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Traveler Tuesday – Brianna of Casual Travel List

Traveler Tuesday-on-Misadventures-with-Andi

How lucky am I, for the second week in a row I get to spotlight a blogging friend. Brianna of Casual Travelist is good friends with my pal Katie of Domestiphobia, she's an AFAR Local Expert and we actually got to meet in person this year at the WITs conference in Boston.

Katie-Brianna-at-WITs

I've also contributed to some of Brianna's great collaboration post, like her most recent The Best Fall Travel Destinations in the United States as well as Stylish Travel Clothes- No Longer an Oxymoron.

Let’s meet Brianna!

Brianna-Simmons-Casual-Travelist

When and how did you become a traveler?
I first caught the travel bug after joining the US Navy at age 19. During deployments with the USS Theodore Roosevelt I got to explore ports throughout the Carribean, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. From then on I was hooked and each new destination just fuels my wanderlust.

Brianna-Navy

Where do you love to travel?
I'm often taking weekend trips exploring the mid-Atlantic region but I often find myself drawn back to Washington DC and Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. For bigger trips abroad I rarely go back to the same place twice, there is just too much of this world to explore.

Most memorable travel moment:
This is a tough one. If I had to chose just one it would be waking up to the sounds of the jungle coming to life in Costa Rica's remote Osa peninsula.

What won’t you travel without?
90% of the time- my husband. He's a pretty swell guy.

A day isn’t complete until I…
Have had my coffee.

Coffee

Travel essential – 3 things you always travel with:

Passport, inflatable neck pillow and a good book.

Perfect travel day from start to finish.

Enjoying a leisurely breakfast before spending the morning exploring the destination on foot. After lunch we'd spend the afternoon doing something experiential- glacier hiking, wine tasting, spa, etc… then ending the day with a gourmet dinner (and some more wine).

What are your favorite food cities? What restaurants do you go to in each?

As far as I'm concerned there is no better place to eat in the US than New Orleans. Start the day with coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde, a po'boy and seafood gumbo for lunch at Johnny's and end the day with a 15 course tasting dinner at Square Root.

Cafe-du-Monde-Beignets
Photo credit: Viewminder

Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?

I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed Austria, especially the food and wine.

What has travel taught you?
To be flexible. Things may not always go as planned and that's ok.

Best and Worst place you’ve been to and why?
Isn't that like picking your favorite child?

What's one location on your bucket list?

Number 1 one the bucket list is a safari in Africa. I'd love to see cheetahs in the wild.

Safari-Cheetah
Photo credit: Martha de Jong-Lantink

Favorites:

Hotel: I'm not beholden to one hotel group but prefer boutique design properties that are representative of the destination

Airline: Alaska Airlines, they are always so helpful.

Airport: Charlotte, NC. For its size its quite easy to navigate and has some great food options.

Mode of Transportation: Train for comfort with a view

Travel snack: Kind bars or almonds

Country: Again, that's like picking a favorite child.

Travel Book: Usually something set in the destination I'm headed too.

Travel Movie: I dare you to watch the Secret Life of Walter Mitty and not book a flight to Iceland.

Song on your smartphone: In the Clear by the Foo Fighters, it brings me back to New Orleans every time I listen to it.

Thanks Brianna!

You can keep up with Brianna on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest and of course her blog. Wherever you catch her, I am sure you will enjoy her adventures!

How about you? What would you like to know about Brianna?

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56 Comments

  1. Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says:

    I love the DC area, too. I have family in Bethesda, MD, so I spent a lot of time down there growing up!

    1. DC is amazing and is changing so fast. The food scene there has really grown too!

  2. I would love to travel more. It sounds like you have been to so many great places. I would love to go to Costa Rica.

    1. Even so the travel wish list never gets any shorter. Costa Rica is amazing, especially if you go to some of the less touristy spots.

  3. Grace Hodgin says:

    I love to read what people write about traveling. It inspires me to visit more areas.

    1. I too am inspired by other travellers and their adventures.

  4. Savannah Miller says:

    I so want to travel more! My boys are only 4 and 7 though and it is tough at that age. My hubby and I always say when they get older we are going to start traveling and seeing the world.

    1. There are some fabulous family travel bloggers out there who show that traveling with little ones is possible. Check out Tamara of We3Travel.

  5. Amber Ludwig says:

    Oh I am just so jealous!! I always wish i had the funds to travel more! Instead I am here in the midwest lol. We do have gorgeous hiking and forests here in Wisconsin and we do get out and explore our state!! I enjoy getting into nature!! Im so glad that you include wine in your travels 🙂 Where have you had the best wine ever?!!?

    1. I was really surprised by the wine in Austria-they make delicious whites!. You can definitely get out and do some adventuring closer to home, Wisconsin is a gorgeous state!

  6. I love traveling. I do a lot of traveling, actually. Even though I travel frequently, I still love to read about other people’s travel experiences, as well.

  7. I absolutely love to travel. I have a HUGE travel bug. We travel when ever we can. Seeing new cultures is the best education you can give to a kid!

  8. I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

    1. I fell in love with New Orleans within the first 10 minutes of being there. There is definitely no other city like it in the US.

  9. I would love to be a traveler!! I really want to find a job I can travel with one day!!

    1. I work full time but make it work taking lots of weekend trips in addition to a handful of longer trips throughout the year.

  10. I once saw a meme on Facebook that said, “If traveling was free, you’d never see me again.” LOL. It is true, because traveling can be expensive. I wish I could see more places too. I might as well start saving up for a dream vacation!

    1. That is certainly true but it doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think. Admittedly I do travel with a bigger budget than some ( though I’m nowhere close to drinking champagne on my private jet headed to Tahiti lol) there are some fabulous budget travel bloggers out there.

  11. Maria Montero says:

    I will absolutely not travel without my husband as well ?

  12. Nice to meet you, Brianna! Do you prefer traveling alone or with a companion?

    1. I prefer to travel with my husband but do go solo from time to time.

    1. Costa Rica is amazing and a great destination for kids too!

  13. There’s a certain joy i feel when travelling. The love of meeting new people and discovering new places just keeps getting stronger. I would love to travel more.

  14. Sounds like a great time with great memories! I would love to travel a little more.

  15. I would love to be a traveler just like her. I wish I had the funds to finance this.

    1. I often piggy back my own travels with business trips and maximize use of miles and points so it’s not as expensive as it could be.

  16. Bonnie @wemake7 says:

    Thanks so much for sharing about your friend. What a great traveling experience she has had.

    1. Thanks Bonnie, I love where I’ve been and can’t wait to see more of the world!

  17. Fantastic interview! I’m seriously hoping we can all reunite again next year — I’ll attempt to be more relaxed. It is California, after all. 😉

    1. We could get into some serious foodie shenanigans together, that’s for sure!

  18. Crystal Lopez says:

    As a family we do not travel much but the thought is certainly something we dream of. Thank you for sharing your experiences it looks like fun!

    1. Thanks Crystal, don’t discount adventures closer to home; they can create great family memories too!

  19. I love to learn about fellow bloggers. I also love to travel. I am hoping to write about a few of my trips this year.

  20. Love the interview! I love to travel and I wish that I got to do more of it! My husband was in the NAVY but didn’t get to travel much.

  21. What a great interview! I love hearing why bloggers became bloggers and choose their niche! Travelling looks like so much fun!

  22. lol on what you won’t travel without. 🙂 I like to travel, even better if the kids are along. 🙂

  23. laurie damrose says:

    I want to visit DC.

  24. I share Brianna’s desire not to double back to places because there’s so much to see out there. There’s only a few select cities that get the repeat visit (Bonjour Paris!). I also have been loving Alaska Airlines. They do a great wine flies free program in OR and WA where they’ll ship a case for you for FREE. Airlines don’t typically use the word free much.

    1. I wasn’t aware of the Wine Flies Free program, even more reason to love Alaska Airlines!

  25. Andi, thank you so much for featuring me! Hoefully our paths cross again sooner rather than later, I’m sure we can have some fabulous foodie adventures.

  26. This post reminds me that I need to get to New Orleans. I’ve always heard the food is outrageously good. Thanks for sharing.

  27. denise low says:

    I love looking at the pictures. Thank you for sharing.

  28. It’s so nice to learn more about Brianna! I love her site. I often respond the same way “having to choose a favorite child” when asked similar questions, such as “what is your favorite food?” Aargh! I can’t do it! That’s lovely that you were able to meet Brianna in person, that’s always fun with online friends!

  29. Pauline Gorczycki says:

    THANKS FOR SHARING THIS GREATLY APPRECIATED. IM GOING TO BE TRAVELLING IN LIKE A MONTH OR TWO. I NEEDED THIS.

  30. Sabrina Fox says:

    I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans!

  31. These are so awesome and fun to read! So interesting to learn about others’ adventures. Goodness, this makes me want to travel!