Samantha Brown

Samantha Brown, the bubbly host of TLC’s popular Girl Meets Hawaii, Passport to China and Great Vacation Homes, has just shot two more exciting travel shows: Samantha Brown’s Asia, which premiered in July and Samantha Brown’s Great Weekends 3, which airs in October.  Beverly Rodrigues caught up with this globetrotter to find out about the new shows and her unique travel experiences over the past 11 years.

What can we look forward to in Great Weekends 3?

We shot it in the US and played with the idea of being someone else for two days. On a weekend, you can go to the city and be more elegant than your natural self, more adventurous or playful.

The US is often seen as homogenous, but now, you get to see what makes each city unique. In Nashville, Tennessee, I put on cowboys boots on and crooned along with the band. It’s about finding out what the soul of the city is and then, being that!

I also joined a circus for a weekend. They put up the net and trapeze, and I trained with them. At the end of the day, the kids who grow up at the circus get to eat all the popcorn and cotton candy that’s not sold!

What has been your most bizarre experience shooting in Asia?

I helped make bamboo-pressed noodles the old way in Hong Kong. Only one man still does it, and we went into his tiny apartment. There was a bamboo pole and dough. I had to sit on it and bounce. The man looked at me and kept laughing. I was thinking, “This is not going to play well on camera.” I kept making sure the camera angle was somewhat respectable!

Describe your ideal holiday

It’s spending time where everyday people live. You don’t necessarily have to take my advice or Andrew Zimmern’s. Do your own thing. Take time to have your own discovery of a place. That’s really an important element in my vacations. Seeing amazing sights is another. I also like doing things that bring me out of my comfort zone, whether it’s physically or culturally challenging, like eating ant larvae!