While Julianne Hough made her mark in L.A. while competing on Dancing With The Stars, travel is her passion. The two-time TV show champ and Ohio native has lived in London and traveled a great amount for work. The triple threat actress, singer, dancer feels fortunate to experience it all.
“I’m a huge travel junkie. My husband and I love it so much,” she says. “We like to travel with friends. He and I enjoy different adventures and experience different cultures.”
By Hilary Sheinbaum, Celebrity Interviewer
In an exclusive interview, we caught up with the starlet as she attended an event in New York City for the new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus credit card. Here’s what she had to say about summer travel, her bucket list and going to Africa.
Hilary: Where are you traveling this summer?
Julianne Hough: We’re not sure yet; we’re in the thick of it trying to figure out what to do. It’s our first year anniversary, his 35th birthday and my 30th birthday. We think it’s a good year to do something fun. We’re thinking we want to do water. So, we’ve got a Fiji, Tonga, swimming with wales experience, maybe. We have Costa Rica on the mind, and then maybe Greece or something. We’re brainstorming.
Hilary: Have you been to any of those places?
Julianne Hough: Nope, I have not, and neither has he. We want to do something new.
Hilary: Besides those destinations, what else is on your travel bucket list?
Julianne Hough: I want to see the pyramids and get on a camel. I want to go to Congo or Rwanda and see the gorillas; I love animals so much. Anywhere in Africa. We definitely got bit by the Africa bug when we went a couple years ago for our honeymoon. We want to visit every country in Africa! That’s our bucket list, actually.
I’d love to go to Argentina, Brazil and Spain because of the dance culture. I grew up doing Latin dancing, so I’m like, I should probably actually go. Probably necessary.
Hilary: Do you take home souvenirs? Any from recent trips you’ve taken?
Julianne Hough: When we were in Kenya for our honeymoon, we went to the Maasai tribes and got to see the people. They make all this cool jewelry and it’s all by hand. We bought a few pieces. As we were left, one of the men came up to me and put something in my hand. He goes, “For babies!” and I was like, “Oh my!” It was this hippo carved out of stone. I said, “We’re not ready for babies! It’s not going to get me pregnant, right? You didn’t put a spell on it…?” but it was so cool.
We have this little thing that this guy carved out. We try to find little things, like some African stools that we got when we were in South Africa actually. Yeah, just little things. We like to make our house feel like it’s lived in.
Hilary: Are you the more adventurous one, or is your husband?
Julianne Hough: I’m probably more of the daredevil but he’s adventurous. He loves animals, and I love activity. It’s a great combination because Africa: we did safari and stuff like that. When we went to Seychelles, we went scuba diving and deep-sea fishing. In Zambia, we did Victoria Falls with the Gorge Swing. I like skydiving, and all that. He likes the animal experiences.
Hilary: Do you have a regimen for packing?
Julianne Hough: I’m kind of silly. I never used to be like this, but I pick out outfits and take pictures of them. They all go together in a folder on my phone, so then I only pack what I’m going to wear. I mix and match outfits. When I started doing that, my husband was like, “Well, maybe I should do that.” I have a whole photo album of him in different outfits for different trips. We have our fashion albums so we know what we’re going to pack. His face is just miserable in all the pictures though! (Laughs)
Hilary: How about in-flight rituals?
Julianne Hough: On the plane, I have this pillow that I got as a wrap gift, it’s from Ralph Lauren. It’s a grey cashmere pillow, with a cashmere blanket inside with a cashmere eye mask, which I literally never travel without anymore. I usually have a facial kit, especially if I’m traveling far, a toothbrush for sure. And I always have my little bag of crystals that I bring with me and essential oils.
Hilary: Do you unpack and put away your clothes when you check into hotels?
Julianne Hough: Always. That’s a big one for me. I have to unpack, even if we are only there for two days. It’s important to feel as at-home as possible. I set up my side table by my bed the way I like it. Those things make me feel like I’m settled. Once I’m settled then I can just go for it.
Hilary: Any other travel tips?
Julianne Hough: Do not over-pack when traveling to Africa because there’s a weight limit. They will not let you through. We had three bags. You’re only allowed to have one bag each, so we had to leave a bag at the airport. It happens. I left a bunch of stuff there. Definitely pack light.
