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: Brian Teeter
Occupation: Author and Publisher, Healthy Trekking Travel Guidebooks
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Residence: Irvine, CA
College: Coe College | Art Center College of Design
College major: Political Science and History (Coe College) | Advertising Photography (Art Center College of Design)
Website: healthytrekking.com
Twitter: @healthytrekking
Facebook: Tidewind Publishing
Instagram: healthy_trekking
YouTube: Healthy Trekking
Short bio: If you have ever looked out the window of your plane and noticed nose marks on the glass, Brian Teeter probably sat in your seat on the previous flight. Few things make Brian happier than looking down on the clouds and exploring the world below. Since he was a little boy, Brian dreamed of traveling to exotic and untamed places. Like Cleveland.
Combining his love of healthy travel with a diverse career that has included work as a studio advertising photographer, an ad agency copywriter and creative director, a corporate marketing director, Brian is the author and publisher of the Healthy Trekking series of travel guidebooks.
How often do you fly? Not enough.
How many countries have you been to? 20
How many continents have you been to? 3
Earliest travel memory: Flying to Florida on a DC-6 prop plane. Yeah, I’m that old.
Favorite American city: San Francisco.
Favorite international city: Stockholm.
Least favorite country: North Korea. Because.
I have no desire to go to: Pakistan.
Friendliest people in the world: Canada.
Country with the meanest immigration officers: Russia (Your papers are not in order!).
Favorite World Heritage Site: The rugged, unspoiled beauty of the Kvarken Archipelago (Finland) and the High Coast (Sweden).
Favorite airline: Etihad.
Favorite aircraft type: Boeing 747 | Boeing 787.
Aisle or window: Window.
Favorite airport lounge: The American Airlines Admirals Clubs have been a lifesaver for me a million times. Especially if they have showers.
Favorite U.S. airport: Santa Barbara, CA (because it’s quaint and you see whales in the ocean below as you take off).
Favorite international airport: Amsterdam Schipol (The Netherlands) or Vancouver (British Columba, Canada). (Two words: Totem poles.)
Favorite hotel: Hotel Ritz, Paris.
Favorite cruise line: Cunard Line.
Favorite travel credit card: Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®
Favorite island: Kaua’i, Hawaii.
Favorite beach: Ke’e Beach, Kaua’i, Hawaii. Especially at sunset.
Favorite National Park: Glacier National Park, Montana.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Chez Rita (my wife’s food at home—she totally rocks).
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: Super Antojitos Mexican Food, Pasadena, CA.
Favorite bar: It’s a tie: Rive Gauche Bar, the Hotel Baur Au Lac, Zurich, Switzerland. (Anyplace that was a WWII spy hangout is my kind of bar.) And the Ritz Bar at the Hotel Ritz in Paris (imagine the legends who have had a drink in your very seat).
Favorite fruit: Apple Bananas, Kaua’i, Hawaii.
Favorite food: Grilled swordfish.
Least favorite food: Pickles.
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): H2O (water).
Favorite travel movie(s): National Lampoon’s Vacation, Amélie, Under the Tuscan Sun, In Bruges, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Endless Summer.
Favorite travel show(s): National Geographic Explorer, BBC/National Geographic Planet Earth.
Favorite travel book(s): My new book, “300 Healthy Travel Tips“
Right now I am reading: My new book, “300 Healthy Travel Tips“
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: Johnny Jet (because of course), Condé Nast Traveler, Healthy Trekking blog
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! Healthy Trekking
5 things you bring on a plane: Noise-cancelling headphones, my iPad, eye mask, antibacterial wipes, and food (raw, unsalted almonds, fruit, water, protein bars).
What do you always seem to forget? Patience.
What do you like least about travel? The middle seat on a packed plane. Between two ginormous, smelly men. (Yes. This happened to me.)
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? Something for her, not me.
Favorite travel app(s): Gate Guru, Google Maps, Google Translate, TripIt, Strava, Evernote, Dropbox, Apple Messages, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger.
Most embarrassing travel moment: Forgetting to bring my passport for a flight to Canada. But the customs officer gave me a pass. (And I took her to dinner.)
I’m embarrassed I haven’t been to: Ireland. Seriously. How didn’t I get there yet? I have brought shame upon my ancestors.
Worst travel moment: Oversleeping and waking up one hour before a flight. (Yes, I made it. I am not making this up.)
What’s your dream destination? A toss-up: Nihiwatu Resort, Sumba, Indonesia; Iceland; Patagonia; the South Island of New Zealand. With my wife.
Favorite travel charity: The Sumba Foundation.
Best travel tip: Set your watch to the destination time zone as soon as you step on the plane. When you arrive, take a brisk walk or get in exercise. These can help combat jet lag and adjust to your new time zone. You’re welcome.
