Lance Bass Hates to Travel Without This One Super Adorable Thing

Many of us will always remember Lance Bass as one of the members of the overwhelmingly popular music group N'Sync during that magnificent time period that was the early aughts. Since then he has flourished as a producer, host, and media personality, as well as dedicated philanthropist and environmental activist. He is a member of the Environmental Media Association's board of directors. But when he isn't traveling all over the country for work, he can be found playing games both online and on the board, and traveling with his husband, artist Michael Turchin.

The gamer recently partnered with Tru by Hilton to host their Tru Connections CONNECT 4 Tournament to celebrate the brand’s recent 50th hotel milestone at Tru by Hilton Salt Lake City Airport. Travel & Leisure spoke with Bass about his best travel hacks, his most memorable trip and what he can't travel without—it'll make you cry it's so sweet!

Travel and Leisure: What’s the one thing you can't travel without?

I used to say my husband. I hate traveling alone. My husband is the best traveler. That is the reason I knew I could marry him.

What’s the one place you’ve never been to, but you’ve always wanted to visit?

A couple of places: New Zealand, I've always wanted to go. I've never done anything like Bali. The only tropical places I've been to [are] The Bahamas and Mexico.

What's the best trip you've taken?

We've had some pretty incredible trips, but we do New Orleans a lot. That's always a really fun thing for me because I grew up around there. One of my favorite trips was when we went to South Africa and went on a safari in a place called Singita. It was just the most magical week.

[With some safaris] it feels like you're at a Disney park and this was just so authentic. There were only about 12 of us staying at this camp and I got to see the Magnificent Seven (rhino, elephant, leopard, lion, and buffalo, plus southern right whales and great white sharks), which I guess is really hard to see. And at the end of the week I proposed to my husband!

What is your routine on the airplane?

I like it all. I treat planes as a bed. It's the only time I can really catch up on sleep. If I'm not sleeping I'll definitely be eating and watching all of the latest movies. I actually enjoy the downtime of flying. It reminds me of being on a bus, and I grew up on a bus. Anything that makes noise and moves, it rocks me to sleep.

Do you have a plane uniform?

My assistant used to call it my Jetson uniform, because it is always the same thing: Workout pants by Lululemon — they have these amazing cargo pockets; you are basically wearing a purse — v-neck t-shirt, and a hoodie, which I use as a pillow in case they don't have good pillows. It's all about the layering. You never know if the plane is gonna be hot or cold. They never know how to get it perfectly.

What brand and size is your go-to carry-on bag?

My little Tumi bag is the best thing ever. I have a big one too, of course, but I hate checking luggage and Tumi has this perfect size bag. I've had it for five years now and it's just been my buddy.

What skincare products do you always travel with?

I hate having dry skin, which happens on the plane, so I always carry Squalane oil. Squalane is made from sharks but, of course, we don't want to kill sharks for this so they invented this chemically-made one that is just great and makes my skin glow.

What other items do you consider essential for your carry-on bag and why?

I have every charger. My favorite thing is my iPad 2. I've had it for 9 or 10 years. It is the best thing I've purchased in my life. I've gone through 20 iPhones, but this has never broken! It stays charged for 4 days. I'm a big gamer, especially on planes, so it has Smurf Village, every Angry Birds you can think of. Transformers, I have it all.

Do you have a trick for beating jet lag?

Immediately get on the time zone and drink tons and tons of water.

What is the best hotel you ever stayed at?

Tru by Hilton of course! It's just the perfect connection for me to work with them because travel is such a huge part of my life. I travel every week. I've seen pretty much every hotel in this world so it's nice to find places like Tru that make it a little bit more home feeling when you're there. What they've done with their lobby is incredible. There's something for everyone. From the food to the leisure time to meeting people and playing board games. It's just a really great way to connect. I love the one here in Salt Like cause it's right next to the airport. No mad dashes. You get a good extra 30 minutes of sleep.