HOME Travel Guide Common Sense Travel
decorative font style
    Travel >> Holiday Travel >  >> Hotel & Food

Gail Simmons: Meet the Top Chef Host, Food & Wine Director and Global Traveler

Gail Simmons: Meet the Top Chef Host, Food & Wine Director and Global Traveler

Hometown: NYC (but born and raised in Toronto)

Occupation: Special Projects Director, Food & Wine and Judge/Host, Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef Just Desserts 

Favorite destinations: Bali, Tokyo, Montreal, Gloucester, Barcelona, Cape Town.

Dying to visit: Buenos Aires, Oaxaca, Cambodia.

Bizarre travel rituals: When I pack, I often lay out four times what I really need, then go day-by-day to edit it all down, and somehow still bring way too much. Also, I've been known to rearrange the furniture in my hotel room if I'm not feeling the layout. 

In-flight relaxation regime: Classical music on my headphones, a few good snacks (dark chocolate, almonds), my favorite scarf, and a large pile of magazines.

Always in carry-on: Clean Well Natural Hand Wipes, Eucerin Aquaphor and Eucerin Hand Cream, Blackberry and iPhone (yes, both), notebook, Cinnamon Altoids, sunglasses.

Concierge or DIY? A little bit of both. I decide where I want to go and when, but in countries where I don't speak the language, it's a luxury to have someone else help coordinate the details.

See it all or take it easy? I like a day or two on each end of a trip to totally take it easy, read, sleep, and relax. In between I can't help but do a lot of running around. 

Drive or be driven? Be driven! Ideally by my husband. I am map-obsessed, so I like being the navigator while he does the driving. I swear I was a cartographer in a past life. When we are in Asia or South America we seek out a driver/private guide. It's a great way to see the country through a local's eyes — and stomach. 

Travel hero: My dad. At 74, he has more stamina, does more research, and takes on more ambitious itineraries than anyone I know! He's a true adventurer. His travel hero is Bill Bryson, whose travel writing I love, too.

Weirdest thing seen on travels: Balinese tooth-filing ceremony, cod sperm for breakfast, Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body. (Not all at once.)

Best hotel amenity: At Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali: sarongs, beach hats, beach totes, sunscreen, vaporizers, as well as separate men's and women's customized lip balms and toiletries in different transportative scents.

I dream about my meal at the Ben Thanh night market in Saigon and Etxeberri near San Sebastian.

Everywhere I go, I check out the farmers' markets and local drugstores — they're treasure troves!

When I arrive in a new place, I learn the lay of the land by asking the locals where they eat breakfast.

I always bring home local candy. 

If I never return to the Seoul aiport, it'll be too soon because how many Burberry stores does one terminal really need?

I travel for the thrill of getting lost, and found! 

MORE GAIL

Twitter: @gailsimmons
Talking With My Mouth Full (Hyperion), coming early 2012


Hotel & Food
  • Meet Robyn Eckhardt: Acclaimed Food & Travel Journalist from Penang

    Photo by David Hagerman. Hometown: Penang, Malaysia via Grosse Pointe, Michigan.Occupation: Food and travel journalist and in-progress cookbook author.Favorite destinations: Turkey, Taiwan, Georgia (the country), Mexico City, Siem Reap.Dying to visit: My visits to both Georgia and Mexico City in 2014 were too short, just one week. Im eager to return and stay for at least a month in each.Bizarre travel rituals: Not necessarily bizarre, b

  • Meet Anna Petrow: Kansas City Photographer s Favorite Global Destinations

    Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri.Occupation: Photographer.Favorite destinations: Buenos Aires, Florence, Punta Mita, and Sevilla.Dying to visit: Istanbul for the architecture. Thailand for the elephants.Bizarre travel rituals: I check obsessively for my ID, passport, and boarding pass before I get on the plane, even though Ive never lost any of them.In-flight relaxation regime: Either watching Despicable Me on demand or reading a new book.Al

  • Travel Like a Chef: Discover Hidden Culinary Gems in 2016

    Sometimes you want to travel like a boss, and sometimes you just want to travel like a chef. At Fathom, we tend to lead with our appetites when we travel. And when we do, nothing is tastier than letting a great chef lead the charge.The local joints, mom-and-pops, and white-tablecloth spots that chefs love around the world.