KissMyCountry continues their interview with Bridget Brennan, CEO of Female Factor and author of Why She Buys as Bridget talks about the places she loves.
Places That Bridget Loves
Lexy: Bridget, what are your favorite places? What places in the world do you love? Why?
Bridget: One of my favorite places in the whole world is Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Tetons are such a striking mountain range. There are no foothills, and so they seem to rise straight out of the ground with their spiky, craggy peaks. When you arrive by plane to Jackson Hole, you land right in the middle of Grand Teton National Park, and it is the most dramatic and beautiful airport landing imaginable. You step off the plane onto an old-fashioned staircase, and you’re suddenly surrounded by the Tetons. Sometimes you can see bison in the distance and you haven’t even picked up your bags yet. You are instantly away from whatever piece of civilization you live in.
Tai Chi by Anita Ritenour
Bridget: One of my favorite cities for a business trip is San Francisco. It’s so nice to get up early in the morning and walk up and down the streets. So many times you reach the crest of a hill and have a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the blue Pacific and Alcatraz. I also enjoy seeing people out in the parks doing Tai Chi. There’s a park in front of the Fairmont Hotel where people do Tai Chi every morning. When the sun is coming up and you’re watching so many people silently and slowly doing Tai Chi, it’s an amazing way to start a business day in a different city. I also love New York for all the obvious reasons – you feel the adrenaline surge the minute you land. New York never fails to inspire me. I have family in both San Francisco and New York so that’s a plus too. Both cities are physically striking and have a different effect on me in equally powerful ways – even though they could not be more different.
Mr. K: Where was your last vacation and what were some of the highlights?
My husband and I went to the South of France recently with two of my sisters, and we all shared an apartment there. It was so much fun to stay in an apartment instead of a hotel. I found it more relaxing – we had a little kitchen and could make our own coffee in the morning and have it with a baguette and jam on the balcony, not having to go anywhere and just taking our sweet time. It added an element of relaxation that I really enjoyed. We were in a tiny little town near the Italian border which was full of Italian tourists, and we hardly ran into any other Americans. It was fun to see the Italians on holiday because there were so many multi-generational families. They’d be out at the beach – grandma, grandpa, the parents, the kids, grandkids. It was fun watching so many Italian multi-generational families being on vacation together.
- Indian Saris by Renault
Mr. K: Has there been a place in all your travels that surprised you – whether it be positive or negative? Maybe you had preconceived ideas about what you were going to experience, and somehow the place just shocked you and it wasn’t what you expected.
Bridget: I would have to say India. I loved India so much more than I had expected to love it. I knew I would find it fascinating, but I fell head over heels in love with that country. I loved the Bollywood movies, I loved the food, I loved the people, the colors, the saris, the sunshine and the hospitality. I think that anyone who loves adventure would love India. It’s a wonderful place. And there are so many direct flights to India now that make it even more accessible to Americans.
Lexy: Bridget, where’s your next trip? What’s your next vacation?
Bridget: I’m not sure. I’m working on that right now and figuring out where to go. It might be somewhere in Southeast Asia – I don’t know that part of the world very well. I’m seriously thinking about Vietnam and Cambodia. I think they’d be fascinating.
Lexy: Bridget, it sounds like you have a lot of exciting stuff planned. We have only one more question – will you talk to us again later this year about what you’re doing and where you’re traveling – maybe about your next vacation when you return? We want to stay in touch!
Bridget: I’d love to!
