Whether my travel plans are a week abroad or two days outside of town, my biggest struggle is knowing what to pack in the suitcase. I’m over-/or under-packing no matter what.
Tracee Ellis Ross revealed an interesting hot take about why she only travels with two pairs of underwear, and I realized I’m doing it all wrong.
According to People, the Black-ish star spoke at the 2025 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Summit in New York on July 15, to speak about the benefits of solo traveling.
Tracee was on the cover of Travel + Leisure’s The Best in Class Issue in 2023, and she has a new travel show coming out on July 25 called Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross on Roku. It’s fair to say the Golden Globe winner knows her stuff.
When packing for a vacation, Tracee said, “There’s always one bathing suit, a flip flop and one little dress I can roll up. And there’s always two undies.”
When Travel + Leisure’s Editor-in-Chief Jacqui Gifford followed up on the “two undies” of it all, Tracee apparently explained that she uses a bar of soap, a hotel sink, and shower gel to wash the underwear. Then, she rises off the soap and dries the undies on a towel rack.
“If I’m gone for a month on this trip, you can’t pack a month’s worth of underwear,” Tracee said, according to the publication. “How do you do that? They take up a lot of space.”
I think Tracee just unlocked some new information for me because I most definitely would’ve attempted to pack 30 pairs of underwear in one suitcase for a month-long trip. I’m house-sitting my goddog for a week, and I packed eight pairs of underwear, so I know how I roll.
Solo traveling is an acquired taste and not for everybody, but Tracee’s tiny tidbit just opened up a door for me, because I never thought about a mini (very affordable) laundry session in my hotel sink.
I need more travel tips! It’s your turn. What are your travel hacks and secrets, whether you’re a solo traveler, a group excursion type of pal, or always on adventures with your family? Share in the comments or use the anonymous form, and let’s change lives with our responses.