The trip
What trip are you unpacking for us?
I feel like it could be interesting to talk about my trip to Easter Island in December 2022, especially because it’s so hard to get here and I planned it in a week! My schedule is so uncertain. It was around December 18—I was wrapping a film, and we hadn’t made holiday plans. My husband always has a lot of bucket list trips for us, and he said, “How about we go to Easter Island?” I love to research, so I found a good eco hotel, Nayara Hangaroa, and flights—then within six days, we were flying from LA to Atlanta to Santiago, Chile, and then five hours deep into the Pacific.
What did you do once you got there?
So I don’t research everything because I want it to become a discovery. I just knew the Maoi were there. So we got to the hotel, unpacked, and started wandering. People were very friendly immediately. We walked out of our hotel a few steps and were invited to a barbecue! It’s such a small island, so they know when you’re a visitor. They’re curious why you’d come so far, and they want to show you their island.
What was the best souvenir of the trip?
I have a miniature Moai that one of the residents—actually one of the waiters from the hotel—gave to me. I have that in my office because it just shows the generosity of the people. I don’t tend to buy a lot of souvenirs. I like things that someone gifted me something or I found, so it’s beautiful that I have that.
What he packed
What clothes did you pack for this particular trip?
I knew it was going to be warm there at that time of year, so I packed a few pairs of shorts—a dress pair, some casual ones, and maybe one to two pairs of swim trunks. One is usually a Speedo, and the other one is a short length, like four inches. It all depends on how comfortable I want to be. I have some swimwear from Jacquemus because they do anything boating and swimwear beautifully. Then, I always pack a lot of T-shirts. I did dress a bit more colorful because I was like, ‘It’s the South Pacific.’ My shopping is all over the map. I have T-shirts I bought in bulk from Costco that cost little to nothing, and then I’ll have a $500 T-shirt because of the fabric and texture. I also always have a standard J. Crew sweatshirt because I love the material.
