Lance Bass’s Biggest Travel Essential Is His Husband
The multi-hyphenate and former N*SYNC singer shares his travel must-haves, packing hacks, and how he learned to love cruises.
In this edition, singer, dancer, actor, podcaster, film, television producer and former bass singer for N*SYNC Lance Bass talks to Opheli Garcia Lawler about traveling as a dad with twins, his favorite destinations in the world, and the game he plays on flights to make the time fly by. He’s currently busy partnering with Kelley Blue Book for their “Bye bye bye” car campaign and being an absolute joy to follow on Instagram.
I love traveling. It's one of my favorite things, especially with my family. But traveling can get a little hairy, especially with twins that are toddlers. You never know what to expect, so you have to be prepared for anything that comes your way. It's not fun. I've been doing this my whole life, flying everywhere. I do feel like traveling has just gotten a little harder for everyone, but it's just one of those stresses we have to deal with because I do think it's so important.
If you're able to go and see the world, to get out there and see different cultures and experience it with your own eyes, I think that's the only way you're going to be able to understand the world and actually bring this world together. I am all for people out there trying to just go and discover new places and enjoy different cultures.
I love tropical places, so when I get to take my family down to the Bahamas or Puerto Plata, I like it because it is close to my family and you don't have to do an 18-hour flight somewhere. But I'd have to say one of my favorite, favorite places that I did by myself was going to Australia. I got to go to Sydney. I was just going to go for a week and ended up staying for two months. I just ended up loving Bondi, getting a place there and spending two months there, just living as an Australian. And it was so amazing and life changing. It was right after my Broadway run which was so taxing on my body and my mind, and it really made me relax and reset. It was the perfect place and I made some lifelong friends. So that's one trip I'll always remember. It's so far, but the best people in the world.
I did a big fan cruise when I had a radio show on SiriusXM and it was so much fun. It was the very first one I ever did, but it was the biggest ship in the world at the time, so it didn't feel like—I always thought I'd feel claustrophobic on a cruise. But no, it was a floating city. So that's the way I will cruise: on big, big ships. I had a blast. Give me an open bar and a buffet, and I'm a happy camper.
Rapid fire
Window or aisle seat?
Aisle seat only because I'm older. When I was a child, I'd love a window seat, because they'd only fly us coach. It was the only way that I could lean my head against the window and actually get some sleep. But now that I'm older, I need an aisle seat because I have to use the bathroom a lot more.
Are you a light packer or an overpacker?
I'm such an overpacker. Ridiculously an overpacker. I don't know what I want to wear the day of and I need several options. So yeah, my suitcase is to the brim.
What is your favorite way to pass time on a plane?
Gosh, I mean, of course it depends on how long the flight is. I love a long flight because I get to eat, I get to watch a few movies I haven't seen in the theater. I enjoy that “me time” and I don't turn the wireless on, so no one can contact me. I love that. The thing that really passes my time, and especially on those three-hour flights where you can't really get a whole movie in: I get my tablet and I play this game called Hay Day, and I swear to you I will play it for three hours and it feels like five minutes pass. And the time just warps when I play that game. It's weird.
What do you think everyone should pack for a beach vacation?
Well, you need that SPF because especially the older we get, the more we realize, whoops, I should have been using that for my whole life. But I mean, a good book, even if you use a Kindle. When it's beach time, I just want quiet. I want to set up a little chair. I want my kids to be right there at the edge of the ocean building sandcastles. And I would just want to read. It's the only time that I really have to just focus on a book. But yeah, something about the waves crashing, with all that noise, that white noise in the background, I can just disappear in a book.
What's your favorite travel snack?
Probably my kids' snacks. I've learned that you just get those little bento boxes for your kids and it keeps them occupied for at least an hour, which is just amazing on a flight. And I will definitely be picking through all of their stuff. Apple chips, Goldfish, little gummy bears, you name it. I am always grazing on their food. It's not good for my diabetes, but it tastes really good.
Travel essentials
Mainly my number one thing is making sure I have insulin and my glucose monitor, because if you leave that behind, it could be really dangerous. And it's something I'm getting used to remembering before I leave the house. So that's my number one.
Your headphones. It's very tricky on planes these days, you never know what configuration they have, so you have to have your earbuds that are wireless in case you have to use your phone or tablet for entertainment.
But also a little tip, bring headphones with a wire because sometimes it's the only entertainment you're going to have. And sometimes planes won't have the headphones (good ones at least). Bring two different headphones, wireless, and the ones with the wire.
By the way, if you bring your tablet, make sure things are downloaded beforehand. I've learned that a few times when the entertainment doesn't work on a plane and then I'm stuck with my tablet with nothing downloaded, and I just sit there staring at the seat for hours. There's nothing worse than that.
Can't forget the diaper bag. Another thing, I'll never travel without my husband because I need those extra hands for sure. Especially with twins. And even if we're not flying with the twins, it's just nice to have a companion go with you. So yeah, so I always love traveling with him.
For me to fly, I need to be comfortable. I don't really care too much about what I look like because I'm always wearing a hat and glasses anyways. I want to be as comfortable as possible, so I wear the same Lululemon pants with tons of pockets. You need so many pockets when you travel.
I love Abercrombie and Fitch. They have these really great new shirts that are just so comfortable and large.
Then you class it up a little bit with your lowbrow outfit, you'll put a little Gucci sneaker with it, so it brings up the value a little bit. It's a nice mix.