Most seasoned travelers are a wealth of hard-earned travel tips, and Rashida Jones is no exception. The actress, who is as beloved for her down-to-earth persona as she is for her on-screen roles, can rattle off a slew of logical advice with the best of them. “Somebody once told me that when you get to the place you’re going, either take a bath or try to find an ocean and jump in,” she says when explaining her jet lag cure. Or, when pondering the age-old quandary of whether to check a bag: “Try not to check luggage if you’re on a short enough trip. You’re always better off just having your things with you.”
But like every seasoned traveler, Jones also has her share of travel horror stories. “I was traveling for work with my writing partner, on a trip through Italy—nine cities in eight days—ending in London,” she recounts. “That crazy Icelandic volcano hit and grounded most of the flights in Europe. So we took the last train out of London on a Sunday night, headed to Paris. It took us seven hours to find a rental car in Paris. We then drove through the night to Madrid, where we got lost, and ended up running through the airport to catch our flight to Dallas—and landed just in time to catch our connection to L.A. Forty hours door to door.”
With all that experience under her belt, it’s no surprise that cult-favorite luggage brand Away would tap Jones to partner on a collection of totes, packing cubes, and suitcases in a trio of pretty pastel shades. “We’ve always been huge fans of Rashida’s,” says Away’s Jen Rubio. “Aside from being funny, smart, and warm, she’s an expert traveler with an incredible eye for design.” For her part, Jones agrees that the collab was a no-brainer: “I love the idea of being able to bring some magic into something banal. Anybody that’s been to a major international airport in the last five years can attest to the fact that it can be really grueling to travel. I look for places to find whimsy so that I don’t crumble under the pressure of traveling.”
Below, Jones shares some more of her best travel secrets exclusively with Vogue.
Favorite travel destination:
I adore Tokyo. It is so dense and complex and whimsical. My travel tip in Tokyo is just pick a few areas…Aoyama, Shibuya, Shinjuku Park . . . and just get lost. Try to go during cherry blossom season, it is magic.
The key to making the most of any trip:
Try your best to meet a local . . . either a friend of a friend or even a fellow travel guide, someone nice and safe. I love to see a city for what it really is, not for how tourists see it. You can only do that if you’re with someone who lives there. I also love to take a run in a new city. It’s a great way to wander and cover a lot of ground without looking like a lost tourist!
Packing style:
I have become an underpacker as I’ve gotten older. I like to make the most of my trip, and lugging stuff around and stressing over what to wear takes away from that.
Best packing tip:
I do a combo of rolling and flat. I used to think rolling was the best, but I only do it for durable, less wrinkly fabrics like thick cottons and cashmere. I lay jackets flat on top.
Never-forgets:
A pair of sneakers and a mini travel candle.
Dream destination:
I would love to go to New Zealand next. I’m increasingly attracted to being in expansive, vast, untouched nature. It’s humbling and clarifying.
Solo travel secret:
I used to love traveling alone. It felt so romantic and sometimes melancholy, which is great for writing. It was a perfect time for me to be introspective. But now because I’ve traveled so much, I get a bit sick of it. I usually create some itinerary of shows and movies to watch, books and magazines to read, and work to finish so that I know I’ll feel some combination of fulfilled and still curious by the end of the journey.
