Celebrity Travel Addicts: Christina Vidal of Jetset Christina

In this edition of Celebrity Travel Addicts, we speak with Christina Vidal of Jetset Christina, a California native with a passion for everything luxurious in the world of travel! We chat with her about what sparked her passion for exploring the world, her favorite travel tips, a particularly special item she crossed off her extensive bucket list, and much more. Check out her favorite destinations and find out where she’s headed next!

How did your passion for travel get started?

I’m eternally grateful that I grew up in a family who loved travel and really encouraged me to see the world from day one. In college, I studied abroad on Semester at Sea – a program with 500 college students where we took classes on a ship and traveled around the world to 12 different countries in four months. It was incredible – and actually where I started my first blog! From that experience on, I was hooked.

How many days/weeks are you traveling in any given year? What are the types of places you like to visit?

I currently travel 100% of the time. That kind of go-go-go lifestyle is not sustainable, forever, I know. But right now it’s too much fun to stop. And I’m really enjoying making all kinds of places around the world “home” for a few weeks or more at a time! I really try to both see the places I go to as both a tourist, and a local. I think by spending more time in the places I go, I get to know them better and it helps make the blog content better than the average surface-level travel guide.

I spend the most time of the year in Bali, which I consider a home base when I’m not traveling, and I make it back to California quite a bit as well.

You were born and raised in California. What makes California such a great travel destination?

California has it all!!! The snow, the beach, hiking, biking, golfing, wine tasting, foodie cities, Highway One, the Golden Gate Bridge, Big Sur, Yosemite, Napa Valley, oh my gosh I could go on FOREVER! California is the best place in the world.

You are one of the most trusted names in the world of luxury travel. For people who don’t know, what exactly is luxury travel and what kind of work do you do?

I think luxury travel is about experiencing the very best in travel. Luxury travel is celebration travel. It’s the honeymoons, the babymoons, the birthday trips, the anniversaries, the romantic getaways. It’s a reason to celebrate. Luxury travel is the type of travel you work hard for. What I do is make achieving that vacation easier. My job is to make planning your trips a breeze so you can trust that your hard-earned vacation is going to be worth every cent.

What do you want audiences to gain and learn from your work?

I want everyone to be able to travel more, and better, and I love helping them do that. I want people to have the best trips of their lives, every single trip they take with Jetset Christina’s recommendations. Nothing makes me happier than the DM’s on instagram I receive with pictures from followers’ trips, telling me how they went to a certain hotel, restaurant, or on a certain tour because of me and how much they loved it.

What are the top three destinations you’ve visited?

The Maldives

Bali, Indonesia

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Give us your ‘Top 5’ list for one of your top 3 destinations. Like a mini-guide or a to-do list of sorts. It can be anything from your favorite hotel, best place to have lunch, best sightseeing, etc.

I love it! Here’s my Top 5 Bali Guide:

1. See the sunset at Single Fin Bali
2. Stay in a pool villa at the Four Seasons Bali
3. Walk around the Tegalalang Rice Fields
4. Have a smoothie bowl at Nalu Bowls
5. Have cocktails at La Brisa Canggu

You have an extensive bucket list on your website, which you cross items off of as you accomplish them. Of all the items you’ve crossed off that list, which one was the most special or memorable and why?

Oh that’s such a hard question. EVERY travel memory is so meaningful to me. I would probably have to say staying in an overwater bungalow. I think everyone dreams of that trip – and it’s every bit as incredible as it’s cracked up to be. My first time in one was a very special trip – because it was a trip we took to celebrate my mom beating cancer. It was a place she had always wanted to go, but never could find reason enough for such a trip-of-a-lifetime. But when “lifetime” becomes a whole lot shorter, travel becomes a whole lot more important. So when she got good news from the doctor, we booked that trip to French Polynesia, and had the best trip ever.

How many countries have you visited so far?

61 and counting!

What are your top 3 favorite cuisines?

Mexican, Japanese, and Greek

What is your favorite restaurant in the world? What dish do you recommend there?

Mama’s Fish House in Maui, Hawaii is my favorite restaurant in the world. Any of the fresh fish is the best you’ll ever have.

What is your favorite travel movie?

Currently it’s Crazy Rich Asians – I mean who DOESNT want to book a trip to Singapore after seeing that movie?!

What is your favorite international airport?

I love any layover with an American Express Centurion Lounge. Their lounges have the best food, unlimited drinks, and even spas with complimentary massages! Recently I had a layover in Bogota, Colombia and absolutely loved that airport.

Which city has the friendliest people?

Charleston, South Carolina – that Southern Hospitality is impossible to beat.

Who is your favorite travel companion?

My fiancé, Kenny!  We travel the same exact way – we love good food, good wine, and great beaches. We can both spend all day in the sun, and all night chatting over cocktails. We have so much fun traveling together.

What is the best way to kill time while traveling?

I always have little tasks I plan ahead on doing in the airport, such as catching up on email responses, DM’s, etc. So I never have any downtime on travel days. On the plane, I’m usually writing blog posts, editing photos or sleeping and watching movies.

What is the most exotic place your career has taken you?

The Maldives – they feel like a whole other world. And are easily the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

What is your best bit of travel advice for someone who wants to, or is about to, embark on a life of travel?

My best advice is if you’re going to be traveling a lot, whether it’s for work or for pleasure, (or for both!), it’s so important to still have a sense of ‘home’ even when you’re on the road. It’s easy to get exhausted when you’re living out of a suitcase, so I’ll try to plan for longer trips in some of the places I love, so I can really take a breath and catch up on my work, routine, and life. Sometimes “work-cations” are just as important as vacations!

What are 3 things you could never travel without?

My camera, my swimsuit and my reusable straw (this is the one I use)

What is your ultimate dream destination?

So many places are on my list. I’m dying to do an African safari & Zanzibar. I’m also dying to get to Argentina & wine tasting in Mendoza.

What is your favorite travel quote?

“You can always make more money. You can never make more time.”

Where are you headed next?

I’m off to Bordeaux, France in partnership with a French wine brand! I am so excited to explore wine country, and then head to Cannes Film Festival!

Bio

Christina Vidal @JetsetChristina is the travel blogger and Instagrammer behind the award-winning luxury travel blog Jetset Christina. She has been to 61 countries and counting and her swoon-worthy Instagram @jetsetchristina (ranked #1 Luxury Travel Instagram to Follow by Travel & Leisure) is all about showcasing the world’s most exotic and luxurious destinations.

Connect with Christina on all of her platforms to learn more about her, her adventures, and the amazing world of luxury travel!