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ABOUT JOHNNY
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JOHNNY JET'S Q & A
With Travel Journalist ~ Kay Showker

PROFILE

Kay Showker has been a travel writer/photographer/lecturer for more than two decades. Following a 10 year tenure at Travel Weekly, the major travel travel publication where she was dubbed the "travel agent's travel agent," she became a freelance writer, authoring 13 guidebooks and America On Line’s "Cruise Critic/Caribbean Ports of Call," and appearing as a travel expert on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and The Travel Channel.

Showker’s books include the "Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2002," a Lowell Thomas "Best Guidebook of the Year" gold winner; the "Caribbean Ports of Call" series (Western, East/Northeastern, and Eastern/Southern (Globe Pequot Press); 100 Best Resorts in the Caribbean (Globe Pequot Press); The Outdoor Traveler's Guide to the Caribbean, a Lowell Thomas "Best Guidebook of the Year" silver medal winner; and a guide to Egypt, and to Jordan and the Holy Land, among others.

Her articles have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, The New Yorker, Caribbean Travel and Life, Travel Holiday, USA Today, among many others. Her travels have taken her to more than 100 countries around the world.

Ms. Showker has a B.A. in history and economics from Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia; a M.A from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University; and attended the graduate schools of Georgetown University and American University at Cairo in Egypt.

Among her awards, she was the first recipient of the Caribbean Tourism Association's Journalism Award in 1979, and the first journalist to receive Martinique’s Sucrier d’Or, a personal achievement award, in 1996.

KAY'S ANSWERS

HOW OFTEN DO YOU FLY?
It varies during the year, but the average is once or twice per month.
IN A YEAR HOW MANY MILES/POINTS DO YOU EARN?
Miles - 50,000 to 100,000 -- total but on different airlines
WHAT CLASS OF SERVICE DO YOU MOSTLY FLY IN?
Economy unless some nice p.r. person upgrades me. I only consider it a real perk on long trips -- over 5 hours. On short hops -- 1-4 hours, which are most of my trips -- it doesn't matter
FAVORITE AIRLINE?
I have none. Air travel has deteriorated to such an extent that it's hard to have a favorite.
FAVORITE AIRCRAFT?
I have none. I seldom know one from the other. However, on my last trip, I flew on an Airbus, seated toward the back of the plane and I almost got "seasick" from the swaying motion. It was terrible.
FAVORITE HOTEL?
Depends on the destination. The newest InterContinental Bali would be a good start in my list.
FAVORITE HOTEL AMENITY?
Bath robe, always full ice bucket and bottled or portable drinking water.
FAVORITE AIRPORT?
Tampa International -- hands down, the best, most user-friendly airport in the country, if not in the world
FAVORITE AIRPORT TO PASS TIME IN?
Hong Kong or Singapore
FAVORITE CITY?
New York
FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Chicama, New York
AISLE OR WINDOW?
Aisle
ETICKET OR PAPER?
paper
TRAVEL AGENT OR ONLINE?
Travel Agent
FAVORITE TRAVEL WEBSITE?
none
FAVORITE TRAVEL COMPANION?
none
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A TROPICAL ISLAND, WHAT THREE ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?
An international cel-phone (which I don't own); powerful binoculars; CDs of the complete works of Mozart, Beethoven, the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis, and something to play them on.
BEST TRAVEL TIP:
Never lose your temper or your sense of humor.