Angie Orth‘s passion for travel started with a school trip to London. She became determined to make travel part of her life. Having traveled to more than 60 countries already, Orth’s plan came to fruition.

After a summer studying in Paris, Orth embarked on a career in public relations. A couple years later, she moved to New York and wrote her first blog about life in Hell’s Kitchen. After a couple more years, Orth went on a year-long trip around the world which resulted in her creating her website focused on travel. Eventually, she also started The Jet Sisters, a series in which Orth and her sister present travel options for all budgets.

Last year Orth wrote Flirting with Disaster, a travel memoir about her year-long journey. Like Orth, it is a straightforward look at travel with touches of her humor to make it more personal. I didn’t have the book prior to the interview but have since read and enjoyed it.

Orth discussed all of this in our interview. She was completely relatable, showing passion yet also occasional trepidation about travel experiences.

One series Orth has on her platform has her giving the best options in cities. As a native Chicagoan, I was particularly interested in her thoughts on my city. Although I agreed with most of her list, I took the opportunity to get more of her opinion on a couple choices. Orth indulged me in friendly banter about Cloud Gate (more commonly known as “The Bean”) and deep-dish pizza.

Orth is a self-made travel expert. Her travel tales are informative, and her soft sass makes them even more enjoyable.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer