La Carmina is an award-winning travel writer, blogger, and TV host. I first got to know her when we worked together on an article for Fodors.com about traveling to Brazil with the late Elizabeth Wurtzel, but you might recognize her from her appearances on shows like Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern (where she drinks fake blood out of a skull), Food Network’s World’s Weirdest Restaurants (where she goes to a Maid cafe), and Oddities (where she buys a taxidermy elk head).

She’s also a goth style icon – even when she travels.

La Carmina has visited over 75 countries – follow along on her stylish adventures on Instagram or Facebook, and read on for her favorite spots around the world.

Which websites do you use to plan a trip?

I like to check Reddit for offbeat, alternative, and local suggestions.

Favorite travel hack?

If you have an economy flight without seat selection, check in to your flight as soon as it is allowed (usually 24 hours before departure). This way, you have more options for selecting a great seat before everyone else checks in. Also, if a seat is “automatically assigned” to you at check-in, you’ll be more likely to get an aisle or window if you check in early.

What’s one thing you always make time for when traveling?

Even if it’s a very quick trip, or one that’s packed with work, I’ll find time to walk around and eat something local – I find this is the best way to get a sense of the destination.

Do you have a suitcase or bag you love?

I’ve been using Away luggage for years, which has held up well. The chic designs and colors are a bonus: my current large suitcase is lavender.

What’s the one thing that’s always in your carry-on?

Moisturizer is a must, as the airplane air easily dries out my skin. I like La Roche-Posay Lipikar, as it’s a heavier cream.

Any specific toiletries or beauty products you always bring with you?

The Ordinary and La Roche-Posay moisturizer, several types of mineral sunscreen (I’m militant about sun protection), and my go-to makeup (which currently includes Half Magic glittery eyeshadow sticks and Rom&nd lip tint).

Favorite airline?

I have a soft spot for Japanese airlines like ANA and Japan Airlines. The service and food are quintessential “omotenashi” (Japanese hospitality) – and you can watch anime movies!

Favorite airport?

Haneda or Narita in Tokyo. I like to make a final stop at the duty-free shop to get my favorite yuzu (Japanese citrus) liquor before boarding, as well as a Cremia Hokkaido ice cream cone.

Most luxurious in-flight experience?

I flew business class on Turkish Airlines when I was invited to speak at the World Tourism Forum in Istanbul. The staff turned my spacious seat into a bed, and came by with a trolley of desserts and teas!

What’s the best thing you read on the plane recently?

I read a sci-fi novel, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (who also wrote The Martian) and couldn’t put it down. It’s about a man who wakes up and realizes he’s alone in a spaceship – and must piece together what happened and how to get home. It’s a creative take on sci-fi with a mix of humor and science.

What’s the kindest thing a stranger has done for you on your travels?

It’s a long story, but my filmmaker friends and I were late to board the ferry from Algeciras, Spain to Tangier, Morocco. We sprinted to the gate, and it was closing… but a passenger saw us and deliberately blocked the entrance so that we’d have time to board. That tiny gesture made a world of difference for our journey!

What’s the best bar you’ve ever been to on your travels?

While they may not have the best cocktails, I love horror, Goth, and bizarre-themed bars because they let me live out my dark dreams (or nightmares). My friends and I had fun at a Depeche Mode Baar in Tallinn, Estonia – it had drinks named after the band’s songs and showed their music videos on the walls. I recently visited Deathmatch in Hell, a hole-in-the-wall bar in Golden Gai, Shinjuku, Tokyo that played horror B-movies and served 666 yen cocktails! You can see all my Tokyo horror and Goth bar recommendations in this blog.

What’s the most surprisingly delicious food you’ve ever tried?

Engawa (flounder) nigiri sushi, especially if it’s flame-seared or sprinkled with black salt. The fish has a buttery texture that melts in your mouth. I eat it as much as I can when I’m in Japan, since it’s not always available in North America.

What’s the most incredible meal you’ve ever had?

I am still thinking about my omakase meal at Sukiyabashi Jiro in Ginza, Tokyo – known as the best sushi experience on the planet (Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama agree). It’s nearly impossible to get a seat at Master Jiro’s tiny restaurant, but my well-connected friend managed to hook us up. He served us 17 pieces of nigiri… I have never had sushi as fresh and nuanced as this.

Have any vacation meals inspired you to make your own version at home?

I’m obsessed with Japanese curry chain Coco Ichiban. I purchase their curry packs so that I can make it at home, but nothing beats the real deal.

What’s your favorite kind of souvenir to bring home?

I take a minimalist approach to consumption, so I don’t usually buy anything on my trips. However, I take hundreds of photos on my iPhone and Sony a7iv DSLR camera. Every now and then, I’ll take home a one-of-a-kind fashion item such as a floral kimono from Japan or a Colombian emerald and gold bracelet from Medellin.

Do you have any art/furniture/decor that you bought while traveling?

I try to keep my apartment as uncluttered as possible, but I have a few special pieces that remind me of my travels. They include sardine-shaped bowls from Portugal (I love sardines) and a skull watercolor from an artist I met in Reykjavik, Iceland.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever bought on a trip?

I am a mega-fan of the cute character Miffy the bunny, so I couldn’t resist getting a giant plush Miffy bag during my last trip to Japan!

Which hotel would you live in and why?

It’s hard to beat Royal Mansour in Marrakech: every detail is executed with the finest craftsmanship. My three-floor personal riad had an elevator, butler service, and a pool on the roof.

Where’s your favorite hotel room?

I recently stayed at El Cielo Hotel in Medellin and took full advantage of the freestanding egg-shaped bathtub and enormous bed.

Where’s the best hotel pool in the world?

I’d go for a suite with a private pool rather than a shared hotel pool. I had my own infinity pool overlooking palm trees and the ocean at The Ritz-Carlton Bali – it’s hard to think of a better place to watch the sunset.

Best cheap & chic hotel?

When I’m in Tokyo, I stay at Hotel Sunlite Shinjuku. It’s a no-frills business hotel with small rooms, but the price and location (near Golden Gai and Kabukicho) can’t be beat.

What’s your craziest hotel story?

I once stayed at the five-star Upper House Hong Kong, made a bunch of local Goth friends, and invited them to party in my giant suite overlooking the city! We have hilarious photos of dancing on the couches and cramming into the bathtub.

What’s the most surprising thing that’s ever happened at hotel check-in?

The Ritz-Carlton in Kuala Lumpur researched me, and left devil-horned cupcakes in my room because they knew they would fit my aesthetic!

Where’s your favorite place to visit in the summer?

I’m not a fan of the summer heat, which has gotten progressively worse with climate change – so I like going somewhere less stifling in the summer such as Iceland or Scandinavia. This way, you can walk around outdoors without feeling as if you’re in the pits of Hell.

Is there anywhere that you like to visit over and over again?

Tokyo, always! I’ve been going since I was a child and have many close friends there. I always look forward to returning to see them and visit my favorite restaurants, shops, bars, temples, and Goth clubs.

What destinations or travel experiences are at the top of your bucket list?

I have yet to travel to Antarctica, and Bhutan has been on my wish-list for years… hopefully I can make these trips happen soon.

My father-in-law Simon Parkes was a prolific landscape artist and an avid collector. Some of his works are going up for auction on September 17 (and in the meantime you can see everything on display at Stair in the Hudson Valley).

what I’m clicking:

A bender with the downtown art scene | The fish sauce terrorizing a Canadian town | Bears in the ozempic era | Why the internet suddenly loves Emeril | The Emily Wilson Odyssey roast | AI slop is coming for your bodega | Scary stories from the summer camp infirmary | Traveling solo after a devastating loss | What’s in a fruit bowl? | Kabul’s luxury hotel | The mystery of Martin Margiela | I wanted to be Anthony Bourdain | How to avoid the friendship trap | Nobody wants to say anything about Ariana Grande | The influencer recession indicator | America’s loneliness trap | Dolly Parton for the people

what i’m wanderlusting:

I am over airline loyalty at all costs, but I guess I have to be a United fan after they launched direct flights from NYC to Marseille next summer

where i’m traveling:

Sun Valley, Idaho for my 20th high school reunion. See you at Grumpy’s on Friday!

what i’m listening to:

Only Fantasy, a podcast about loneliness and intimacy (and Only Fans).

what i’m watching:

I’m planning a trip to the Himalayas and even though I’ll be nowhere near Everest, I decided to read Into Thin Air for the first time. I couldn’t put it down, and since then I’ve watched the movie Everest (not necessarily based on the book, but it’s about the 1996 disaster) and the documentary Sherpa (which was coincidentally filmed the same year as Everest). Next up is the IMAX movie and the accompanying David Breashears memoir.

what i’m eating:

Stumbled upon St. George Pizza in Maine, which is definitely worth the detour on a road trip along the coast. Other dining highlights in Maine included the molasses cookies from Swan’s Island Sourdough and the popovers from Common Good.

what i’m drinking:

In Madrid in August, my cousin and I stopped into Bodega de la Ardosa for a drink and we loved it so much we made the whole family come back for dinner with us the next night. I would get on a plane to Spain just to go there again. It turns out I love vermouth on tap.

what i’m coveting:

I’ve been in the market for a zebra print bag exactly like this Isabel Marant one, but since I’m unwilling/unable to spend $1000 on a fanny pack, I now have my eye on this Parker Thatch version with a nifty interchangeable strap.

what i’m recommending:

This slouchy hoodie is a staple of my spring and fall travel uniform, and recently I’ve been wearing it on the plane with a pair of these Ruti pants in blue zebra print.

what i’m reading:

The most disturbing book I read this summer is Penance by Eliza Clarke, which reminded me of In Cold Blood and Dark Places, but set in a gloomy English seaside town. Less creepy but just as haunting (in a good way) is Ia Genberg’s The Details. I can’t stop thinking about both of them.

what i’m bookclubbing:

Let me know if you’d like to join us to discuss The Rachael Incident in October!

what i’m preordering:

I cannot wait for American Hagwon

One thing I have learned lately is that it’s less about the where and more about the who. Unlike many of my travel writing peers, I do not particularly enjoy traveling solo, mostly because it’s not very fun. My main issue is that I like to be around people, but I’m also too shy to talk to strangers.

There are certain places where I’m perfectly happy to go it alone, though there’s something about being alone in a city that always makes me feel a bit lonely.

But Paris is different. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent so much time here, but I feel perfectly comfortable solo. I’m never alone here, really, since the city is a map of memories from previous visits. Some places are crystal clear, while others have been erased and rewritten multiple times. Many of the locations that define Paris for me I would never be able to find again, even if they still exist: the weird “Mexican” restaurant that let us drink for cheap on my study abroad program; the random apartment we rented that was full of family albums; the restaurant where my aunt accidentally told the waiter she loved him. Sometimes the memories that pop up are totally expected, and other times you’re walking down a random street and you’re like “oh wait, this was the secret entrance to that underground bar that looked like a chapel.” Memories have a way of keeping you tethered to a place.

what i saw

The only good thing about solo travel in a city is getting to see museums at your own pace. (For me, that means very fast. I basically have a one-hour time limit.) I had one full day and decided to see three things that have been on my list for a while, starting with The Pinault Collection at Bourse de Commerce. I went to their location in Venice a few years ago during the biennale and saw this incredibly spooky and memorable show of Pierre Huyghe’s creepy aquariums where the artist designed shells in the shape of Brancusi masks and real crabs were living inside.

When I visited in Paris, there was supposed to be some kind of fog sculpture in the rotunda. I strolled through the rest of the place (loved the witchy paintings by Romanian artist Victor Man) but I think somebody pooped their pants on the third floor so I had to escape the galleries quickly without taking in much of the rest of the art except a great Rothkoesque photo by Wolfgang Tillmans. It turns out the fog sculpture was broken, which I only discovered after sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for something to happen. They gave everyone refunds.

Then I went to 59 Rivoli, a former artist squat that I read about in the Messy Nessy guide a few years ago. Maybe a little touristy now, it’s six floors of artists studios that are open to the public. I wanted to buy a lot of stuff, but my husband has sort of tried to ban me from coming home from trips with armloads of random things to frame. I have not adhered to the ban, but out of respect for him I am trying to be a bit more discerning. But I could think of like 45 people who would want these alpine landscapes by Katrin Hinterholzer in their house, and at least 3 people who would want this extension cord by Jeanne Gourlaouen. (I would have absolutely purchased it if it worked with American voltage.) I also fell in love with Occulta Dama’s freaky-deaky puppets.

I had also never been to the Grand Palais. I had seen lots of buzz online about the Matisse show, but then I saw a poster for a Hilma af Klimt show and went to that instead. (I missed the one at the Guggenheim in 2018.) She is totally unmedicated and kooky but I would join her cult. I think she was really onto something, but I’m too stupid to tell you exactly what. I will say, though, that the exhibition space was slapdash and depressing and had elementary school gym vibes. I felt like I was going to vote. I don’t know if I would go back there to see art, but I want to go back for dinner at Le Grand Café and a rave under the big glass dome.

what i wore

It was 100 degrees in Paris, so I sweated my way through my favorite silk maxi skirt, a pair of cotton twill palazzo pants I bought on the street in Rome that take up so much room in my suitcase that I have to wear them on the plane, and a couple of tissue-thin t-shirts. I wish I had worn a bathing suit so I could have jumped in the canal.

what i ate & drank

My husband’s uncles live in Paris, so on my first night there I invited myself over to drink icy cold mojitos during the heatwave. Once it had cooled down enough to go outside, around 9pm, we walked over Pont de la Tournelle from their place to a restaurant I have wanted to visit for a very long time:

Read more

Last weekend I was one of the first travel writers to [redacted], where I accidentally channeled this scene from Robin Hood by wearing an off-the-shoulder peasant dress with ho…

Read more

Francesca del Balzo and Alice Russotti are the co-founders and creative directors of PORTA, a treasure trove of expertly curated tableware and hand-crafted home furnishings.

Before opening the shop, F…

Read more

I am obsessed with Stella Jean’s take on Haiti’s soccer jerseys

Read more

I went to the opening night of Grace Ives’ Girlfriend Tour at Underground Arts in Philadelphia and it was very fun.

Read more

Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl

Read more

I watched The Lost Boys for the first time recently and I still can’t stop thinking about the greased-up saxophone player. Can’t wait to see him on Broadway.

Read more

10. Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin

9. Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

8. Circe by Madeline Miller

7. The Destroyers by Christopher Bollen

6. Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell

5. God of the…

Read more

Since about 2010, I’ve visited a new country every year, including in 2020 when I went to Costa Rica for the first time that January. I didn’t go to any new countries this year, but…

Read more

I was in Harbour Island earlier this month and got to go to the last Junkanoo practice of the year. On Harbour Island they celebrate on January 1st, but many moons ago we spent…

Read more

Push their boundaries with a freaky-deaky co-ferment from Rose Hill Farms

Read more

When my sister Abby was in town a few weeks ago, we made an early evening pit stop at Neue Galerie, which is basically my ideal museum because you can see everything in under a…

Read more

The day I boarded the ship, I got a message from my editor that there had been a change of plans. Now, they needed a full photoshoot, and I’d have to model — face and everything. Luckily, I packed a suitcase full of gowns. (But in retrospect, I should have hit up the on-board salon for some professional hair and makeup.)

I spent the week with Natali Afsar, a Belgian photographer who has carved out a niche as THE chic ship photographer. I think getting my photo taken is actually kind of fun. Models have literally the easiest job in the world and if any of them try to convince you otherwise, just take that with a grain of salt because they’re probably too beautiful to have ever worked a real job.

See the full story in Oltre Magazine or keep reading for the behind-the-scenes scoop.

Subscribe now

where I went

The cruise started in Athens with stops in Milos, Chania, Ortigia, Taormina, and Sorrento before ending in Rome. If I could only choose one of those places to return to, it would probably be Crete, a Greek island that is so unique it should basically be its own country. (They agree.)

Otherworldly natural wonders, great food and wine, and some of the best beaches in the Med. We went to what is probably the worst beach in Crete and it was still pretty ideal: walking distance from town and crammed with loungers, but soft sand and crystal clear water.

who I met

Most of the people I met were first-time cruisers, lured by the promise that the RC yacht is not like other cruises. (It is in fact exactly like other cruises, only better.) Everyone on board was surprisingly young (lots of couples in their 40s) and surprisingly hot (there was a literal Victoria’s Secret model onboard). I already wrote about the most enigmatic person on board, a septuagenarian Italian woman who dressed exclusively in couture gowns and diamonds. The only other time I have seen this $500k Bulgari serpenti necklace was at a museum exhibit in Moscow. The rumor on board was that she did the inaugural sailing with her husband the previous week and loved it so much she just didn’t get off the boat. I hope she is still onboard.

what I ate

The food on board was better than it needed to be. I had the best spaghetti carbonara of my entire trip, and that’s saying a lot since I spent a week in Rome after the cruise. But the best thing I ate was this cold sesame noodle with crab. I still think about it sometimes. (Please tell me where I can find this in New York!)

My one critique of the food on board is that there was no breakfast buffet. I am not a breakfast person, so I love when I’m at a fancy hotel and I get to have some weird little salads, an Asian soup, and a chocolate croissant first thing in the morning. (Shout out to Velaa in the Maldives for having the best breakfast buffet in the world). The breakfast situation onboard was a little whack, honestly, since they had no non-egg, non-sweet, hot items. (But they did make me congee one morning, which is my ideal breakfast.)

My meals off the boat were mostly unremarkable except for on the Amalfi coast, where our boat driver took us to this restaurant for maybe the best spaghetti alle vongole I’ve ever had in my life, accompanied by some Furore from Marisa Cuomo.

what I drank

My mom is famously not allowed to drink gin because “it makes her want to rob a bank” so in solidarity with her, I tried a non-alcoholic Negroni made with actual zero-proof Tanqueray, vermouth, and Campari. (I also had plenty of real Negronis, French 75s, Americanos, and who can say no when a staff member cracks open a magnum of Whispering Angel?)

what I read

I’ve killed too many brain cells to reread The Odyssey, so I opted for the next best thing: Circe.

what I packed:

A Georgia Hardinge number similar to this one and a long mauve version of this Good American dress paired with a boxy silk kimono from Poochki. I packed but didn’t end up wearing a floor-length mesh dress that I got for $10 at one of those pay-by-weight vintage stores in Paris. My bag was a sparkly number similar to this one from Jennifer Miller. I also packed my silk robe from Kayll, which made a cameo in the photos. But most of the photoshoots happened in a bathrobe.

what I listened to

One night on board, they had a party where they had local musicians play and it was literally the best cover band I have ever heard in my life? Future brides, this is your sign to have a Dolce Vita wedding and hire these guys.

what I bought:

Since I was going back to Taormina, I made a plan to visit Antonio lo Turco to buy some earrings I regretted not getting last time I was there. He remembered us and was so happy we returned that he gave my mom and I each one of these little horn charms made of coral. I wear it all the time next to my shark tooth charm. I bought a pair of giant gold cross earrings that I wore to the Vatican a few days later.

is it worth it?

Did I have fun? Yes. Did I eat delicious things and see new places? Also yes. Would I pay $25k for this?

Read more

For my birthday a few weeks ago, Haley and I went to see one of the last performances of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. It was maybe the best performance I’ve seen on Broadway an…

Read more

Finally went to one of those shows under the BQE this weekend and now I’m obsessed with everyone in TV on the Radio.

Read more

Cole Escola as Little Edie in the Hamptons issue of NY Mag

Read more

Gurmit Kaur (seen here in Vogue Italia)

Read more

Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in a tree for 738 days.

Read more