Brunette beauty Olivia Culpo began her career on the pageant circuit, but 2012’s Miss USA didn’t stop there. Since winning the first competition she entered – Miss Rhode Island USA – the brown-eyed model and actress has become a fashion influencer with a massive following.
When she isn’t posting gorgeous photos on social media, the 24-year old is jetsetting from Los Angeles to New York to Europe and beyond. Her next stop isn’t within the US, so she’ll need a passport and some sunscreen. Regardless of domestic or international travel, Olivia has a few packing essentials she can’t leave home without.
Read on to find out what the 5’7″ stunner just bought in Paris, where she dines in New York, and so much more.
Q: Where’s your favorite place to travel?
A: Somewhere warm. A few of my top places are Hawaii, Bali. I’m dying to go to the Maldives. That’s my next destination.
Q: Where was your last vacation, and what did you do there?
A: The last vacation I went on was in The Bahamas. We were on my friend’s boat. We had so much fun. We went to these little islands, got out, played on floaties, took great pictures and found amazing wildlife like sand dollars and starfish. Then we went back and had a cookout. Every day was pretty much just like that.
Q: What are your packing essentials?
A: My go-to essentials would have to be my Degree Women’s Ultra Clear Black + White Dry Spray. I love to travel with a hydrating mist because my skin gets so dry, and my favorite makeup products. I always have to travel with an exfoliator and a body lotion, because that’s something that’s really important – keeping the skin hydrated. [I bring] a multivitamin and fish oil, any sort of skincare mask or a peel, and a round brush.
Q: What’s your favorite souvenir from a recent trip?
A: Probably my newspaper boy hat that I just bought during Paris Fashion Week.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Paris?
A: My favorite thing about Paris is the culture. There’s so much history. It’s definitely different from L.A., which is where I spend most of my time these days. New York has the same kind of cultural, historical charm. Paris has that as well. It’s just so much more foreign to me because it’s in Europe, of course. They do such a great job of preserving that culture. Every time I go there, I always try to go to a museum.
Q: Which museums do you visit in Paris?
A: The Lourve is so classic.
Q: What else do you love about Paris?
A: There are so many things about Paris, in general. It’s so fashionable. It’s not only about the people. It’s the architecture, the interior design, the cuisine. Everything about it is so impeccably curated.
Q: Are there any foods you love to eat there?
A: Macarons, definitely.
Q: Do you have a favorite macaron flavor?
A: I don’t have a favorite flavor macaron. My favorite thing, honestly, is to try a bite of every single one, because you never know if you’re going to like it! It’s a mystery! It kind of gets you though, because you end up eating one bite of a whole box, and end up having, like, seven.
Q: When you’re in New York, do you have a favorite restaurant?
A: I have a few favorite restaurants. Scalini Fedeli – it’s so romantic. Something about it – the interior is beautiful. It’s like something you’d see in Europe. I also love Quality Italian, Boucherie, The Butcher’s Daughter, and Levain Bakery. I’m also a big fan of Carbone.
Q: Any places you’d love to revisit?
A: Paris. I love going to Paris. I was just in London. That was so fun. The Bahamas. Loved Hawaii. Those are all places I was in in the past month
Q: Any destinations you wouldn’t care to revisit?
A: I wouldn’t think that I have that experience, because I think there’s never enough. I think every experience is different – it’s a different time in your life, or weather-wise it’s different. I love to go everywhere. I wish we all could just snap our fingers and travel at the speed of light. That would be awesome.
