Charlie Hobbs travel tips

Beyoncé background dancer Honey Balenciaga recently told us that she always dresses well when traveling. “I don’t know where that culture died,” she lamented in a recent interview. It’s something that editors at Traveler have long had feelings about—the way we show up to the airport, where parents once forced some of us to don blazers and loafers in order to look presentable. Comfortable clothing has, understandably, proliferated on the scene, in tandem with the tanking of the flying experience’s dignity, and in the past decade the situation has devolved to the point where pajama bottoms, flip flops, and t-shirts with sagging necklines are at least as common as a button-down.

For some travelers, rest and relaxation is a must on vacation. That might mean unplugging from work and hitting the spa for a deep tissue massage, or connecting the mind and body through physical activities. In the latter case, having a cushioned and portable travel yoga mat will come in handy for early morning hot yoga or post-flight stretching sessions.

When it comes to our travels, we are meticulous planners: earnestly optimizing our airline miles, comparing dozens of hotels, and snapping up the hottest dinner reservations weeks in advance. So why is it that, when it comes to feeding ourselves at the airport, we are rendered helpless—wandering aimlessly, queuing endlessly, and swiping credit cards left and right? We’ve all been there, face-to-face with a tasteless turkey club (that we didn’t actually want), washed down with a heavily upcharged glass of Pinot.

While accepting one of the many Oscars he received for the film Parasite at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, South Korean director Bong Joon Ho advised that Americans would do well to “overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles” in order to discover an even broader swatch of amazing films than already available at our fingertips. Indeed, subtitles are nothing to be afraid of—but that doesn’t mean the movies they caption can’t be scary themselves. Amongst our editorial staff, in fact, there’s a consensus that foreign horror productions are actually much more terrifying than those produced stateside—bolder, bloodier, darkly funnier, and more haunting for their willingness to leave questions unanswered.

Travel Debates is a series in which our editors weigh in on the most contentious issues that arise in-transit, like whether you should ever switch seats on a plane or if you should check your work email while on vacation.

The carry-on versus the checked bag—no matter the intention, when the time comes to pack, this is the battle that occurs in the mind of every traveler. Each form of luggage has its merits, make no mistake. Take the carry-on, compact and convenient as it is: Going this route immediately edits your packing list, ensuring that nothing beyond what you absolutely need accompanies you to your destination. The carry-on also preserves one's autonomy—upon landing, collect your luggage from the overhead bin and leave the airport. What's not to love?