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: Becca & Dan, Halfhalftravel
Occupation: Photographers & Bloggers
Hometown: (Becca) Livingston, NJ, & (Dan) Upper Dublin, PA
Residence: Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY
College: (Becca) University of Maryland, College Park, MD, & (Dan) West Chester University, PA
College major: (Becca) Communications/Spanish/Chinese & (Dan) Computer Science
Website: halfhalftravel.com
Twitter: @halfhalftravel
Facebook: Halfhalftravel
Instagram: halfhalftravel
Pinterest: Halfhalftravel
Short bio: Dan and Becca are a traveling couple who love exploring countries via their local life, cultures, foods, and scenes. Together, they are @halfhalftravel, their online brand, which got a start on Instagram in October 2016. Since then, they’ve spent various months abroad, living and working in Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Vietnam, Taiwan, Myanmar, Ireland, the Canary Islands, Estonia, Latvia, and more. You can find their work at their website, halfhalftravel.com, where they want to help you travel better, longer and more in-touch with local cultures through having a can-do mindset and getting out beyond the beaten path. Becca and Dan combine their talents in travel photography, writing, web dev, and their engaging, down-to-Earth personalities in all their content and look forward to connecting with travelers around the world.
How often do you fly? Depends on the year—anywhere from once a month when we’re traveling long-term, to 4x a year when we’re based at home.
How many countries have you been to? Combined, 53.
How many continents have you been to? 5 (Oceania & Antarctica one day!)
Earliest travel memory: Gosh…that is tough. (Dan) Driving to Cape Cod with my family when I was a child, and (Becca) family road trips to New Hampshire to see family when I was super young.
Favorite American city: Hmm…one that we don’t live in? (Dan) Portland, OR, and (Becca) Miami, FL.
Favorite international city: (Dan) Mexico City, Mexico, and (Becca) Hong Kong.
Least favorite country: (Dan) Chile; (Becca) Singapore.
I have no desire to go to: Venice, Rome and Paris. No desire to dodge the crowds.
Friendliest people in the world: Myanmar.
Country with the meanest immigration officers: UK.
Favorite World Heritage Site: (Dan) Tallinn’s Old Town, Estonia, and (Becca) Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
Favorite airline: JetBlue (domestic USA); Singapore Air or Emirates (international).
Favorite aircraft type: We’re not picky!
Aisle or window: (Dan) aisle; (Becca) window.
Favorite airport lounge: (Dan) ANA Lounge in Lisbon International Airport Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal and (Becca) Hong Kong International Plaza Premium Lounge, Hong Kong SAR.
Favorite U.S. airport: John Wayne Airport in Irvine, CA.
Favorite international airport: Hong Kong International.
Favorite hotel: The Lisboans in Lisbon, Portugal.
Favorite cruise line: n/a—we don’t cruise ;)
Favorite travel credit card: CHASE SAPPHIRE RESERVE!!!!
Favorite island: Taiwan.
Favorite beach: Tulum, Mexico.
Favorite National Park: Ķemeri National Park, Latvia.
Favorite fancy restaurant: Can’t think of any that really call to us—we prefer local hole-in-the-wall eats when we travel.
Favorite hole-in-the-wall: Smutis, a lunch spot in Miraflores, Lima.
Favorite airport restaurant: Do lounges count? Plaza Premium Lounge in Hong Kong has amazing food!
Favorite bar: GoMacro bar.
Favorite fruit: Pitahaya (Colombian-Ecuadorian golden dragonfruit).
Favorite food: Tacos.
Least favorite food: Lobster/crab.
Drink of choice (in the air and on the ground): (Dan) most IPA beers (Becca) wine or mezcal cocktails.
Favorite travel movie(s): Vegas Vacation.
Favorite travel show(s): Man vs. Food.
Favorite travel podcast(s): “GOAL Traveler The Just Go Network” podcast.
Favorite travel book(s): Lonely Planet guides.
Right now I am reading: (Becca) “Good Things Happen to People You Hate” by Rebecca Fishbein.
Top 3 favorite travel newsletters/magazines/blogs: ryanandalex.com; germanbackpacker.com; goaltraveler.com
Favorite travel website(s)—besides JohnnyJet.com, of course! expertvagabond.com; saltinourhair.com; travelleap.co
5 things you bring on a plane: Noise-cancelling headphones, eye mask, phone chargers or USB cables, back-up snacks like GoMacro or LARA bars, and Lonely Planet guide to read.
What do you always seem to forget? Shorts.
What do you like least about travel? Jetlag.
What do you want your loved one to buy you from an airport Duty Free store? Local types of chocolate.
Favorite travel app(s): Swarm, Priority Pass, Airbnb, ExpressVPN, and more at halfhalftravel.com/travel-advice/best-online-tools-for-travelers.html
Most embarrassing travel moment: Becca got scammed on a local beach outside Cartagena, Cartagena, and Dan took out too much money from an ATM in Prague and woke up the next morning not being able to figure out where half of it went
I’m embarrassed I haven’t been to: Nowhere! Happy with where we’ve been.
Worst travel moment: Probably when we hiked Tayrona National Park in northern Colombia, got bitten by ants, ran out of food, were drenched in sweat, sunscreen and bug spray, and had to take a rocky boat ride from the park to Taganga, with waves splashing over the entire boat the whole time.
What’s your dream destination? Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Tajikistan.
Favorite travel charity: Charity Water.
Best travel tip: Support the locals by frequenting local small businesses and individuals when you travel. It’s a much more meaningful way to provide support to regular people when you are far away from home.
Fill in the blank: I’d love to see __DANIEL HERSZBERG__ answer these same questions.
It’s always interesting to read other peoples’ experiences and preferences, which is a great place to get some inspiration. From my personal experience, I have to say I discovered that a VPN could really help out while traveling (I use Surfshark). Your connections are secured, but other than that you can get better prices and save money, totally worth it: https://medium.com/@antonstout0/travel-smart-tips-for-cheaper-and-easier-travel-60f7619dc304