Samantha Brown - Places to Love - World Traveler and TV Host

Samantha Brown Places to Love - Santa Fe

Follow along on Samantha’s adventures to discover her “Places to Love”… what she did and the interesting people she met along the way.

Budapest, Hungary

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Learn more about TV host and world traveler Samantha Brown.

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MUST WATCH

Watch every episode of Samantha Brown's Places to Love

Watch every episode of Samantha Brown’s Places to Love

Watch every episode of Samantha Brown's Places to Love

Watch every episode of Samantha Brown’s Places to Love

December 2, 2019

For 20 years, Samantha Brown has traversed continents, experienced culture, and tasted adventure applying her singular brand of warmth and inclusion along the way. Her latest project is Places to Love, which airs on PBS…

My First Day Hosting a Travel Show

Samantha Brown shares what it’s like to be a travel television host

My First Day Hosting a Travel Show

Samantha Brown shares what it’s like to be a travel television host

October 31, 2018

The road from waiting tables to television host has been an interesting one. I always dreamed of being on Broadway or in an LA-based sitcom. Never in a million years did I imagine myself hosting…

Samantha Brown - Places to Love - Houston premiere

A sneak peek of the Places to Love premiere

Samantha Brown - Places to Love - Houston premiere

A sneak peek of the Places to Love premiere

January 3, 2018

When it comes best destination cities in the US, does Houston make your list? Maybe it should. As one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, this city offers something for everyone. Not only…

READ THE LATEST

How to Pack Like a Pro for Winter Travel

How to Pack Like a Pro for Winter Travel

How to Pack Like a Pro for Winter Travel

How to Pack Like a Pro for Winter Travel

December 15, 2025

I once heard in Norway that there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. And they would know! As a New Englander who absolutely loves winter, I agree. Enjoying a cold weather destination…

100 Experience-based Holiday Gift Ideas

100 Experience-based Holiday Gift Ideas

100 Experience-based Holiday Gift Ideas

100 Experience-based Holiday Gift Ideas

November 29, 2025

‘Tis the season to shop till you drop—but what if this year, you focused on giving experiences instead of material objects? It’s scientifically proven that experiential gifts improve relationships and evoke strong emotional responses. And…

A “Places to Love” Gift Guide

A “Places to Love” Gift Guide

November 21, 2025

If you’ve been a longtime viewer of “Places to Love,” you know we love featuring locally-owned businesses wherever we go. Below is a guide to some of the products featured on the show that would…

INSTAGRAM

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Dec 20

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Mr. Roger’s famously said “Look for the helpers”. But you could always be one yourself.

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Dec 19

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Huka Falls in Taupō, New Zealand dumps 220,000 litres (over 58,000 gallons) of water over an 11-meter (36-foot) cliff every SECOND! Now that's some serious volume.

We filmed here for Season 2 of Places to Love, and its beauty has always stuck with me. Have you ever visited New Zealand? Tell me about your trip in the comments!

#placestolove #samanthabrown #newzealand #hukafalls #travel

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Dec 18

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Winter Solstice might be in a few days but the weather has been absolutely freezing here in NYC.

As someone who loves cold weather travel, I thought it would be a good time to share some tips on what to wear and pack so no one in your group ends up with frostbite.

Tip 1: Get very familiar with merino wool.

Comment SBWinterPacking for more advice!

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#samanthabrown #placestolove #wintertravel #packingtips

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Dec 17

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33 years living in NYC and I still have pinch me moments.

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Dec 17

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Join me for a walk down memory lane today on @createtvchannel at 10:30am and 5:30pm ET as I revisit my career over the last 25 years!

Comment HowtoWatch for information on showings in your location.

#samanthabrown #placestolove

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Dec 16

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Join Kevin and me tonight LIVE at 9:00 PM ET on Facebook and YouTube for our New Orleans Watch Party!

I’ve been to New Orleans countless times, and I love that with this episode we focused on what to do AWAY from Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.

We’ll be sharing all sorts of tidbits from behind the scenes (including an accidental, very long bike ride!) and talking more about Season 9.

See you tonight!

Comment WPNewOrleans to RSVP on Facebook.

Our featured drink will be The Sazerac:

- 2.5 oz rye
- sugar cube (or .25 oz simple syrup)
- 4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- Absinthe (for rinsing glass)

In mixing glass muddle a sugar cube and bitters. Add a few drops of water to help dissolve sugar (just add syrup here if using instead of sugar cube).

Add rye, ice and stir until completely chilled.

In a pre-frozen or chilled rocks glass add a bit of absinthe and coat the glass, then pour out the rest. Strain the cocktail into glass and serve with lemon peel.

#samanthabrown #placestolove #explorelouisiana #louisiana #neworleans @explore.louisiana

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Dec 16

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With only a few weeks until the premiere of "Places to Love" Season 9, I'd like to take a moment and highlight the sponsors that make this show possible.

Please join me in welcoming aboard @railbookers!

What I love about Railbookers is that they make train vacations to multiple destinations easy and scenic. Not only will they help you navigate rail systems in different countries, their experts ensure you have scenic and comfortable, personalized journeys that include train, hotel, sightseeing and more.

To learn more about using Railbookers to explore by rail, comment SBRailbookers!

#Railbookers #TrainTravel #samanthabrown #placestolove

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Dec 13

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His name is Gianni Basso and his Stampatore (still open) is in the Cannaregio neighborhood of Venice. He remains one of the loveliest and most welcoming people I’ve had the pleasure of shooting a segment with. I still have the cards he made me and won’t use them. They’re too perfect.

Apologize for my picture taking skills of 20 years ago.

Portsmouth photography by Neil Troost. Of Troost Fine Art Photography

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Dec 12

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Wondering what there is to do OUTSIDE of the French Quarter in New Orleans? Answering that question was my mission with this “Places to Love” episode!

Tune in today on @createtvchannel to see everywhere I went!

Comment HowtoWatch for information on showings in your location.

#samanthabrown #placestolove #mylouisiana #neworleans @explore.louisiana

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Dec 11

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In the lead up to Season 9 of "Places to Love," I'd like to take a moment and highlight the sponsors that make this show possible.

With that said, please join me in welcoming @thecanyonspirit!

I love how Canyon Spirit brings romance back to train travel. From the travel visionaries behind Rocky Mountaineer, Canyon Spirit's rail journeys are designed to give you a front row seat to the most stunning landscapes in the US Southwest while also ensuring your onboard experience is both world-class and friendly.

I’m very excited to announce that I will be hosting a journey on Canyon Sprit from Salt Lake City to Denver September 17-21, 2026. There are a lot more details to be announced soon, so make sure you subscribe to my newsletter to get the full details when they are announced!

Have you ever been on a fabulous train journey? Tell me about it in the comments!

#samanthabrown #placestolove #canyonspirit #sponsor

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Dec 11

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love this gift idea of creating an Anti doomscrolling gift bag.

Mine is filled with a beautiful notebook and pens. A book I’m passing along (Beautiful Ruins) as well as my favorite pencils and a pencil sharpener.

I put it altogether in my Clear Stadium bag which provides a display window to all these great things that are a reminder of how else I could spend my time.

Stadium Bag is from my travel collection @HSN and is available in Red, Blue, Blush and Black trim.

Sea Otter bookmark (cause I know everyone is going to love it from @mrboddington an independent stationer

Shout out to @siececampbell for coming up with the idea.

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Dec 10

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Missed our Live last night? You’re in luck! You can tune in today to catch our “Northern Costa Rica” episode on @createtvchannel!

Comment HowtoWatch for information on showings in your location.

#samanthabrown #placestolove #costarica @visit_costarica

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Dec 9

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ICYMI Lives are back!! Join us tonight at 9:00 PM ET as we re-visit the lush landscapes of the Northern Costa Rican jungles during green season.

Not only will we be sharing some behind the scenes fun, we’re also catching up on the last year and sharing more on what’s to come in 2026.

Comment FBCostaRica to RSVP on Facebook.

As with all of our Facebook lives, Kevin has found a featured cocktail for the evening. Since we featured pineapple in the episode, he's making his favorite Pineapple forward cocktail, the "Hotel Nacional" (recipe below).

So shake up a drink and join us TUESDAY, December 9th here on Facebook, Cheers!

Hotel Nacional
1.5 oz white rum
.25 oz apricot liquor (or any other fruit liquor if you don't have)
1 oz pineapple juice
.5 oz lime juice
.5 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into chilled cocktail glass. Add a few drops of Angostura bitters to top. Enjoy!

#samanthabrown #placestolove #costarica @visit_costarica

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Dec 8

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One of my favorite things to give or receive as a gift isn’t a physical thing at all – it’s an experience.

Comment SBExperience for 100 different ideas, and if you can’t tell from how many times I’ve listed them, I really love the idea of restaurant gift cards!!

#samanthabrown #placestolove #holidaygifts #giftguide

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Dec 7

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You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars or travel thousands of miles to enjoy the mind altering benefits of travel.
Not to mention the overthinking that planning travel causes.

Tell me your experiences with making travel a lot more doable, affordable and enjoyable!

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Dec 6

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I actually put myself in front of a plane (okay,small jet) at Washington Dulles to make the flight to the audition that would get me the job of a lifetime. So glad I wasn’t arrested.

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Dec 6

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This is a balaclava.

But for me it’s a part of my bring-your-own-comfort-strategy that gives me “I’ll be in my trailer” privacy even as I sit with 123 other people at Gate C38

It creates personal space, where there is none. especially in planes but trains, buses and family mini vans too.

It’s also from @namakangoods a woman owned Minnesota company that I’ve been buying from for years because no one knows more about winter than women from Minnesota!

Check out their collection. And remember to support small businesses.

#gifts #travel #notsponsored #minnesotan

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Dec 4

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Dec 3

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Tune in today on @createtvchannel for the second stretch of my Route 66 road trip! This time I’m starting off in St. Louis, MO with a sweet treat known as a concrete shake!

Comment HowtoWatch for information on showings in your location.

#samanthabrown #placestolove #route66 #missouri #oklahoma

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Dec 2

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Believe it or not, Season 9 of “Places to Love” is only just over a month away!! In the lead-up, I’d like to take a moment to highlight the sponsors that make this show possible.

To start us off, join me in welcoming back @roadscholar!!

Road Scholar’s mission is to help adults stay curious no matter their age, and their trips span all 50 U.S. states and nearly 100 countries! I personally love that every single one of their trips combines a love of travel AND learning.

I’ve personally curated a collection of 31 trips with them based on where I’ve been for “Places to Love.” From tours like “Digital Photography in Nature: Capturing the Best of Costa Rica” or “Fairy Tales in the Black Forest,” just comment RoadScholarSB to explore them all!

Have you ever been on a Road Scholar trip? Let me know about it in the comments!

#samanthabrown #placestolove

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