For McCool Travel’s 181st travel interview, I am pleased to present Christine Lozada—the Drone Queen. Well, we took a monumental three-year break since the last interview and thank you so much for coming back. Christine is one of the superstar travelers who captured my attention during this sabbatical and was among the handful of people I contacted to restart this funness.
I am so thankful Christine quickly responded and to learn more about her, her phenomenal video work, and her travel lifestyle. And you will want to read on and discover a few never-been-revealed tidbits about our special guest, some things Christine Lozada has never publicly revealed.
Christine Lozada’s bio:
Christine Lozada is a travel creator, drone pilot, and podcast host. She makes the must-watch video before you travel to a place and has helped over two million people to travel smarter. She is a certified drone pilot who has taught thousands to quickly and easily get into flying drones. She is also the host of Everyday Badassery, a podcast of inspiring travel stories.
Christine Lozada
HOMETOWN …
I am a California girl! I was born and raised in San Diego. My parents are immigrants from the Philippines and my grandfathers were in the Navy, which eventually brought my parents to sunny San Diego.
ON EVERY TRIP I MUST BRING …
I never leave without my drone. At least one of them. I have four (at the moment, I recently put out a contest and gave one away to a creator who wanted one, but could not afford one).
I also bring a lacrosse ball. I have never shared this with anyone, but it is something that actually says a lot about me. I care A LOT about health and fitness (I used to teach group exercise classes for 20 years) and I also used to race competitively (in triathlons, obstacle course races, and bike races). I try to incorporate movement in all my travel—whether scuba diving in the Maldives, or rock climbing in Vietnam, or the VHS workout class complete with shake weights on Virgin Voyages—and while I am working on my phone, I will lean against the lacrosse ball and work the kinks out of my neck and shoulders.
A Photo Booth photo of Meatball. This is another one I have never shared. 90% of my travel is solo and I travel back to Florida just enough so he does not break up with me. I keep a printed photo of us in my luggage, it always falls out and it is such a pleasant thing to pick it up, put it back where I keep it in my luggage, and smile at the memory of when we took the photo.
A champagne cork. My MO is to live a life you always want to celebrate and I drink A LOT of champagne.
3 FAVORITE HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME PLACES …
I have many places I call home (for many years I paid San Francisco taxes, had my mail sent to San Diego, lived in Michigan for 1 week a month for 7 years, had keys to a place in Chicago, and I (still) keep a car and a boyfriend in South Florida. If we pretend I have a home, here are my 3 favorite places:
- Crystal River Florida. I love manatees. Many-tees (Ed. Note, love this term!) are even better. I always go back to Crystal River to kayak, fly my drones, and swim with the manatees.
- San Diego, California. My family (and extended family) still live here and it is hands down an amazing and beautiful place with perfect weather.
- New York City. I lived here for four years and when I left, I also left a piece of my heart. I moved here with four boxes and a bicycle, no job, no friends, and no where to live. It was the greatest adventure of my life.
A FAVORITE TRAVEL MEMORY …
A recent one would be tied between riding my bike across Ethiopia where no tourists have ever been and flying drones and exploring parts of The Maldives that no one has ever been. I droned and studied manta rays and helped mapped parts of the reef not yet discovered.
3 FAVORITE TRAVEL BRANDS …
- Scarf from Waypoint goods https://waypointgoods.com/
- Trtl travel pillow https://trtltravel.com/
- Aloha bags https://aloha-collection.com/
- Unbound Merino https://unboundmerino.com/
3 MONEY-SAVING TRAVEL TACTICS I USE …
None. Just kidding, kind of. I am not a budget traveler, but I am very savvy with travel credit cards.
- The Amex Platinum is my (literally) silver bullet. I maximize points A LOT.
- Second, Google Flights—if you are a flexible traveler, your flight costs can be significantly changed. I just booked a flight for the Bahamas for next week. If I flew on Monday it would cost me $300 one way. On Tuesday, it would cost me $49 one way.
- Third, I stay with Hilton. With my Amex Platinum, I trade points during the 2-3x per year they have “extra points”. I also flip their calendar into “monthly view” to see what nights cost what amount.
3 WAYS THAT I HAVE FUN WHILE TRAVELING …
- Flying drones
- I love to go out and enjoy nightlife. Alone or not.
- I get wanderlost (Ed. Note, another brilliant word. This is actually the first time I recall seeing it!) by purposely building in time walk around totally immersed in the place I am at and wander wherever my heart desires.
8 WORD (OR LESS) TRAVEL MANTRA …
“Let adventure find you.”
There is something that happens when you travel with open eyes, something else that happens with an open mind, and SOMETHING else that happens when it is with an open heart.
There is no need to find adventure, if you are open to it, guaranteed it will find you.
FAVORITE NON-TRAVEL WEBSITE …
Is YouTube an answer? Lol.
MOST MEMORABLE SOUVENIR …
The scars on my legs from adventuring too hard when I travel.
FAVORITE CHEAP EAT …
San Diego tacos and burritos!
$1 pad thai in Thailand
RECENT DISCOVERY …
I recently discovered that I enjoy cruising. I have been cruising with Virgin Voyages lately and it is VERY fun.
I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE MET …
This was my year of travel conferences and I met A LOT of people.
Erica Virvo is an amazing traveler and am amazing person.
Travis Sherry behind Location Indie and Extra Pack of Peanuts. He is radical.
George St Pierre. An amazing UFC fighter, he kinda has a fat neck.
I WOULD LIKE TO MEET …
Charles McCool! (Ed. Note, this must and will happen!)
Thank you so much, Christina, for sharing your travel advice and inspiration. And remaining true and authentic to herself, Christine also answered these interview questions on video. See the YouTube version.
Follow Christine Lozada on YouTube (ChristineLozada and DroneWithCL), Everyday Badassery podcast, TikTok (first time I have included a TikTok account in an interview!), Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and her website Christine Lozada.
McCool Travel presents tips from travel experts in our 5 Minutes travel interview series—featuring travel industry giants, super frequent travelers, and adventurous persons. Check out McCool Travel’s previous travel interviews. Previous 5 Minutes travel interview: Cory Lee.