Within a week in Athens in 2004, swimmer Natalie Coughlin of the United States had won two gold medals, two silvers and a bronze — and set a world record and an American record. She set another world mark at the recent U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, and has qualified for the upcoming Beijing Games, where she’ll try to add more Olympic hardware to her trophy case. For all the nautical miles she’s covered in the pool throughout the years, the Bay Area native amassed even more flying to and from all of her international meets. We caught up with her before she left for China to talk about her extensive travel experience.

Q: You’re on airplanes a heck of a lot. You must have a ton of frequent-flyer miles.

A: That’s for sure, but I am a stickler. I always go with Star Alliance: United and all the partners. It makes a big difference when you’re loyal to one of the companies. So I get upgraded a lot. There are a lot of free tickets for friends and family members.

Q: Do you get recognized on the flights?

A: After the last Olympics, I would have to go to New York so often that I would get the same flight attendants over and over and over again. They would announce me over the plane, congratulating me. It’s really nice of them, and I appreciate it, but I was always thinking, “Please don’t do that.” All I wanted to do was sleep on the airplane and not have people stare at me. But in a way, that’s what’s so cool about the Olympics. It’s the one time Americans get to cheer for all their athletes regardless of what pro team they’re on, or what part of country they’re from. It’s a unique, special thing.

Q: What are your favorite places to compete?

A: I have two places. I really enjoy Australia. The Sydney area has fantastic beaches and it’s such a water culture there. Everyone loves swimming and surfing, and everyone loves being in the ocean. I also like Kauai, Hawaii, a lot. The beaches are really beautiful.

Q: Do you swim in the ocean?

A: If I can, I do. I love it, it’s actually great cross-training for me and it’s just fun to body surf through the waves. I wish I could do it every day. I don’t know how safe it is in the Bay Area, but in Sydney it’s great.

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Q: Have you had any travel experiences that you’d like to forget but can’t?

A: This is easy. It’s the last time I went to Bella Horizonte, Brazil. They speak Portuguese there, and getting there for me is impossible. I had to fly from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to Sao Palo to Rio de Janeiro to Bella Horizonte.

Q: That’s it?

A: Yeah. And believe me, that alone was ridiculous. And then, coming back, I realized three days before I had to leave that I had to do the exact same flights in reverse order, but the second flight was scheduled before the first flight. I found that out and alerted someone that could change it, and they fixed it, but it was lost in translation that my departure point was different because there are two airports in Bella Horizonte. So naturally the guy driving me to the airport spoke only Portuguese, and I speak bad Spanish — that’s it. I get to the United desk and the woman tells me I’m in the wrong airport with less than an hour and a half until the flight. I immediately burst into tears. I had no money and no contact, but I got a cab, and in bad Spanish and in extremely bad Portuguese managed to get to the correct airport just in time. And it turned out the flight was delayed.

Q: OK, so who on earth is your travel agent and why does that person have that job?

A: I didn’t set it up. It was someone that USA Swimming used, but they no longer use them.

Q: Good.

A: Exactly.

Q: On a more positive note, any places you haven’t been to that you really want to see?

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A: Oddly enough, the places that I feel like I have to go to are in the U.S. I’ve never been to New Orleans, Boston or Miami. Those are three cities we never have swim meets at, and the only time I’d ever be able to go is during hurricane season. But other places that come to mind are some places in Southeast Asia. I’d like to explore more there.

Q: What’s your favorite spot in Europe?

A: Probably Barcelona. It’s such a cool town. It’s one of the few cities that does a really good job of mixing the old with the modern, and it’s done in such a classy, beautiful way. There are super-old buildings right next to beautiful new buildings, and I think it’s gorgeous. I like the food, I like the people and I like to practice Spanish, even though I’m not good at it. Oh, and I’ve never been to China, so I’m really excited to get there.

Q: Do you even get a minute to check out cities when you’re there during the Olympics?

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A:  Not really. We’re basically on lockdown once we arrive at the Olympics, which is fine. You’re there to do a job, which is to compete at the highest level possible. You basically see your room in the village and the pool, and that’s it. In 2004, before we left for Athens, we were at training camp in Stanford and (late San Francisco 49ers coach) Bill Walsh put it in perspective. He told us, “You can always vacation. You can only go to the Olympics once every four years.” And it’s true. I can always go to Beijing, but my job is to compete well, and that’s what my focus is.

Q: What do you absolutely have to bring with you when you travel?

A: I don’t have any real superstitions, but there are things that make me comfortable. I always bring my coffee French press, because I hate bad coffee. And I bring my own coffee, Peet’s, from home. Oh. And my Tempurpedic pillow. I have to sleep on my back, and I can’t do it without my pillow. One time in Barcelona, my pillow got soaked and it molded. It was really gross. I had to track down a Tempurpedic store in Mallorca, Spain. It was necessary, though. I need my pillow.

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