Take 2 iPhones, 3 pillows and fly Air France: hotel designer Kelly Wearstler's top travel hacks
Top interior designer
Kelly Wearstler has been synonymous with a distinctively West Coast glamour – '70s cool shot through with a liberal dose of
Old Hollywood – ever since she established her namesake firm 30 years ago. A member of Architectural Digest's Hall of Fame, the South Carolina native has overseen the design of hotels, such as
Viceroy Santa Monica and Avalon Beverly Hills, plus restaurants, such as the one at the Bergdorf Goodman store in New York, as well as partnering with Serax,
the Rug Company , Hummer and other brands. She was also the first outside designer tapped to create a new palette for the legendary British paint company Farrow & Ball.
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Wearstler's latest project is the Substack-based newsletter Wearstlerworld, in which she plans to share behind-the-scenes looks at her life as well as tips and tricks for travel and decorating.
La Premiere class on Air France is regarded as one of the most luxurious ways to fly, and the airline is a favourite with interior designer Kelly Wearstler. Photo: courtesy Air France
Wearstler logs around 150,000 air miles annually, pinballing back and forth between the West Coast (she lives in Beverly Hills) and Europe, and vacationing with her husband, developer Brad Korzen, and their three sons, Oliver, Elliott and Crosby, who are 20, 21 and 2½ years old. Her carrier of choice is
Air France – but only if she absolutely has to go commercial. 'Flying private is top of my list, of course, when it works out, but I really love Air France,' she says. 'I just flew La Première to Paris. I was able to get upgraded from Business. You get taken right to the aeroplane. And in the first-class lounge in Paris, I recently had a six-hour layover, and I got a facial and a massage.'
Here are her best travel hacks (besides fly private, of course).
Check-in luggage? Book two cars
For the last 10 years, I have had two drivers pick me up when I land at LAX. I get off the plane and greet one driver and give him my luggage ticket. I leave, and he then waits to pick up my luggage at the carousel and drives it home. I get right out of there, and he shows up 45 minutes later. Wherever you go regularly and know a driver, you can do that – like in Austin, where I know my driver too.
Don't waste time with ride-hailing services like Uber, advises Kelly Wearstler: book a private car instead. Better yet, book two! /AFP
Don't mess with Uber et al when you're on a trip
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