-We ask a lot of our travels.

We want travel to relax us.

We want it to make us feel fulfilled.

We want travel to bring us closer to our family and friends.

We want it to reinforce our own sense of self.

And we want all that to happen in the five days we have off.

But here's the thing.

Travel can do all of that for you, no matter where you go and how much time you have.

It's all in how you approach it.

Now, there's no doubt that we have experienced a loss of travel.

We may still be experiencing it, but that has only reinforced our deep need for it.

And going forward, there's going to be even greater importance put on our travels -- making up for lost time, reconnecting with loved ones, and creating memories that were put on hold.

So I would love to share with you how, even in the short amount of time I'm in a new destination, a new country, a totally different culture, with my family or solo, I get the most out of my travels.

These are my personal tips on how to make travel count.

[ Upbeat tune plays ] I'm Samantha Brown and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... [ Bird chirping ] -The rhythm of the waves.

The calming sounds of nature.

On the Southwest Florida coast, there are wide open beaches and hundreds of islands.

Sometimes doing nothing can mean everything.

♪♪ Learn more at fortmyers-sanibel.com.

♪♪ ♪♪ -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ♪♪ ...pedal... ♪♪ ...and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal to ensure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

♪♪ -All the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest, experienced on a journey by rail.

Rocky Mountaineer, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

-The world is full of breathtaking destinations and experiences.

AAA wants to help turn vacation dreams into reality.

Wherever you want to go, AAA has services to help you before, during, and after your trip.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

-Sometimes travel is a luxury, sometimes it is a privilege, but it is, and will always be, a necessity.

Now, a long time ago, before I started my job, I thought that travel was for other people.

I thought that travel was for the privileged and people not just privileged with money, but time and confidence.

I thought you needed those three things or you shouldn't travel, and I couldn't have been more wrong about that.

Travel is for everyone.

And one of the most important lessons I've learned is that the benefits of travel count in your life, whether you've gone 10,000 miles away...

It is good to be back!

...or two hours from your home.

I've passed by so many times in the last close to two decades -Yeah.

-and, all of a sudden, you're like, "Oh, my goodness!

I had no idea."

Again, it's all in the approach.

-Hey, hon.

You look beautiful.

-Hi.

You look gorgeous.

-Love the gloves.

-Thanks, hon.

It's official.

I'm a hon.

So, let's get started with some really great travel tips that you may have not heard before.

They are a bit unconventional, but they're ones that I've developed through the 22 two years I've been creating travel shows.

And so I thought we would begin with how I prepare for every travel episode I have ever done, all like 330 of them.

Before I get mic'd, before the cameras roll, it all begins with a walk.

♪♪ Going for a walk is the single most important thing that I do when I arrive in a destination.

I make time just to wander.

And this has become my main pillar of travel advice to people who ask me questions like, "Hey, we're going to be in Montreal.

What should we see?"

"I'll be in Dallas, Texas.

What should I do?"

First, put the map away, put down the phone, and just go down streets because you think they look good.

But get out of the touristy areas and go to where the people live and sit down in one of their public parks or their cafés and just be a part of everyday life.

Because everyday life in another part of the world is absolutely extraordinary.

[ Ring ] [ Ringing ] [ Gasp ] And going for a walk is the very first thing that I do.

And, even though it looks like I'm walking around aimlessly, I do have a mission, and that is I want to have that moment that tells me I. am.

here.

I want to connect with the culture, as it is today.

And, because of that, I won't spend any time in the touristy centers because that moment that I'm going for is never found in the must-sees.

It is always found in the seemingly mundane.

And I know what you're thinking.

"Enjoy the mundane?

That is your travel advice?"

Yes, it is.

[ Laughs ] And I know, I know this is difficult because we have been conditioned, by advertising and social media, that everything we do has to be "Top Bod," full of superlatives... Whoo hoo hoo!

That's awesome!

...change-our-life big, or it's not worth our time.

Okay, back in the car.

But that's why I recommend going for a walk.

Because, on a walk, you are never looking for exclamation points.

What you are on is a search for the commas.

Because a comma is where a person, a culture, even a country, expresses itself.

And a comma is where we allow ourselves to breathe [ Inhales ] and observe.

♪♪ Another way to interact with locals and everyday life is to head directly into the touristy areas.

And I know, I just told you to get out of those.

Well, now, I am telling you to go back in.

One, they are usually places of high energy and historical interest and, two, they're in the center of it all, so, really easy to get to.

But, once you are there, now, explore the side streets.

A lot of times, just one or two streets over is a whole new world, where you'll find the shops and restaurants and the little squares that locals enjoy.

These are the places that play an important part of a community.

And, when you think of it, we have all lived through a time where supporting the community was a part of our own survival.

We actively sought out local businesses, from small bookshops to family-owned restaurants, to artisans to support.

At every point of this adverse journey we've been on, we have worked toward providing a positive impact.

And, now, as travel comes back, you can take that knowledge with you, knowing that, wherever you are, wherever you're going to, no matter how new or foreign, it is someone else's local.

-I've been handling tweed since 1956 -- 61 years.

-Is this yours?

And, now, you're not just supporting a travel industry, but a community as well.

Ah.

But I think there's this assumption that you have to go far or put in a lot of effort to find more local and authentic experiences and, well, no, not really.

You could just start by heading to where everyone and their selfie sticks go and use that area as a jumping off place for experiences that are a lot more local and a lot more unique.

Whenever I travel in the United States, I always seek out and want to eat at a strip mall restaurant.

I love them.

And, even those strip malls themselves, the appearance of leave a lot to be desired, the restaurants that are usually in them are exceptional.

They're unique, they're family-owned, and they make the best home cookin'.

And, listen, when you are on the road all the time, that's all you want, is a good, hot meal.

-[ Laughs ] Okay.

[ Laughter ] -You don't get this where I live.

-Right.

[ Laughs ] -You always hear people say, after they come back from a trip, "Man, I need a vacation from my vacation!"

And this happens when we take the same approach of our overscheduled lives and just apply it to a second location.

Or maybe it's your one shot to enjoy a city you have dreamed of going to your entire life and you are going to cram in as much as you possibly can.

It's like, "Day 1, Vienna.

We'll start at the Schoenbrunn Palace.

Then, coffee at the Naschmarkt.

Visit the Hofburg Library, conduct 'The Blue Danube,' drink Gemischter Satz."

But, when doing and seeing as much as you can becomes your approach to travel, you become really bullied by time.

And I don't know about you, but, when I travel, I just want to stretch my time out and really enjoy it and I have a way to do that -- create a ritual.

Do one thing, the same thing, same time, every single day of your trip.

I like to find what's going to be my place and I'm going to return to it, often.

And people think I'm crazy for doing this because like, "Oh, my gosh.

We've got to go to different places every single meal and every meal's going to change our life," right?

And I just don't believe in that.

So I always find the place that I'm going to begin my day.

I have breakfast.

Travel requires like incessant thinking, right?

What am I going to do today?

How am I going to get there?

Is it going to rain?

Do I need to bring sunscreen?

I leave in three days.

Did my upgrades come through?

Like I just want my brain to stop.

And the way that I do that is I return to a place that's familiar and it gives me comfort and then I just relax.

And, for so many of us, travel will be about reconnecting with family and friends, and that means more people, more thinking, [ Laughing ] so, for families, I recommend creating a ritual in the afternoon.

It has been my extensive experience that, no matter the age, everybody has had it by 3:00 p.m. We are all four-year-olds -- grumpy, hungry, and in need of a nap.

So, find a nice café.

Taking time for ice cream is never a bad idea.

Then, head back to your hotel, rest up, take a nap, and, now, everyone's refreshed for dinner.

But, yeah, rituals, they're really important in our daily lives.

They are a constant which becomes a comfort and that works in travel, too.

It's okay to seek out comfortable moments, right?

And I will say that, when I allow myself to be comfortable and more in the moment is when the magic of travel really begins.

Talking to people.

So you're part of the family business?

-Yes, ma'am.

-Do you come here before school?

-Yes.

-Like what time?

-4:00.

-Oh, Dad.

Really?

-Make him tough.

[ Laughter ] -What is it like living so remotely?

-I've always lived remote... -Okay.

-...so not remote for me.

-And you travel all over the United States with Magnolia Sisters?

-The world, I have to say.

-How did the children feel about that?

-Thank you, babysitters.

They still resent it.

[ Laughter ] "You should get over this."

-For me, talking to people, connecting with them, is the most important part of travel.

Travel allows us to meet people face-to-face, to learn from them, and really care about their experience.

And where are you from?

-I'm Ugandan, but I live in London.

-Ah!

-I'm originally from India, but living in London now, yeah.

-Yeah, same.

I'm from India, but living in London, -Why did you want to come to this area of Switzerland?

-It's calling me.

[ Indistinct ] amazing.

I'd love to settle here.

-I mean, sure, we want to be in awe of incredible architecture.

Yes!

We want to be overwhelmed by a 5,000-year history of a place.

But we also need to relate to a destination on a personal level, and that happens more strongly when we are connecting, one-on-one, with people.

So you've uncovered these warriors yourself.

What does it feel like when you see someone's face looking back at you?

In "Places to Love," we spend a lot of valuable air time showing me in a conversation and that is completely intentional because I feel that talking to people is something that has slowly been going missing from our daily lives, and this was even before the pandemic.

We don't really talk to each other anymore.

Instead, we place so much of how we communicate onto social media and that has done a real number on how we all treat one another.

But travel is where we, as human beings, show up.

So I'm not going to be able to pick that up, Coach G. I'm just telling you right now.

-It's okay.

-And travel gives us the opportunity to relate to others, even in the briefest of encounters.

For example, just randomly talking to a stranger.

What are you going for?

You're going for the sours, huh?

-Yeah, I love sour candy.

-Where are you from?

-I'm from Massachusetts.

-Okay.

-It's kind of a family tradition that we always come here and this is the first time like just me and my niece came because I can drive now, so.

-Oh.

-It's kind of a special day for us.

-That's wonderful.

So this is sort of your rite of passage.

-Yeah.

-You're independent, you're an adult, and the first thing you do is go to a candy store.

-Yeah.

[ Laughter ] -We totally underestimate the benefit of these spontaneous interactions that, even for a short amount of time, gives us that sense of belonging.

And talking to strangers is tough and of course, we've been told, since we were kids, that it's dangerous, but, you absolutely must go for it, even if there's a language barrier.

They meet here every day?

-Every day, in the morning.

-In the morning.

-In the morning.

8:00 to about 11:00.

-8:00 to 11:00, you dance?

For three hours!

-We dance.

[ Laughter ] -That's tiring.

-Don't go to the hospital.

[ Laughter ] -And I know how intimidating that is because, more so than being a traveler, to me, my job is to communicate with people around the world.

And one thing I've learned is that no one on the other side expects you to speak in full sentences or have an ability to conjugate verbs, but what you absolutely must know is how to be polite in another country's language, and just three words will get you there -- hello, please, and thank you.

Okay, thank you might be -- that might be four words.

Sorry.

But just being able to say those words will tell someone that, one, I am not from here, but, two, I'm still a kind person who, three, is making an effort.

You do that, I guarantee you people will go out of their way to respond or help you.

So, when you plan your travels, make sure to build personal connection into your trip, even with meeting strangers.

You have to make room for that.

That's why I like to go for a wander and create a ritual, because you are slowing time down and being more aware of when that opportunity strikes.

Sure, why not?

Oh, this way, yeah.

But you can also have deeper connections.

You can be taught by an artist...

Isn't that neat?

Beautiful.

...take a dance class... Beautiful.

[ Scat singing ] -Nice.

-How's that?

-Yeah.

Feels good.

-This here is one of my most favorite trees.

It's the Western red cedar.

-Mm-hmm.

...listen to a conservationist... -What our people sought to practice was sustainable harvests, so you would take several planks from several trees and allow the tree to live.

-So you're taking sections of the tree, build your home, and the tree could go on.

-Yes.

The forest allowed us to have a really good life.

-...go on a walking tour with a great guide... -This is Eviva Amore.

It means "Long Live Love" in Italian and it's a Mark di Suvero piece.

-When you told me the title, I would not have thought this is about love.

-It is!

A representation of love.

It's got everything in it!

-It needs to be supported... -Yes.

-right?

Or it doesn't go on.

-Yes.

-...seek out experiences where getting to know a person and their passion is as important as the thing you are learning about.

When do we gossip?

-When do we not gossip?

[ Laughter ] -In meeting and talking to a lot of you, I know that planning travel is a big challenge.

It's so overwhelming because there is an endless amount of information out there and you could spend hours online, researching a trip, and be even less convinced about what you should do.

But a question I always ask myself, as we zero in on each segment of an episode, is "What is the emotional value of being here?"

And, with this one question, I get to a more personal reason of why we should or shouldn't do something.

In some places, that's a really easy question to answer.

Like when you're at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, standing under a model of the Saturn V rocket, the one that brought man to the Moon.

and it's a half a city block long, with five engines, each as big as a car, and even though it's 2018, all you are thinking is, "This is never going to work!"

And then, it hits you, that, "Oh, my gosh!

It did work!"

And, now, we are headed to Mars.

And it's science and it's history and it's optimism for our future.

It's just total emotional value.

And then, then, there are cathedrals.

[ Bells tolling ] Now, I've seen a lot of cathedrals in my time and they're usually the heart of the city and, of course, the architecture and the history is fascinating, but I've always wondered, for those of us who are not Catholic, how can we emotionally connect with a cathedral?

And it was asking this question in Strasbourg, France, that allowed us to find a deeply meaningful experience that wasn't on any top 5 or top 10 list of things to do when visiting the city.

♪♪ So these are the stone carvers.

-Yes.

-In the building of cathedrals, they take 300, 400, 500 years.

Do they have a deadline?

[ Laughs ] -[ Speaking French ] -The work on the cathedral is always going on.

It will never finish.

You always have to do conservation work to maintain the cathedral the best way.

Once you're around, you have to start again.

-Start all over again?

[ Laughter ] You have a job for life.

[ Laughs ] But what, ultimately, the question, "What is the emotional value of being here?"

does is it steers you away from listing all the things you want to see and do, truly asking yourself, "How do I want to feel?"

-[ Singing in Creole ] -Because the emotional value of travel is everything.

It strengthens the bonds of families and friendships.

It reinforces our own sense of self, and this is a value that grows, years, decades, after one single trip has been taken, so that travel is absolutely an investment in your life.

One of the best things I ever heard about the benefits of travel came from a child psychologist who told a group of us that memories of travel for a kid are stronger than other really important memories in their lives, like their own birthdays and graduations.

And one of the reasons why this is so is that, when you travel with children, it allows your kid to see you be a kid.

Look at Mama!

And what that does for a child's sense of love and security.

And these memories become the building blocks of a family's foundation, that go on to support that family through tough times.

And we have all gone through a really tough time.

We've gone through a time where grandparents were instantly cut off from their grandkids, where parents, so stressed, so overwhelmed, haven't been able to lighten up.

[ Laughs ] So, when you finally get to travel again, and from here on out, look for what is delightful.

-Go!

[ Indian music plays ] -Find activities that require nothing of you other than to be tickled pink.

-Whoo!

[ Cheering and applause ] -So, yeah, look for the delight.

And delight can be found doing the simple things that people do every day, in another place.

In Bern, Switzerland, after work, the locals head to the river and even use it to commute home.

I feel like I'm 15 years old again.

In Texas, they go dancing.

Not once a year or at a wedding, but every week!

In China's public parks, you'll find kite clubs, where they fly everything, from handmade, tiny butterflies to a 100-foot train.

[ Laughs ] Oh, my gosh!

Wow!

And, in every instance, the locals are more than happy to share their passions with you and everyday life becomes more meaningful.

Mr. Lee!

Xie xie.

Xie xie.

[ Laughs ] Travel counts in our life so much more than we know and it counts, whether we've gone far, far away or stayed closer to home, whether we are with 15 members of our extended family or totally solo.

Travel is one of the few things that we have that mark a fresh start, provide a new beginning.

And we are all on this crazy human journey to understand ourselves, to be better than we thought.

And nothing gives us that opportunity like travel.

[ Clink ] Thank you for one of the best days of my life.

This was truly fantastic.

-Thank you for your visit.

♪♪ -For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" was made possible by... ♪♪ -We believe watching the world go by isn't enough.

That's why we climb... ♪♪ ...pedal... ♪♪ ...and journey beyond the beaten path, on storied rivers, with a goal to ensure that every mile traveled turns into another memory.

You can find out more at amawaterways.com.

[ Bird chirping ] -The rhythm of the waves.

The calming sounds of nature.

On the Southwest Florida coast, there are wide open beaches and hundreds of islands.

Sometimes doing nothing can mean everything.

♪♪ Learn more at fortmyers-sanibel.com.

♪♪ -The world is full of breathtaking destinations and experiences.

AAA wants to help turn vacation dreams into reality.

Wherever you want to go, AAA has services to help you before, during, and after your trip.

Learn more at AAA.com/LiveTV.

♪♪ -All the untamed beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the American Southwest, experienced on a journey by rail.

Rocky Mountaineer, proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪