As a kid, Aaron Paul remembers growing up in a house with not much money, but a lot of love. The son of a Baptist preacher in Idaho, he recalls that his family moved around a lot, never really living in the same home for more than two years.
So, when Paul moved to LA at 17 to pursue his dream of acting, he used every bit of spare money from Vanilla Coke commercials and music video appearances to travel.
And although he travels very differently than he did in his early 20s, packing candles to keep his hotel suites smelling nice and music for a certain aesthetic, he wouldn’t trade those broke backpacker days.
“I don’t really do the hostel route now, but I recommend the hostel route at least once in your life. I always had a great time,” Paul said in an interview with Travel + Leisure last month, when we caught up with him at an F1 party for his The Only caviar at 1850 by American Express, a new pop-up in Las Vegas’ ARIA Resort & Casino that is open until Dec. 17. “But I love traveling. I always say traveling is the most important thing you can do in life. It is so eye-opening. It expands your mind. It’s so important just to see how other people live.”
Aaron Paul
Favorite destination for food?
New York.
Go-to movie or TV show on a plane?
Something comforting and cheesy. Nothing too dramatic.
Must-have travel accessory?
Nice headphones.
Favorite hotel in the world?
The Bowery in New York.
Go-to room service order?
The American breakfast.
Best tip for getting over jet lag?
Water.
Paul has taken that belief to heart this year. After the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, Paul and his wife, Lauren, sold their Los Angeles home and moved their two children to Paris. “We have always dreamt of doing a year abroad. Specifically in Paris. Love the food, the history, the people. Every time I came to Paris, I never wanted to leave. We wanted our kids to learn another language and be surrounded by another culture. It was very important to us,” he said.
Although they just moved a few months ago, they’ve already taken the short two-hour train ride to London. “I have two kiddos, a seven-and-a-half-year-old baby girl (Story) and a three-and-a-half-year-old baby boy (Ryden). In France, the school system is either private or public. Every six weeks, they get two weeks off to allow the family to tour around Europe. We’re just living the European lifestyle, and it’s a dream,” he says.
This month, they’re planning a surprise festive-season trip to Rovaniemi, Finland, for their kids. “We’re about to take them to the North Pole over the holidays. We’re flying into Finland, and we’re staying in some glass igloos and literally having reindeer take us on sleds to go find Santa in the forest,” he says excitedly.
Next year, Paul is planning a visit to the site of his newest business venture, an Italian farm an hour and a half outside of Milan. Here, they raise and farm sustainable, artisanal caviar for The Only Caviar. “The farm is directly on top of a river, just downstream from a waterfall. This farm was built in the 50s, actually to farm eels. But then in 1969, they started farming organic sturgeon. So they’ve been doing it for a very long time.”
Greg Doherty/Getty Images
The Only Caviar is seen during an exclusive cocktail soirée hosted by Amex and Aaron Paul
Over his decades working in Hollywood, he’s traveled the world to shoot on various film sets in Mexico, Spain, Finland, and as far away as New Zealand. He’s also explored Europe extensively, telling T+L he loves Iceland, having visited a few times, and that he recently traveled to Bergen and up the fjords of Norway.
But considering his wife and children have Italian citizenship, and his in-laws just put an offer in on a house in Lucca, Italy, a move to “The Boot” isn’t out of the question. “We’re hoping to ride their coattails to Italy,” he jokes.
He’s been all over the beloved Mediterranean country, shooting movies like “Welcome Home” in Todi, a place he fell in love with. “It’s right next to Tuscany, and Tuscany is obviously a go-to. Florence is beautiful. I think Florence might be my favorite place in Italy. I mean, Rome obviously is amazing. It’s just all amazing,” he gushes.
And while he subscribes to the belief that you can’t really go wrong in Italy, he thinks that the natural beauty of Cinque Terre is hard to beat. Describing it as something straight out of a Pixar movie, he says, “I’ve been there twice, and it’s so romantic, so colorful. You can’t believe it’s real, but I love it. It’s everything you want it to be.”
As a part-owner of a caviar company and a mezcal company, Dos Hombres, with former Breaking Bad co-star Bryan Cranston, Paul has an adventurous palate, willing to try anything once—within reason, he jokes. Italian food is one of his favorites, and despite a gluten allergy, he eats plenty of carbs while there. “If I eat pizza, it looks like I’m about eight or nine months pregnant, but I don’t care. It’s worth it to me,” he says.
Besides an affinity for Italy, back when Paul and his family were in Los Angeles, Maui was their favorite family vacation destination. Thanks to its family-friendly vibe and picturesque beaches, perfect weather, amazing water, food, and luxe stays at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, it’s the Pauls’ version of paradise.
Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea
Aerial view of the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea.
But he stresses that he loves experiencing new places just as much. Antarctica is his number one wish-list destination and has been for a long time. And, as with most of his trips nowadays, his wife and two kiddos will likely be in tow when he goes.
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