You may know them as the charming twins from HGTV’s Property Brothers, Buying & Selling and Brother vs. Brother. In addition to being real estate pros, these guys also happen to be world travelers, luggage experts, and dog lovers. See how brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott deal with life on the road.
ShermansTravel: You guys do a ton of traveling. How many days out of the year are you on the road?
Jonathan: We travel a lot – for work and for play. We’re on the road basically 11 and-a-half months out of the year. When we’re not filming, we’re lecturing all over the world.
Drew: As far as a holiday, I was on vacation in Asia, and I met up with Jonathan in Mykonos, who was traveling with friends through Europe.
ShermansTravel: So even though you only have a few weeks off each year, you still vacation together?
Jonathan: Technically, we had six weeks off this summer, and while Drew toured Hong Kong, Bali, and the Philippines, I went with a friend to Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, and Istanbul. We met in up Mykonos and spent the ten days together with high school and college friends and happened to know a some locals, so we got the inside scoop. It’s a place that doesn’t get started until really late, so I pulled three all-nighters. Drew’s more about work than partying. We were in Paris last year and he took a conference call at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
ST: What are some of your favorite cities that you’ve visited for your show?
Jonathan: Austin was awesome because of the music scene. We met so many great people there. I loved Alamo Draft House cinema because I’m movie guy. They serve drinks during the movie, and I just thought that was a bad thing waiting to happen. But no one was rowdy and it was a lot of fun.
Drew: We also went to Salt Lick BBQ. I thought it was hilarious that you can bring your own alcohol. We went with a group during SXSW and they carried a cooler full of booze to the restaurant.
ST: How do you find locals to take you to insider places when you travel?
Drew: Whenever we start working in a new city, we hire locals on both the production side and the construction side. You become sort of a big family and they give us the insider scoop.
ST: What are three must-have items while traveling?
Drew: A kit with all of my electronics so that they’re compact and organized, socks, and a watch.
Jonathan: Hair products, electric clippers, and a laptop.
ST: Do you carry matching luggage?
Jonathan: No, but we get new bags every six months or so because we travel a lot.
Drew: I have to have a four-wheel multi-roll.
ST: For people who travel often and want to bring their experience home with them, what are décor ideas that aren’t cheesy and won't clutter the place?
Jonathan: Buy décor that will fit on a shelf. I like conversation pieces and stories that follow a piece of art.
Drew: There are ways to incorporate your own images of a place. Don’t be afraid to use personal photos. For example, places like Mykonos – that is art. It’s cool to incorporate those photos into small décor pieces. Also, some women like to bring back pool boys from Greece. They’re good because they don’t clutter the indoor space of your home – even if you don’t have a pool.
ST: Who’s the most diva-like on the road?
Jonathan: [Points to Drew.] He once brought four suitcases on a two-day business trip.
ST: Who’s your dream travel companion?
Jonathan: I like to travel with someone who is a good with a camera because I always forget mine.
ST: What are you eating when you’re stuck in an airport?
Drew: More airports have healthy options now. I prefer to skip the pre-packaged sandwiches and find a banana or a smoothie shop with gluten-free and dairy-free options (which is good for me).
Jonathan: We try to find clean options; If there’s a sushi bar, that’s our first stop. One thing that we’ve done for years is to grab a bag of chocolates or kisses for the flight crew. It’s such a small gesture that really brightens someone’s day.
Follow their travels on Twitter:
Jonathan: @MrSilverScott
Drew: @MrDrewScott
