Since 1999, Samantha Brown has been a fixture on the Travel Channel. She has lent her upbeat, humorous hosting talents to several series and specials including Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Hotels and Samantha Brown’s First Cruise. It’s hard not to like Sam; she doesn’t come off as pretentious and seems to genuinely enjoy her job. Why not? She gets to travel around the world on someone else’s dime. Basically, her job rules. If only I was a cute blond with a great personality.
Brown is always juggling a couple different series at once. My favorite of her current projects is Passport to Great Weekends. Rather than whisking off to some exotic land and dropping thousands of dollars, Sam plays tour guide for cities a little more accessible to those of us on a budget. A weekend excursion to Austin, Texas can be just as fun as a two-week trip to Australia. Samantha shows us all how to spice up our weekends without busting the bank account.
Unlike other travel series, Great Weekends isn’t afraid to reveal prices. Friendly tips and advice are great, but I like to know how much that cool hotel in West Kensington, London will set me back. In most episodes, Sam will divulge the cost of her accommodations as well as the restaurants she patrons. I find it annoying when a travel host sits down for a delicious meal at a nice establishment and says not a word about the price. They obviously don’t have to pay for squat, but the rest of us schlubs aren’t so lucky.
Here’s a word I especially enjoy hearing: FREE. Samantha makes a concerted effort to showcase some interesting things to do gratis. Like watching the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, or exploring the alternative offerings at Camden Markets. If a weekend getaway is all you can afford, seeking out complimentary handouts should be right up your alley.
Brown also samples the local culture whenever possible. In London, she went to an authentic pub to drink real ale — not watered-down beer, but real English ale (if you’re a beer person, I highly recommend ale). She also tasted a toasted cheese sandwich and grabbed dinner at a curry house. I’m a fan of “when in Rome” when it comes to my travels. Who the hell wants to sit in an awful McDonald’s while on vacation? I’ll take a local eatery with a good reputation over a shitty chain restaurant any day.
Passport to Great Weekends airs at different times during the week on the Travel Channel. Check their show schedule for specific dates and times. Samantha is entertaining and adventurous, so you shouldn’t get bored, even when she jets off to Hawaii for the umpteenth episode. It makes for a good watch on a rainy summer day.
Clacked by Scott Tunstall 
on Jun 10, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
