I really kicked into being like, “I’m a traveler,” when I was in my early twenties. Anytime I would make a little money, I would spend it on a flight and go. So I’d go to Paris by myself. I went to India by myself. I went to different places and I went solo. And I think that really kickstarted this adventurous spirit because you learn so much when you don’t have friends or a schedule to lean on. You’re just kind of like, I’m here and let’s see what happens. And you make friends and there’s lonely pockets as well. And I think looking back on it, it was such a beautiful time and I would just sit in coffee shops and write and draw people I saw. And I really am so grateful for those travel times by myself.
I’ve been very lucky that I’ve gone to shoot in some pretty great places. A couple years ago I was in Greece and then in Mexico, in the Yucatán. It’s really fun when you shoot somewhere, because you land and you have someone picking you up and being like, “This is where you’re staying. We’re all getting dinner later. So once you drop off your bags, we’ll go have dinner and then you get to know people.” I even did two movies in Detroit and I had the best time. There’s such a cool cultural scene there. But when you’re traveling just for leisure, and especially now with my family—I have a kid and a partner—it’s very different because you don’t have anybody telling you where to stay and there’s much more freedom, but then also no routine and you don’t feel as held.
Traveling alone, or on a personal trip, you’re like, what is this trip for? It doesn’t necessarily have a reason. Sometimes it’s just to relax. But I don’t really go to sit by the beach. I’m a lot more of a “we’re going hiking in the mountains and then there’s this small hut that we’re going to stay in” person. I’m always doing lots of stuff on my trips. I’m trying to jam in and see as much as possible.
I’m in the middle of thinking about where to move, so I’ve been really thinking about that in a big way and maybe wanting to move to Europe, which is a big step. But I love Europe so much. There are so many magical places there. I really love Amsterdam. That’s somewhere that I keep going back to and every time I’m there it just gets better. It’s a very small town. You are on your bike everywhere, but it’s so multicultural and there’s people from all over the world, so you don’t feel isolated. I really love it there.
Rapid Fire
Window or aisle seat?
Window. I like to look out. My partner is also a window, which is annoying because I’m like, well, but I’m also a window. I like looking out for sure. Always seeing the clouds. It’s so much fun. And then also I like a thing to sleep on. You just put a pillow up there and it’s like a good surface.
What’s your favorite way to pass the time on a plane?
I like to draw. I mean, now with the kid, I’m just hanging out with the kid the whole time. But before, I used to always draw. Not to brag, but I don’t like to hook up to the Wi-Fi. It’s my only chance to actually not worry about being on my phone, unless it’s imperative that I read something or watch something, which is usually not the case. I love drawing. It’s my favorite. I’ll just get my journal out and doodle. And I’ve done some of my best drawings on airplanes actually.
What’s your biggest travel fear?
I mean, crashing. That’s an obvious one. I don’t really have a fear of flying, though. I’m a little like, yeah, if it goes down, there’s nothing we can do about it, God forbid. But [for a smaller fear], when I hear an annoying sound like someone chewing or someone who does a gnarly cough over and over again, or someone who just has some weird human gross sound, that will drive me up a wall. I have a really hard time with that. I can’t just be like, oh, I didn’t even hear it. I’m just like, is that guy going to sigh again? Like that? That’s crazy. So I definitely listen to music if that happens.
What’s your favorite travel snack?
My favorite travel snacks are these peanut butter bars called Perfect Bars. If I’m being healthy, it’s that. But when I’m on an airplane, it’s like I’ve never eaten before. When I’m on an airplane, the hunger is just endless. So I’ll just kind of eat whatever’s offered to me too. Even if I said I just ate before I got on the plane and I’m not going to have the free meal, I’ll eat it no matter what.
Must-have travel essentials
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