Guru Samantha Brown’s 3 tips to avoid flight delays

Brown, 52, a Dallas native who grew up in New Hampshire, didn’t plan on such an unlikely path. She started out wanting to be an actress – musical theater had a special feel for her – but took other opportunities when they came her way. Traveling the world became the last chance.

Today, Brown, based in New York City, can be on the road for several months of the year. But she put her bags away to chat with MarketWatch about her life and career recently and share some tips on how to avoid travel woes, especially this summer’s constant flight cancellations and other vacation nightmares. Here are some excerpts from the conversation.

Market Hours: How did you get the travel bug?

brown: Ironically, my career at Travel Channel was almost four years. Not being a travel journalist by any means, I got a job as a host, being a freshman who really loved the experience. But it’s a job in front of the camera, so I was really shocked. The travel bug really hit me when I was working on the Latin America series. I spent a lot of time in Europe, where[it]felt like I was in the past, with palaces and museums and monuments. And then, when you go to Latin America, they don’t have the pomp and circumstance that Europe has. So you spend a lot of time being in the moment, and That’s what he said. It’s about time I realized it. Love road trip. I don’t care about museums. I care about being with people in their everyday lives, and Latin America gave me that opportunity.

Market Hours: What kinds of travel arrangements can you make, especially in terms of accommodating or avoiding flight delays and cancellations?

brown: The first thing you want to do is catch the first flight you can, and that’s the 6 am or 7 am flight. Getting up at 3:4 in the morning is hard, but worth it. That’s the (always) going plane. All these problems occur later in the day (with more traffic), more delays.

If you can go straight – and I know that’s impossible for some people – it’s worth it. Pay for a direct flight and probably rent a car and drive an extra couple of hours, but if you can, pay for the direct flight in full.

Another thing I think is very important is to book directly with the airlines. I have never booked through a third party site. You have a lot of integrity. You are high on their list of valued customers. And if something goes wrong, they are the people to call and they can pick up the phone and change your canceled or delayed flight. If it’s a third-party site, that won’t happen, and it’s very difficult to know who you’re calling.

Last tip – and it always works for me – I use Twitter to contact customer service (from the airline) if my flight is cancelled. That’s the first thing I do. You can tweet each airline on Twitter TWTR;
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feeding “My flight is cancelled. Can I get on the next flight? ” and they can book you. If I’m in the airport, I do that when I get in the (customer service) line. While you’re on that line, you’re tweeting.

Market Hours: These days, more people than ever are bringing carry-ons onto the plane rather than checking luggage, so what are some keys to packing light?

brown: Well, first, I think it’s important to remember that you’re not preparing for the Oscars, you’re going on vacation.

You want to raise the peaks – you can bring 10 peaks, and they will not fill the container. It will be pants. And when it comes to pants, you want something you can sponge off, right? It’s pretty easy to spot a treat if the mustard from your hot dog at the airport gets on your black pants. I bring clothes that I know will wash well in the sink and I can hang dry in the shower overnight.

The way I change clothes makes them a bit more fashionable, only with accessories. It’s amazing what a scarf can do for an outfit.

Shoes are your prophet. Shoes take up a lot of space. And nobody really cares (what’s on your feet). Many people argue with me on this. But I don’t care if you’re looking at my feet.

Market Hours: What was your biggest travel nightmare?

brown: By my god. Being stuck at the airport, basically this winter…is about understanding that most of you won’t be coming home when you want to and making the most of it.

Market Hours: What’s your go-to meal at the airport?

brown: Eggs, toast and coffee.

Market Hours: Best financial advice you’ve ever been given?

brown: Live below your means. I was educated by my parents. They never taught me about finance but I learned from them that just because you want something doesn’t mean you got it. Then I moved to New York City, where I waited tables for eight years and made $18,000 to $20,000 a year, and that’s not a lot of money to live on. And when I finally started making money, I knew that I didn’t want to feel like I did in my first eight years in New York City and I didn’t have enough and I didn’t want to worry about rent and where I was going all the time. Shop at the grocery store and stuff like that. So I was always eager to save and didn’t see a lot of great use out of it. I like to see that money safe.

Market Hours: What do you hate spending money on?

brown: Things I forgot to pack that I already have and love. And now I have to buy them. And not only do I have to buy them, but I have to buy them with four times the price. So, for example, if you’re in Europe where everything is incredibly expensive, especially clothes, and you’ve forgotten something like a rain jacket. And now I have to spend $220 on a basic rain jacket. Ah! Or you’re in Switzerland and you’re spending $10 on a toothbrush right now. I always forget my toothbrush. Something about me has been consistent throughout my 25 years of travel. I always forget my toothbrush.

Market Hours: What are you willing to step on?

brown: Handmade items. I never live with people. I didn’t try to undervalue them. I always appreciate that they do something with their hands and that this is something special. Sometimes I want to give them more money.

Market Hours: Favorite property?

brown: I have this beautiful Limoges pocelain figure that I found at a Limoges factory in France. This is a woman with a basket of Valencia oranges. I’ll never forget that (how I found out) because I was having a really hard day. Things were not good back home. I was thousands of miles away. A woman saw that I was struggling and said, “Here, hold this.” So, it was a gift. Every time I see that, I still think of the kindness that was given to me.

Market Hours: What work do you do without pay?

brown: I like to help the elderly because I feel that they have such a wisdom that is never touched, never appreciated. People who are older and have lived their lives have a lot of good advice and wisdom. I would love to work with them just to help them. And then, of course, let them help me in return.

Market Hours: When most people talk about retirement, they say they will travel more. In your case, you’ve traveled the world. So your perfect retirement idea is to just stay at home?

brown: He has a garden, that’s my idea of ​​retirement. I would love to have a beautiful little garden that you take care of every day. (or) take up hobbies that I can do for more than three days before going out again. I still travel, but there will always be a sense that I am going down and very happy to be home.

Market Hours: Finally, a place every American should visit?

brown: Wherever overseas, the culture is different and the language is also different. So that’s not the UK, it’s very eye-opening to go to a place where nothing is known. nothing. Not even what you had for breakfast. It absolutely opens your mind and only enriches what you know and what you don’t know. I love this amazing human simplicity that happens because we don’t hold onto what we know. What is known can really be a burden. And when you’re in those places that don’t give you any of that, all you can do is be scared and excited.