Joey Kotkins & Rachelle Saletto

Joey Kotkins was one of the original Safara founders, before heading off to continue his tech-industry path at Brandlive, where he’s currently COO. Meanwhile, Rachelle Saletto is a brilliant interior designer, who has worked with the likes of Starbucks, We Work, and now Design Well Spent Co. Together, they’re one of our favorite power couples – and always a great source of travel tips.

The pair met when they were both living and working in Seattle, WA, and they now call London home. Though they love the UK, a huge reason they re-located was to be in a better position to explore Europe and beyond. From the French Riviera to Paris, Berlin and further afield, they’re in the process of ticking a lot of places off that list. And below, they’re serving romantic travel inspiration.

Part of our Insiders series, this is your window into the worlds of the coolest people in Safara’s network. These are the contacts we’d hit up for travel inspiration, whether it’s a hotel recommendation, a new track for our in-transit playlist, the best mini-products to pack, or just to daydream about where we’d open a boutique island hotel (this changes with each Insider guide we read – we’re easily and happily influenced).

Read on for travel inspiration from Joey Kotkins and Rachelle Saletto.

Favorite vacation to take as a couple?

Renting a car and getting lost in the Cote d’Azur. The food, wine, fishing towns, beaches, glamorous history, and dramatic landscape make it hard not to have an incredible time.

What would you say are the benefits of traveling separately from your partner?

Beyond “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, we like to share our new discoveries and play tour guide for each other on later trips.

Most romantic hotel? 

Anywhere in Paris, but maybe above all, the Hotel des Grands Boulevards where we stayed for our mini-moon. The little design touches make it the perfect amount of Parisian romantic, while maintaining a casual atmosphere. No cliché Louis XVI style here. The cosy bar is an ideal start or end to any date night.

Is going away together is an important part of your relationship?

We moved to London to travel more, and we’ve become big fans of weekend trips. We try not to stress and over-plan, preferring to pick neighborhoods to explore on foot, stumbling into random adventures. It always gives us something exciting and new to look forward to, and reinvigorates our love for our home city.

Must-have hotel room amenity when you’re traveling together?

We’re both a little too obsessed with fancy travel-sized bath products. I’m not sure what we’re going to do with all of the mini shampoos, conditioners, and body lotions we’ve collected, but we’ll figure something out.

What’s a must-have design feature for a romantic trip?

Rachelle is an interior designer, so this list is long, but lighting is on top. The Sir Savigny in Berlin does layered light well. Each room has a feature chandelier along with various floor lamps and table lights that allow you to get the lighting just right.

Do you have different in-transit preferences?

Joey likes to get to the airport early, and Rachelle prefers to walk through security and straight onto the plane. We’ve accepted this tension will persist forever.

If only one of you got upgraded to 1st class, what would you do?

Rachelle gets it every time. It’s an investment Joey is happy to make.

Splurge on the flight or the hotel?

Hotel.

Yoga or mimosas to kick off a trip together?

Yoga.

Pack together or separately?

Separately.