Culinary Host Padma Lakshmi Shares Travel Discipline Behind Global Career

New York_ Television host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi, known for nearly two decades leading the cooking competition Top Chef, says years of international travel tied to her culinary career have forced her to develop strict routines for managing jet lag, packing efficiently and maintaining health while frequently moving between cities.

Lakshmi, who recently launched the culinary competition series America’s Culinary Cup on CBS in March 2026, told Reuters-style interviewers that although her work has historically required constant global travel, her latest television project allowed her to remain largely between Toronto and her home in New York City during production.

Lakshmi spent 19 seasons hosting Top Chef and later explored regional cuisine across the United States in the documentary-style program Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, a series produced for the streaming platform Hulu. Over that time, travel became a central component of her professional life.

“The last five out of seven years I’ve been traveling for roughly eight months every year,” Lakshmi said. “For me, a vacation is actually staying in one place.”Despite the physical demands, Lakshmi said travel remains a source of professional inspiration.

Encountering unfamiliar cuisines, interacting with new communities and observing different cultural traditions continue to motivate her work in television and publishing.“Meeting people, tasting different foods and experiencing other cultures helps expand my perspective,” she said.

“That keeps me engaged with the world.”Lakshmi’s newest project, America’s Culinary Cup, brings together chefs who have earned recognition from the James Beard Foundation as well as Michelin-starred restaurateurs competing in culinary challenges centered on American cuisine.

The show features a $1 million prize, among the largest awards offered in televised cooking competitions.

Years of travel have also pushed Lakshmi to develop practical routines for life on the road. One of her core habits involves creating a familiar environment in hotel rooms through small personal items carried in her luggage.She said she frequently packs incense, which helps keep her suitcase fresh while also creating a calming atmosphere in unfamiliar places.

The scent, she explained, allows her to recreate a familiar environment for meditation or quiet reflection.Lakshmi also emphasizes efficient packing. She often places lightweight sarongs at the bottom of her suitcase so they can serve multiple purposes once she arrives at a destination, including covering furniture or softening harsh lighting in hotel rooms.

Health and wellness items also play a central role in her travel kit. Lakshmi regularly carries electrolyte packets and vitamin supplements, saying frequent travel can weaken the immune system and increase fatigue.Her standard flight essentials include a sleep mask, shawl, comfortable socks and headphones. She also downloads audiobooks in advance using Audible so that she can listen even when internet access is unavailable.

Clothing choices are also simplified. Lakshmi said she limits her wardrobe to a small number of color palettes that can be easily combined, allowing her to travel with fewer garments while maintaining versatility.

Frequent long-distance flights have led Lakshmi to adopt strict habits for maintaining health during travel.One of her most consistent rules is avoiding alcohol on airplanes.

She said drinking during flights can intensify dehydration and headaches, particularly during long journeys across time zones.Instead, she focuses heavily on hydration.

Lakshmi said she attempts to drink about 16 ounces of water roughly every 45 minutes while in the air.Her routine also includes moisturizing her skin before boarding flights and carrying hand cream to reapply throughout the journey.

She avoids wearing makeup on planes, noting that dry cabin air can irritate skin during long flights.Another strategy involves prioritizing rest immediately after meals are served during flights. Lakshmi said she asks flight attendants to deliver meals quickly so she can eat early and attempt to sleep for the remainder of the trip.

“I try not to watch movies on the plane,” she said. “If I start watching something, I end up staying awake.”Once meals are finished, she often covers her head with a shawl and puts on a face mask before attempting to sleep, a routine she says helps her recover from jet lag more quickly.

Skin care and wellness while travellingMaintaining skin health has also become a priority for Lakshmi during frequent travel. She said long-haul flights and changing climates can quickly affect hydration levels.Her basic routine includes facial products developed by New York-based aesthetician Christine Chin, whom Lakshmi said has provided skincare treatments for more than two decades.Lakshmi also uses moisturizing oils produced by the French brand Nuxe, applying them to her hair and skin to prevent dryness.

Beyond cosmetics, she emphasized that sleep remains one of the most important factors in maintaining health during heavy travel schedules.“Sleep affects everything your skin, your mood, your digestion and your concentration,” she said.

Even with a demanding filming schedule, Lakshmi said she still tries to explore local food cultures whenever possible.One of her preferred strategies is visiting neighborhood food markets or sampling street food, which she believes often provides the most authentic introduction to local cuisine.

She also frequently asks taxi drivers for restaurant recommendations, arguing that drivers often know the most popular spots among residents rather than tourists.Among her memorable culinary experiences was a visit to a local market in Bhutan while attending a literary festival.

There she encountered unusual varieties of mushrooms, dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, ingredients she later brought home.More recently, Lakshmi discovered a Laotian restaurant called Gai Noi while visiting Minneapolis for an advocacy event. The restaurant specializes in cuisine influenced by Southeast Asian traditions and the region’s Hmong community.

Lakshmi said exploring such restaurants helps her better understand how migration and cultural exchange shape culinary traditions.Despite constantly sampling new dishes around the world, she said simple meals often remain the most comforting after long periods of travel and filming.

Her routines from careful packing to strict hydration habits reflect the practical discipline required to maintain a global career centered on food, culture and travel.