Professional Traveler Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, which was recently awarded a Pulitzer Prize, a columnist and author of 13 books. Somehow, she's finding time to judge our #JetsetterCurator contest along with a few other luminaries from the fashion, design and hotel worlds. We tapped her for her travel tips.
You hop time zones constantly -- what's your strategy for surviving a red-eye and how do you cope with jetlag?
I board the plane in sweatpants, put on Bose headphones and refuse all food and drink except water. With a bit of luck I'm asleep by take-off. I get over jetlag by napping in the middle of the day -- we have two rooms in the New York office for our European editors called NapQuest1 and NapQuest2.
What's in your carry-on?
Four BlackBerrys, each with a different carrier because reception differs widely across the world, two iPods -- one loaded with guided meditations, the other with world music, an iPad and plenty of books, magazines and newspapers -- I still love to underline as I read (and no, digital underlining is not the same).
Hotel perfection is...
A deep bathtub and a room far, far away from the elevator that's pitch dark when you go to sleep, otherwise I have to go around draping sweaters and scarves over the little green lights on the phone, the TV and the alarm clock.
Any tips for power lunching in Washington D.C. this election year?
I love the restaurant at the Jefferson for English afternoon tea or a nightcap, and the Monocle on Capitol Hill -- it's close enough to the House that members of congress and senators can dash there for lunch and dinner and still have enough time to get back once the bell for voting rings.
Huffington Post UK launched recently -- what are your favorite spots in London?
Britain has always held a very special place in my heart because I started and finished both college and my first serious love affair there. I love the Bloomsbury area around our London office, and I like to eat at the Wolseley and J. Sheekey.
You're from Greece -- should people stay away at the moment because of the economic and political situation?
Tourism is going to be key to Greece's economic recovery, and I'd encourage people to keep visiting. I try to go at least once a year -- I love all the islands: Paros, Santorini and Crete are three of my favorites.
Where are you planning to vacation this summer?
Madrid at the beginning of June when we launch El Huffington Post with El Pais, and I'm planning a trip to Milan later in the summer to launch there in partnership with The Espresso Group.
What will you be looking for when you judge our Pinterest boards?
Images that work together to tell a story, that show an understanding of the place and the people who live there and that communicate the sense of adventure I associate with travel.
Finally, you're a self-confessed cappuccino addict. Who makes the best in New York?
The Dutch in Soho.