By the nature of their job, pretty much all successful actors are also avid travelers. Elizabeth Olsen is no exception, but even when she's not on location filming projects like Sorry for Your Loss or her upcoming Avengers spin-off show, WandaVision, she tends to be on the move. "With work, I have to travel all of the time, and then when I’m not working, my favorite escape is to travel," she told Architectural Digest on October 2, ahead of the relaunch of the Delta SkyMiles American Express Card portfolio.
Naturally, AD asked the star if any interesting art or objects she's picked up around the globe are on display in her home—only to learn that souvenir shopping isn't typically part of her itinerary. "I just don’t like having stuff. I don’t like having too many tchotchkes. But if there’s someone having a birthday coming up, I take that as an opportunity to buy them a gift," she says. Below, Olsen elaborates on some of her recent travels through Spain and Portugal, and reveals why her minimalist sensibility goes out the window when it comes to her kitchen
Elizabeth Olsen: I really love, love, love traveling. I was just on a 16-day trip through Portugal and Spain. It was just my favorite thing to relax and do and learn and explore and experience. I really love the feeling of being isolated, especially in a place where I don’t speak the language.
EO: I have been both people. Recently the goal was to be the wanderer, because the trip was really about relaxation and not feeling pressured to do anything after just working as a producer and actor in Sorry for Your Loss. It just consumed every weekend and night, and there never felt like there was any time to breathe. I do love having an itinerary though. I love making sure that there are certain museums I get to go see, or pieces of art that you wouldn’t want to miss in certain cities. And restaurants are a really, really, really important thing for me.
AD: Do you have any restaurant recommendations from your most recent trip?
EO: The first thing that comes to mind is when I was in Barcelona, I went to a place called Bar Brutal. They have an incredible biodynamic wine list and the food is always changing, but it's just such amazing Spanish cuisine. It's not pretentious; it is all really well sourced and smart and creative and casual at the same time, without being too casual.
AD: So eating is a big part of your travel itinerary, but you said shopping isn't. Would you call yourself a minimalist?
EO: Kind of. Because we have a bunch of books and we have a bunch of records and then we have way too many spices and olive oil and condiments and mustard. I guess I collect foods. Pantry items. I love having different mustards for different salad dressings, and you know you want a different type of mustard for a burger than you do for dressing or chicken and all those things.
AD: Are you big on cooking at home?
EO: I love cooking. I have a separate set of knives for the homes I relocate to [when filming on location].
