‘Southern Charm’ Star Patricia Altschul Shares Tips For Traveling In Style
On Southern Charm last week, Patricia Altschul joked with Michael, her butler, that men have no idea what goes into looking fabulous, and the same idea applies to what it takes to travel in style.
The grand dame of the Bravo series told Luzanne Otte and Town & Country that there are must haves and must dos when it comes to travel to make life easier and travel smoother. She says when flying commercial, she prefers Delta Air Lines, but says that British Airlines is nearing the top of the list with their new direct flights from Charleston to London.
In order to breeze in and out of the airport and avoid as many pesky lines as possible, Patricia uses her memberships with CLEAR and TSA Precheck to expedite all of the processes. The Charleston doyenne says she prefers a window seat, and says she uses the website Seat Guru for suggestions and seat recommendations for the plane assigned to your flight.
“I prefer not to be disturbed every time the person next to me wants to get up. On most of my air travels, Michael stays home to secure the house and care for my menagerie. Since I don’t know who will be seated next to me, I take into consideration the types of people attracted to the bulkhead’s extra floor space: it’s prime real estate for those traveling with small children. Interpret that observation as you like.”
While Altschul says she usually checks three pieces of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage when she travels, she learned a lesson about checking electronic devices, saying that they belong in your carry on bag. She adds that packing should not be done in haste, and she tends to start packing with assistance one week before she travels. She goes through her itinerary and verifies that she has an appropriate ensemble for each occasion included, cleaned and pressed in her luggage.
To keep her garments fresh while traveling, Patricia recommends lavender sachets from L’Occitane en Provence. Altschul’s packing philosophy is inspired by the company which holds Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Warrant for laundry and dry cleaning, Blossom and Browne’s Sycamore, who advise wrapping each item in tissue paper after it’s neatly folded to avoid friction during travel.
After reaching her destination, she unpacks immediately, hanging her pieces individually in a closet or armoire, and giving anything that is wrinkled a steam in the bathroom during a hot shower.
Altschul’s last tip is to dress comfortably for air travel. She says she wears loose-fitting and monochromatic apparel with ballet flats and frequently carries a Birkin bag large enough to carry her passport, a boudoir pillow, and her cosmetics bag with a bubble-wrapped bottle of her signature fragrance, Muguet Millésime by Guerlain.
