kids; it’s so important to see your parents act like kids, whether it be at The Cape or Disney World, & she is so thankful that was her first exposure to traveling when she was young.

When planning a trip in our 21st Century, make the internet work for you, but don’t forget the power of the travel guides, she recommends. When she was planning her trip with her mom & hubby to Germany, she admits it was her first time in 21 years planning a trip on her own, & it was daunting. She utilized guides by the likes of Frommer & Rick Steves (& even showed us a hilarious picture of her & Steves looking rather tipsy!) before even searching a thing online. “Just because its online, doesn’t mean its worthy” Brown said, “[Be careful] trusting a stranger when we’re surrounded by knowledge. You have to feel to be inspired, & the internet cannot feel.”

Shes also a huge believer in traveling for reasons very similar to me: “Walk around, & spend time in someone else’s life” she encouraged us; which made me recall why such a highlight of my last trip to New York City was discovering The Upper West Side; it was the perfect community to escape the ‘tourist’ vibes of the city, & sit with the locals as we enjoyed our gluten-free pancakes (I’m talking about you, Café 82!!).

We also learned a fun Samantha tidbit: She loves James Bond films. Some of her first exposure to the great big world out there beyond her state of New Hampshire, was seeing 007 himself travel to such exotic places. She noted that so many cities have thrived post a mega blockbuster film; think Austria after The Sound of Music, or New Zealand following The Lord of the Rings.

When I had the opportunity to ask her a question, I was anxious to know if she follows any travel blogs! One of her faves is Rollin’ with Kristine,
an incredible page chronicling the adventures of wheelchair bound Kristine, who clearly is not letting her chair stop her from seeing all the world has to offer. Sam explained she loves this web-site as she enjoys seeing travels through someone else’s eyes, putting herself in their shoes & how they get to see the sights.

Despite Samantha Brown not too present lately on The Travel Channel (I would bet giving birth to twins would do that to you), never fear as she is set to return later this year with a show called 50/50! Keep a look out for it & a special thanks to Sam for being so kind to myself & her other fans who eagerly awaited a photo opportunity with her; she took her time with everyone & was so kind.