Ever since she was just a teenager, Reese Witherspoon’s career has taken her to the most extraordinary destinations, whether it was hopping oceans to Namibia and New Zealand, delving into the urban flow of New York City and Vancouver, or getting to know the nooks and crannies of small Georgia towns and the California coastline. But like so many of us on business trips, she often kept herself laser-focused on work.
“For years and years, I only would go to the location of a movie set or a speaking engagement, and I never took time to look around these incredible cities I had been sent to for work,” the 49-year-old told Travel + Leisure. “So now 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.”
Reese Witherspoon
Reese in London.
She took that well-rounded approach with her to London recently, exploring the Serpentine Galleries (“they always have incredible exhibitions”), walking around Hyde Park, and dining at The Darjeeling Express, where her friend Asma Khan is the chef. “She only hires women in the kitchen who are mothers and grandmothers, so you get this feeling of this really amazing home-cooked meal,” she raved.
Witherspoon’s three-pronged travel philosophy helps her get beyond the city’s requisite attractions and really understand its unique culture. It’s that knack for exploration and discovery that drew her to partner with Wells Fargo’s Autograph Journey Credit Card, primed for travel lovers. For the first campaign of her three-year collaboration, she worked with director Taika Waititi to show her own vacation indulgences, hoping to encourage others to think about how they travel from a fresh perspective.
One of her favorite ways is by leaning into a local culinary scene. The New Orleans-born actress easily rattled off that her favorite food destination is Paris. “I can go on and on about it, from the little trucks where you can get crepes in Tuileries Garden, or the perfect hot chocolate at Angelina,” she said, also naming Le Voltaire and Jean-Georges’ Market as top picks. “It’s just a magical place to enjoy so many different kinds of eating experiences.”
Reese Witherspoon
Best jet lag hack?
On the plane, I make sure to drink two bottles of water with vitamin C and electrolytes. Then I try getting on the time zone of my destination as soon as possible. I set my watch at the new time. If I arrive in the morning, I try to walk outside. Getting fresh air and sunlight really helps.
Most unusual thing you always pack?
My own little travel pillow with a satin cover. Also, there’s this Laird Hamilton coffee creamer that I’m obsessed with, and they make them in instant lattes. It’s powdered, so it’s really easy to travel with. So even when you’re on the plane, you can have your favorite coffee.
Favorite filming location?
I’ve been lucky enough to make two movies in Africa, in Kenya [“The Good Lie”] and in Zimbabwe and Namibia [“A Far Off Place”]. The red dunes of Namibia was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Also, I’ve been to Rajasthan, India [for “Vanity Fair”] with this incredible filmmaker, Mira Nair. She is so revered in India. People were lining up on the streets to watch her film, and I got to ride an elephant through the town square, where there was this beautiful old fortress, and it was a really singular experience that I’ll never forget.
Celebrity friend who makes the best travel companion?
Laura Dern. She’s very adventurous and has a childlike wonder about the world. She loves art and music, and knows how to really enjoy every experience from the very beginning to the very end. She celebrates all the little wonders of the world, and it’s really fun to see the world through her eyes.
Favorite family vacation destination?
I like the Caribbean. There’s so much to do there in terms of water sports, with scuba diving and snorkeling. We love being in the sunshine, playing padel or golf. My boys like to golf, so that’s really fun.
When it comes to accommodations, she’s been “so lucky” to stay at the nicest hotels, but none have stunned her more than the hospitality and experience at Amanjena in Marrakech. “It was so exquisite,” she said, raving about the “beautiful” hammam and its spa treatments. “Then you have meals at night sitting outside on these beautiful Moroccan carpets in the warm weather with these little fires. It was just so transporting—I felt like I was in another world.”
Reese Witherspoon
A personal travel photo while in Torres Del Paines, Patagonia.
Another getaway that tugged at her heart was her first trip to Chilean Patagonia last year. “I did things I’d never done before, like white water rafting as an adult,” she said. Plus, her timing was just right. “It’s a great spot for January or February when it’s really dark and rainy and cold in the U.S. It’s really nice to get further south, where the weather is lovely and summer-like.”
Wherever in the world Witherspoon wanders, she’s sure to discover its delights. That even includes traveling to conferences, which she does two to three times a year, recently reveling in a stay at Arizona’s Four Seasons Resorts Scottsdale. And when she’s back in Los Angeles, she’s drawn to Felix Trattoria in Venice, California, which has “maybe one of the best pastas I’ve ever had in my whole life.”
Despite being on the go so often, there’s still plenty on this curious traveler’s wish list. She’d love to explore more of South America, particularly Buenos Aires, as well as the 1800s ghost town-turned-boutique hotel Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado. “Apparently, all the outdoor activities are magical, and it’s a great place to take kids because there’s horseback riding and hiking, and you get the atmosphere of this old ghost town,” she said.
For Witherspoon, travel is not always just about the place, but catching an experience as well. “I would love to travel to a Billie Eilish concert, ” the Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress said, “And I’d go anywhere for Paul McCartney. I’ve missed out on the last two concerts that he gave, and I’m just desperate to hear him live.”
Of course, there’s no place she knows better than her hometown of Nashville. She advised first-time visitors to experience all that its downtown has to offer. “I would recommend starting at the Ryman [Auditorium], an old church which is the original Grand Ole Opry and is just beautiful,” she said, explaining visitors can opt for a tour or concert. Then it’s all about taking in the music strip on Lower Broadway, where all the honky-tonks are. Among her favorites are Garth Brooks’ Friends in Low Places, which she said is “so fun,” and Miranda Lambert’s Casa Rosa Nashville, which is “very girly themed, so it’s really good for a bachelorette party.”
As avid a reader as she is a traveler, some of Witherspoon’s favorite moments are the in-betweens. “I love being on long plane rides because even if Wi-Fi is available, I turn it off and I just read the entire time,” she said. Typically, she gets through at least one book and a couple of scripts on a long-haul flight on her iPad.
An author herself now, having penned her debut novel “Gone Before Goodbye” with bestselling author Harlan Coben, her own reading list is a true hodgepodge, going with whatever piques her interest in the moment. Sometimes that means she’s “reading such weird books,” but enjoying them all the same. One recent read: the biomedical nonfiction “Replaceable You” by Mary Roach about how every organ in our body is eventually going to have to be replaced. That said, “a thriller or romance is also a great way to just let your mind wander and not focus on work emails,” she said. And of course, she always has a Reese’s Book Club pick with her.
Wells Fargo
A Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ card campaign photo.
And Witherspoon is just like us when it comes to smart budgeting and maximizing benefits. “I find myself just talking to strangers in Starbucks sometimes, and I’ll be like, ‘Do you know how many points I’m getting on this card?’” she said, in awe of the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Card awarding five times the points on hotels, four times on airlines, and three times on dining and other travel. “I’m so nerdy about it! I’m actually saving and enhancing my travel opportunities by using this card.”
After all, the mother of three is all about immersing her own children in new experiences to broaden their views. “It’s important you carve out special savings for these moments that are really important in your life or your children’s lives,” Witherspoon told T+L. “I think we’re all realizing that the most important things are experiences, not material objects.”
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