Oh, the places she’ll climb, hike, and drag her family to
Oh, the places she’ll climb, hike, and drag her family to
A hard-earned view after climbing to the top of this limestone cliff at Railay Beach, Thailand.
It takes a professional like a Flytographer to get the Redman family to sit still for a photo (in Paris).
Glamping in the Arabian Desert, courtesy of Our Habitas AlUla.Last trip? I spent a week in Saudi Arabia, visiting Sharaan Nature Reserve, a rewilding site in the deserts of AlUla, followed by some serious pampering at Six Senses Southern Dunes, the first hotel in, and entry point to, the Kingdom’s Red Sea development. More than a dozen hotels will open next year in what’s being called a “mini-Maldives” archipelago of islands, set amid cobalt-blue water and a fairly undiscovered reef system. I got a tour of the St. Regis Red Sea overwater bungalows and beachfront villas fit for Saudi royalty (seriously, a princess was there at the same time).
The following week, I was on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, for some spring-break sunshine with the family — thanks to Beach Enclave and The Shore Club, we were in the pool from dawn until dusk, with plenty of kiteboarding on Long Bay in between.
Next trip? I’m in the middle of planning my family’s two-week sojourn around Scotland: first stop, Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, then a road trip around the Highlands via Loch Ness and Loch Lomond. Expect many IG photos of castles, coos, and mythical beasts.
Checked bag or just a carry-on? If I’m traveling solo, WNDR LN (Wander Lane, a travel and fashion line by my pal Evita Robinson) or Away carry-on all the way. If I’m traveling with the kids, we have to check bags — we don’t have enough adult hands to manage otherwise.
Travel outfit: Dress up or dress easy? Dress easy in Vuori joggers, a lightweight hoodie, and some white leather Victoria trainers (like Veja but cheaper and with more cushion, IMHO). Swap in my black leather jacket when we land. (I sound like such a New Yorker…. I don’t wear leather to the beach!)
Comfort item you always bring on a flight? Recently it’s been my AirFly Bluetooth transmitter — because nothing is more comfortable than being able to actually hear the in-flight movie with your own wireless headphones.
Your favorite hotel on earth? Nayara Tented Camp in Costa Rica — namely, hammock or private-plunge-pool views of a mist-shrouded Arenal Volcano at our luxury tented suite. But it was the staff that made Nayara our family’s favorite resort in the world. Owner Leo Ghitis and his team deliver the most generous, familial hospitality, treating the kids like guests instead of nuisances, whether they were doling out free ice pops at the Nayara Gardens pool or stocking our room with our favorite tropical fruits each morning. We cried when we left.
Nayara resorts in Costa Rica have multiple adult-only and family pools across the Gardens, Springs, and Tented Camp. 
Queenstown, New Zealand, is like one big natural theme park. 
Laura makes a rare photo appearance in front of Elephant Rock in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. 
Hailey, age 6, faces her fears and feeds kangaroos at Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in Australia. 
Chilling poolside at Beach Enclave in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. 
One of our most epic trips? Hiking to see an Iceland volcano erupt in May 2021. When you arrive at your hotel, do you (a) unpack immediately, (b) gradually unpack, or (c) never fully unpack? Unpack immediately! So do my kids — it’s a source of comfort.
You’re flying with your companion in a 3-3 seating configuration. Do you request the middle seat? Aisle + aisle across? Aisle + window with a stranger in between? Aisle + window and if there’s a middle-seat stranger, we’ll give them the aisle (I’m a weirdo who doesn’t mind taking a middle seat).
Airport (or city) where you wouldn’t mind an hours-long layover? Three-way tie for Istanbul International, Singapore Changi, and Hamad International in Doha. I spent a few peaceful hours recently — reading, sipping a Ralph’s latte, and eating a pain au chocolat — beneath palms in the self-misting park in Doha. I could while away a day just hanging out in Changi, enjoying its butterfly garden and movie theater. (Back in the day, local students would also come to Singapore’s international airport to use the Wi-Fi to do their homework.) I wish I had more time to shop for souvenirs at the epic bazaar at the Istanbul airport; I spent my entire layover napping in the swank Turkish Airlines lounge instead.
Favorite words to hear while traveling?
“We’re set for an on-time departure…”
“Your French is very good!”
“You look like you’re [insert local nationality here].”
What item or souvenir do you most regret not buying on a trip? Je ne regrette rien!
Was there a trip you took when you were young that shook up your worldview in some lasting way — one that literally changed your mind? I studied abroad in Australia from June to December 2001. I wrote a whole thing about it, but the TL;DR is that this trip gave me my first global perspective of the U.S., set me down a path of study (international politics), and cemented Australia as my forever safe haven, my happy place.
What was the last place you visited that took your proverbial breath away? A sunrise hike in AlUla’s Sharaan Nature Reserve, looking out over the canyonlands of a place that felt both otherworldly and very familiar, like I was caught somewhere between Utah and Mars.
