What Soccer Star Crystal Dunn Is Bringing to the Paris Olympics

The USWNT defender is preparing to make her third Olympic appearance in the City of Love.

I finger like it ’s so funny because everyone on the squad pack and travels so differently . We in reality have countless conversations with each other about how many bags you are taking , what did you pack , what is in your suitcase ? I ’ve been to a couple of these tournaments now and I ’ve learn that you take what you retrieve you absolutely demand , whether that ’s your favorite sweatshirt , your favorite sweat pants , but it ’s not overpacking . When I was a younger musician , I used to take so many thing that I thought I need and then you get to the tourney , you ’re not really wear out all the clothes that you pack . And then you have this full suitcase of things that you never even needed .

France is going to be in the middle of summer . I ’m bringing a couple of sweats , a twosome of sweatshirt , your favorite short that you ’d need to take the air around alfresco of the hotel in , some comfy brake shoe . My biggest thing is check that I have all the skincare and haircare products that I need . We are going to a area that has anything that you could obviously buy . But for me , being a womanhood of people of color , I have braids . I want to make certain that my hair is getting everything that it needs to be able to last the whole time that I ’m at the tournament . I ’m really big on toilet articles and just establish certain you have all the matter that you take in that section .

I do n’t really remember the last time I travel alfresco of work , if I ’m being true . We do n’t really get a whole lot of holiday time . But after the World Cup last yr , my married man , my son , and my nanny went from New Zealand to Fiji . And yes , it was at the fundament end of a tournament , but technically locomote to Fiji was for vacation . That was my fiddling mini holiday , even though it was after a tournament .

A collage featuring Crystal Dunn and some of her travel products.

Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist

The biggest gift that I feel like I ’ve received and that I would need to give to people is the gift of move around . Soccer is such a global sport and it has taken me to so many incredible places that I would n’t have unremarkably seen . It ’s also surd because when I do travel , I only get to see so much of a new culture and a newfangled place , because I see the hotel , I see the soccer field . In the little snatch of prison term that I have in between game or grooming , I test to get out into local communities to be able to fully maximise the time that I have while I ’m there . But it is n’t always easy when I travel with a team to be able to in full swallow myself in the newfangled culture and the newfangled place that I ’m visiting .

It ’s incredible to be able to really see Modern place , to be give away to raw cultures and dissimilar people . I think that ’s something that has shaped me . I grew up in New York , so I was already quite used to and well-fixed with many different cultures , many different multitude , different walk of life story . I think travel has just move that experience for me .

Rapid fire

Window , middle or gangway seat?Window . Just gather me right into that corner .

Window candid or windowpane closed?Definitely window closed . I think when I ’m landing I care to see what things look like outside , what the weather is and thing like that . But yeah , definitely the window closed .

What ’s your best-loved way to pass the time on a plane?I’m into reading now . I listen to music , I watch shows . I essentially find every avenue to toy with myself . I ’m also a big slumberer , so if anything , I feel like I just have so many options of , all right , if I do n’t want to read , and I do n’t want to observe a show , and I do n’t require to listen to music , my eyelids will just be closed and that is totally fine as well .

Do you have a enceinte change of location awe or anxiety?For me it ’s just making sure that I can be well-off on woodworking plane . Athletes dwell on planes so much throughout the year — I finger like I ’m a good sleeper and it ’s something that I actually take a lot of pride in , because a lot of masses really ca n’t just diminish asleep on planes . Our bodies are our job , so you desire to make certain that when you mistreat off the plane you ’re in the in effect position to be able to perform in the upcoming days .

What ’s your favorite travel snack?I find like I switched up a lot . I ’m definitely a chip daughter , so I attempt to prefer the healthiest versions of chips that I really care , whether it ’s some baked Lay ’s or a barbecue chipping . Chips are obviously not the levelheaded , but whatever . I get laid what I make love , and I always tend to have some sort of chocolate . What ’s the steel that has hot chocolate - covered blueberries ? Brookside . I do n’t know why , I sometimes want a small saltiness and a little sugar . So I lean to have both option on planes .

Must-have travel items

Well , I go with haircare because that ’s really crucial to me . So definitely all the sprays , the gel that I need to check that my whisker is looking the way it require to . When you have tress , you just want to make indisputable it stays intact , that it ’s lasting as long as possible , but you want to have it check and not getting ironical due to the Dominicus and the perspiration . I just care accept a hairspray that gives it a bit of shine , and I definitely also have setting moose , which is really right for gold braid . And the brand is called Shine ' n Jam .

I bring a candle everywhere . No matter how foresighted or brusque the slip is , I wish having something that I think reminds me of just home and what I have in my house . Just a small-scale cd . I ’m not really fussy with candles , candidly , if they have a good odour . I ’m the individual that break down to Target and you have sex they have that monolithic wall display of all these candles ? I just pass an unnecessary amount of meter just sniff all the candles and I just choose one .

Some headphones to just be capable to really stymie out the world .

A photo of Shine n' Jam mousse.

Courtesy of Amazon

I tend to have my Kindle with me , and take my book .

by all odds a sleep masque because you never bang what the blind are go to be like in the various hotels . So I ’m like , yep , block up out all the sunlight .

I have a journal . I ’m into journaling , so I decidedly pack that .

A photo of a small candle from Target