Given the pace of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s career—she’s published 10 monstrously successful books in 13 years, while also overseeing multiple adaptations of her work into film and television projects—it’s difficult to imagine the author ever struggles with writer’s block. But it does happen! There are times I feel as if I have the plot and need to get my mind out of it. Jenkins Reid says that when she feels like this, she and her husband and daughter will go to another movie. The AngelenoHaving set many of her novels in the sparkling lights and palm trees that characterize La La Land she tends to cool off at the nearest bodies or water like Malibu. Big Bear Lake. “Breaking out of the routine is a great way to shake up your staleness and re-energize yourself, both creatively as well as emotionally. “When I return to my desk, new ideas come to me.”
Her latest novel, AtmosphereTaylor Jenkins Reid spun a story about female NASA Space Shuttle colleagues who fell for each other in the 1980s. For her research, she took in HoustonJohnson Space Center’s humid air. She chats ahead with Condé Nast Traveler About glimpsing American Cities on Book Tours, ordering hamburgers from hotel robes, exploring English Architecture with her family.
She prefers to travel by:
I enjoy a good book. road trip. My favorite way of transport is the car, because it’s fun from the moment you get into it. My family sings the vacation song in the car. It’s a song written by my mom when I was young. The first thing is to start the vacation.
What type of packer does she look like?
I am a packer of clothes, but not for the sake of it. I’m really good at packing clothes. But I have a small cross-body bag—really, a glorified fanny pack—and every single thing that could possibly go wrong is accounted for in that bag. It’s like a Mary Poppins bag. Things keep popping out. I’ve got ibuprofen and Dramamine. I also have everything a person would need in terms of medicine. I also have lip balms, hand-sanitizers and protein bars. Wisps are handy if I need to brush teeth during the day. Since I travel so frequently, I have seen and experienced many different situations that could go wrong. The bag is full to the brim.
When planning a trip, her priorities are:
I am looking for relaxation. Being in nature and relaxing music are my two favorite things. [seeing] architecture. I like to explore a new city and take in the architecture. I also enjoy learning about the history of a place by observing how it functions. I can walk for many hours. In Europe, I especially love to walk.
During my daughter’s spring break last year, I had an impromptu European book tour. So I went first to LondonThen my husband and I joined them. We spent some time there, and some in Bath which is my favorite city in the world. You feel like you are traveling back in history. Then, we flew from Brighton to Italy and walked everywhere. Rome Before you spend a few days in Lake Como. It was great to see all the different cities because they have such different architecture! As I walked to Lake Como and ended my journey, I was able to enjoy the trees and lake. Nature and architecture guide me. They are the things that I most enjoy.
