You know him from "Man v. Food" and "Man Finds Food." However, a few of you may also know him as the man who just gave away a trip of a lifetime.
We had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Adam Richman recently about his work he did with Capital One MasterCard in giving away some amazing trips to iconic cities for people who simply used their cards. After which, Richman was nice enough to give out some travel tips as well as nice recommendations of where you should plan your next trip.
First, let's delve into how a few individuals lucked into some wondrous trips to cities we daydream about traveling to. The campaign, Priceless Surprises, took place from June to July 2016, and it awarded four trips to those people who simply used their Capital One MasterCard in Massachusetts during the time period.
Doing so meant they were entered into a chance to meet Richman. Oh, and they got the chance to travel to one of four places: Hong Kong, Paris Rome or London.
Richman explains: "We got one girl at work, and she worked at one of the large liquor purveyors. She came out and happened to be, at that moment, obsessed with Italian art and was deeply knowledgeable on the subject, and all of a sudden, here comes a guy from a show she knows and likes. Guess what: you're going to Rome and you're not spending a dime because of Capital One MasterCard. This is the coolest job ever because it's all about making people psyched all over New England."
Another winner was highly suspicious of why he was being called to the door. As Richman explains, suspicion quickly turned into glee. The TV host explains the man was excited to meet the travel expert but explained, "'I'm not doing any food challenges.'" To which Richman laughed, "Man, I'm not even into food challenges anymore."
There was even something for those who hadn't won a tremendous trip. As Capitol One explains, there were activations: "throughout the city. Each destination themed 'door' had a culmination of local ambassadors, authentic experiences, food, giveaways, ambient sounds and more transporting a passerby to the door's native city."
Richman states: "They (Capital One MasterCard) even built these four massive doors all throughout Boston, depicting these cities. And they didn't do it in the cheesy way. They actually had some from Hong Kong; they had the correct foods; they had the correct architecture, promoting the real place. As someone who travels for a living, that was important to me."
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Speaking of his travel expertise, Richman was a trove of good advice, including ways to stay healthy: "I always fly in compression socks-always-and I always take a baby Aspirin before I fly."
He then explains that his physician was in the Air Force and relayed that so many travelers fail to realize that everything from what you eat to how much water you drink affects your blood at altitude.
For keeping your information safe, Richman suggests the following: "I make a photocopy of my passport and I black out the number on both sides. Now, what I used to do, because I hadn't always memorized the number: I used to keep the passport number as a contact in my phone. I hid it under a certain name, but I always maintain you know that and have that hidden."
Besides passport memorization, the prolific traveler states one should have the address of your respective embassy written down and that you have a good sum of cash on hand. As he once told his mother: "Get yourself to a position where if you lost those bags and had just what you have on you, how well would you fare?"
It's always wise to dabble in the local culture before you get off the plane: "I have found that it's not even the phrases (of the local language) themselves that unlock so much, or allow so much to happen. But, quite frankly, Americans are not exactly known internationally as willing and wanting to learn other people's languages."
If you show a willingness to at least try, then locals will be far more inclined to lend a hand or offer some clutch advice.
Richman also had some awesome suggestions of where you should book your next trip, such as the area near the northern Atlantic Coast of Florida near St. Augustine. As well as one special city:
"A place I was deeply surprised by, I would say Boise, Idaho. Boise had the college town aspect to it, unbelievable biking and hiking in Sun Valley. There's a vibrant social scene; lots of big spaces, public works. People may not realize that Boise has the second largest Basque community outside the Basque country."
That means a great deal: "So there's unbelievable Basque cuisine and they have cultural festivals there. It's really, really remarkable. And there's some damn fine potato products, in particular. There's a burger spot called Big Jud's - great burgers and stuff - but arguably one of the best French fries you will ever have."
If you are into locations that remain relatively isolated, Richman offers: "Hilo (Hawaii) is sort of the most-raw, elemental untouched nature I have ever seen in Hawaii, and very inexpensive and your dollar goes so far."
The greatest bout of enthusiasm came when Richman spoke about a sensational Spanish gem.
"Internationally, I was going to say San Sebastian, in the Basque country. I think culinarily, I don't think I have ever quite encountered its equal outside of somewhere like Tokyo or Rome. It has the most Michelin stars per capita of any region in the world. There's a dish there called pintxos, Basque tapas. To me they surpass tapas in so many ways, in their aesthetic, their methodology of service, everything."
Richman continues, stating that San Sebastian has absolutely everything: "You have Parte Vieja, which is the old part of the city. There's a beach dab smack in the middle of it. There's an island in the middle of the bay and there's a 20-minute swim from the shore. They have La Liga division one soccer team with Real Sociedad; local fashion; unbelievable food; unbelievable nature. You can ride your bike into France without having to show paperwork and come back. There's an old bullring. It's just everything. It's a deeply magical place and I have to get there as soon as possible."
Someone of Richman's expertise has eaten all over the world, but it's always important to remember why we travel. Aside from a great breakfast sandwich, his most prized meals are very close to home, "Usually it's something my mom makes."
No matter where you're from or where you enjoy traveling, that seems like something we can all agree on.
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