Speedy Boarding with Brianna Plaza
Logroño, Japan and baseball caps with the writer of on hand
Welcome back to Speedy Boarding, a bi-weekly series on Tom Fish Is Away that is great news for those of you who are getting sick of me. That’s because it’s a series where I ask some of my favourite writers on Substack eight quick-ish questions about travel. So, the vast majority of the words you’re about to read weren’t written by me but by someone else.
This week the questions are being answered by
who writes , a newsletter that takes readers on explorations of the vast world of food and drink through stories, original recipes, and interviews featuring chefs, cookbook writers, iconic food makers, and boundary-pushing brands. She’s based in Brooklyn and loves exploring New York’s farmers’ markets and bar scene.Right, let’s get to the questions.
Where is the best place you’ve ever been and why?
I always have a hard time determining the best because I simply have not seen enough of this big world to have a definitive answer. BUT, I recently got back from a two week trip to mostly Spain and a bit of Portugal. I’d been to both of those countries before and we hit some hot spots: Barcelona, Madrid, Porto. But we also visited a handful of towns that I don’t think Americans tend to go to.
One town that I really liked on our trip was Logroño. It’s a town north in Spain’s wine country in La Rioja but is also very close to the border of Basque Country, so you get the drinking traditions of wine country and the pinxto eating traditions of the Basque. Pinxtos are small, skewered snacks that are common in bars across Basque Country and they’re the perfect drinking snack. In Logroño’s old town, the streets are lined with bars that serve delicious and criminally inexpensive Spanish wine as well as different pinxtos. We happen to be in town during their annual harvest festival so we spent an evening bopping around to different bars and trying their best bites. We picked this city fairly randomly and I didn’t know what to expect, and it turned out to be so much more fun than I could have possibly imagined.
Where is the place you most want to visit?
I’d really love to do a trip to Japan for a combo food tourism and ski trip. My ideal trip is to spend a bit of time in Tokyo and then head into the mountains for some of Japan’s famous powder and hot springs. This feels like a multi-week trip to really take it all in, so this might have to wait a while until I can some take all this time off work.
Who’s your dream travel companion?
Anyone who is interested in the Venn diagram of culture, leisurely sitting on a patio with wine, and eating good food. I love going to museums and seeing other cultural activities, but I mostly travel to visit local bars and restaurants, so I need to leave ample time for that as well. Now that I am in my late 30s, I’ve also come to enjoy lodging with a decent kitchen and a nice patio where I can go to a local market, make a simple meal, drink wine and enjoy the view.
If you’re interested in waiting in lines for something you saw on the internet or not venturing out of the tourist core, we’re not going to be great travel partners.
Great news! I’m going to buy you a hat. The catch is that you have to wear this hat on every future travel trip at all times. What kind of hat would you like?
I have a small collection of baseball/dad caps and I always bring one on a trip. It’s great for a casual-cool vibe or on a rainy day. I would happily add more to my collection.
Where is the place you never want to go back to?
Last year I went to Louisville, KY. It was way more interesting than I thought it would be, but I don’t need to go again. I don’t like bourbon or horse racing which are a big part of that town, so I think I’ve seen everything there is for me to see.
You’ve been given a million pounds to live your best life in one destination for a year. The problem is - you’re trapped there and can’t leave for the year. Where would you go?
The French countryside within half-day’s train ride to Paris. Or am I not allowed to take the train to Paris in this imaginary scenario? Either way, the French countryside seems like a nice place to hang for a year and drink local wine, eat delicious bread, and improve my French.
How do you decide where to visit next?
I tend to travel a lot every year — I do a lot of skiing and I don’t live near my family and I like to visit them. For personal trips I try to balance out what I do on those trips with where I want to go. I also do a little research: what do flights and lodging look like, are there restaurants I’ve been wanting to try, or what my actual time off looks like, and go from there. I haven’t actually booked anything yet, but I am hoping my 2025 trip is to go park it for a few weeks and work remotely from somewhere.
And finally, what’s the one thing you never leave home without when travelling?
A disposable camera! I love thinking about the 1-2 shots per day I get to take on the film camera, forgetting all about it, then developing the film months later. It’s a great way to re-live a trip. Also, if I am travelling to a place where I will be cooking, I will also bring a half pint container of kosher salt. The salt option in a rented apartment is always a weird little container of table salt which is terrible.
A huge thanks to Brianna for agreeing to be part of Speedy Boarding. If you liked this post please do consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Tom Fish Is Away. Paid subscribers get an extra travel diaries each month. If £3.99 is a bit steep in this economy there’s a 75% off for the first year sale on at the moment.
The next special Speedy Boarding will drop on the 19th of December!
 | A guest post by
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Yay thanks for the feature!