There are a few travel rules Rachel Griffiths swears by. Don’t drink on the plane. In fact, don’t eat on the plane. Get on local time as quickly as possible. And never forget your packing cubes.
Travel is a necessary part of the job for an actor. Ever since her breakthrough role in Muriel’s Wedding, Griffiths has spent a lot of time working abroad. Many gigs take her to Hollywood, but her latest took her to New Zealand. In the new TV show Madam, on Channel Nine, she stars as an American woman in small-town New Zealand who opens an ethical brothel to provide for her family.
But Griffiths also loves to travel for pleasure – recent trips include a three-month stint in Italy. Here, the screen star tells us the good and bad of her travelling life, as well as the story of the one holiday she wishes she didn’t take.
Who makes an excellent travel companion?
I think it’s nice to have a different skill set. If you’re not a highly organised person, it’s good to [travel] with somebody who loves doing all that research. And you’ve got to have someone who wants, sensually, the same stuff as you – whether that’s outdoor adventure or food. I think you need the same appetite to be satiated.
What’s your earliest childhood holiday memory?
Taking the train to Brisbane, arriving at my grandmother’s house in Clayfield and seeing a mango tree for the first time. My brothers and I scampered straight up and hung there like monkeys until we were almost sick.
It was like arriving at the Garden of Eden. Mangoes were really uncommon growing up [in Melbourne] (it was such a special thing to get a mango!) and the fact they grew on trees just blew my mind.
Describe your most memorable travel meal – good, bad or just surprising.
My favourite travel meal of all time was in an Amtrak dining car with my mother and four-year-old daughter, Adelaide. We took the train from Los Angeles to Chicago – I’m mad about train travel – and we crossed the Mississippi River with an entire dining cart full of Amish women. They were all sewing.
Do I remember what I ate? Probably not, but it was like, you’re not in Kansas any more! Or, actually, we might have been in Kansas. I think we were in Kansas. But it was just one of those amazing travel experiences.
Where’s the most relaxing place you’ve ever visited?
Relaxing is when you don’t feel obligated to go to that gallery or that museum or that Instagram site.
So probably when I was pregnant with my first child and we went to this tiny little spot in Queensland called Oak Beach. We rented a house that I think might have once belonged to Peter Allen on the beach. I was kind of hiding because I didn’t want to be publicly pregnant yet, and there was just nothing to do but eat, swim, breathe.
I think I feel more relaxed holidaying in Australia because I don’t feel like I’m meant to be doing “the stuff”.
And the most stressful?
I found Florence pretty stressful because it was having a peak tourist moment when we went last year. Getting around, the crowds, and realising you either have to stay in line for a really long time or be so close but not be able to actually see the David [sculpture] was quite frazzling.
What’s your holiday ritual?
No matter what time I arrive, I dump the bags, have a shower and go out. Even if you get in really late, I think it’s important to just go and grab the vibe of the place.
What’s one item you always put in your suitcase?
In my carry-on, noise-cancelling headphones and a good eye mask. I also usually bring my own travel blanket or a very fine shawl. If I’m in economy, sometimes I’ll just put it over my head. You can still breathe but you’re in your own little bubble where you can sit and watch your content.
And in my suitcase? I always travel with a laundry bag so I can keep my dirty things separate. And I’ve been into packing cubes for an extremely long time, before they were a thing.
What’s your biggest travel regret?
Thinking that the 2000 Olympics were going to be a massive dud – so I went to Europe. And everyone was like, “You should come home! It’s really amazing!”
I thought I was so smart leaving and then had the biggest Fomo. Everyone in Sydney, and anyone awake for those games, has said it was just one of the best times of their life. I’m like, I could have been there watching Cathy win the 400! But no, I was all smart on the other side of the world.
