Drive your car right up to the plane, walk on, buckle up and take off. Sounds ideal, right? That’s the joy of traveling with a company like Jet Linx, says Melissa Bucci Laue, who’s been using the private jet charter for most of her domestic trips for about two years now. “The benefits of private travel are numerous,” she acknowledges. “Probably most significant is that clients travel on their schedules, not someone else’s.” As the immediate past president of N3, a cloud technology sales and marketing company she co-founded with her husband, Jeff, the 48-year-old Brookhaven resident also appreciates how private air travel saves considerable time for her, her spouse and their 9-year-old daughter, Audrey. “It’s incredibly convenient to go from point A to point B in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take.” Flying privately allows her one other perk as well: the ability to bring along her 45-pound standard poodle, Lulu. “Commercial travel would be impossible because she would be in cargo,” Laue says. “With Jet Linx, she just hops onboard.” And how does Lulu handle the road warrior lifestyle? “She’s a delightful passenger,” Laue says, “except that she always wants to sit with the pilot.”
What’s your favorite thing about traveling?
The anticipation and excitement of being someplace different.
What’s your biggest pet peeve about traveling?
Weather delays.
Have you ever met anyone while traveling and become business partners, lifelong friends or romantically involved with them?
My husband, Jeff, and I met in Hamilton, Bermuda. I was living in Charleston, West Virginia. He was living in Atlanta. I was there attending my college roommate’s wedding. Jeff was there playing golf with business associates. I was out and about with my friends, and Jeff was out and about, too. He was persistent in trying to get my attention and engage in a conversation. We spoke and had fun. Then I left the restaurant. He hadn’t asked for my phone number, and I didn’t volunteer it. The next night, Jeff went to every bar and restaurant on Front Street in Hamilton trying to find me. He did.
What’s the best or most memorable souvenir you’ve ever brought back home?
Our Certificate of Marriage from Paget Parish, Bermuda. Since Jeff and I met in Bermuda, we decided to marry there.
What’s your best packing tip?
A tip that I read from Martha Stewart: Roll your clothes so they don’t wrinkle.
What’s your one must-have travel accessory?
Big Velcro rollers. Don’t laugh; they work!
What’s been your favorite trip ever and why?
I’ve been fortunate to visit many exquisite places, and any number of them could easily have been my favorite. However, few places can compete with the luxury and sense of peace that Sandy Lane in Barbados provides.
What’s the weirdest or most exotic thing you’ve ever eaten while on the road?
Let’s just say that if I’m ever again offered boiled bullfrog with bean curd [as I was in Chengdu, China], I’ll have to decline. Once was enough.
What activity is on your travel bucket list?
To hug a koala bear. Last year I fulfilled a dream come true and hugged a panda. The koala is next.
When you’re back home, what’s a place that reminds you of one of your favorite destinations?
La Grotta reminds me of the unassuming restaurants in Florence, Italy, [where it’s] all about the experience of eating delicious food.
What’s your favorite local place to shop for travel gear and/or outfits?
My go-to is Geoffrey Henderson at Saks Fifth Avenue, Phipps.
How do you stay fit on the road?
Walk instead of ride, have a salad at lunch, then eat whatever for dinner because, after all, I only had a salad for lunch.
What’s the one thing you splurge on when it comes to travel?
I splurge on travel itself!
