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.

La Carmina

Name:   La Carmina

 Occupation:  Travel / fashion TV host and production arranger, journalist (AOL/Huffington Post), blogger at LaCarmina.com

 Hometown:  Vancouver, Canada

 Residence:  On the road.

 Website: LaCarmina.com

 Twitter: @LaCarmina

 Facebook: Facebook.com/lacarminaofficial

 Pinterest: Pinterest.com/lacarmina

 YouTube: Youtube.com/lacarmina

Short Bio: La Carmina is an alternative travel and pop culture TV host, journalist (Huffington Post, AOL, CNN), coolhunter, and author of 3 Jpop books — including Cute Yummy Time and Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo. Her popular blog  has been featured in major media (New Yorker, LA Times, Washington Post). She heads a coolhunting firm that provides consulting and TV hosting/arranging chiefly in Japan. TV hosting credits include: Food Network, The Today Show, Travel Channel, NHK, Discovery, National Geographic, Canal Plus France, and CNN. She hosts and produces her own travel video series for Huff Post / AOL.

How often do you fly:  1-3 times a month on average.

How many countries have you been to: 40 or so?

How many continents have you been to:  3

Favorite American city:  Difficult… maybe Los Angeles since I have many friends and family there.

Favorite international city: Tokyo

Least favorite country:  None. There’s something to love  about every place I visited.

Favorite World Heritage Site: Serengeti National Park

Favorite airline:  JAL (Japan Airlines) has great movies and a vegan sandwich that’s actually palatable.

Favorite aircraft type:  Bring back the Concorde!

Aisle or window:  Aisle

Favorite airport lounge: The Hello Kitty lounge at Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan!

Favorite U.S. airport: Seattle or San Francisco, since they offer free Wi-Fi.

Favorite international airport: Frankfurt because I can fill up on my beloved German breads.

Favorite hotel: I’m a fan of the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee. I stayed there while shooting my “Coolhunting Wisconsin” travel show for AOL. My photos and review.

Favorite cruise line:  Royal Caribbean because it hosts the Gothic Cruise.

Favorite island: Odaiba in Tokyo Bay. Home to Rainbow Bridge, a pirate-themed restaurant and a cat petting zoo.

Favorite fancy restaurant: Spice Market in NYC.

Favorite hole in the wall: Kagaya, a crazy costumes and performance art izakaya in Tokyo. Here are some photos and videos.

 Favorite fruit: Yuzu (Japanese citrus)

 Favorite food: Grilled hamachi (yellowtail)   

 Least favorite food: The bee larva I ate for a Food Network TV show was rather disgusting.

 Drink of choice (In the air and on the ground): Absinthe

Favorite travel movie(s): The Ten Commandments, Lone Wolf and Cub.

Favorite travel show(s): No Reservations, Bizarre Foods, and the ones I’ve appeared on (video clips here)

Favorite travel book(s): Tintin comics. He’s my intrepid reporter hero.

Right now I am reading: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Five things you bring on a plane:  Moisturizer, lip balm, water, iPhone, laptop.

What do you always seem to forget:  Chargers.

Favorite travel iPhone app(s): Pose, Instagram, Zoolook for sharing photos and fashion finds.

Most embarrassing/worst travel moment: I forgot to declare my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow, on my Customs form. Fortunately, they believed I wasn’t trying to smuggle him in.

What’s your dream destination:  Outerspace. I want to be the first inter-galactic space travel host.

Favorite travel website(s) – besides JohnnyJet.com, of course!:  You can follow my spooky travel adventures on my La Carmina blog.

Best travel tip: Say YES to new experiences, especially if they scare you. And don’t be a tuna head.

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