Some people travel to try new foods, to view priceless art, to learn history, to seek out relaxation on the sand. Melissa McCarthy hits the road to blow her own mind. “One of the things I appreciate the most about what I do is I get to go to places and stay long enough to really get a feel for not just the place, but for the people,” says the actor, who calls out Budapest and Australia’s Byron Bay as two filming locations she really fell for, and who appears in a new campaign for Booking.com. “The more you see new communities and different cultures, your fears drop away. You're more open. I think that's the biggest bonus of travel.”
McCarthy chatted about the funny object she always flies with, her recent trip to Booking.com’s top trending location of the year (Santa Fe, New Mexico), and why you should hand your crying baby over to her on planes.
Her favorite mode of transportation:
Well, I want a train, but a train like in the old ‘40s movies, where everyone has dewy lighting and there's beautiful beds and stuff. I don't like a speed boat—I'm not a speed gal—but if you travel to a city and then get to cruise on some kind of flat pontoon and have a glass of wine and look at the city, maybe have a dance party? That's my favorite way to take a different look at a city. It's not really traveling; it’s more meandering.
What’s in her carry-on bag:
Oh Lord, 75 headphones, because I'm convinced they're all going to break and then I won't be able to watch my weird British detective shows, which would crush me. Always, always, I have—it's so weird—this heart pillow that my daughter Georgie gave me probably five years ago for Valentine's Day. It's from the 99-cent store, and for some reason I sleep and travel with it. It’s never not with me. Everyone's like, "You want to get a new pillow?" I do not. And two iPads, because one is my baby blanket that I won't get rid of, even though it's literally hanging on its last… whatever it would be hanging on, and then the newer one without a home button.
Her first flight in business class:
I had not been on a plane until I was, I think, 19 years old. We just didn't really travel. So I think the first time when I got to be in business or first class for work and I was like, Wait a minute, what is going on? It's free peanuts? Free cocktails? Oh my gosh. This is fantastic. It still is! I still feel that way!
Why parents should try getting seated near her:
I hate when everybody glares at the baby. I really do. Come on! I have two kids, so maybe that's why, but I just think the baby doesn't know why it's crying. It's a baby! I'm always the creepy one who says, “If you need me to hold the baby, I will.” And they’re like, “We don't know you, lady.”
On her recent trip, to Santa Fe:
I'd been to the city before. I actually officiated two of my dearest friends' wedding there. But we had the most ridiculously beautiful, perfect snowfall—as if the Hollywood trucks rolled in and had spun sugar going through sifters. I was like, These pictures are going to look fake! It's just so pretty. So we got the best of both worlds, because when we came in, there was no snow, so you saw the endless desertscapes and beautiful architecture, and then day two, everything was lovingly dusted with four inches of perfect snow. I love how much art is there. I love the diversity. I love all of the Native American artwork and history. I have a special spot [in my heart] for that city. And it's where we make our whiskey, so I mean, put all that together…!
The hotel amenity she loves:
Just being able to get an ice bucket delights me. It delights me in a way that's probably silly. It shouldn't be that great! Not just a glass of ice, but a bucket of ice—because I really enjoy things cold, guys. The Plainfield, Illinois girl did not get buckets of ice, and so when I get them, I'm still that girl. Oh my god, there's a bucket of ice in my room! Wow.
Her priorities when planning a vacation:
The main thing is that I don't want to go somewhere and then experience the exact same things that I get where I live. I don't want to go to big fancy things; I want to go to the real markets. I want to eat the real food. That, to me, is how you expand your world. And it's usually where you get the most delicious food and the coolest little things to bring back, because you’re getting the real deal instead of going to some huge chain or fancy store!
Her travel pet peeves:
There's a couple things. People who keep the click sounds on [their phone] and then text for three hours. I’m like, "Hey, you can turn that off! I can help you." Also, I know airports are tricky for everybody, but I wish I was a superhero that could just swarm someone and give them a Valium or something. When somebody is yelling at the poor person working at a desk in the airport—it's not in their control. They didn't make the plane ice over! They didn't lose the bag! I get it's frustrating, but ugh, it breaks my heart to see somebody unleash on someone who's just trying to do their job. I don't love the tension. We're all going someplace. Let's try to keep our wits about us.
The place she could travel to a million times and not be sick of it:
That's like “What's your favorite album?” I love Greece. We took a family trip there and I had never been, and just—I don't know when the threshold would be that I would say, “That's enough of Greece.” I could go back there every year.
Her best hotel stays in recent memory:
I love the Four Seasons in Santa Fe we just stayed at. The food there! Crazy yummy. And the people are really nice. I’m chatty, and everyone was super friendly. There's a vibe to different hotels. Maybe I'm only pitching Four Seasons now, but I also love the Four Seasons in Budapest, which looks out at all the chain bridges. That was pretty spectacular.
Where she wants to go next:
There's so many places I haven't been! I have a really long list that I keep adding to. I'm dying to go to Japan. I have such a fascination. Japan is an extreme [view] into the modern world and an extreme [view] into the past, and it’s such a completely different culture from how I was raised that I feel like everywhere I look, I’ll be amazed. It’s such a culturally rich country. And same for Morocco. I’m a big antiques lover and I think about going through all those markets with the rugs and beautiful things that have been around for hundreds of years. Again, I'm from a little farm town in Illinois, so going somewhere so different, to me, is a fairy tale. I can't wait.