Travel Tips from Flight Attendant and World Traveler - Melissa Kocefas

by Georgia McKinney September 01, 2018

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Tell us a bit about yourself and your travels

Hi there! I’m Melissa and I’m 25. I currently work as a flight attendant for a major airline. Even on my off days, I’m usually on the go too. Whether it’s hiking near where I live in Colorado or a day trip to LA, I try to find fun things to do! I am budget-minded so I try to find a lot of free or cheap things to do when I travel.

How did you discover your passion for traveling the globe?

My dad used to travel frequently to work at trade shows when I was younger and I would tag along with him in the summer. While he was working, I was exploring the surrounding area and finding other kids to hang out with. That sparked my curiosity in seeing different places and meeting new people!

What is your favorite travel app and why?

It may seem like a basic answer but there’s so much you can do with Google Maps. You can pin certain places or museums as places you’d like to visit so it’s an easy way to group together places you’d like to see within a city. I like to make a route of what I want to see and it’s easier to take the most efficient path when I see where everything is in advance. And if I’m planning a road trip, you can map out all the cities and save that as a separate map!

How do you find good deals for traveling?

If you have the opportunity to take trips during weekdays, I recommend that. I usually try to do that since hotels are cheaper and places are less busy.

What are your packing essentials?

My external battery pack, my DSLR camera, my eye mask

How do you discover fun things to do in new places you travel to?

The location search function on instagram is a great way to discover things you maybe wouldn’t know about otherwise. For example, Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is huge and if you search it on Instagram, many different parts of the park will pop up. It’s also a way to find cool photo opportunities.

Atlasobscura.com is another one of my favorite sites to find quirky attractions that may not be listed elsewhere. And lastly, if I’m looking for more things to do, I just ask the staff of a restaurant or cafe if I stop by one. I’ve found some cool local stuff by doing that!

What is your next travel destination and what do you have planned so far?

I’m going to Palm Springs soon and it’ll be my first time there! I like a mix of outdoorsy and artsy things to see and do when I travel. The highlights are going to Joshua Tree National Park and Salvation Mountain, an outdoor art sculpture park of sorts.