Five Questions for Harriet Baskas

Harriet Baskas is an award-winning writer and radio producer and the author of six books, including Washington Curiosities. She’s a regular contributor to msnbc.com, USAToday.com and Bing Travel. She also writes the popular blog, StuckatTheAirport.com and she’s a fabulous tweeter. Harriet was nice enough to fit in some time to answer these questions during a recent trip to Copenhagen. 

1. What’s your favourite thing to do in a city you’ve never been to before?

I love to visit the local history museum, check out a local grocery store and spend an afternoon just walking to and through a few neighborhoods. I also make sure to spend extra time at the airport because that’s one of the topics I write about often. 

2. What do you use to research things to do when you’ve never been to a city?

The usual suspects—books, online sites and searches, friends and serendipity.

3. What’s the most important question to ask when traveling somewhere new?

Always a good idea to check the weather, of course, but also how do you say “please,” “Thank you,” and “There’s a fire” and “Where’s the bathroom?” in the local language.

4. What’s the best tip you have for people who don’t travel often? 

You don’t have to go half-way around the world to have a great “I didn’t know that!” adventure. An afternoon doing something you’ve never done before—taking a fly fishing or pie-making lesson, attending a first-Friday art evening or just hanging out in the library, for example, in a town a few hours away can open the door, can be vacation.

5. Travergence just launched in Orlando, do you have a favourite thing to see or do there?

I love hanging out at the Orlando International Airport. There’s a great art collection there, a giant fish tank, and fun shops (including the Kennedy Space Center shops where they sell astronaut ice-cream).