The first time I was on a plane was when I went to Hawaii when I was 7 or 8 years old. I’d always wanted to go there, so I went on a family trip with my parents. We rented a Jeep and drove around, and I swam with dolphins for the first time. When I was 9, I went to New York to film School of Rock, and that was my second time on a plane. I was there for about four or five months, which was the longest I’d ever been away from home. My mom and I basically lived in a hotel in Manhattan, and I’d never done anything like that in my life. That’s when I fell in love with New York.
I had never been to Thailand before, but I stayed there for almost two months. [for Mother of the Bride]It was the furthest and longest trip I’ve ever been away from home, so I didn’t really know how to pack. I’m the type of person who brings a giant suitcase and checks it even for a two-night flight. So it was a little bit difficult. I remember being so stressed because normally I pack the morning before I leave somewhere. I just stuff everything in my suitcase really quickly. You can’t do that when you’re going somewhere for two months. But it was a really beautiful place. I’d been through a breakup not long before this opportunity came up, so it was the best moment to be in a whole new place with whole new people and have that experience and just enjoy it.
The ocean in Thailand is different from the ocean in Los Angeles. The water is really clear and blue and beautiful and people are constantly scuba diving. It was really fun going to different islands, something I’ve never really done in my life. Taking a boat to the islands and swimming and diving in the ocean was awesome.
I was surprised by how many bugs there were in Thailand. At night, the cicadas were so loud that I couldn’t sleep. I’m not scared of bugs here. The hotel room I stayed in was very clean, but the shower was made entirely of glass, and when I took a shower in the morning, there were little lizards all over the outside of the glass around the shower. I got used to that, but I didn’t really like bugs. When I came back to LA, I thought I was much stronger now.
Rapid Fire
Window, middle, or aisle seat?
I like window seats because I can always look outside and it feels nice. Also, it’s easier to sleep and I feel like I have my own little space. I think most people choose the window seat, but some people choose the aisle seat if they want to go to the bathroom without having to step over someone.
My favorite way to spend time on a plane
I sleep on planes all the time. My best thing is when I’m on a plane, I fall asleep before we take off and wake up when we land. So on my trip to Thailand, everyone kept telling me I wouldn’t be able to do that because it takes so many hours. But I slept the whole way there and back. I proved them wrong.
The scariest thing about traveling
That was a bug but it’s not anymore. I lost my luggage. A few years ago I went to Japan to see a friend who was there for 3 weeks. It was her dream to go to Japan and she wanted to go alone. When it was the last week of the trip she messaged me and said “I cancel. I don’t want to go alone.” I impulsively hopped on a plane and when I got to LAX and went through security, my luggage was gone. Someone stole my luggage. I had my handbag so I had my ID and my wallet but nothing else. I even watched airport security footage trying to track down who the culprit was but they never found them. So I went to Japan with nothing. It was my worst nightmare but it came true.
I met up with a friend at Disneyland in Japan and we had to buy all our underwear and stuff just from the Disneyland gift shop. It was the worst because we couldn’t find any underwear for adults. We had to cut the elastic with scissors to make it fit. At least we had a laugh.
Best tips to beat jet lag
When I first got to Thailand, I had two days before we had to start rehearsing and stuff, which was nice. I slept most of the first day again. I slept 17 hours on the plane and slept soundly when I got there, so I felt really good. I don’t think a lot of people fly somewhere and do nothing for a long time, but if you’re lucky enough to have a full day off, don’t feel bad about having to get some sleep and gather your energy. The rest you get at the beginning will make the rest of your trip that much more enjoyable.
Favorite travel snacks
I’m a pretty unhealthy eater and I love sweets, so I like any kind of candy. I like sour gummy worms. A week ago, on my way back from New York, I bought some BBQ chips and ate them multiple times on the plane. Every morning I wake up, I eat a couple of BBQ chips. Every time I go to the airport, the first thing I do is buy a pack of peanut M&M’s to eat on the plane.
Drinks to order on an airplane
I always get super dehydrated when traveling so I make sure to buy loads of water at the airport before I fly. Normally I just drink water on the plane which is kind of boring but it also helps with jet lag.
