Meet Fashion Blogger and Stylist Monica Barnett
Hometown: Washington, D.C., by way of Ann Arbor, Chicago, Seattle, and Buffalo.
Occupation: Founder of Blueprint for Style, an image consulting, personal styling, and branding company; stylist; style blogger.
Favorite destinations: Paris (over and over again), Tokyo, Barbados, Cape Town, Rome, Barcelona.
Dying to visit: The (entire) Italian countryside, Argentina, Tanzania, Kenya, Thailand, Bora Bora, Cuba, any place with a bevy of vintage shops.
Bizarre travel rituals: I use disinfecting wipes to wipe down rental cars before I drive them; in hotel rooms, I use wipes to clean the phone, remote control, and bathroom. I open all drawers and closets to make sure there are no surprises. I also like to jump up and down on the bed.
In-flight relaxation regime: On long flights I wipe down the tray table, check the menu and movies, change into travel slippers, fall asleep right before takeoff, and then wake up 30 minutes before landing.
Always in carry-on: Facial mist, scented hand sanitizer, gold croc-print Footzy rolls or shimmery pink Yosi Samra slippers, room spray, techy baggie, laptop, purple Hello Kitty fountain pen, business cards, Twizzlers, travel itinerary, scarf.
Concierge or DIY? In my mind I'm DIY all the way. In reality I'm a total concierge chick.
See it all or take it easy? If it's a location that I won't be back to visit anytime soon, then I'll see it all. But it's a repeat location, I'm chillin'.
Drive or be driven? I'm Type A and secretly believe that no one can drive better — or get there faster — than I can!
Travel hero: The new flight attendant who gets ALL of the worst locations and connections — but still smiles.
Weirdest thing seen on travels: Testy (and obviously shortsighted) travelers who get mad at other people for bad weather delays.
Best hotel amenity: Cleanliness.
I dream about my meal at Havana Café in Scottsdale, Arizona (including the mojito at the outdoor café).
Everywhere I go, I check out the vintage/thrift stores and tour disenfranchised areas of the city so I know what's really going on.
When I arrive in a new place, I learn the lay of the land by taking public transportation, chatting with locals, and hanging out in a café with a map and coffee.
I always bring home a newspaper, something that will make me laugh whenever I see it, and something pink (it's a girly thing).
If I never return to that hotel in Istanbul, it'll be too soon because my friends and I were treated pretty poorly by the staff that told us they were at capacity (they weren't) when we showed up to check in.
I travel for the chance to find something that will make me jump up and down in little circles as if it were Christmas day.