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Forbes.com

Destination: Celebrity travel tips

A-list travel tips

By Kiri Blakeley, Forbes.com
Between promotional junkets, film festivals and red-carpet appearances, celebrities can rack up as many frequent-flier miles as they do trips to rehab. Clockwise: Diddy, Kimora Lee Simmons, Steven Page and Ivanka Trump.

Between promotional junkets, film festivals and red-carpet appearances, celebrities can rack up as many frequent-flier miles as they do trips to rehab. Clockwise: Diddy, Kimora Lee Simmons, Steven Page and Ivanka Trump.



Hyperbole aside, just because they have access to the best seats on the plane, or are apt to FedEx their belongings rather than risk lost luggage, delays and decreasing in-flight perks have even the world's most seasoned jet-setters agreeing that air travel is worse than ever.

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They also agree that there are ways to make it easier, more comfortable, and yes, more fun. To uncover them, Forbes.com talked to a variety of famous faces, from rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs to Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks to heiresses Ivanka Trump and Lydia Hearst, and got their best travel tips.

Celebrities, of course, have it a bit better than your average flier. For one, they usually travel first class (if not on their own private jet or that of a friend). And only a luxury hotel will do. Not only that, a celebrity can afford all the products that make a trip more comfortable--cashmere blankets, eye covers, special pillows--as well as the latest gadgets, such as laptops, Slingboxes and iPods.

But there are ways even the average Joe can make his journey more agreeable.

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Kimora Lee Simmons, president of Baby Phat and creative director of Phat Fashions, wears lightweight fabrics on long flights. She also staves off dehydration by drinking lots of water. To keep her two children entertained, she brings reading material, games and toys.

When it comes to packing, Simmons swears by her Louis Vuitton luggage. ("I always need a bit of extravagance," she says.) Seems toting pricey gear makes traveling less of a chore.

Cross-country tours keep Barenaked Ladies lead vocalist Steven Page on the road for many months out of the year. He never leaves home without his noise-canceling Bose headphones, iPod and laptop.

And since the band is big on green alternatives, Page recycles his plastic water bottles, filling them up with tap water, shampoo or lotion, which he then totes along. He also uses a Canadian carbon-offset company, Offsetters.ca, which he gets through his travel agent. It calculates how many pounds of carbon dioxide his travels are generating, so the company can then plant enough trees (or use an increasingly popular alternative like methane capture) to offset the damage to the environment.

Then there are hotels. Celebrities favor luxurious ones, of course, especially boutique hotels. The Mondrian Hotel and the Sunset Marquis in Los Angeles, and the W Hotel Times Square and the Trump Hotel in New York were all recommended highly. Celebs also point to gastronomic delights such as Philippe Chow in New York, Tao in Las Vegas, Katana in Los Angeles and Prime 112 in Miami.

Montel Williams' chain of choice is the Ritz Carlton. He's also fanatical about tipping well and being polite to the staff.

"As anxiety-filled as you are," he says, "the person behind the counter has seen 60 people like you that day."

But perhaps the best way to travel like a star is to, well, travel like a star. You can do this by signing up for any number of travel packages that mimic the vacation of a celebrity.

One outfit that offers such deals is TravelWorm. The 15-year-old travel agency generally caters to the Las Vegas crowd looking to mimic the expeditions of say, Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. This, according to CEO Ben Rafter, might include a stay at celebrity magnets like Caesars Palace, the Palms Hotel & Casino or the Venetian, then a limo ride to and bottle service at a popular celeb-haunt like Pure, Tao, Light or Moon. Sometimes Rafter can even honor a request to stay in the exact same room where Paris or Britney had a romp.

Celebrity worship run amok? Not really, says Rafter. People just want to make sure they get a "blue chip" experience, and they know that celebrities opt for only the best in travel.

This story was posted on Wed, December 5, 2007



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