Want to know how to travel in style, just like the pros? We check in with frequent fliers to find out how often they fly, their favorite destinations and what they never leave home without.

Sebastian White

Name: Sebastian White

Occupation: Airline communications

Hometown: I lived in three places as a kid, but North Haven, Maine was the most formative.

Residence: New York City

Website: Sebastian White 

Twitter: @flyboyvancouver

Pinterest: Pinterest.com/Flyboyvancouver

Short Bio: Sebastian is an airline geek and wanderlust who spent his childhood on an island a dozen miles off the coast of Maine, a tiny dot of a place he now sees mostly from the seat of an airplane crossing the Atlantic. He can’t sit still very long without heading off on a new solo adventure, whether to Europe, Asia, or his favorite region, the Middle East. Although he’s officially a New Yorker by residence, he spends so much time in British Columbia his friends joke he’s a “Vanyorker” (ask him about Cathay Pacific’s New York – Vancouver flight, his favorite).

How often do you fly: Every 2-3 weeks

How many countries have you been to: 40

How many continents have you been to: Five

Favorite American city: New York

Favorite international city: Beirut, Paris and Vancouver

Least favorite country: I don’t like to hate on any destination, but I really had a lousy time in Belgium.

Favorite World Heritage Site: Cairo and Istanbul.

Favorite airline: JetBlue, of course.

Favorite aircraft type: A340-600. I love those long birds with the massive downstairs bathrooms.

Aisle or window: Window – always.

Favorite airport lounge: Emirates in Dubai and JFK.

Favorite U.S. airport: Big – JFK Terminal 5. Small – Portland, Maine’s new Jetport.

Favorite international airport: Munich and Toronto Island are so easy. For aesthetic, Abu Dhabi’s crazy old mushroom-shaped Terminal 1 can’t be beat.

Favorite hotel: I love Casa Medina in Bogota and Louis Hotel in Munich, so I modeled my New York apartment decor after theirs. But for service, nothing’s ever topped the Mandarin in San Francisco or the Raffles in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Favorite cruise line: Believe it or not, I have never been on a cruise!

Favorite island: North Haven, Maine

Favorite hole in the wall: I live for Le Singe Vert in New York because it always makes me feel like I’ve been transported to Paris. And they don’t make fun of my French accent.

Favorite food: Thai. Guilty pleasure: fries from Fritz in Vancouver (always at 2 a.m. when the place is hopping).

Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground): Warsteiner on Lufthansa; Singapore Sling at Raffles!

Favorite travel movie(s): Airplane!

Favorite travel show(s): I don’t have a TV!

Favorite travel book(s): Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Travels in Search of Canada – a fun read, and not just because one of the chapters talks about my family history.

Right now I am reading: The Invention of Paris: A History in Footsteps.

Five things you bring on a plane: Lululemon zip-up, a ratty old Emirates baseball cap, my iPad, every charging device known to man, and pills to sleep.

Favorite travel iPhone app(s): Google Maps – it’s so simple, but I’ve found my way around countless strange places with it.

Most embarrassing/worst travel moment: I was living in Boston at the time and visiting my brother in San Francisco when a horrible winter storm struck the East Coast. It took me about 26 hours to get home, flying from Oakland to Los Angeles to New York to MONTREAL (!) and then to Boston. At least I got a passport stamp out of it.

What’s your dream destination: Oman and Rwanda top my must-see list.

Favorite travel website(s) – besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!: Jaunted and AirlineRoute.net, where I feed my airline timetable geekiness.

Best travel tip: The world is a lot less scary of a place than it appears on TV – get out and explore what everyone else is afraid of! And while you’re doing that, be nice to everyone you meet.

5 Comments On "Travel Style: Sebastian White"
  1. Joe Vanny Pérez|

    Mr. World Traveler himself! Looking good Sebastian! Great travel advice!!

    1. Pam|

      Seb,
      You definitely do have Wanderlust so I guess you could call yourself a Wanderluster?

  2. Jenny Dervin|

    I can validate that Sebastian is the real deal – as fun to work with as implied by this article!
    Now I have to get my country count up near his!

  3. Scott|

    Our biggest grievance with Sebastian White is that he seems to embellish A LOT. He represents (or should I say, misrepresents) the very essence of pretense: Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed. Serves no purpose to the readers of this website and actually turns people off. Tragic, really.

  4. Moose|

    Sebastian Francis Gabriel White – great interview.

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