I am thrilled that Lisa Lubin is my Thanksgiving Guest Bit! I was lucky enough to meet her when I attended Bloghouse Chicago. She is not only a blogger extraordinaire, the winner of three Emmy awards, and the biggest Chicago fan out there, but a mentor to fledgling travel bloggers.
She and her Navigate Media colleagues set up Bloghouse to inspire, assist and push-out-of-the-nest those that they believe will have success out there on the very-crowded interweb. Truly, those five days in Chicago were life-changing for me and it is to her I give thanks!
At this difficult moment in the world, when most people are being told to stay home, her work encourages us to get out there and face our fears. I don’t need to tell you how successful she has been, three Emmy’s sit on her mantelpiece!
Where do you feel you really “savored the authentic” in your travels?
Typically, this was whenever I got an apartment and settled in for a while. In Istanbul, I stayed in a neighborhood flat for three months while cat sitting and tutoring English part time. I was able to immerse more than when staying in a city for just a few days or a week. I made local friends and in just a few weeks I couldn’t believe how my local sim card had about 20 phone numbers saved on it from my new Turkish and expat friends.
Where do you feel you experienced the most luxurious travel bit – depending on your own definition of luxury?
I’ve stayed at my share of hostels and tiny, family-run hotels, but I’ve also been so fortunate to experience high-end, luxury resorts in places like Cabo, Punta Cana, and the Cayman Islands. I took two trips that may have been my most luxurious. One was to Hong Kong in first-class on Cathay Pacific, which also included a stay at the swanky Shangri-La Hotel and an entire evening of progressive dining through the hotel’s fabulous restaurants. The other was a once-in-a-lifetime stay at the Four Seasons Serengeti in Tanzania. The accommodations were on point of course, but it was the stunning location and view of elephants, giraffes, and zebras right across the infinity pool, that was just jaw dropping.
What keeps you going back to your favorite haunt/city/Best Bit?
I typically try not to return to many places as there are still so many new places I want to experience. That being said, I’ve now been to Berlin four times, one of which I lived there for a month. It’s a great, progressive city with so much going on – food, art, culture.
If you had to pick one anywhere in the world, what would be your following Best Bits:
Best Bed – There are so many! Some of the best: Four Seasons Serengeti, Victoria-Jungfrau Hotel in Interlaken, and the Shangri-La in Vancouver.
Best Bite – I have eaten some amazing meals all over the world, so it’s extremely hard to pick one. So I will pick the most recent: Vedge Restaurant in Philly.
Best Brew – I’m not a huge drinker, but I love outdoor bars and beer gardens. Another recent favorite was the back patio at Resurgence Brewing in Buffalo, NY!
Best Binge – Camera gear at B&H Photo in NYC!
Where have you left your heart?
Chicago. Always Chicago.
Lisa Lubin is an established travel/food writer, three-time Emmy®-award winning TV producer, video consultant, and travel industry expert. After more than a decade in broadcast television she took a sabbatical, which turned into three years traveling around the world. She documents her (mis)adventures on her blog, LLworldtour.com. Her writing and photography has been published by American Way Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, West Jet Magazine, Sheridan Road Magazine, Smithsonian, the Malibu Times, Encyclopedia Britannica, Orbitz, Mapquest, Jetsetter, and Huffington Post. She recently published The Ultimate Travel Tips: Essential Advice for Your Adventures available on Amazon.