‘The Traitors’ host shares his love of adventure, best travel tips, and packing must-haves
The proprietor of one of New York ’s hottest night life smirch , Club Cumming , and arguably the bestEmceeCabarethas ever seen , Scotch actor Alan Cumming is a true Renaissance man . Since 2023 , he has hosted Peacock ’s Emmy award - deliver the goods reality television competition showThe double-dealer , in which he masterfully guides fame participants through the ultimate slaying secret biz . But do n’t mistake this recent winner for being his only . The multi - hyphenate creative person and TV personality has earned two Emmys , two Tonys , a BAFTA , and an Olivier Award for his wave - making performances in London ’s West End and local theaters across Scotland before arriving stateside toconquer Broadway . But even the great unwashed who were n’t theatre kids would recognise Cumming ’s roles inEyes broad Shut(1999),Burlesque(2010 ) , and the belovedSpy Kidstrilogy .
In March , Cumming harbinger a partnership with Virgin Atlantic to celebrate the launch of its raw Clubhouse at LAX . The actor is lend his legendary spokesperson — Scotch dialect and all — to an exclusive bedtime story , “ ReLAX and Unwind with Virgin Atlantic and Alan Cumming ” which invites listeners to chill out and loosen up in the lounge before their flights . In honour of the social occasion , Thrillist postulate Cumming for a peek inside his life as a traveller , which , it turns out , include a preference for wandering , facial atomiser , and — it turns out — inadvertent cash smuggling .
Annie Harrigan : What is one of your favorite travelling memories ?
Alan Cumming|Design by Annie Harrigan for Thrillist
Alan Cumming : I like going to places where I feel culture shock . I pass to Bhutan at the kickoff of last year , and it was magical . I feel likeTintin . In fact , I take some pictures of me pretend to be Tintin — and my husband , he ’s an illustrator , made it into a Tintin cover . you may go places in the earthly concern where everybody speaks English , everything ’s familiar ; you have similar experiences , and stay in the same type of hotel . I love going somewhere where I just have no idea what ’s go on , and see things I ’ve never seen before . That ’s the most exciting matter .
AH : What is one thing you do in every stead you locomote ?
AC : I love to cheat . I ’ve been shooting a film inBrussels , Belgium , and the hours are so farsighted , and we ’re doing night shoots . Last weekend , I just got to wander around without a plan . I went to the Magritte Museum and a few other spots . It ’s really important to have a wander and piece up the vibes of a new home . It ’s the first thing I like to do .
I ’m all for escapade ; I am quite hardy . I hold out in New York , and every twenty-four hour period I spread out my room access and go out into the streets , an adventure get down . I require to attempt to repair that touch sensation wherever I go : match new citizenry , and get the hang of somewhere without it being dictated to me by a tour guide .
AH : Do you load down light or overpack ?
AC : I would say I ’m a wanton packer . I have phases where I just recollect , “ Fuck it , I ’m going to check hooey . I ’m going to take more thing than I need . I ’m go to have options . ” If I go off for calendar month and months to make a film , I ’ll do it . But recently , I ’ve been on the route , back and forth between Belgium and New York . Then , I ’m proceed to Canada . I do n’t get home until the end of the month , and I ’ve just fuck off one trivial trolley bag . unremarkably , when you do my job , you go to work and take your apparel off [ to change into a costume ] , so you do n’t really need that many of your own clothes . you could get by . I like hold up light , especially if you ’re changing flights — I detest the idea that my luggage is not going to be there . So , I always try out to take hand luggage , unless I ’m going for a long , farsighted time .
AH : What is something you absolutely can not locomote without ?
AC : I am a big buff of facial mist , so I always have a facial mist in my baggage .
I overpack adapters because I ’ve been bitten too many times from having the wrong fucking matter , and I ’ve learned to never rely on hotel having the right single .
I also take pass - flops wherever I go , even in the winter , because you never recognise if there will be a swimming puddle . I recollect flip - dud are things people forget , but you really should not .
I used to take a small carpet or a throw , something I could put on the sofa to make it feel more like abode . I do n’t do that any longer .
I also take books . I take too many books , actually . That ’s what weigh my baggage down . What I do now is I leave behind books behind when I finish the book — unless I have a really strong connection to wanting to keep the book of account , like if someone ’s signed it for me . Otherwise , I just leave it in elbow room or other places because I think it ’s skillful to pass it on when you cease read the book . I would say books are my most unneeded and bulky item .
AH : What is your favorite way to pass prison term on a carpenter’s plane ?
AC : I really love just doing nothing on a plane . My idealistic flight is about 13 hours because you may go on , have dinner party , watch a moving picture , take a sleeping pill , knock yourself out , get up again , finger great , and then do it all over again . I went to China to make a pic a match of times . I depart back and forth , and they were 17 - hour flights . I did n’t want to get off . I really just loved it .
I see fly as sentence to myself and metre when masses ca n’t get to me . A lot of my life is trying to find time when people do n’t have memory access to me in various ways , so a big , long flight is a toothsome thing .
AH : What is the weirdest thing you ’ve ever attempt to bring through airport protection ?
AC : I make headway two Emmys this year , and I knew I was n’t going to be allowed to take them because TSA think they ’re weapons . They ’ve baffle spiky bits , so I did n’t attempt to take them . Awards are hard because they can be made of glass , or they ’ve got a sharp pointedness , and people are frightened of them .
One prison term , I accidentally smuggled a ton of immediate payment through . It was the first and only time I ’d ever done a mirthful book normal , and I got paid in cash . I took a moving-picture show of myself with all this John Cash — it look like I robbed a bank . The day I got paid was a Sunday , and we had to go back to America but we could n’t put the money in the bank . So , I had to take it in my bag . Of course , I leave that you ’re only allow to take $ 10,000 in Johnny Cash through custom . It was a lot more than that , so I smuggle it ; I did some money laundering , smuggling John Cash into America . That was good . [ Laughing ] I ca n’t trust I ’m recite you this . That ’d be enough for Trump to get me fucking deport , probably .
