If there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2025, it’s just how much celebrities love talking about travel. We spoke to actor Benedict Cumberbatch, actresses Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, singer Sabrina Carpenter, comedian John Mulaney, and so many more about their favorite vacation memories, go-to room service orders, and top travel tips.
We learned that even A-listers deal with flight anxiety and random TSA searches, and we all love traveling to Italy and dream of visiting Japan.
So we looked back at some of our favorite Travel + Leisure Celebrity Check-Ins of 2025 and pulled out 13 of the top travel tips we learned from our interviewees this year.
Reese Witherspoon: Incorporate these three elements into every itinerary.
When Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress and “Gone Before Goodbye” author Reese Witherspoon goes to a new destination, she mindfully gets to know a place with a three-pronged approach. “I’m starting to really enjoy taking time to have one cultural experience, one outdoor experience, and one culinary experience that’s really special to that place,” the 49-year-old producer and entrepreneur told T+L.
Jennifer Aniston: Breathe through travel anxieties.
Whether it’s missed connections or delayed baggage, hiccups are a natural part of traveling—and for Friends star Jennifer Aniston, the most crippling part has long been flight anxiety.
“I have an extreme fear of flying,” the 56-year-old actress told us. For years, she tapped the outside of a plane with her right palm and stepped on board with her right foot as a way to calm those nerves. “But I have been doing some hypnosis lately, and one of the requirements is to remove all of those superstitions,” the Californian said. “I have not been doing the right hand, right foot—and now it’s shockingly good!”
The most helpful part? Breathing. “Plugging into a good meditation can get you through,” she said, noting that she also makes sure to stand up and walk, adding in a stretch or two.
Josh Hutcherson: Don’t overbook things.
With limited time in a destination when we travel, there’s a tendency to race around checking everything off the must-see list. But for I Love L.A. and Five Nights at Freddy’s star Josh Hutcherson, travel is about relaxing into a place.
“I don’t like to overbook things or plan things out too much,” the 33-year-old Kentucky native said. “I like to pick neighborhoods and sit in a park or square and just take in the life around me.”
Sabrina Carpenter: Document the moments.
Travel allows us to leave our normal lives and immerse ourselves in new places—and it’s totally worth commemorating, as Sabrina Carpenter expressed.
“My sister Sarah always has her camera out so we can really capture the memories,” the 26-year-old Pennsylvanian said. “Having those visuals to look back on is really important to me.”
That said, she admitted it can be a careful balance: “I try to live in the moment as much as possible and not constantly be on my phone.” One way to check off both priorities? “I also carry a notebook because you never know when inspiration can strike!”
Heidi Gardner: Brush your teeth on a flight.
Since we chatted with Heidi Gardner ahead of the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary in February, she has gone from late-night sketch comedian to Broadway star in All Out, along with roles in “Scary Movie 6” and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. But she also gave us one simple but satisfying in-flight tip.
When we asked her what her must-have item in her carry-on is, the 42-year-old Kansas City native said, “Honestly, a toothbrush. I love to just brush my teeth halfway through the flight. It wakes you up.”
Robert Irwin: Embrace solo travel.
There’s no travel like solo travel—an artform that Dancing With the Stars winner Robert Irwin discovered this July, not long before his dancing debut.
“Traveling on your own brings this new dynamic,” the 22-year-old Queensland-born conservationist said. “At first, it was a little bit daunting.” But he quickly found it to be “such a freeing feeling.”
The highlight for him was hiking to a hidden beach and finding no one there. “I remember going, you know what I’m going to do? Absolutely nothing,” he said. “I’m just going to spend the whole day parked here at this beach, watching the world go by.”
John Mulaney: Don’t worry so much about packing.
When it comes to packing, comedian John Mulaney has learned to let go. “It’s not that I’ve gotten it down to a science—I’ve gotten not caring down to a science,” the 43-year-old Chicago native told T+L.
After all, there are always substitutes. “There’s gonna be a Target, so enough with the ‘I don’t have soap,’” he said. But his even better tip? “Don’t have a charger? Go to the hotel front desk and say, ‘I lost my charger. Can I look through the lost and found?’ and you’ll get five chargers!”
Amanda Seyfried: Revel in the in-betweens.
“The Housemaid” star Amanda Seyfried craves those quiet moments in between destinations, and train travel is one of her favorite ways to find them.
“If you get the right seat, getting into the city that way is just so romantic,” the 40-year-old Allentown, Pennsylvania, native said of taking the Amtrak weekly along the Hudson River, and even enjoying New York City’s Moynihan Train Hall.
She also looks back fondly on her childhood trips on the rails, most notably once taking the Auto Train from Florida to Pennsylvania. “I just remember thinking, this is heaven on Earth, because we’re just going so fast from south to north, with our big minivan on the train somewhere.”
Guy Fieri: Good food is worth the detour.
Guy Fieri practices what he preaches, never hesitating to go the distance—even crossing state lines—for a good meal. Case in point: Whether he’s in the Boston area for work or stopping by his Connecticut restaurant at Foxwoods, he will always take a road trip just to get hot dogs topped with meat sauce, onions, and celery salt from Olneyville NY System in Providence, Rhode Island.
“My mouth waters just thinking about it,” the 57-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, told us. “If I’m anytime within distance of it, we divert. We will go and get a dozen of these dogs, no problem.”
Maria Sharapova: Pack lighter.
Ever since she retired and became a Tennis Hall of Famer, Maria Sharapova has been feeling a lot lighter—literally.
“I used to travel with a lot of bags because I had just so many things for my profession,” the 38-year-old sports legend said. “One of the most liberating aspects of being retired is that I love traveling with a carry-on. Even if I feel like I’m under-packed, it feels so liberating to travel light.”
Benedict Cumberbatch: Travel near and far.
As a dedicated environmental advocate, Benedict Cumberbatch is well aware of the potential negative climate impacts of traveling, saying: “Unless you sit still in a loincloth that you don’t wash, you can’t help but be contributing to it.”
That said, he’s also leading by example to show that the best getaways can still be done mindfully. “We’ve been doing more home-cations of late and loving it,” the 49-year-old Brit told T+L.
His family is always keen to put nature at the forefront. “It’s about gaining a better understanding of how the natural world works and how to cohabit with it and respect it, whether that’s in Costa Rica or just down the road in the countryside where we have a house,” he said.
Plus Cumberbatch never shies from going the extra mile to help our planet: “I’m into the ship shower—you don’t need to run the water when you’re lathering soap,” he said.
Eugene Levy: Break out of your travel comfort zone.
Canadian Eugene Levy used to be happiest at home, admitting to T+L, “I was quite content to say, ‘No, I don’t travel.’” His aversion was so strong that he even rejected others telling stories of their travels, thinking, “I’m really not that interested—if it’s good for you, wonderful, but it’s not for me.”
Pushed out of that habit through three seasons of The Reluctant Traveler, he’s finally turned the corner. “That’s not really a positive thing for a human being to be that stubborn about it,” the 79-year-old comedian said. “Go there, experience it, do the traveling thing, and then decide whether you like it or whether you don’t like it, but don’t make the decision before you travel.”
Al Roker: Craft creative snacks from the in-flight offerings.
While we don’t play favorites with celebrities or travel tips, we do have to crown Today’s Al Roker as the celebrity travel tip genius of the year. Our jaws dropped—and so did that of his cohost, Savannah Guthrie—when he told us the mind-blowing hack he came up with for his favorite airline snack.
“If I’m on Delta, it’s the Biscoff,” the 71-year-old New Yorker told T+L before detailing his recipe. “Here’s a little tip for you: Take a couple of Biscoff crackers, cut a lime in half, and squeeze it onto the Biscoff. It’s like you’re having the crust of a key lime pie.”
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