Tracee Ellis Ross is a seasoned solo traveler. The 52-year-old actor has been traveling by herself since she was 25. And now, she's sharing the many lessons learned from her trips over the years.
In Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross, which premieres on July 25, audiences will follow her on solo adventures to Morocco, Mexico, and Spain.
"Something clicked. I'm responsible for my own happiness," Tracee explained in an exclusive clip from the show. "So much of what solo traveling is, is about not waiting for something in order to experience my life."
When it comes to packing, Tracee has her go-to essentials. "There's always one bathing suit, a flip flop, and a little dress I can roll up," Tracee told Travel + Leisure about her packing essentials. "And there's always two undies."
Why just two? She explained that she washes her delicates in hotel sinks using shower gels. "If I'm gone for a month on this trip, you can’t pack a month's worth of underwear," she said. "How do you do that? They take up a lot of space."
After her comment circulated online, Tracee clarified her system: "I pack two pairs in my carry-on…in case my luggage doesn't make it," she wrote to her 11.3 million Instagram followers. "This is hilarious."
The Black-ish actress and daughter of music icon Diana Ross, grew up traveling with her mom for work and even living in places like Paris and Switzerland. Those experiences shaped her approach to travel.
"[I] really learned how to find home inside myself," Tracee told Travel + Leisure. "[Travel] allowed me to see the similarities between human beings no matter where we are."
In a recent Instagram post, Tracee showed the realities of traveling – sitting on luggage to make sure all her clothes fit and lounging in hotel pools. She captioned the post: "I hope [Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross] reminds all of us that we can live our lives courageously on our own terms and be our best selves, by ourselves, out in the world."
Tracee says that traveling solo "means I can do what I want when I want."
Her advice for anyone curious about traveling solo? "Start by going to dinner by yourself on a Friday night. See if you can do that. And you might not be a person who can do that. You might say, 'I'm not doing that ever again.' Then you're not somebody who can go on vacation by yourself."
As for Tracee, she will continue solo traveling.
"My life is really busy," she told Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist on TODAY with Jenna & Friends. "I go away by myself to decompress and enjoy the luxury of being."