Whenever I tell people that I am a flight attendant, people love to rapid fire questions. It’s true my job is very interesting; I’m always kept on my toes, passengers do some ridiculous things, and we are given the opportunity to have once in a lifetime experiences.
One of the best travel skills I have gained from being a flight attendant is that I’ve morphed into a great packer. Packing used to be a last-minute event that I always dreaded and recruited others to help. I would throw a multitude of items in my suitcase and pray that it would zip. I have now learned which items are MUST haves when traveling and what items remain untouched in my suitcase on a seven-day European adventure.
Another large part of my life is making the most of my time. Only having 24 hours in a huge new exciting city can be overwhelming. Layover Takeover is about making the best of your trip and feeling at peace with how much you have accomplished in a condensed period. It’s impossible to see everything, so my goal is to give you snippets of the best places I believe you should see and experience.
Who am I? I’m a midwest "gal" through and through (and yes, I say “cornhole” for the bean bag game). I grew up in Ohio and moved to Chicago for college, and that’s where I currently reside. When I’m not flying, or making poor jet lagged decisions at grocery stores, I’m a homebody! I love to cuddle up, read, and/or do arts and crafts while laying around in my robe. Weekends are difficult to have off work, so when I do, I jam pack my weekend to catch up with friends and try out new restaurants.
I’m a huge foodie, which is an integral part of this blog. Food is a part of the culture and experience when traveling. Food gives cities an identity. When traveling and you're tired, hangry (hungry and angry), and your feet hurt from roaming the city, a good or bad meal can make or break your experience. I’ll be able to guide you to some amazing and inexpensive spots to try some of the city's local favorites!
I also want to give brief introductions to the people that work behind the scenes on Layover Takeover. First my travel partner and husband, Daniel. Daniel sometimes accompanies me on my trips and takes most of the photos on layovertakeover.com. He is the true definition of an Instagram husband and we love him for it! Since the beginning of this blog adventure, my best friend and designer, John has been humoring my crazy ideas and creating the website. Additionally, this blog would sound awful without the careful and precise proofreading from my sister (and momager) Kara. I want to give credit where credit is due... because without these three, this blog would not have come to fruition! #LTSquad!
+ Anna Zajac Photography