“Paris Has A Special Spell On Me”: Jacqueline Fernandez On Her Idea Of Travel

What are your favourite holiday destinations?
I’ve been to quite a few amazing countries. I have to say though that Paris seems to have a special spell on me. I even love Italy, and going to the Maldives.  But I especially love going back home to Sri Lanka because of the beaches.

A destination on your bucket list? 
A place I haven’t explored yet but am dying to visit is Hawaii.

What is the best vacation you’ve had (or one of them)?
I went to Rio for one New Year with my sister and two other friends, and we had the time of our lives. It was so fun—we went to Copacabana, spent our New Years’ there, saw the Amazon. Another really memorable trip I made was last year when I went to the Amalfi Coast with my mum and my sister, and it was to-die-for. I’ve never been so rejuvenated in my life.

What was it living in Sri Lanka?
Oh, it was amazing. It’s a beautiful tropical island. People are always smiling; people are always happy. It’s really clean, which is something that people find quite surprising when they go there for the first time. Also, the food there is fantastic.

You have a restaurant there…
Yes, I do! I opened up a Sri Lankan restaurant [Kaema Sutra] over there as well because I believe in the cuisine so much.

What do you like to eat at your restaurant?
My favourite thing to have is something that my grandma used to cook a lot, and it’s called milk rice. It’s basically rice is cooked in coconut milk, and you have it with all your curries, dal, etc. And she would make this really yummy thing called cashew curry which was divine. I’ve made sure we get this in the restaurant too.

What kind of traveller are you? With a to-the-T itinerary or someone who goes with the flow?
Well, I used to be very itinerary-based. Now I’m kind of very “we’ll see when we get there.” But I think I’m going to reformat that and go back to itinerary-based because I’ve been ending up at these exciting places and not doing anything. Sometimes you end up missing out on a lot of things this way.

Is there a film location you’ve shot in that’s been memorable?
When we shot for Race 2 in Istanbul and Turkey, it was the first time I’ve ever been there. Honestly, it was one of the best shoots and one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. We also shot A Gentleman in Miami, and that was great. A lot of partying.

What kind of souvenirs do you shop for?
I always pick up fridge magnets. Usually when I’m picking stuff up for people back home it would be little key chains, or something duty-free—makeup, perfumes or chocolates. I don’t make it too hectic because I’m travelling a lot.

How do you keep fit-on-the-go?

Wherever I’m travelling I make sure that I’m signed up for a yoga class or some kind of a dance class. I carry dates, green teas and makhana with me. And what’s been really amazing to have on the go are my RAW juices. ‘Life’ is one of my favourite flavours—I have it on a daily basis—and I really like ‘Valencia Orange’ too. And I don’t travel without my almond milk because I know that access to it in a lot of places is very restricted.

Any packing tips to squeeze the maximum into limited space?
I don’t do a lot of my own packing these days, but when I do, I make sure to pack very little. It’s as simple as throwing in a pair of jeans, a skirt, two tops, a party dress, and two gym outfits. I’ll probably wear one top 2 or 3 times, and I’ll wear the same pair of jeans anyway. I also have this transparent pair of heels that go with everything. I carry that, my sneakers and my walking shoes, and I’m done.