Former Playboy cover model Tera Patrick is the happiest when she gets to travel. She has been to almost 120 countries so far.
“The first thing I did when I made money from my first Playboy job was travel to Argentina and through Patagonia,” Tera said. “I started traveling around 1998 to 1999 and, ever since then, it has always been what has made me feel free, happy, and humble.”
Tera loves to travel to wild and distant places, and her dream destination is Socotra Island. “It looks like another world!” she said. “I would also love to see the pyramids in Egypt, the Great Wall of China, and Tasmania.”
When asked what items she absolutely can’t travel without, Tera said her supplements and essential oils – which are peppermint, lavender, and tea tree oil.
“I also always bring oregano oil capsules, charcoal tablets and a multivitamin. Peppermint oil helps with headaches, nausea, or any type of air or sea sickness. Lavender is great for sleeping and relaxing, and tea tree is an antimicrobial and I’ve used it for a variety of cleaning things while traveling. It’s so important to stay healthy while traveling, and I always bring my own supplements since you can’t usually find them just anywhere,” she said.
And Tera’s tip for comfortable plane travel? “Bring something warm!” she said. “Airplanes are incredibly cold, so even if you’re headed to a warm destination the weather can still change in an instant. I always recommended a warm sweater or jacket.” Tera also uses Thermacare heat wraps. They pack easily in your purse or backpack, last eight to 10 hours and help relax tight muscles from long travel days.
In her own words, here are Tera’s top five travel destinations that she recommends buying a plane ticket for right now.
Tera Patrick’s Top 5 Travel Picks
1. Japan
My favorite place to travel to is Japan. I have been to Japan about 25 times because my soul feels so happy there. The very first trip I ever took to Japan was in 1994, and I remember feeling a sense of calmness – I felt like, in my past life, I had somehow lived in Japan. I don’t know what my connection is to Japan, but I feel deeply happy there.
The people are so incredible. One of the first things that I always say about my time in Japan is that they are such kind, humble people. I think bowing is such a sign of respect, and you just really embrace the beauty of the people and the atmosphere of the country when you’re there. Sometimes I feel kind of dorky when I’m there because I’m always smiling at everybody and nobody really looks at you weird. When you’re in LA, New York or just even in America in general, if you’re randomly smiling at people they think you’re trying to do something to them. But in Japan, I remember people would just smile at me and I’d smile back – so I just fell in love with that culture. It is my favorite, favorite place.
2. Thailand
My mother is from Thailand, and to finally see where part of my family’s history is from fulfilled a lifelong dream for me. I traveled the entire country for one month and will return this year.
And my favorite food has been in Thailand. I may be biased as it’s very comforting to me since it’s what I grew up on, but to eat truly authentic food from my motherland was the most incredible experience. Thailand has such an incredibly diverse food scene from Japan and Peru – even the street food!
3. Namibia
Namibia was an adventure! During the month of driving through the country, my favorite part of the trip was stopping to see the African animals in the wild. From the Namib desert and Skeleton Coast to the Caprivi Strip, it was just breathtaking.
4. South Africa
I traveled through South Africa during the same trip as Namibia, and it was incredible to see the diversity in the landscapes and wildlife of the two countries. Cape of Good Hope is a must-see if you travel to South Africa.
5. Argentina
I solo traveled to Argentina and it was one of my first international trips. I spent three months traveling the entire country with my goal of ending in Tierra Del Fuego. I had hoped to cross through the Drake Passage and cruise to Antarctica, but ran out of money.. So that’s on the Tera Patrick bucket list for the next time! I returned to Argentina in 2008 to shoot School of Sex for Playboy TV.
Tera Patrick is on the Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
