Transcript: Travel chat — planning a trip this spring? We have tips

This is an audio transcript of the Life and Art from FT Weekend podcast episode: ‘Travel chat: planning a trip this spring? We have tips’

Lilah Raptopoulos
Welcome to Life and Art from FT Weekend. I’m Lilah Raptopoulos, and this is our Easter weekend special. It’s nearly springtime and the flowers are budding, April is beckoning. And in this episode on your holiday weekend, we thought we would do something a little bit different. We have invited the editors of FT Globetrotter on to help inspire some ideas for small trips away this spring. Globetrotter is our insider guide to great cities. Readers rely on their guides when they’re travelling to find restaurants and hotels, get acquainted with the city and make the most out of their holidays. All that is to say, they know what makes a great trip. So today they’re going to give us their top tips for springtime travel. And that’s it. Let’s get into it. I’m Lilah here in New York, and I’m a weekend bag with a bikini and a raincoat. With me from London is the editor of Globetrotter, Rebecca Rose. She has packed light, but paid extra for the leg room seats. Hi, Rebecca. Welcome.

Rebecca Rose
Hi. Thanks for having us.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Thank you for being here. And with Rebecca in London is Globetrotter’s deputy editor, Niki Blasina. She has a dog-friendly hotel room and an early-morning flight home. Hi, Niki.

Niki Blasina
Hello.

Lilah Raptopoulos
I’m so happy to have you both here. I thought that maybe to start off, we could set the scene for listeners a little. I would love to hear from you: what you love about travelling in the spring? Like, are there any perks to travelling in the spring?

Niki Blasina
Ooh, I would say yes. I mean, depending on where you live. There are some bank holidays or days off work you can work with. And then the weather. I mean, the weather’s getting better. It’s not too hot, depending on where you’re going. And the sun is shining.

Rebecca Rose
This is the time to go on a city break, I think. Cities can be quite challenging in winter. And when the sun comes out, the blasting comes out, that’s the time to go. Although, unfortunately, everyone else obviously has the same idea.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, yeah. Spring also feels sort of hopeful to me. I feel like wherever you’re going to visit, people are really coming to life. At least in New York, everybody feels like, it’s like they just woke up from some zombie apocalypse. OK, so this episode, we’re just kind of going to try to chat through a bunch of tips with you and break it down into all the different stages of a trip. So, like, planning and staying and exploring and, to start, I thought we would talk a little bit about deciding where to go. I know people will choose based on, you know, the length of their trip and how far the place is from home and all that things. But are there places that you visited in the spring that you’ve really loved, or places that you want to go specifically in the spring?

Rebecca Rose
This year I’m thinking about heading to the Mediterranean, actually, because I’m now no longer afraid of cold water because I swim all year round in the UK. Well, surely the water is going to be warmer in the Mediterranean. So I’m thinking, you know, I could do a beach. Some beach holiday in April. Doesn’t have to be that warm, really, for me. I’d be happy to jump in.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah. What about you, Niki?

Niki Blasina
For me, well, depending on where you’re listening from, this may be a long haul or not, but I think, obviously, the ultimate kind of dream at this time of year is to go to Tokyo, to see the cherry blossom. It’s such a such a wonderful time to be in the city. And you also have, I will say the same thing about Vancouver as well, which is on the other side of the Pacific.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Mmm, which is where you’re from.

Niki Blasina
Exactly. That’s my home city. And that’s, you know, it’s another really stunning city in terms of the cherry blossoms in spring. And you have these amazing clear sky, beautiful days. But I think with both cities as well, you end up getting the best of kind of winter and spring in one, because you can ski on the local mountains, and you can also sort of have these amazing days sort of sitting on patios and enjoying the kind of ocean and the views and all of that. And then I’d also say Madrid is amazing in spring, it’s such a fun, vibrant city, and it’s a great time to go before it actually gets too hot and the city becomes unbearable. But this is when the city really, really comes alive.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, that’s great advice. Cities that are about to get very hot and very crowded . . .

Niki Blasina
Yeah, yeah. Exactly. 

Lilah Raptopoulos
. . . but not quite yet. Yeah.

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I have a question actually, for both of you about flights. I realised recently I was booking a flight to Mexico and I had some points and I thought maybe I’ll splurge on an upgrade. I really haven’t done that almost ever. And I thought about it, and then I didn’t do it. And when I got on the flight, the business class was, like, kind of sad. And I felt very relieved that I hadn’t spent all my points or done that. And it made me wonder, like, how am I supposed to know when it’s worth splurging on, like, a nicer seat or on an upgrade in a plane? And I’m wondering if you have any thoughts about that?

Rebecca Rose
Well, when I’m travelling to DC in May, also for the FT Weekend festival, and I think I’m going to splurge out on a bit of extra legroom. I’m really tall and I’ve got a bad back, and I think it could be a disaster to be on a plane for eight hours kind of squished up in an economy seat, which I will be. So I think that’ll be my big splurge of the year. But honestly, it’s not always worth it. I think for short flights, just grab something tasty to eat, take it with you. A little whatever. If you want to have a bottle of sparkling wine, buy it from a supermarket at the airport. You don’t need to pay a fortune for all of that.

Niki Blasina
Yeah, yeah, I totally agree. I think long haul is the way to do it. I always say economy just by nature of my own personal economics. If I could fly business, I would definitely do it. Or, you know, get away with it on expenses, I would definitely do it for a long-haul flight. My family lives on the west coast of Canada, in Vancouver, and if I could do that 9.5 hour London-to-Vancouver flight and business class, I certainly would. But ...

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Do you have any thoughts, also, this is sort of related, but on packing like when should you bring in a carry-on bag versus checking?

Rebecca Rose
This is something that Niki and I talk about all the time.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Really?

Rebecca Rose
Basically we are at the other end of the spectrum. I am a hold girl. I have to put my luggage in the hold because I am absolutely incapable of packing a small carry-on bag. I actually have booked a carry-on bag because I’m getting away with a group of friends soon, and I’m already really anxious about it. I mean, I literally do not know how I’m going to fit four days’ worth of clothes into something so small, whereas Niki is an absolute pro, so I would defer to her for tips on this.

Niki Blasina
I never ever check a bag if I could avoid it.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Really?

Niki Blasina
I’m just too anxious about something happening to it. My tip for that is to make a list of what you plan on doing and what clothes you might need for that, and then just try and bring garments that kind of all go together and that you can mix and match. A capsule wardrobe, I think, is the trendy term for it. Leave the serums at home. Don’t go big on toiletries. You’ve got to cut back on that, and don’t bring too many pairs of shoes.

Lilah Raptopoulos
I found that actually something really changed my life, which is just having a small toiletry bag that is travel-sized that I just keep. And I put in every time I travel. I don’t have to make decisions anew. That makes sense.

Niki Blasina
Yeah, totally. And also just collect, save samples of things. I did do that I like. I got a little moisturiser sample and this is maybe a bit tacky, I save everything because in case you know, you need a moisturiser or like a make-up primer or things like that you don’t necessarily need to pack the whole big bottle of. Just save everything small that you have in your travel bag.

Rebecca Rose
I’ve got so much to learn for this. I have come to accept that I’m a three-wash bag kind of girl.

Niki Blasina
Three bags?

Rebecca Rose
I won’t go into what’s in each one, but just trust me, I need all three.

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Lilah Raptopoulos
OK. So let’s talk about hotels. So options are plentiful. You’ve got Airbnbs, you’ve got like a little cosy inn, you’ve got a luxury hotel, you’ve got a corporate hotel. I’m curious sort of how you decide which to choose. I imagine it depends on the destination. Like, you know, I did a long weekend in Savannah once, and it was really fun to stay at, like, a nice old bed and breakfast in the quaint historic district with a four-poster bed and that sort of thing. But in Paris, maybe you would choose something different. But how do you how do you both think about that? 

Niki Blasina
Yeah. I mean, I suppose it depends on the trip and what you’re going for. I quite like an Airbnb for if I’m doing a group trip with friends. I think it’s quite nice for everyone to be together. I like that sort of nostalgic vibe of, you know, being in university or your 20s and you’re all getting ready together and getting ready to go out for the day, or getting ready to go out for the evening. In terms of I think it also, as you said, it depends on the destination and what you’re planning to do and your budget as well. What works with your budget. And also just like if you’re going to, you know, a spa hotel in the mountains, obviously you kind of want lots of amenities on site. You want it to have like a decent restaurant, somewhere you can kind of pad around in your robe all day. I’ll be reading your book or going to the pool. Some are just sort of very laid back.

Rebecca Rose
Yeah. My travels are usually defined where whether or not I’m going with my children. I’ve tried pretty much every sort of combination over the years. So we’ve done all piling into one hotel room, just to keep the budget down, which means no sleep, but a lot of fun. The interconnecting room thing in a hotel, which is just sort of eye-wateringly expensive as any parents out there will know. But really the best thing for me with the kids is to hire an apartment or an Airbnb, because sometimes you just don’t want to go to a restaurant. You just want to go and make a bowl of pasta and eat it quietly in front of Netflix.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Right. Even when you’re somewhere else.

Rebecca Rose
Even when you’re somewhere else, especially if you’re on a city break and you’ve dragged them around museums and do all sorts of grown-up places, they just need a bit of downtime to let their hair down.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Totally. That’s really good advice.

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Let’s talk about staying. So we’ve gotten to our location. I’m curious from you, Niki, like how when you get to a city, do you get your bearings? Like how do you get a first sense of a new place on the first day?

Niki Blasina
Ooh, that’s a good question. It sort of depends on the time you’ve arrived. I’ve recently started sort of changing my travel times around a little bit, where I like to actually fly, like, fly after work and just take the extra day off so I can be there first thing in the morning. And actually get up, go find a really cool café, speak to the people there, have a pastry, and kind of get a feel for the neighbourhood I’m staying in and make my plans for the day. I love exploring cities on foot and that’s usually how I get my bearings. Explore the neighbourhood you’re staying in. And you’ve probably done some research about it already, and that’s why you’ve chosen that place. And, yeah, just get out there really.

Rebecca Rose
I like to look for a rooftop bar. Get up high, that’s what I say. High as you can. And that’s gives you a good perspective and just give you a sense of the size of the city, because I think that’s something that’s really hard to kind of have a feel for at street level.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Mm-hmm. Yeah. That’s a really good idea. I went to Lisbon a few years ago for the first time for a few days, and alone. And I was there for a few nights, and I never been. And you both know that I’m terrible at planning, so I had no plan when I got there. And someone suggested a free walking tour just to get a lay of the land. And I actually found it really, really helpful on that first day. And I also found it helpful to just go to a bar that, like, was active. And I knew that there were some tourists in it and just be like, all right, I’m going to have a glass of wine by myself alone. And by the end of the glass of wine, if I’m not talking to anybody on the way, go get dinner. But let’s see. And by the end of the wine, by the end of the glass of wine, I was like, in this long, gossipy conversation with these two British women who had come alone to get away from their husbands and had a very nice time.

Niki Blasina
Oh, that’s amazing. And like, that’s exactly it, isn’t it? I mean, especially if you’re travelling alone. That’s for a lot of us, a bit uncomfortable. So if you are willing to kind of get out of your comfort zone, why not push yourself a bit further?

Rebecca Rose
I like to head to the nearest museum. Actually, that’s kind of the first thing that I would do is look for the biggest, most impressive art collection and get down there and just usually, quite often free to go and just have a half an hour wandering around. It really gives you a sense of the place and the history and the people there. And I just find that a very kind of gentle way to ease yourself into a city.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, totally. And how they sort of describe the . . . their art or their culture to the outside world is kind of interesting in a museum, too. So you’re in a city and you’re choosing restaurants and, I imagine, we should have thought about this a little bit before we got to the city. So maybe start. Yeah. So maybe we start with, like, if we planned well, what would we have done? How do you choose some good restaurants before you land?

Rebecca Rose
I think you have to ask people who live there. That’s always our first port of call. And once you’ve got a few places you want to go to — I think we’ve talked about this before actually — but book one or two. You don’t want to kind of turn up to somewhere seven o’clock expecting a table and not be able to get one for three months or something. So this kind of planning you need, Lilah. It’s going to be a (inaudible). You need to start planning several weeks before. Yeah, I know it’s . . . But then, you know, it’s nice to leave something to chance, isn’t it, Niki?

Niki Blasina
Yeah, yeah. You never know what you might stumble into if you just sort of see an interesting doorway or a bunch of people gathered around somewhere. Pop your head and see what it’s like.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, tell me about that. Like, I mean, of course I’m going to say if you’re just in the city and forgot to make reservations, but also say you’ve, you know, decided on a few places you knew you wanted to go ahead of time, and then you left a few nights free. What would you recommend?

Rebecca Rose
I like thinking about what is the big . . . the special dish of that city. You know, if you go to Milan, where could I go and get the best cotoletta alla Milanese or, you know, focus around that, and you could . . . you can definitely kind of have a quick Google and get some ideas for that, or simply ask somebody in the road or ask somebody in a café.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, that’s a good idea.

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OK, so for the last category of questions, I would love to do a sort of speed round of sorts where I sort of ask you for final tips that are more specific to a type of trip a person might be taking. Why don’t we start with a romantic trip away? What would be a tip or two for a romantic trip with a partner?

Rebecca Rose
I would say the most important thing is leave your children at home, if you have any. Which is obviously very tricky to do for a lot of people. But the other thing is try to go for two or three nights, because I feel like there’s a lot of pressure if you just go away for one night to have a romantic time, and inevitably you’re sort of tired and exhausted and may have an argument. So, two or three nights. And I like a hotel personally, if I’m going away with my husband, especially one that has a little bar where you can have a drink when you arrive or have a little drink before you go out exploring.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah. Great advice. This one’s for Niki. What would your tips be if you’re doing a getaway with a dog?

Niki Blasina
I also like how you phrase it as a getaway with a dog. Should you find one for the weekend. 

Lilah Raptopoulos
Right. With your dog.

Niki Blasina
This is something I think a lot about. My tips would be to find out is obviously you have to book a dog-friendly hotel, but find out exactly what they mean when they say they’re dog-friendly. Because there’s a difference between a hotel being dog-friendly in the sense that your dog can just stay in the hotel room, or they can sit in the car while you’re having dinner at the restaurant or something like that. And then there’s a difference between, you know, they can come with you to the reception area or to the lobby bar and kind of sit at your feet while you read a book, or do any of those things. So that’s a big one. And then, always this goes for actually just booking restaurants in general. You’ll probably book a dog-friendly restaurant, but just make sure you always let people know on your reservation that you’re bringing your dog with you. It’s just the polite thing to do. And I always try and tell people that, you know, bringing a dog somewhere is actually a privilege and not a right. And some guests don’t always feel like they should be in a restaurant. So just make sure you let them know in the bookings. They can give you a table in the corner or whatever they prefer to do.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah. OK. That’s such a good one. All right. My next one is for Rebecca. What would your tip be for a holiday with children?

Rebecca Rose
We have been to a couple of hotels, actually, which have run treasure hunts for the kids, which have been really brilliant because they’ve been able to run around the hotel and collect things from different rooms, and that’s just give them, you know, as I said earlier, a real sense of independence. So hard to find one of those in advance. But when you do, it’s gold dust. One thing I’ve worked out recently is giving your children a small amount of pocket money at the beginning of the holiday and telling them it has to last them the whole holiday, and then they can work out how to spend it. And rather than them asking you for to buy things sort of every two seconds, they have to work out their own budget.

Lilah Raptopoulos
That’s a really good idea. Amazing

Niki Blasina
That’s good. Yeah.

Lilah Raptopoulos
And then my last one is just tips, if you like, want to get into trouble, if you want to have sort of an adventure, a story or a crazy night or something, what would you say?

Niki Blasina
See, this is my tip for travelling without kids was to actually just be very childish. Say yes to everything, get drunk, go dancing, just have a night out and sort of, you know, sleep in a bit the next day and just, like, do the things that you don’t normally get to do or yeah, just have it, get a bit silly.

Rebecca Rose
Get in a fountain, jump in a fountain. That’s definitely going to get you into trouble.

Lilah Raptopoulos Niki. Rebecca, this was such a delight. So much fun. And gave me a million ideas. So thank you both so much for coming on the show.

Niki Blasina
Thanks for having us.

Rebecca Rose
Thanks for having us.

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Lilah Raptopoulos
That’s the show. Thank you for listening to Life and Art from FT Weekend. Take a read through the show notes. We have links to everything mentioned today, including Rebecca and Niki’s recommendations and related Globetrotter pieces. Every link that goes to the FT gets you past the paywall. Also in the show notes is a discount to a subscription to the Financial Times and ways to stay in touch with me, on email and on Instagram. As you know, I love hearing from you.

I am Lilah Raptopoulos and here is my talented team. Katya Kumkova is our senior producer. Lulu Smyth is our producer. Zach St Louis is our contributing producer. Our sound engineers are Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco, with original music by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is our executive producer and our global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Have a lovely holiday weekend and we’ll find each other again on Monday. 

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