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There are celebrities who have turned oversharing into a dubious yet remunerative art form. And then there’s Rachel Bilson, best known for her roles in “The O.C.” and “Hart of Dixie.” She’s a gregarious, charming and delightfully candid person, but if you didn’t know better, you’d assume Bilson was the opposite of voluble.
Here’s the thing: All you need to do is listen to her new podcast Broad Ideas, co-hosted with her best friend Olivia Allen, to quickly learn that with Bilson, nothing is off-limits. Her guests, including Kristen Bell, Mandy Moore and Aubrey Plaza, talk about devastating breakups, difficult pregnancies and even more devastating style choices.
“It just felt like the timing was perfect as far as wanting to create a space, primarily for women, to be open, transparent, from my house,” Bilson says. “Everything kind of fell into place and just felt right.
“I’ve learned that it’s okay to talk about tampon strings. Or the birthing experience that was horrendous. And we get pretty detailed in some of our topic episodes. They’re pretty raw, but I also feel, why not? Why can’t we talk about this?”
Now that she’s slowly emerging from Covid-related lockdowns, Bilson is also regaining her travel footing. But what are the comfort items that she always carries along? Here’s what she always has in her carry-on bag when traveling.
When she travels, Bilson needs a bag that can deliver — and that bag is called the Black Hole. It’s got two removable shoulder pads to be used like a backpack and a 40-liter capacity. “I’m a backpack hoarder — I have way too many backpacks,” she says. “I keep buying backpacks, but the one that never fails… is the Patagonia Black Hole. I’m telling you, that is the best carry-on I have ever experienced in all of my long years.”
The Patagonia Black Hole is available in four sizes — 40 liters, 55 liters, 70 liters and 100 liters — and comes in a variety of colors to match every style. It’s made from an incredibly durable fabric that’ll withstand all travel adventures, and the padded, removable shoulder straps are great for easy carrying.
Bilson leaves nothing to chance when dealing with germs. “I’m a crazy over-planner,” she says. “So even pre-pandemic, I was the person that had my Clorox wipes, Purell wipes, everything, to wipe down the whole area.”
This value pack is perfect, as it comes with both canister wipes and seal packs — the latter of which is great for traveling. Pop one of the resealable packs in your carry-on bag and you’ll have enough disinfecting power for your flight and when you arrive at your hotel.
While she brings an Apple iPad for her daughter, she doesn’t cheat herself out of it either. “I would always upload things to my iPad and binge shows because it’s the only time you have uninterrupted time to actually binge — and it’s wonderful,” Bilson says. “I do a little reality when I’m on an airplane, ‘Bachelor In Paradise’ being up there [as] one of my favorites.”
The fifth-generation Apple iPad Air is a terrific option for plane travel, as it’s got all-day battery life and a clear 10.9-inch liquid retina display. Customize your iPad Air with the color of your choice: blue, purple, pink, starlight or space gray. Check out our full review of the Apple iPad Air here.
Bilson likes “a wire” when she brings her headphones on board. “I will not do Bluetooth — I’m anti-Bluetooth,” she says, opting for a lightweight over-ear model with a built-in microphone. Plus, they’re battery-free, so there’s no need to recharge them while you’re on the go. And, when it comes to playing in-flight entertainment, with cord headphones, there’s no need for a Bluetooth adapter in order to get the sound straight to your headphones. You can just plug in and listen.
For Bilson, comfort comes before anything else. And while others might jet around in heels, Bilson is quite happy with her snuggly footwear. “I am very old-fashioned. I like an actual book — if I’m going to read a book. I’m secretly 80 years old inside,” Bilson says. “I have my cozy socks and slippers in my carry-on. I do love Jenni Kayne’s slippers if you’re going higher end. They’re so comfortable.”
Bilson’s favorite Jenni Kayne Moroccan Slippers are a shearling-lined footwear piece with an ultra-cozy suede outside. Reviewers say they’re so soft and comfortable you won’t want to take them off.
Along with her go-to slippers, Bilson is a big fan of keeping her feet on the comfortable side with a pair of cozy socks. “My cozy socks are from Target — I like to mix and match,” she says. “But I am a big advocate for comfy feet.” This pack of cozy socks comes complete with two pairs. They’re low-cut, so they’ll fit in most shoes, and they’re lightweight to avoid your feet getting overheated.
Bilson is a big believer in the healing powers of elastic waists and the forgiveness of stretchy fabric. “Sweatsuits are my uniform. Aviator Nation are the softest, coziest, dreamiest,” she says. “You need to be comfortable. Also, never fly in a jumper because you cannot pee, and like I said, I’m 80, so I pee about 10 times on a flight. I’m the person that is always getting up to use the bathroom.”
This sweatshirt from Aviator Nation is a great option for travelers. It’s got a vintage feel to it, having gone through an intense breaking-down process. Reviewers rave about this sweatshirt’s design and feel. You’re sure to get compliments while strolling through the airport.
While Bilson is a fan of Aviator Nation products because of how they feel, her heart is with The Great when it comes style. “The Great are the cutest,” she says. This flower stamp cotton sweatshirt has a relaxed fit with a fun, dainty hand-stamped floral motif.
Like the professional traveler she is, Bilson makes sure her noggin has a place to rest. “I actually bring a real pillow, but I put two pillowcases on it because once I get to the place, I need to take off the dirty pillowcase that’s been on the airplane,” she says. This pillow from Coop Home Goods is customizable to your needs so you can get the right support for a good night’s sleep on any flight.
Bilson is super-retro when it comes to her airborne beauty. The Lip Smacker aficionado likes a particular flavor that’s actually hard to find. “What I always carry with me… is the Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker,” she says. “Because it moisturizes, but it’s also a little bit of color. So if you feel you need a little something, this is always in my bag,” she says.
As we mentioned, the Dr. Pepper flavor is hard to find — and you’ll have to pay upward of $30 for a stick if you can find it. As an alternative, test out the other soda-themed Lip Smackers to find your favorite.
Mask mandates may come and go, but Bilson is a permanent convert. “I’m never flying without a mask for the rest of my life,” she says. “I like the really heavy-duty masks, but I also like Kaze — they make comfortable KN95 masks. Kaze fits me the best and fits my daughter the best,” she says.
Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which cards CNN Underscored chose as our best travel credit cards of 2022.
Workforce shortages projected to peak for the duration of 3Q 2022 some aid anticipated later on this 12 months and into 2023 WTTC presents actions for addressing employee shortages in the sector DALLAS, July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — A new assessment by the Planet Travel & …
LONDON–(Enterprise WIRE)–Following two years of stringent COVID-19 journey constraints, which have now mainly eased, lots of are at last savoring journey yet again and especially all through these summer months. To assure an fulfilling trip International SOS has outlined critical necessities for vacation abroad this …
Summer is finally here, and after two years of disruption, many people will be getting on a plane, long-distance train or ferry for the first time in a long while.
A lot of us will inevitably be chucking a few gadgets and gizmos into our suitcases and hand luggage – from essentials such as travel adaptors to the items that can make a journey more pleasant, such as headphones and portable handheld fans.
Here’s our guide to the best gadgets to pack on your holiday this summer.
RRP: £319.95 – deals from £289, refurbished from £160.
Take some of the stress out of travelling by cancelling out the drone of engines or fellow passengers with a good set of headphones. The Bose QuietComfort 45 are the sequel to some of the best noise-cancelling headphones ever made, now with updated technology, including better battery life and sound, to give you a bit of peace and quiet.
RRP: £80 – refurbished from £66.
For those looking for something cheaper, Anker’s Soundcore Life Q30 offer Bluetooth 5, good noise reduction, reasonable sound quality and a 40-hour battery life that takes some beating, and cost as little as £66 refurbished. An updated model with higher-resolution Bluetooth support, the Life Q35, is also available with an official price of £130, although this week you could find them on Amazon for £90.
RRP: £159 – refurbished from £130.
If you want something better than the myriad of cheap, not-great Bluetooth speakers that are available to buy, the Sonos Roam is so good, you’ll want to use it in your home, too.
Use it on wifi when at home or on Bluetooth when on the road. It’s water-resistant and durable, the battery lasts up to 10 hours, and it can fill a room with music despite its diminutive water-bottle-like size. It costs £159 without microphones or £179 with voice control.
RRP: £90 – deals from £70, refurbished from £55.
If you are looking to spend a little less money but want something that’s just as durable and boasts really decent sound, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 is still one of the best Bluetooth speakers you can get. It can be picked up for about £55 onwards. The compact Bluetooth speaker is drop-proof, has 13 hours of battery life and water resistance.
RRP: £30 – deals from £26.
Juggling multiple power adaptors when travelling can be a pain, so the Go Travel Worldwide travel adaptor aims to be a one-for-all solution. It takes UK and other plugs, with slide-out pins for the UK, US, China and Australia, plus two-prong Europe sockets. It is available with two USB charging sockets for £40, too.
RRP: £45.
For more powerful gadgets, a multicharger such as this – it can charge up to four things at once – is the way to go. This super-slim but high-powered 65W Anker charger is my to-go, with two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports capable of charging most modern gadgets, from smartphones to laptops.
RRP: £36.99.
Thankfully, modern smartphones have much better battery life, making portable chargers less of a necessity. But if you are running low and a plug isn’t within reach, the PowerCore Slim 10000 PD has the best balance of capacity, weight and charge speed, with USB-A and USB-C ports.
RRP: £50.
Sometimes the weather isn’t great, or you just need to take a break in your hotel room. Armed with a streaming stick, you can put your favourite TV shows or movies on any TV by just plugging it into power and an HDMI socket on the back.
The Roku Streaming Stick has a dedicated mode for dealing with difficult hotel wifi but Amazon’s recent Fire TV sticks (from £30) should be able to connect, too.
From £10.
If a streaming stick is a no-go and you have a modern Android phone, tablet or laptop, a USB-C to HDMI cable can hook it up to a TV like an external monitor. All PCs and Macs with USB-C ports will work, as will many high-end Android phones and Apple iPads with USB-C, but not the iPhone without a pricey adaptor.
From £10.
If you are hiring a car, a suction-cup windscreen mount that can turn your smartphone into a satnav may make life easier. Costing from about £6, mounts range in strength and size, with Ugreen’s well-reviewed model fitting most smartphones for £17.
Alternatively, your hire car may have Android Auto or Apple’s CarPlay. Just plug in your phone with a USB cable to put Google or Apple Maps on the built-in display.
From £10.
If your party is taking a number of devices on holiday, a cable organiser can help deal with the clutter of leads and chargers. They come in a variety of sizes, from rollup tool bags to hard-case boxes, with elastic loops to keep individual cables out the way. My pick are the zippered wallets that are small enough to shove in your hand luggage, such as the £16 Bagsmart.