Roaming Gnome
Everywhere

My name: The Travelocity Roaming Gnome

How I earn my keep: I roam the world finding great deals, upholding the Travelocity Guarantee, and looking rather handsome while doing it.

What kind of traveler I am: A small and perfectly-formed one.

Greatest travel lesson learned: Just because you can climb into the overhead baggage compartment and stay there for the rest of the flight, doesn’t mean you should.

Travel ambition: To never again miss my plane because I’ve stopped to take a photo with a fellow traveler who’s spotted me. Ah, it’s tough work being a charmingly lovable travel mascot, I’ll tell you that.

First thing I do in a new place: Make friends.

When I’m not traveling: I’m browsing the SkyMall catalogue, toasting crumpets, testing beard conditioners, and planning my next trip.

Jennifer Gaines
San Francisco, CA

My name: Jennifer Gaines, but my friends call me Gaines, Jenni-Dallas or just plain Jenn.

(Find me on Twitter @jenngaines)

Travel ambitions: It’s my mission to visit each of the New 7 Wonders and to step foot on every continent before my next milestone birthday. (Well, except Antarctica. Even though my ego wants to visit, my conscience won’t allow it. It’s the one place on Earth than man is not intended to go…but I’ll get off my global warming soapbox now.)

Greatest travel lesson learned: Find the local hangouts to experience the real, true culture of a place. During a trip to Europe, my friends and I spent several days with a French family in the small town of Vichy. We had a private party in their family-run creperie, feasting on cheese-stuffed crepes and sampling wine that we picked up in the Bordeaux region a few days earlier. Their English wasn’t much better than my French, which is limited to a few well-known phrases from Moulin Rouge and the question: Parlez-vous anglais? (I’m proud to say that I can spout this question off in several different languages, and luckily most Europeans do indeed speak English!) After a few bottles of wine, the language barrier was hardly noticeable (slurring actually sounds the same in French!), and we managed to swap stories about life in other places. What a slice of local flavor!

My most beloved place in the whole world is: My grandparents place in Texas. It’s a 10-acre oasis in between two sprawling cities: Dallas and Fort Worth. A creek runs through their enormous backyard, where Granddad built a deck over the water. The entire place is shrouded with all types of trees (mainly pecan), blocking the Texas sun in the summer. Dusk is the best time to sit on the deck, drink a glass of ice tea and watch baby raccoons from the spring litter surround their back porch as Gram feeds them bread (no lie!). There will be dozens of raccoons eating on any given night. In the fall, my family gathers in the courtyard in front of their house for an annual “weenie roast.” Granddad lights the bonfire, and we roast dogs and s’mores. Yes, y’all, we’re from Texas!

Favorite way to get around: Well, I’m not much of a driver. I get lost easily and my tires have never come across a curb they didn’t want to get to know a little better. But, I do enjoy cruising around and listening to music. That said, I much rather explore a place by foot (with my iPod in tow) for a more intimate encounter.

View that took my breath away: Coming from Texas (where the view is wide but there’s not much to see), scenes from my new home of San Francisco never fail to amaze me. The city is a pedestrian’s dream, but don’t forget to turn around and look behind you as you meander through its neighborhoods. You won’t realize it, but you’ll be at the tip-top of a hill and the ocean will suddenly seem to be at eye level. Take a drive through the Presidio and over the Golden Gate Bridge where even more stunning views await!

Holly Burns
San Francisco, CA

My name: Holly Burns.

How I earn my keep: I’m a writer for Travelocity.

First thing I do in a new place: Check out the grocery store.

Fondest travel memory: In the fall of 2006, my fiance Sean and I took a 13-hour ferry from Mandalay to Bagan (in Burma), and since there were no seats, we spent the whole time sitting cross-legged on the wooden floorboards with the locals. The most bizarre moment was falling asleep shortly after the boat left Mandalay at 5 a.m. and waking up a few hours later to find 20 locals just staring at me. Smiling. To my right, Sean was sitting on his backpack, doing a Sudoku puzzle. Behind him, five Burmese men were leaning over his shoulder, watching him intently. Every so often, one of them would lean forward, point to the puzzle and suggest a number. Thanks to this group effort, Sean did his Sudoku in record time. I doubt he has done one more quickly since.

Best meal I’ve ever had while traveling: It’s possible I sampled every single fresh spring roll along the coast of Vietnam–I’d be hard-pressed to choose a winner.

Proudest travel accomplishment: Getting back my copy of Lonely Planet China from a customs official who confiscated it on a train at the Chinese border because the map was outdated. (After a lot of arguing, he finally acquiesced. But not without ripping out the offending map first and putting it in his pocket.)

Greatest travel lesson learned: Three words: no white clothes.

When I’m not traveling, I’m: Posting on my blog, www.nothingbutbonfires.com, paying library fines on overdue travel guides and working on my quest to find the best falafel sandwich in San Francisco.