Four seasons into their hit Netflix show, Emily in Paris stars Lily Collins, Ashley Park, Lucien Laviscount, and Samuel Arnold are certified travel experts. I know this because I had the pleasure of chatting with the charming and witty crew via Zoom, and I learned all about their mostly top-notch travel tips. Lily and Ashley are from California, Lucien is British (duh), and although Samuel is actually a Paris native, he apparently still doesn’t know the city well… so, filming in Paris has been an exciting adventure for all of them. Alfie IRL didn’t hesitate to expose his pal during our conversation. “You’re still a tourist in Paris,” he teased Samuel. The French actor replied with a laugh, “Yeah, but I’m having a great time. I literally don’t know where I am half of the time.” Ignorance is bliss, they say. C’est la vie, they say.

The stars offered several packing list ideas and some sage advice for handling nightmare travel buddies or roommates. “We sound like we’re going on a survival camping trip,” Ashley joked about their lengthy responses. Lily agreed, “Literally. You gotta treat every trip as a survival. You really do.” Pro tip. Without further ado, I present: a very professional “How To Travel Abroad” guide, based on the Emily in Paris cast’s words of wisdom.

*Needless to say, you’re gonna want to check out the new season of Emily in Paris stat to see what the fuck is happening with Emily and her boyfriends, Camille’s pregnancy, and Julien’s status at Agence Grateau.

What To Pack For Your Abroad Trip (Aside From The Obvious)

Never in my life have I met people more prepared for a trip than this cast. In fact, I might hire them to do my packing from now on. For Lily, gel face masks are essential. “That’s a necessity for deep hydration,” she said. Lucien chimed in, “Face masks. No, I’m joking. Speaker, speaker, speaker. I need a speaker with me. I think everyone knows when I’ve arrived at work, whatever time that might be, but the music’s going.” I’m sure he’s just blasting Mindy’s smash hit, “Mon Soleil,” to get in the zone. Like Lily, Lucien also believes in hydration, but the Stanley cup kind. He’s just that girl.

Ashley, a fashion queen, recommends bringing an oversized blazer. Lucien added, “Swim shorts in the hand luggage as well.” (For my fellow Americans, a translation: “Bathing suit in the carry-on.”) Lily suggests throwing an extra pair of underwear in your carry-on too. You can never be too cautious, I suppose.

Where To Get The Best Activity Recs

Lily goes straight to her husband, Charlie McDowell, for itinerary suggestions. “He does a lot of deep diving, a lot of research, a lot of local chat, websites for sure,” she explained. Not to fear: If you don’t have a husband or if you just have a useless-in-this-department husband, there are other reliable strategies. “I’m more call a friend, more phone a friend,” husband-less Lucien says. “Yeah, taxi drivers. I say taxi drivers. Taxi drivers or Uber drivers.” I would low-key buy this man’s travel advice book if he wrote one.  

Or you can be like Samuel, the B-list friend. “Me, I just go with the flow,” he admitted. “If I book the ticket, that’s already too much.” Real. Lucien poked fun at his co-star, emphasizing that Samuel is “probably awful” for this question. 

Ashley’s a social media rec girlie. “Honestly now, because I am very visual and aesthetic based and I take a lot of recs from TikTok or Instagram Reels,” she said. “I’ll just type in the city and be like, what’s happening?” I can’t personally condone Instagram Reels as a concept when TikTok exists, but to each her own. 

How To Handle Nightmare Roommates/Travel Buddies

I fear there’s always a chance of severely clashing with your travel buddies or study abroad roommates… even if they were already your friends. The cast offered their insights on what to do in this sticky sitch. “I just say get out and go on your own mission,” Lucien advised. “Do not let your friends defeat your holiday, your staycation, whatever it is. Go out on your own and just take it all in and leave them behind.” Ditch whoever’s annoying you and thrive solo — I, an avoidant attached woman, approve this message. Ashley interjected, “That felt like it was coming from somewhere real deep inside.” Apparently, Lucien’s had this cursed experience before, so his advice is indeed coming from somewhere real deep inside.

“It’s happened before and I’m good by myself,” he added. “I think it’s good to explore cities alone and just figure it out. But if someone’s holding you back, I think just run with it and yeah, you’ll land on your feet.” Ashley also endorsed quality alone time. She reflected, “As you grow older, everyone has that experience with a travel buddy that you’re like, ‘Oh, great friend. Should not have traveled.’ And then you get smarter about it.” It’s a canon event, truly. 

Lily thinks having a “similar packing vibe” and a “similar airport vibe” is crucial to traveling well with people. “Airport vibe’s a big one,” Lucien agreed. “I’ve got friends that want to get there three hours early and I am down to the bullet.” Maybe don’t follow his advice on that one. 

To Ghost Everyone From Home Or Not To Ghost Everyone From Home: That Is The Question

Samuel got real serious for a minute here. “I think that you should take time for yourself, but not neglect your loved ones,” he answered. “Taking time for yourself doesn’t mean that you don’t love people. It just means that you love yourself, and if they love you, they’ll understand. And if they don’t, bye!” I love this heartfelt justification for *mostly* ghosting.

Ashley and Lily both think it’s important to stay present and enjoy the moment — if a little ghosting happens, it’s not necessarily done with evil intent. “I know for a fact whenever we go away for months to film in Paris, it might seem like we’re distant from our home and our loved ones and stuff, but it’s because we’re being super present,” Ashley explained. Lily pointed out that ghosting isn’t always a “conscious decision.” She elaborated, “It’s really hard to maintain relationships with everyone that you would want to, to the amount and the extent that you would want to… you want to make sure that everyone feels loved and appreciated and missed, but you also have to give yourself the grace of space.”

Best Caption Ideas For Your Abroad Photo Dump

We’ve learned that staying present during your trip is key. But when you get back, it’s time to show off your travels on the gram with an impressive photo dump and make everyone you know jealous. Fortunately, Lucien has the perfect caption idea for you: “Somewhere, nowhere, but everywhere in between.” (This was met with a collective “ooohhh” from his castmates.) Samuel was a touch confused. “That doesn’t mean anything, does it?” he asked. Ashley called Lucien a “walking billboard.” She also suggested puns and the use of alliteration. Whatever you do, just avoid a painfully basic caption, please. Your trip photos and loyal followers deserve better.