Amanda Zurita
About Amanda
Amanda has spent over a decade in the travel industry as a tour guide, guidebook researcher and journalist, exploring more than 75 countries along the way. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Latin, classical studies and communications, and brings a storyteller’s eye and a historian’s curiosity to every journey. When she isn’t on the road, she lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two dogs.
20 Questions with Amanda
1. In my carry-on bag I always have a book or two, noise-cancelling headphones and snacks (I’m partial to dried fruit and Junior Mints).
2. On my first TCS World Travel expedition, I went on safari in Kenya and ended up at the center of a heard of over 200 elephants. It’s the most magical animal encounter I’ve ever experienced.
3. On our trips, one thing that never ceases to amaze me is a private dinner under the stars at Little Petra in Jordan where candles lined the path to the stunning ancient site.
4. When I get home from a trip, the first thing I do is kiss my husband, snuggle my dogs and water my plants.
5. My absolute favorite hotel is the Four Seasons Mexico City. The team there is so warm and welcoming, and the property is absolutely gorgeous. It’s my home away from home.
6. One place I haven’t seen yet, which I’m dying to visit is Antarctica! It’s on my schedule for 2027, and I can’t wait to see the penguins. Aside from that, I want to visit the underground rock-hewn churches in Ethiopia and drive the entire Ring Road in Iceland.
7. The most unusual food I have ever tried is insects in Southeast Asia and Mexico, guinea pig in Peru, kangaroo in Australia, reindeer in Finland…I’ll try nearly anything once.
8. Some of my favorite countries to eat in are Italy, Mexico, India, Japan…I could go on. Food is one of the best ways to better understand a culture.
9. The best meal I ever had was at an agriturismo (farm-stay) in Campania, Italy. They served fresh bufala mozzarella and artichoke lasagna, all homemade and produced on the property.
10. The best souvenir I ever bought myself is a ring with a silver casting of an ancient Greek coin that has the face of Apollo on one side and a lyre on the back.
11. My favorite market in the world is the souk in Marrakech for shopping or Nishiki Market in Kyoto for food.
12. The one place I love going back to is Rome. I studied abroad there in college, led tours through the city in my twenties and even got married there. I know it better than any place in the world, besides Seattle.
13. When I need to relax, I curl up with a good book or a bad reality TV show.
14. My favorite thing to do on vacation is explore! I love renting a car with my husband and going on long drives to small towns and hidden beaches, or taking walks through picturesque neighborhoods.
15. My favorite experience for guests on a TCS Expedition is the Vespa tour in Cambodia or Vietnam. It is such a fun way to experience these places—zipping through town at night and sampling local food is pure joy.
16. In my suitcase, you’d be surprised to find way more than I actually need. Despite being on the road for four to five months out of the year for my entire career, I have yet to figure out how to pack light.
17. Before I go to a country, I try to learn how to say “thank you.”
18. The first time I traveled abroad, I went to Venezuela, where my father is from.
19. My favorite foreign language to listen to is Italian, which is so beautifully melodic, or Swahili (I love how they reduplicate words like “jambo jambo” and “sawa sawa”).
20. My best piece of travel advice is to keep your heart open. The world is an endlessly enchanting place and there is so much we can learn from cultures that are different from our own if we’re only willing to embrace them.