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.
Name: Pier Nirandara
Occupation: Travel blogger at PiersGreatPerhaps.com, novelist under pen name Pieretta Dawn, and currently work full time in Hollywood (yes, that Hollywood!)
Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand
Residence: Los Angeles, California
College: Tufts University
College major: English and Psychology
Website: piersgreatperhaps.com
Twitter: @PierettaDawn
Facebook: Pier’s Great Perhaps
Instagram: piersgreatperhaps
Pinterest: Pier’s Great Perhaps
YouTube: Pier Nirandara
Short bio: Pier grew up in Bangkok and is constantly finding new ways to fulfill her insatiable wanderlust while balancing a full-time job, having traveled to 67 countries and seven continents. She is the bestselling author of “The Interspecies Trilogy” under the pen name Pieretta Dawn, and currently works in Hollywood.
How often do you fly? It varies depending on an insane work schedule.
How many countries have you been to? 67 and counting!
How many continents have you been to? 7
Earliest travel memory: A road trip with the family across Australia.
Favorite American city: Los Angeles.
Favorite international city: Any Italian city.
Least favorite country: That’s like asking to choose your favorite food!
I have no desire to go to: Nowhere.
Friendliest people in the world: Thailand!
Country with the meanest immigration officers: The US!
Favorite World Heritage Site: Machu Picchu.
Favorite airline: Emirates.
Favorite aircraft type: I’ll fly any aircraft with good movies and reclining seats.
Aisle or window: Window all the way!
Favorite airport lounge: Dubai, or lounges in Japan—the best food!
Favorite U.S. airport: Anywhere with a view.
Favorite international airport: Suvharnabhumi.
Favorite hotel: Pretty much any hotel in the Maldives, Ice Hotel in Sweden, Giraffe Manor in Kenya.
Favorite cruise line: Compagnie du Ponant—their cruise to Antarctica is INCREDIBLE.
Favorite travel credit card: Chase Sapphire.
Favorite island: Koh Nang Yuan, Thailand—three islands connected by sand banks, amazing!
Favorite beach: Black sand beach at Jokulsarlon, Iceland.
Favorite National Park: Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Trois Mec in Los Angeles.
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: This boat noodle stall in Bangkok.
Favorite bar: The Sky Bar, Bangkok.
Favorite fruit: Kiwis, pineapples, blueberries, and all sorts of Thai fruits.
Favorite food: Thai, Japanese, Italian…I love it all!
Least favorite food: I can’t handle spicy food. Ridiculous considering I’m Thai…
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): Water.
Favorite travel movie(s): Before Sunrise, and if we’re stretching categories slightly, then hands-down Forrest Gump!
Favorite travel show(s): Anthony Bourdain, or Chef’s Table for food around the world.
Favorite travel book(s): “Endurance” by Alfred Lansing.
Right now I am reading: The pile of scripts I have to get to!
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: Travel + Leisure, NatGeo, Condé Nast Traveler.
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! World of Wanderlust, Chris Burkard, Chelsea Kauai.
5 things you bring on a plane: Laptop, chargers, toothbrush, various toiletries, a comfy jacket.
What do you always seem to forget? A neck pillow—every single time!
What do you like least about travel? The jetlag!
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? A neck pillow that I’ve conveniently forgotten.
Favorite travel app(s): Instagram, Snapseed for photos, Airbnb, HotelTonight, Hopper, etc.
Most embarrassing travel moment: Booking an Airbnb on the wrong side of Yosemite, and showing up at the other side of the park!
I’m embarrassed I haven’t been to: Spain, Croatia, India.
Worst travel moment: Being stuck on a bus in a snowstorm for almost 24 hours in rural China.
What’s your dream destination? Croatia, now that Antarctica is crossed off my bucket list!
Favorite travel charity: Anything that saves wildlife, especially in the polar regions!
Best travel tip: Come prepared, but also with a sense of adventure.
